Roselyn Romero

Oakland

Public Safety and Small Business Reporter at The Oaklandside

Pronounced ROSE-lin, not RAWZ-lin. Reporting on public safety @Oaklandside. DMs are off the record. She/her. @aaja 🇵🇭

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Articles

Election Day brings more voters than expected but overall turnout still seems low

1 week ago | oaklandside.org | Roselyn Romero

On the final day for Oakland voters to weigh in on the mayor’s race, a slow yet steady trickle of voters eager to do their civic duty arrived at Allen Temple Baptist Church in deep East Oakland, one of the city’s voting centers. Check out our last-minute Oakland election guide. The Allen Temple center has been open for voting since April 5. For most of that time, voter turnout for the special election has been “thin,” said Shahid Said, captain of the center. But that changed today.
A billboard gun ad is sparking debate in Oakland

1 week ago | oaklandside.org | Roselyn Romero

If you’ve driven eastbound on Interstate 880 in Oakland recently, you may have noticed a billboard running a gun ad. Located at Fifth Avenue and Embarcadero near Brooklyn Basin, the 14-by-48-foot billboard from Outfront Media depicts a black handgun with a crimson trigger against a white backdrop. To the left of the pistol, the ad reads, “Canik comes to California.” Canik is a Turkish firearms manufacturer.
How can the next mayor make Oakland safer? Business owners and residents have ideas

1 week ago | oaklandside.org | Roselyn Romero

It’s no secret public safety played a major role in the fall election. The recalls of former Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price can largely be attributed to a narrative that crime was out of control and that progressive leaders and policies were to blame. Californians also overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36, which expanded penalties for retail theft and drug possession across the state.
‘Hands Off!’ protest in Oakland denounces Trump, Musk's power grab

2 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Roselyn Romero |Iris Kwok

Donald Trump’s first term as president was marked by immediate and fierce protests pushing back against his anti-immigrant policies and stated goal of overturning Roe v. Wade. The beginning of Trump’s second term has seen less resistance — until now. On Saturday, thousands of East Bay residents gathered in Oakland, Berkeley and other cities to rally in the “Hands Off!” protests.
Santa Rita Jail health care provider should be dumped, activists urge

3 weeks ago | berkeleyside.org | Roselyn Romero

Several groups advocating on behalf of people incarcerated at Santa Rita Jail are calling on the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to end its contract with Wellpath, the private company that provides health care services in the jail. In October 2022, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office entered into a $252 million, five-year contract with Wellpath, one of the nation’s largest for-profit health care providers for incarcerated people.
Santa Rita Jail health care provider should be dumped, activists urge

3 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Roselyn Romero

Several groups advocating on behalf of people incarcerated at Santa Rita Jail are calling on the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to end its contract with Wellpath, the private company that provides health care services in the jail. In October 2022, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office entered into a $252 million, five-year contract with Wellpath, one of the nation’s largest for-profit healthcare providers for incarcerated people.
She’s on a mission to disrupt Oakland gun violence with ‘holistic healing’

4 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Roselyn Romero

When people talk about violence and its impact on Oakland residents, the focus is usually on shootings, assaults, and other crimes one person commits against another. But Briana Manning says it’s important to conceptualize violence in broader terms. “Homelessness, food insecurity, lack of mental health services, and communities not being invested in for generations — these are all forms of violence systematically,” she said.
These roads will be closed this weekend for the Oakland Marathon

1 month ago | oaklandside.org | Roselyn Romero

At the crack of dawn Sunday, more than 10,000 people are expected to run the Town for the 16th Oakland Marathon. In addition to the 26.2-mile race, the event will feature a half-marathon, 10K, and 5K race. (Full disclosure: I’ll be running my first half-marathon!) Organized by Bay Area-based Run Local and presented by Kaiser Permanente, the Oakland Marathon kicks off Friday with a two-day Health & Wellness Expo at the historic Henry J.
Derbing Alvarado vigil planned for Friday in Oakland

1 month ago | oaklandside.org | Roselyn Romero

Faith in Action East Bay will hold a vigil and march Friday night in deep East Oakland in memory of Derbing Jose Alvarado Gonzalez, a 15-year-old who was shot and killed in an attempted robbery. Around 4:15 p.m. Monday, Derbing and three friends were walking to soccer practice on the 1400 block of 100th Avenue when a man with a gun approached them from behind, demanding that Derbing hand over his Sprayground backpack, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Oakland volunteers needed to oversee $47M in public safety spending

1 month ago | oaklandside.org | Roselyn Romero

The city of Oakland is accepting applications for volunteers to serve on the new Public Safety Planning and Oversight Commission. Approved by 71% of Oakland voters on Nov. 5, Measure NN extends and increases a property and parking tax to pay for extra police, fire, and violence prevention services for nine years. The five-member Public Safety Planning and Oversight Commission reviews how Measure NN money is spent.