By Nick Burns/BERKELEY

Berkeley’s City Council met last night to review the Climate Action Plan that hopes to drastically reduce the city’s carbon footprint. The proposal received criticism and support from Berkeley residents. The recommendations to create high-density housing and implement Community Choice Energy produced intense discussion among council members and attendees alike.
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By Ali Winston/OAKLAND

Bottle caps. Shards of glass. Bits of Styrofoam. Plastic baggies. Hypodermic needles. A doll’s head. Discarded knapsacks. Car batteries. A corroded television with a vacuum tube full of rainwater.

These are the things that are left behind by visitors or wash up on the shore of East Oakland’s Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Park. The scattered refuse makes the park look like an abandoned lot. In truth, it is a 72-acre wetland complex with wildlife, native plants, and a spectacular view of the Oakland Coliseum, Alameda Island and distant San Francisco.

On an overcast Saturday morning, dozens of volunteers equipped with blue latex gloves and trash bags scoured the park for trash as part of California’s 24^th annual Coastal Cleanup Day. Similar events took place from San Diego to Del Norte counties.

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By Angela J. Bass/OAKLAND

On Monday evening, East Oakland’s Tassafaronga Recreation Center was crammed with local residents who complained about headaches that they said were caused by the noxious fumes from nearby factories.

Residents had come to hear the results of a new report, “Cumulative Impacts in East Oakland: Findings from a Community-Based Mapping Study,” led by Communities for a Better Environment, a grassroots organization that trains local residents to monitor pollution levels in their neighborhoods.

The yearlong study examined the impact of unchecked pollution sources on communities of color within the Hegenberger Corridor, a toxic hot spot bordered by San Leandro St., International Blvd., 98th Ave, and the Hegenberger Expressway.

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