Eli Wolfe

San Francisco

City Hall Reporter at The Oaklandside

City Hall reporter for @Oaklandside. Previously @SJSpotlight and @FairWarningNews. Always looking for stories: [email protected].

Featured in: Favicon

oaklandside.org Favicon

theguardian.com Favicon

cbsnews.com Favicon

nbcnews.com Favicon

sfgate.com Favicon

theatlantic.com Favicon

salon.com

kqed.org

rawstory.com Favicon

oregonlive.com + 65 more

Articles

Day laborer support program slashed under new Oakland budget deal

1 week ago | oaklandside.org | Azucena Rasilla |Eli Wolfe

An Oakland program that provides critical resources to immigrants stands to lose hundreds of thousands in city funding. Last week, the Oakland City Council a $4.3 billion city budget to cover the next two years. Councilmembers stressed that the budget is “essentials” only, implying that some programs wouldn’t make the cut. One of the programs apparently deemed non-essential was the Street Level Health Project’s day laborer program.
Trump orders expanded immigration crackdown. Is Oakland in the crosshairs?

1 week ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

As President Donald Trump continues to push for immigration arrests and raids in Los Angeles, he’s vowed that other cities are next. On Sunday, Trump announced on his social media site, Truth Social, that he wants U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials to prioritize deportations from other cities controlled by Democrats.
Why was a billboard van parked at Oakland’s Highland Hospital?

2 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe |Darwin BondGraham

Patients and workers who showed up at Highland Hospital this morning were presented with a strange sight: a van with a giant digital billboard.
How is Oakland preparing for immigration enforcement actions?

2 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe |Roselyn Romero

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump sparked a national uproar when he deployed thousands of National Guard troops to support immigration enforcement agents carrying out raids and arrests in Los Angeles. 510-241-4011 — 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., M-FTrump said he wants to “liberate” Los Angeles, invoking a federal statute that is supposed to be used in the event of a domestic rebellion or foreign invasion, conditions that California’s leaders say aren’t present.
Oakland billboard deal could help close the city’s budget gap

2 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

Two years after signing a deal with Becker Boards, LLC, the Oakland City Council is poised to approve another contract that could alleviate some of the city’s budget problems. On Tuesday, the council’s Community and Economic Development Committee voted 3-1 to advance a proposal to allow Becker Boards to build five new billboards on privately owned property. In exchange, the company would need to tear down 11 existing boards within 15 years of the construction of the first new sign.
No Oakland fire station closures under council’s amended budget plan

2 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

Overview: The plan relies on policy academy cuts and revenue from a billboard deal that hasn’t been approved yet. Last month, Oakland’s interim mayor, Kevin Jenkins introduced a plan for how to spend money on city services over the next two years.
Oakland city administrator fires high-ranking official

2 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

Multiple sources reported over the weekend that City Administrator Jestin Johnson fired LaTonda Simmons on Friday, marking the latest shuffle in City Hall in recent months. It’s unclear why Johnson fired Simmons, who has served as an Assistant City Administrator since 2020 and worked in Oakland’s government for over two decades. But City Hall is in flux right now with Barbara Lee taking office and the city gearing up to approve a new two-year budget.
Oaklanders voted to take money out of politics. City Council just undid that

3 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

In 2022, Oakland voters overwhelmingly approved sweeping changes to the city’s campaign finance law to reduce the influence of big money in elections. The heart of Measure W was an initiative called Democracy Dollars. In a nutshell, the city would give qualifying voters vouchers worth $100 to give to political candidates of their choosing. The goal was to level the political playing field by giving lower-income residents the ability to financially support candidates.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee’s inaugural fund committee is raising big bucks

3 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

How much do you like Barbara Lee? Enough to spend $25,000 to support her inauguration party? How about $50,000? Or $100,000? Die-hard Lee supporters can now spend big bucks on a committee that is raising cash for the new mayor’s inauguration celebration. According to a website run by the “Oakland Inaugural Committee Fund 2025,” there will be a party for Lee on June 8 at Jack London Square. The fund is also collecting smaller dollar donations for the event.
Meals, hotels, office supplies: City leaders want to be able to raise more money for ‘officeholder’ expenses

3 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe |Natalie Orenstein

When someone wants to run for a local government office in California, they normally create what’s called a “candidate committee,” basically a special bank account that they can use to raise money. Legally, contributions can be used to pay for things like yard signs and television ads. But there’s another type of political committee, known as an officeholder account.