The murder of well-known and well-loved Oakland merchant Jesus "Chuy" Campos is a true tragedy. His family and the community are still grieving and looking for justice. I want to see the people responsible for his death brought to justice but there is a bigger issue that needs attention whether or not the murderer is ever found. And what if the murderer is never found? What will the family and community do with their frustration, anger and feeling of helplessness? While the police department is putting special effort on the case,

$190,589 for one police officer in Oakland! The amount sounds unbelievable, especially because it is the average cost of salary and benefits – the cost is higher for about half of all officers.  It’s $177,888 for one firefighter. Police and fire are critical services but these costs are too high for a city like Oakland that is struggling with a $31 million budget deficit. Too high in a recession or at anytime. It’s shocking that 75 percent of the city’s $400 million

¡$190,589 por un policía en Oakland! La suma suena como para no creerse, especialmente porque es el costo promedio del salario y las prestaciones – el costo es aun mayor para casi la mitad del resto de los oficiales. Un bombero gana $177,888. La policía y los bomberos son servicios críticos pero estos costos son demasiado altos sobre todo para una ciudad como Oakland que esta sufriendo por un déficit presupuestal de $31 millones. Demasiado alto

Today’s reality on the streets of Mexico City --

Fear has proven to be far more powerful and contagious than swine flu, or any flu. Or soccer mania. News stories about swine flu have scared both Mexicans and Americans into changing their daily habits while keeping tourists away from Mexico’s popular destinations.  With all the drama of a cheap telenovela, newspaper and television reports around the world made swine flu in Mexico a top story earlier