William Jenkins

West Oakland garage getting electric car-chargers for public use

Oakland is partnering with electric provider East Bay Community Energy to install 17 dual-port fast chargers, powered solely by solar and wind power, at the City Center West Garage.  The project is part of the Oakland Transportation Department’s plan to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles across the city, while tackling the health disparities in neighborhoods most plagued by air pollution. Bounded by the Port of Oakland and the interstate 580, 880 and 980 freeways, West Oakland has some of…

Will A’s stadium project hurt more than help the community?

As the Oakland Athletics proceed to finalize a development agreement for the new baseball stadium at Howard Terminal, some community members who have been involved in the project worry that it won’t provide enough benefits to residents, including jobs and affordable housing.  “This deal is going to bring value to the property owners and create more displacement,” said Jabari Herbert, a contractor and a member of the steering committee that worked on a Community Benefits Agreement.  The committee, which included…

VIDEO: Watch Oakland muralist turn a blank wall into a work of art

Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith is a muralist and artist in Oakland. As creative director of the Bay Area Mural Project, Wolfe-Goldsmith works to gain exposure for local artists, while painting the walls in Oakland with image that resonate. Her work reflects the culture, history and dreams that shape communities, as it presents empowering representations of BIPOC individuals. In this video, Wolfe-Goldsmith does the physically demanding work of a mural artist and talks about the piece she is most proud of.

Population shifts spur Oakland to redraw council boundaries, this time, with public’s help

Oakland is redrawing its council district map to address population shifts revealed in the 2020 Census, and this time, Oaklanders can have a say. The City Charter states that Oakland must adjust council district boundaries to reflect population changes in the decennial U.S. census data, a process known as redistricting. According to 2020 census data, Oakland’s population increased by nearly 13% to 440,646 since 2010. Driving that trend were a 28% increase in the city’s Latino population and a 14%…