"Temporary replacement for DA Pamela Price announces first staffing changes; county leaders to begin search" (Mercury News) reported by Jakob Rodgers

Also considering the job is Yibin Shen, who has spent the past five years as Alameda’s city attorney. His tenure includes the implementation of a rare arrangement that allows city attorneys to criminally prosecute the majority of cases filed in the city of Alameda, including those that can be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony. Only a dozen other cities across the state — all of which exist in Southern California — operate with similar laws on their books.

"Why do people become homeless in Oakland and Alameda County?" (The Oaklandside) reported by Natalie Orenstein

The new report dispels a persistent myth that homeless people flock to the East Bay, seeking laissez-faire policies and warmer weather. Instead, 80% of Oakland homeless residents surveyed said they had a permanent residence in Alameda County before becoming homeless.

Why do many people become homeless? The county survey revealed a range of reasons. A loss of housing, whether through eviction, foreclosure, or something else, was the most commonly reported reason, reflecting 35% of cases. Job loss, at 22%, was the second most common.

"How California Sees the World, and Itself" (Bloomberg News CityLab) op-ed by Mark Baldassare and Ian Klaus

Majorities of big city, suburban and rural residents view immigrants as a benefit to the economy rather than taking jobs from workers. They recognize the importance of US-China relations, not only to national security, but also to the country’s economy, and as such, carry concerns around shipping and trade between the US and Asia, and about the capacity of ports in Los Angeles, Oakland and elsewhere. Like national voters, Californians are worried about the economy and their place in it — but they see international engagement as essential to advancing that economy.

[...]

Thirty years ago, in the wake of serious economic problems and social unrest, California voters stood out by passing Proposition 187, which sought to restrict undocumented immigrants’ access to public services, by a wide margin. But this citizens’ initiative was later invalidated by the courts, and its passage ultimately had negative political ramifications for its partisan supporters that had a profound impact on its electoral politics. In surveys by the Public Policy Institute of California since then, most Californians have said that immigrants are a benefit rather than a burden to the state, and most also support the position that there should be a path to citizenship for undocumented residents.

"Salaries of $500,000 and up are ‘a dime a dozen’ in this California region, report says" (LA Times) reported by Caroline Petrow-Cohen

One California metropolis stood out from the rest, the ADP report found. The San Francisco Bay Area has the highest concentration of jobs that pay more than $500,000, “vastly outranking” other major cities. One in 48 jobs there pays $500,000 or more, nearly double the share in Austin, Texas, which has the second-highest concentration.

[...]

Although Austin, which landed in second place on ADP’s list, is another tech hub, the Bay Area’s intense tech focus wasn’t the only factor contributing to its singular status. Skyrocketing housing prices in the Bay Area have pushed out middle- and low-income residents, leaving the area’s population to be dominated by those earning more.

"Alameda County DA’s Office dismisses manslaughter case against lone remaining officer charged in death of Mario Gonzalez" (Mercury News) reported by Jakob Rodgers

In October, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Scott Patton agreed and dismissed charges against Fisher and Leahy.

In a legal quirk, McKinley’s case remained on the docket after the same judge ruled the district attorney’s office met the timeliness criteria in his case. That’s because McKinley spent the first five months of the year on a volunteer mission trip in South Africa, causing the statute of limitations in his case to be paused while he was out of the state.

"Encinal Terminals developer asks Alameda for extension" (San Francisco Business Times) reported by Hannah Kanik

The Alameda City Council will vote at its Jan. 7 meeting whether to grant the developer a three-year extension on certain milestones in the project's development agreement and master plan. If granted, the developer will have to submit biannual progress reports and make more progress on establishing an assessment district or identifying an equivalent funding source.

The extensions would not change the 2037 end date of the agreement, nor change the design or scope of the project, per the staff report

"This Bay Area island’s food scene has been overlooked. That’s changing" (San Francisco Chronicle) reviews by Cesar Hernandez:

The city of Alameda, with its slow, suburban feel, has a restaurant scene that is slept on (find some of my older favorites here). I think that will change soon.