Stories that East Bay progressive environmentalists shouldn’t miss:
1. The understaffed Oakland Police Department is being overwhelmed by calls for service that involve people with mental health issues and are not crime-related, the Chron$ reports. The department estimates that it gets about 7,000 such calls annually. Overall, OPD believes that it receives the most 911 calls per capita in the nation. The department and its consultants are studying the problem and looking for ways to solve it. “It’s a losing battle to treat mental health issues through a 911 response,” Sergeant Chris Bolton, chief of staff to Police Chief Howard Jordan, told the newspaper. “Deeper solutions are needed.”