Neighbors discuss a fallen tree at San Antonio and Bay. Photos by Michele Ellson.

My children and I were at the window early Sunday morning, taking stock of the rain and the wind and the aftermath of their attack on the holiday decorations that were just beginning to sprout on neighbors’ homes and lawns. Across the street, a neighbor was getting into her car to head to work, and when she spotted us, she began pointing furiously down the block. Read more >> about Editor’s Note: A Tree Falls in Alameda

Today marks the opening of voting for the November 6, 2012 election, the first day vote-by-mail ballots can be submitted. And if you're looking for more information about your local races, you've come to the right place. We've set up a full-blown election center in order to give you the 411 on all your local candidates, local and county ballot measures and more. Read more >> about ALAMEDA ELECTIONS '12: Get your information right here!

A few Saturdays ago, five Alameda residents gathered in a study room at the Main Library to draft a series of questions for local candidates running for City Council, the Board of Education and the Alameda Health Care District Board, which oversees Alameda Hospital. Members of the group said they wanted to gain a very specific sense of the candidates' values and their understanding of the opportunities and challenges before them and their ability to address those if elected to the offices they're seeking, and I'm hopeful you will find that the questionnaires they drafted on that day and refined in a series of e-mail exchanges that followed do just that.

Candidates' responses to The Alamedan's questionnaires can be viewed in this section of our local elections center, which includes articles on local candidate forums, all of the local and county ballot measures you'll be asked to vote on this fall and more. Read more >> about Editor's Note: The Alamedan's candidate questionnaires are live!