Business

On an early evening, the city of Oakland is brimming with the hustle and bustle of the 9 to 5 work group. Runners, bikers, and families hug the perimeter of Lake Merritt as they squeeze in time for fitness and relaxation. The sounds of rush hour traffic fill the air but on the lakefront, all is still. “It’s peaceful out here,” said Angelino Sandri, owner and gondolier for Gondola Servizio in Oakland. He smiles as he skims across the surface…

The Oakland Film Office and Oakland Film Center, groups responsible for attracting filmmakers to Oakland and supporting them when they’re in town, are facing separate challenges that together put the future of movies made in Oakland in doubt.

Since last July, Oakland clubs have been able to apply for permits to extend their hours from 2 am to 4 am. However, only three such permits have been issued, said city councilmember Nancy Nadel during a crime prevention meeting of the Jack London District Association last night.

Oakland kicked off 2011’s Earth Day festivities yesterday with its annual Earth Expo in downtown Frank Ogawa Plaza. For the seventeenth year in a row, exhibitors lined the plaza’s aisles, offering visitors a glimpse of new green technologies and innovative products, and the latest information on local options for sustainable food, energy, and businesses. “Last year it was the 40th anniversary of Earth Day,” said Earth Expo organizer Bryn Samuel, who works for the City of Oakland as an Environmental…

Local businesses, bands and teachers are using social networks and online communities for more than just keeping up with friends.

Jesus Campos, a prominent business owner and community leader, was shot and killed outside of his Fruitvale restaurant at 5:36 a.m. Friday morning. Police believe that Campos, 58, unwittingly disrupted a robbery attempt at Otaez Restaurant on International Boulevard and was shot by the robbery suspects.

On an otherwise uneventful commute across the bay, passengers riding BART from Rockridge to San Francisco on Thursday afternoon were faced with an unusual sight: two pro basketball stars handing out free passes for the train.

After two years of planning, the city of Oakland is now trying to win public support for a plan to create new homes, retail and jobs along Broadway, between 23rd Street and Interstate 580 in downtown Oakland.

In a tent at Art Murmur, pizza chef James Whitehead is hustling. He darts about, frantically tossing dough into the air, saucing pies, and trying to keep up with the steady stream of hungry customers waiting for a slice.