Thursday’s Briefing: OUSD approves $20 million in budget cuts; Coronavirus fears intensify in the East Bay

Thursday’s Briefing: OUSD approves $20 million in budget cuts; Coronavirus fears intensify in the East Bay

FILE PHOTO

The move by OUSD officials on Wednesday includes layoffs to staff.


Elizabeth Warren drops out

News you don’t want to miss for Mar. 5:

1. Oakland Unified School District trustees voted Wednesday to approve $20 million in budget cuts, KTVU reports. The plan to balance the district’s budget includes issuing layoff notices to 100 staff members.

2. Oakland’s Aspire Monarch Academy closed for class because of worries over the coronavirus, KRON reports. The call, apparently, was the school’s, not the district.

3. Bishop O’Dowd’s high school girls basketball team may have their playoff game against Menlo-Atherton postponed out of concerns over the coronavirus, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. A relative of a staff member for the opposing team was infected with the coronavirus. $$

4. Just a few days after a number of East Bay elected officials endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the progressive Democratic presidential candidate ended her campaign on Thursday. Just prior to the California primary. East Bay state Sen. Nancy Skinner, and Assemblymembers Rob Bonta and Buffy Wicks, endorsed Warren. Don’t expect any endorsements from Warren anytime soon, she saidThe Hill reports.

5. About 17 percent of ballots in Alameda County have been counted and reported, as of Thursday afternoon. But while a number of ballot measures in the East Bay are currently struggling for passage, all three in Berkeley are likely headed toward approvalBerkeleyside reports. They include two parcel taxes and a bond measure.

6. Alameda County’s lone Superior Court judicial race is headed toward a likely runoff between attorneys Mark Fickes and Elena Condes, the East Bay Citizen reports. Fickes has a slight lead over Condes, but neither are likely within reach of securing the simple majority needed to avoid a November runoff.

7. Warriors guard Stephen Curry makes his return to the court tonight at the Chase Center, the East Bay Times reports. After missing most of the season with a fractured hand, Curry isn’t expected to rack up many minutes tonight. $$

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