Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The Oakland City Council voted 5-2 last night to put an $11 million per year parcel tax on the June ballot — assuming that the state legislature also agrees to hold a June special election, the Chron and Trib report. However, Councilman Ignacio De La Fuente single-handedly blocked a proposal from Mayor Jean Quan to also consider phone and property transfer tax measures. City law required that the council unanimously declare a fiscal emergency in order to put those measures before voters, but De La Fuente voted against the declaration — even though the city is grappling with a $46 million deficit. De La Fuente and Councilwoman Libby Schaaf also voted against asking voters to approve the parcel tax. If Ok’d, the parcel tax will sunset in five years.
