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Cost’a rent not so high under Prop 10

By TJ Johnston on
Commentary   Opinion   YSA youth contributions
This November, Californians will vote on Prop 10, which will determine whether or not to repeal Costa-Hawkins—the 1995 law that placed limits on rent control in cities. If Prop 10 passes, it will be easier for California cities to lower their rents. An alliance of tenant organizations is demanding a “full repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, nothing less.”

When you gotta go

By Andy Pope on
First-person   Opinion
When I was homeless in the Bay Area, I had an awfully hard time getting myself to a bathroom on any kind of regular basis. It wasn’t so bad when I only had to go No.1, as we used to call it. I could usually find some kind of bush to duck behind, and the cleanup process wasn’t nearly so involved. Also, the sense of stigma or shame attached to the act of having to pee outdoors wasn’t nearly so severe as the corresponding sense of shame involved in having to go No.2.

Finding serenity on the street

By Timothy Busby on
First-person   Opinion
I have spent the last six and a half years of my life homeless, and the last three and a half years living solely on the street. I have put a great deal of effort into gaining first-hand knowledge of the mentalities of individuals I have met.

A Testament to Street Spirit’s Justice Journalism

By Amir Soltani on
Opinion
The game was rigged against the poor, but I will always relish the fact that Street Spirit took on the Oakland mayor and city council for their perverse assault on homeless recyclers. For me, that was hallowed ground. I will never regret the fact that we did not surrender that ground.

Unexpected Education at a Berkeley Art Gallery

By Carol Denney on
Opinion
Berkeley officials are serious when they insist that their downtown look like Disneyland. The signs and tables of businesses are not targeted for removal the way poor people are. Politicians want you to support more taxes without addressing the lopsided use of police resources against the poor.

In Spirit and in Truth

By Andy Pope on
Opinion
It is a mistake to think that one’s primary aim ought to be the acquisition of great wealth. The more I love God, and the less I love money, the better off I am. It is then that my life best reflects my concern and my hope for humanity.

Abolish the Inhumanity of War and Poverty

By Jack Bragen on
Opinion
We face a spectrum of cruelty, from bullying in the schools to the inhumanity of poverty and the catastrophic cruelty of war and nuclear bombs. Inhumanity leads to senseless shootings at the local level and senseless wars on the global level. People must learn to be kinder and more humane.