Oakland’s Minimum Wage Increases to $12.25 per hour

Minimum wage in Oakland is rising from $9 per hour to $12.25 today, but advocates with the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy say that many employers still don’t know about the change.

Starting at 11 a.m. and continuing throughout the day, minimum wage advocates and concerned Oakland citizens will be conducting outreach by visiting fast food restaurants and other businesses to inform employees of their rights as workers.

Nearly 82 percent of Oakland voters approved the wage increase, which appeared on the November 2014 ballot as Measure FF.
An estimated 48,000 workers will see their wages go up by $3.25 an hour as a result of Measure FF and roughly 56,700 workers will get five to nine paid sick days, depending on the size of the employer, according to EBASE.

Kate O’Hara, executive director of EBASE, said in a statement that the wage increase will help preserve the community’s economic and racial diversity.

San Francisco’s Proposition J, passed by more than 77 percent of voters in November, will gradually raise that city’s minimum wage to $15 by July 2018. According to EBASE, there are efforts underway to raise the minimum wage in other Bay Area cities, including Berkeley, Emeryville and Richmond.

Man Robs Lakeshore Bank Friday Afternoon

A man robbed a bank in San Francisco’s Lakeshore neighborhood on
Friday afternoon, according to police.

The man arrived at the bank in the 2600 block of Ocean Avenue at about 4 p.m. and handed a teller a note demanding money.
The teller, a 28-year-old man, turned over the cash and the suspect left the bank, police said.

Police have not arrested the robber, described as being between 35 and 40 years old.

Man shot outside North Beach Strip Club Early Saturday Morning

A man was shot in the shoulder while leaving a strip club in San
Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood early Saturday morning, according to
police.

The 29-year-old man and a friend left the strip club near the corner of Broadway Street and Columbus Avenue just after 1 a.m.They were getting into their car when they heard gunshots. The victim was struck in the left shoulder as he was getting into the car’s passenger seat, police said.

The man’s friend drove him to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening. Police have not released any information about possible suspects in the shooting.

Bicyclist Struck by Car in the Mission Suffered Life-Threatened Injuries

A bicyclist who was struck by a car in San Francisco’s Mission
District this afternoon has been transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to a fire spokeswoman.

San Francisco fire spokeswoman Jen Balestrieri said the collision was reported at 12:36 p.m. at the intersection of 14th and Folsom streets and that CPR was performed on the bicyclist. San Francisco police spokeswoman Officer Grace Gatpandan said the bicyclist was bleeding when emergency crews arrived and that the four-door sedan involved in the collision remained at the scene.

The bicyclist was transported to the hospital at 12:46 p.m., Balestrieri said. The cause of the collision remains under investigation.

Firefighters Contain One-Alarm Fire in Portola Neighborhood

Firefighters in San Francisco have contained a one-alarm fire in the Portola neighborhood this morning, a dispatcher with the San Francisco Fire Department said.

The first call of the fire at a home at Felton and Oxford streets came in at 5:38 a.m. and crews had the fire contained by 5:53 a.m., the dispatcher said. The dispatcher said neither civilians nor firefighters were injured in the blaze.

San Francisco Supervisors consider legislation to help protect in-law units from earthquakes

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ land use and transportation committee will consider today, legislation by Supervisor Scott Wiener to allow construction of new in-law units in buildings undergoing seismic retrofits.