The League of Women Voters, their Smarter Voter series, their Easy Voter site, are all good places to check on the candidates runing in the November elections AND the issues on the ballot.

AC Transit’s announcement of its decision to outsource its call center to New England brings up the same question for
Oakland.

Oakland is forbidden by its charter from outsourcing anything except certain professional type services, and big construction projects.

from a friend in Montclair:

Tonight, Mayor Ron Dellums is expected to take an action he has only done once during his tenure—cast a tiebreaking vote.

The occasion that will draw such an unusual move from the mayor, who does not sit in City Council under Oakland’s charter, is a 4-4 deadlocked proposal to divert $100,000 toward voter education for the city’s new ranked-choice voting system while preserving $100,000 for public campaign financing.

(Editor’s Note: The deadline to declare candidacy for Oakland’s next Mayor hasn't even passed, but just like Christmas decorations in October, the campaigns are already off to a running start.) 

OakPAC - the largest political action committee in Oakland representing the business community - announced endorsements Wednesday for City Council candidates competing in the November General Election. 

You ever wonder what exactly marks the beginning of a political race?  Is it when Oakland's candidates for mayor begin raising and asking for large amounts of cash? Is it when the filing deadline arrives (August)? Is it when local media starts to talk about dollar amounts raised and the editorializing and framing begins?

Dear Candidates for All Oakland City Races, All Alameda County Races, and All BART and AC Transit Races (and yes, you school board folks as well):

 The League of Women Voters of Oakland urges you to participate in the Bay Area Regional Workshop this coming Saturday, August 28. Join other League members and the public to learn more about what the League does and how it does it.

Topics for the day include:

    * Advocacy -- When, Where and How does the League do it?

Hella yeah! That's what Oakland Local staff was saying when we saw Tyrone Stevenson, aka Babye Champ, aka The Scraper Bike King, profiled in Discovery's Treehugger blog.

If you call AC Transit’s Customer Relations department for a question or a complaint this fall, don’t be surprised to hear someone with a New England accent on the other end of the line.

After an outcry by mayoral candidates, media and citizens, The San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club has decided to allow all the mayoral candidates to speak at their August 25 forum on green energy issues.