National Public Radio is having a tough time financially. Advertising is down, and so the network has had to fire a lot of people. As recently as last Fall, NPR said it would be able to avoid layoffs, but on March 30, things had gotten so bad that CEO John Lansing announced, in a Zoom staff meeting, NPR would let go 84 employees.

A large sign is posted in the window of a shop on Telegraph Avenue. It reads:

ANTIOCH. Let’s talk about it. First, we condemn the texts sent by those idiot cops. Let justice take its course. Probably many of the cops ought to be fired, and they should not have the ability to become police officers elsewhere. I hope that the Justice Department does not put a special monitor over the Antioch Police Department, for we see how damaging, in every respect, that has been here in Oakland. But if they do, so be it. John Burris, the ambulance-chasing lawyer who has got rich off suing police departments, is working on this right now.

The Coalition for a Better Oakland is pleased to honor Carl Chan as its 2023 Person of the Year. Mr. Chan, President of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, has dedicated his career to securing the rights and safety of the AAPI community in Oakland. In so doing, he also fights for the security of the greater community.

I saw a young man today at Whole Foods wearing a T-shirt that said “LEGALIZE HOUSING.”  I debated whether or not to approach him and ask what his shirt meant. I decided not to; I don’t want to be “that old guy” who picks quarrels with twenty-somethings. In a way I wish I had asked him, because it would have been interesting to hear what he had to say. I’m open to criticism for remaining silent; nobody can be tougher on me than I am on myself.