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Crosscurrents

Daily News Roundup for Tuesday, July 12, 2016

"Oakland, California," by Flickr user Sharon Hahn Darlin, used under CC lisence / cropped and resized
Some residents have begun the process to recall Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf

Here’s what’s happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW news:

Oakland: Company laundered campaign donations to mayoral, council candidates // East Bay Times

“State and city campaign ethics officials announced Monday one of the largest fines in California and Oakland history against a plumbing manufacturer that laundered campaign contributions to mayoral and City Council candidates, including Desley Brooks, Rebecca Kaplan and former mayor Jean Quan.”

“AB&I Foundry, a subsidiary of McWane Inc., has tentatively agreed to pay more than $114,000 in the settlements reached following a joint investigation between the state Fair Political Practices Commission and Oakland's Public Ethics Commission launched last year.”

“The case involved 37 laundered campaign contributions totaling $23,900 from AB&I through 17 of its officers and employees (and their spouses) to four Oakland mayoral candidates and two City Council candidates in the 2012 and 2014 elections.”

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SF principals defy school board, hire Teach for America recruits // San Francisco Chronicle

“A handful of San Francisco elementary school principals facing an urgent need to fill positions for the fall have hired Teach for America recruits despite the school board’s vocal opposition to the organization”

“The principals, including those at Bret Harte, Lakeshore and Flynn elementary schools, knew the board’s position. But with a big teacher shortage weighing on them, they said politics mattered less than finding the best teachers to put in front of children. The principals, who have so far taken on eight candidates from Teach for America, didn’t break any rules.”

“A majority of board members said they no longer wanted to staff some of the district’s neediest schools with recent college graduates committed to only a two-year teaching stint — though many Teach For America teachers stay longer.”

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San Francisco Police Disproportionately Search African-Americans, Report Says // New York Times

“African-Americans in San Francisco are stopped and searched by police officers in disproportionate numbers and are subject to a host of other actions that appear to be discriminatory, according to a report issued on Monday that found the Police Department was in need of significant overhaul. The report also said that the department’s disciplinary system was riddled with shortcomings.”

“The report, by the Blue Ribbon Panel on Transparency, Accountability and Fairness in Law Enforcement, found that while African-Americans make up 5.8 percent of the city’s residents, they constituted about 40 percent, 20 of 51, of the victims of officer-involved shootings from January 2010 through July 2015. (The study noted that no race was listed for suspects in 18 of the 69 total shootings during that period).”

“The department’s own data from February 2016 found that 15 percent of people pulled over in traffic stops that month were African-Americans — far higher than their percentage of the city’s population.”

“By contrast, the percentage of traffic stops where the driver was white was 36 percent, according to the data. Whites make up about 41 percent of the city’s population.”

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Oakland Activists Launch Recall Campaign Against Mayor Libby Schaaf // CBS San Francisco

“Citing a litany of grievances, from displacement of residents to violent crime and an ongoing sexual exploitation scandal in the Oakland Police Department, a group of activists announced their intention Monday to circulate a petition to recall Mayor Libby Schaaf.”

“Leigh Davenport-deBoer of the Anti-Police Terror Project stepped into the city clerk’s office in Oakland City Hall Monday afternoon amid a crowd of fellow activists and reporters to begin the process to recall Schaaf.”

“The same group of activists has previously called for Oakland police to be de-funded in the wake of the scandals, but Schaaf said Monday she thinks their views are a minority in the city.”

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Election 2016: Big Pharma's $70 million tops California campaign contributions // San Jose Mercury News

“According to figures released Monday by the nonprofit MapLight, drug companies have already poured $70 million into an effort to fight Proposition 61, which would limit the prices state agencies pay for prescription drugs.”

“That's 38 percent of all the money so far invested into the various ballot measures through July 7, the Berkeley-based group reported. Some observers are predicting drug company contributions will top $100 million by Election Day”

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CCSF labor negotiations shift gears as new school year looms // SF Examiner

“The faculty union and administration at City College of San Francisco returned to a mediator Monday in an attempt to resolve their labor dispute as the first day of school approaches next month.”

“Faculty at the college have worked without a contract since it expired in June 2015 amid salary negotiations. Both sides have accused the other of unfair labor practices, which the union went on a one-day strike over in April.”

“Unless the two sides come to an agreement, the fact-finders will release a nonbinding report to establish a factual basis for the negotiations. Recently, the California State University system reached a deal with its faculty union after fact-finders released a report favoring the union.”