Economy
The Port of Oakland is facing “significant financial challenges” according to Pamela Calloway, the president of the port board of directors of the fifth busiest container port in the country, and as a result the Port has asked the union for concessions in talks for a new contract. The union representing port workers who do maintenance, janitorial and security work at the port disagrees, and for the last year the two sides have negotiated but been unable to come to an agreement.
Residents, city employees and anyone interested in the future of the Broadway-Valdez district, which is located just north of downtown, gathered to ask questions of a panel of local experts at Temple Sinai on Monday night for an event called “Catalyzing Change: Revitalizing the Broadway-Valdez District in a Post-Redevelopment Era.”
Software developers and web designers from allover the country met in Oakland Friday through Sunday for 48 hours of non-stop competitive design and programming to develop applications that could solve some of the most crucial challenges in the adoption and utilization of solar energy.
Tech Liminal in downtown Oakland bills itself as a tech “hotspot and salon.” It’s a shared office space for professionals who work at home and a DIY workshop for office workers. Tech Liminal is one of two “coworking” spaces in Oakland registered in the Coworking Wiki, a world directory of these alternative offices.
A parklet is slated to be built in front of Subrosa Coffee and Manifesto Bicycles, and will continue a trend of new business and innovation that 40th Street has enjoyed over the last few years. There’s a record store, a restaurant, and even a new fresh produce market where there used to be only office spaces and an excess of abandoned buildings.
One of America’s largest power utilities, San Francisco based Pacific Gas and Electric, which serves half of California’s public schools, announced Tuesday that it will oppose Assemblymember Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley)’s AB 1186, or the “Saving Schools Saving Energy” bill.
With two councilmembers absent, Tuesday night’s Oakland City Council meeting was brief, and much of the agenda was postponed.
Alameda County voters will get to decide in November if the transportation sales tax should be doubled in order to fund nearly $8 billion in transportation improvements and a return of some transit services in the county.
The ladles were out at Issues—a magazine store known for its comprehensive international selections—for their 5th year anniversary party that featured a chili cook-off.