In Depth Profile: Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and her Impossible Job

Since her election as mayor of Oakland in 2014, Libby Schaaf has tried to steer a city that embodies almost all the challenges confronting urban America: rapid gentrification, a shrinking black community that feels increasingly marginalized, a historically racist police force, and a growing homeless population. She is the subject of Jennifer Kahn’s in-depth profile […]

Dealing with the Unexpected: CA Democratic Leaders Respond to Trumps’ Win

On election day, as the nation narrowly elected Donald Trump, California voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton — and for Democrats, in general — setting up a battle between the state and the new administration that will likely persist for the next four years. How the state’s leading figures began preparing for that battle — in some cases, […]