Judy Lee has already begun packing her boxes. Full of art supplies and Shel Silverstein books, the boxes sat neatly stacked near the wall of her spacious classroom at the Piedmont Avenue Early Childhood Development Center on Wednesday, a telltale sign of the center’s imminent closure.
A shepherd prevents wildfires in the Oakland hills
Francisco Ballesteros stands on Old Tunnel Road, halfway to the crest of the Oakland hills, and looks down into a small valley where a herd of sheep and goats are grazing. “I have seven new babies,” he says, then gingerly starts making his way down a dirt path towards the animals. He stops and points [...]
Council approves four initiatives for November city ballot
On Monday night the Oakland City Council approved the addition of four initiatives to the city’s November ballot, all geared towards bringing revenue into the cash-strapped city.
A garden tour raises funds for healthy food education
In the shade of large, leafy lettuce and kale and tall stalks of beans, approximately 150 Bay Area residents met Saturday at the Saint Martin de Porres Elementary School garden to show their support for the nonprofit organization that planted it to give Oakland students a chance to learn about nutrition.
With fewer officers, Oakland’s policing strategy changes
Since the layoff of 80 police officers, Oakland’s policing strategy has changed, and neighborhood safety groups are grappling with how to react. The Oakland Police Department plans to focus more on emergencies and less on community problem-solving and the investigation of non-violent crimes.
Hashing it out with marijuana activist and educator Richard Lee
Richard Lee is president of Oaksterdam University, a cannabis trade school located in downtown Oakland. He’s also a driving force behind the November state ballot initiative to legalize, tax and regulate marijuana in California.
Green energy financing faces federal roadblock
An innovative financing scheme designed to help homeowners afford to make their homes greener and more energy efficient could be in trouble. The Federal Housing Finance Agency recently announced that it would not support Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) finance programs, like one set to launch for Oakland residents later this year.
Ralph Eggleston, Sequence pastel: First day, Finding Nemo, 2003. Pastel. ©Disney/Pixar.
Oakland Museum presents 25 years of Pixar
After a five-year, 14-stop worldwide tour that kicked off at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2005, the exhibition that covers Pixar’s entire lifespan is coming home. The Oakland Museum displays the East Bay studio’s unique visual style and extraordinarily vivid digital animation that brought the world Toy Story, WALL-E, and Finding Nemo.
Special Features
From Our Neighborhoods
Temescal
Parolee day reporting center planned for North Oakland
Residents in North Oakland’s Koreatown-Northgate district may soon be getting some new neighbors—a group of men and women trying to restart their lives after spending time behind bars. Center Point, Inc., a Marin-based non-profit social services agency, is planning to open a day reporting center for parolees from Oakland on the 33rd block of Telegraph.
Rockridge
Four square for adults at Rockridge BART
If you’ve ever walked through the parking lot at Oakland’s Rockridge BART late on a Thursday night, you may have seen a group of raucous twenty- and thirtysomethings yelling and drinking beer. But they’re not a bunch of hooligans — they are out there playing a friendly game of four square.
Grand/Lake
Mayoral candidates share their plans on public safety
“Ladies and gentlemen, you could be taking dance lessons in Jack London Square or having a drink. But no, we’ve had too important a week, haven’t we?” With that, Aimee Alison, host of the KPFA Morning Show and founder of OaklandSeen.com, opened the Oakland mayoral forum on public safety held Thursday evening, July 15th at the Lakeshore Baptist Church.
Golden Gate
With fewer officers, Oakland’s policing strategy changes
Since the layoff of 80 police officers, Oakland’s policing strategy has changed, and neighborhood safety groups are grappling with how to react. The Oakland Police Department plans to focus more on emergencies and less on community problem-solving and the investigation of non-violent crimes.
Bushrod
Phat Beets farmers’ market opens in North Oakland
What do you get when you mix an outdoor market, workshops on healthy eating and food justice? A Phat Beets farmers’ market. This new North Oakland weekly farmers’ market, which debuted on Saturday, is more than just buying food locally—it’s about education, health and the community.
Mosswood
Mosswood neighbors swap their backyard surplus at weekly produce exchange
Are you just about done with all the summer squash coming out of your garden? Or been eyeing the neighbor’s plum tree, wishing you had some of your own? There’s a bench in North Oakland’s Mosswood Park where you can trade away your excess harvest and pick up something else you like.
Downtown
A streetcar for Oakland? A student shares his plan
At a time when Oakland is strapped for cash and seems to have no clear plan for economic revitalization, one Stanford University junior says he has the answer: a streetcar system.