San Francisco: Mayor Ed Lee recently appointed Planning Commission President Christina Olague as the new supervisor for District 5. Olague is the first ever openly Latina bisexual to serve as a district supervisor in San Francisco. Replacing former supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, Olague is expected to seek a full four-year term in the upcoming November election.

Oakland: West Oakland and West Berkeley residents may have been susceptible to heavy metal and lead poisoning for sometime now. The cause of the higher than average levels of heavy metal in the air is attributed to two industrial factories in the area. A new pilot study pioneered by the non-profit organization, Global Community Monitor, will test the blood of children between the ages of one and five to determine whether their blood did in fact contain high amounts of heavy metals.

Union City: The Union City school system raised over $17,500 in a fundraiser to aid victims of a fire on Bergenline Avenue that destroyed six buildings and left several residents homeless. Students and faculty joined together to host a special “Denim Day”, where students and faculty paid a small amount to wear denim on Jan. 20. Students and faculty reported that participation in the fundraiser was high.