Environment
A state bill that would ban the possession and distribution of shark fins in California has led to debate between conservationists and Chinese American leaders, and has its share of critics in Oakland’s Chinatown. The bill would prevent hundreds of restaurants from serving shark-fin soup, a traditional Chinese delicacy that is a mark of prestige at banquets.
With key city planning issues up for public comment, Tuesday’s city council meeting offered heated debate over public transportation, zoning, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.
Hiroko Kurihara is building the 25th Street Collective step by step—recruiting other entrepreneurs to share the space with her brand, making improvements to the interior, and fundraising on the collective’s web site. The collective will allow businesses to share space, resources, employees and feedback from fellow artisans.
The first Walk for Whiskers, a charity event raising funds and awareness for domestic abuse and animal advocacy groups in the Bay Area, was held at Lakeside Park at Lake Merritt on Saturday morning. The cold temperatures and gusty winds had participants and volunteers–and even their pets–bundled up in sweaters and scarves as they made their way around the lake to show their support.
When it comes to the interests of low-income people, affordable housing and clean air advocates usually work side by side in Oakland and the Bay Area. However, the issue of impending air quality guidelines for new or renovated affordable housing sites has caused disagreement between the two groups.
The newly minted Oakland chapter of the Green Party met for the second time on Tuesday evening to talk politics: city redevelopment funds, gang injunctions and whether to support a statewide moratorium on foreclosures.
On a rainy December day, almost 200 bird watchers fanned out across Oakland in search of birds. They were participating in the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count. Since then, its employees have been busy tallying up the numbers from the count. The final results were released Monday.
The Oakland Based Urban Gardens organization — or O.B.U.G.S. — provides healthy food options for Oakland youth ages two to fourteen in six local school gardens. Reporter Lauren Callahan joined West Oakland Middle School students as they harvested greens and learned to make kale salad.
Oakland launched a new energy efficiency program called Oakland Shines Wednesday, with the goal of reducing energy costs for business owners in the downtown area. “The goal is to get 80 percent of the 4,000 businesses to participate, and to reduce their energy consumption by 20 percent, ” said Derrick Rebello, the CEO of Quantum Energy Services and Technology, at the program’s kick-off event. Berkeley-based QuEST and PG&E are the city’s main partners in Oakland Shines, which is funded by a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission.