Some 250 workers rallied on City Hall steps ahead of Tuesday’s City Council meeting to protest the mayor’s proposed budget, which focuses on investments in public safety, job creation, economic development, and job training. But union members felt some of the most hard hitting cuts were proposed to service programs–many of the jobs they do in the city of Oakland.
People in the Bay Area are turning to creative alternatives to buying new. Clothes swaps have been around for a long time, but they’re more popular than ever. Some swaps charge an entrance fee — Like SwapSF, a San Francisco exchange that draws over three hundred people. Swap-O-Rama-Rama, a swap and DIY workshop in a hundred cities around the world, is donation based.
Several dozen people gathered on the steps of City Hall ahead of Tuesday’s city council meeting to show support for a resolution to fund the West Oakland Job Resource Center.
Enjoy the photo gallery for our weekly series, The Pulse of Oakland. This week’s featured ZIP code is 94610. The area includes Grand Lake, Trestle Glen, Adams Point and other neighborhoods north of Lake Merritt.
As the city gets ready to tackle a new two-year budget, councilmembers heard a presentation on Oakland’s fiscal future at Tuesday’s city council meeting. Whoops, jeers and the sound of a cowbell punctuated the meeting, and before the council could hear the presentation, they heard from dozens of angry union members and chants of “Enough is enough!” from the audience stalled proceedings more than once.
A group of seniors in Oakland’s Gold Coast neighborhood is collaborating with the local district associations to tackle issues the affect the senior community.
Every weekend there’s a sign posted on some telephone pole for an estate sale. Maybe you’re someone who follows the signs, but if you’re not, you might be surprised by what people can get out of these sales. Listen to the audio piece to hear more about fans of Oakland’s estate sales and the people who make them happen.
Now that one of the primary funders of Oakland’s Free Broadway Shuttle has decided to cut its contribution to the program by half, those who work with the shuttle say they’re optimistic it will continue, but they’ll need to make up the funding deficit to keep the free rides coming.
One month after a homicide forced city leaders and event organizers to question the future of Oakland’s First Friday art festival, the event returned this weekend—smaller and more low-key than past versions, but turnout was strong. The themes of the March 1 were peace and unity. People gave peace signs all night, some wore neon green t-shirts that read “Respect Our City,” and organizers held two moments of silence in honor of Kiante Campell, the 18-year-old who was shot and…
The children and youth who participate in health and education programs at the East Oakland Boxing Association got the chance to meet Golden State Warriors forward Carl Landry on Thursday afternoon. The NBA star joined representatives from Good Sports, a national nonprofit that donates sports equipment to kids, in gifting the community organization $10,000 for new equipment.
City leaders met with First Friday stakeholders again Tuesday night to discuss the future of the city’s most popular art festival, which could lead to several changes next month’s event.
Nearly a week after the post-First Friday festival shooting that killed 18-year-old Kiante Campbell and wounded 3 others, event organizers say they’re waiting for a cue from the city about how to proceed. City of Oakland officials have called a meeting with the festival’s key stakeholders for Thursday to examine ways to keep future events safe. The art festival that takes over swaths of downtown Oakland on the first Friday of each month started as a humble gallery walk in…
Alameda County shoppers are adjusting, if reluctantly, to the single-use bag ban that went into effect January first. The Reusable Bag Ordinance, passed a year ago by Alameda County Waste Management Authority, is intended to abate waterway pollution by limiting the distribution of single-use carryout bags and coaxing people to opt for a reusable alternative.
Judge Gordon Baranco donned his robes at the last minute, putting them on over a grey suit and a tie on which a reindeer tugged Santa in a sled. Baranco normally hears cases in the Alameda County Superior Court, but today he was presiding over a ragtag crowd in a well-used community center, where the homeless and formerly homeless defendants had gathered to have the fines associated with minor offenses waived. Baranco stood in front his makeshift bench, a rectangular…
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society of Alameda County is holding a coat drive Thursday at Farley’s East cafe during a special happy hour event from 5 to 9pm.
Community activists bucked a proposal to turn an empty lot in Uptown into a parking lot, advocating instead for a temporary sculpture park. Years later, Uptown Art Park is almost ready to open.