Business
Reaching for the moon was the theme for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s annual State of the City address on October 14, as she introduced the “Oakland Thrives Moon Shot,” a slate of goals to guide her office for the coming year.
Facing a crowd of over 100 people, Nilton J. Serva, a 19 year-old Latino entrepreneur, pitched his idea for an app that connects career mentors with Latinos and Latinas. An audible “Wow!” was heard from the audience as a teammate showed a mock-up of the simple, elegant app on the screen with sections for career credentials, a profile photo and ratings.
Piles of dishes clatter behind the red big curtains and dozens of waiters, as chefs and their assistants try to move around the small back room, quickly coming in and out of the kitchen. Assembly lines surround three tables, where one by one, each chef adds a piece to the dish. Caramel. Powdered sugar. As they prepare for the finale, they swiftly clean the small white plates. No one hesitates. It’s time for dessert.
A brown building with tall doors opened to the ringing sound of sewing machines. Inside were racks of red-and-white leather jackets with pieces of the Cadillac logo, multicolored wrist wallets and leather bags.
It was a typical Thursday night at Platinum Dirt, Page’s leather workshop and storefront on 25th Street. He was turning salvaged material into a duffle bag, part of a resurgence of Oakland-based manufacturing.
Local chefs take over Steel Rail’s kitchen on Friday nights for the restaurant’s fall series, Off the Rails.
Fruitvale is the first to be featured in a city-sponsored tourism campaign launched in early October that aims to showcase Oakland’s diverse neighborhoods.
Beverage makers receive another cease and desist letter regarding advertising in their campaign against proposed soda taxes in Oakland and San Francisco. The latest notice is from Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Cuddling is not recognized by most people as a legitimate profession like law or medicine, or even dog-walking. But it’s starting to turn into a service some people are willing to pay for—$80 an hour in Oakland.
Corner stores in Oakland worry about the effects of Proposition 56.