Oakland Ca Government Employees

The city government here is poised to become the first in California to require that many departments hire workers who speak either Spanish or Chinese, in an effort to provide services to a fast-growing population of immigrants not proficient in English. With census figures showing that 35% of this East Bay city's residents are Asian or Latino, the City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to make all departments that have contact with the public hire bilingual employees.

The city government here is poised to become the first in California to require that many departments hire workers who speak either Spanish or Chinese, in an effort to provide services to a fast-growing population of immigrants not proficient in English. With census figures showing that 35% of this East Bay city's residents are Asian or Latino, the City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to make all departments that have contact with the public hire bilingual employees.

Three Oakland policemen were sued by a black officer who charged that they hit him with their patrol car and beat him before recognizing him as an undercover colleague. Derrick Norfleet, 25, said he had just finished making an undercover drug buy last July when the other officers chased him, ran into him, kicked him and beat him with a flashlight. It wasn't until he rolled over that they saw who he was, Norfleet said.

Oakland Police Chief George Hart promised a full investigation after a swastika and the letters "KKK" were found painted on a garage door at the headquarters of the Oakland Black Firefighters Assn. Officials said the graffiti may have been connected to the upcoming training of the first group of firefighters recruited under a 1985 court order requiring the adoption of equal-opportunity hiring procedures.

Oakland Police Chief George Hart promised a full investigation after a swastika and the letters "KKK" were found painted on a garage door at the headquarters of the Oakland Black Firefighters Assn. Officials said the graffiti may have been connected to the upcoming training of the first group of firefighters recruited under a 1985 court order requiring the adoption of equal-opportunity hiring procedures.

Three Oakland policemen were sued by a black officer who charged that they hit him with their patrol car and beat him before recognizing him as an undercover colleague. Derrick Norfleet, 25, said he had just finished making an undercover drug buy last July when the other officers chased him, ran into him, kicked him and beat him with a flashlight. It wasn't until he rolled over that they saw who he was, Norfleet said.