Business
This story is part of “The Stakes,” a UC Berkeley Journalism project on executive orders and actions affecting Californians and their communities. Elizabeth Wardman has owned a Rockridge flower shop for 10 years and has seen product prices fluctuate during that time. But she’s worried about the impact new tariffs on imports could have on her business. In the summer, Wardman gets 75% of the flowers for her shop, Wisteria Rockridge, from local farmers and the rest are imported from Colombia and…
Oakland has taken the first step toward building entertainment zones similar to San Francisco’s to boost foot traffic and support night life in commercial corridors. Oakland City Council last week unanimously approved investing $1 million in an economic revitalization package that will create two types of entertainment zones, including an artificial intelligence hub to advance workforce development and technological innovation. The funding, which was approved in the 2025 budget, will be administered over two years, through a grant to the…
Misty Rose sat in concentration, threading, measuring, and cutting as she re-soled an old pair of Chuck Taylor Converse by hand. She was transforming the worn-out sneakers, which her niece had nearly thrown into the trash, into something brand new with a leather toe cap and chunky Vibram sole. Rose is a leatherworker and designer in Oakland. Her business, MzzTrzz, specializes in locally based shoemaking material and tool distribution for home crafters and artists. Rose demonstrated her sneaker refurbishing, or…
Albert Buixadé Farré was among the first customers at the new East Bay Booksellers in Rockridge, its beige walls newly painted, the faint scent of fresh wood filling the air. Spotlights illuminated bookshelves, blending with the sunlight streaming in from outside to create a warm and inviting ambiance. Newly arrived books rested on the shelves, waiting for book lovers to take them home. East Bay Booksellers held a soft reopening at 6022 College Ave. the Saturday after Thanksgiving, just in…
With Oakland facing a roughly $80 million hole in the city budget, a heralded new program to bring film productions to town is on the chopping block. The Film Rebate Incentive Program, an effort to lure film and television with rebates on production costs, was approved unanimously in July by the City Council. The $600,000 initiative was left out of a contingency budget that was adopted because the city has not yet received anticipated payments from the $125 million sale…
High tea is a British tradition which typically calls for elegant hats, high heels and extravagant dresses, and those who came to the Claremont Club & Spa on Friday for tea and a fashion preview fit the occasion. Many sported colorful dresses, lacy head pieces and flowing pant suits that added modern flair to a tradition that dates to the 19th century. “High Tea & High Fashion” was one of many events held through the weekend for the third annual…
Update: In May 2025, Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson, who was appointed in January after voters recalled Pamela Price, dismissed the charges against Radius. A two-day toxic blaze that blanketed Oakland in smoke last summer has resulted in criminal indictments for Radius Recycling. “Under my leadership, this administration will not allow corporate criminals to poison our community recklessly, to create vulnerabilities for our community and for those who serve our community and just walk away having made a…
In a strongly worded complaint filed in Superior Court, the Alameda County district attorney said Farmers Insurance Group of Companies engages in business practices that harm consumers and violate California’s unfair competition and false advertising laws. The assertions stem from the company’s reliance on a software tool that can be inaccurate and leave homeowners unwittingly underinsured. “The insurance companies gain a competitive advantage at the expense of proper coverage,” Price said at a news conference about the lawsuit on Tuesday. …
From the end of a boardwalk that juts into Oakland’s Arrowhead Marsh, it can be hard to appreciate the fragility of this ecosystem. At low tide, native cordgrass and pickleweed brim with life, rustling, snapping and popping as they dry under the morning sun. California clapper rails dig their long beaks into the mudflats in search of small crustaceans. Above, bright white kestrels dart, periodically diving into the water and emerging with small, shining baitfish. Birdsong crescendos, sage fills the…