Economy

Lake Merritt’s Nature Center continues on despite budget cuts

Stephanie Benavidez has worked at the Rotary Nature Center for over 35 years, but now thanks to city budget cuts she is its only full time staff member. With only one full-time person on the job, and five part-time employees, it’s harder for the center to keep up with all of its work.

At daybreak, already in line for free school supplies

Several hundred people gathered on Saturday in Frank Ogawa Plaza, where promises of free back-to-school supplies attracted a wide range of students, from kindergarteners to college freshmen. Many parents arrived hours before the official start time, children in tow, in order to ensure a good place in line for the give-away.

Sit-in underway at children’s center

Despite plans to close eight early childhood development centers Monday, Oakland schools’ Superintendent Tony Smith said Friday that funds had been found to keep six of those centers open. However, North Oakland’s Golden Gate Childhood Development Center is still slated for closure. In response, members the local group By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) began what they called an all-night occupation of the center in the early afternoon. “I believe that the only success is if we keep fighting,” Mark Airgood…

Alternative car fuel arrives in Oakland

Oakland drivers may want to take a closer look at their owner’s manuals this week. The city’s first biofuels vending station opened Tuesday, offering fillups for any engine that can run using renewable alternatives to gasoline.