News stories that East Bay progressives and environmentalists shouldn’t miss:
1. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan told a city council committee this week that state officials will demand that the city pay the state more than $30 million in former redevelopment funds, the Trib reports. The money came from the sale of several properties, including the Henry J. Kaiser Center, by the city to the Oakland redevelopment agency before the state killed such entities in 2011. The city never spent the money; it’s sitting in an $84 million reserve fund. However, the expected move by the state means the city’s finances are in much worse shape than expected.