Oakland at Work – Oakland North

Ed and his dog Einstein host a free buffet at Frank Ogawa Plaza.

The acoustics are perfect in Frank Ogawa Plaza, the site of City Hall, on a Sunday. The clang of pots and pans resonate in a corner where a table is set up with turkey, gravy, and other Thanksgiving fixings covered with foil to keep it warm. “On the last Sunday of every month we like…

Each month, the beer market is flooded with brand new flavors, and sometimes people want to know exactly what goes into a batch of freshly brewed beer. Rob Bailard is the brain behind Diving Dog Brewhouse in downtown Oakland, which allows anyone from beer connoisseurs to non-drinkers to experience the brewing process. At the Brewhouse,…

Richard Ward writes out plant labels at his office in The Dry Garden in Oakland.

Richard Ward of The Dry Garden nursery tells of a time when succulents saved a house from a wildfire. In 1989, raging flames from the last big fire approached a house but stopped short at a row of giant aloe and agave plants. Ward said that succulents are naturally fire retardant because 98 percent of their…

Eugene Lemon’s first exposure to computers was in an East Oakland high school in 1964 when a teacher allowed him to play tic-tac-toe sometimes in the class to keep him from “tearing the classroom up.” He retired from a 20-year teaching career in 2012, but he continues to work every day at The Hidden Genius…

The Sun took off her raincoat over Downtown Oakland on Thursday, and outside OwlNWood, at 45 Grand Avenue, the air smelled faintly of fresh rain. OwlNWood is a small boutique selling vintage clothing, artisanal jewelry, and skincare products. As you step inside, your nose is met with a potpourri of sandalwood, musk, and hints of Nag…

A hum and chatter reverberates against the clean walls of a 90-year-old hallway above Oakland’s historic Fox Theatre. This is home for the Oakland School for the Arts, a charter school established in 2002. It’s Friday afternoon and the middle school students are giddy with anticipation. Two harmonious bells chime, signaling the day’s end. “We…

At 8 p.m. on a Saturday evening, a damp breeze forced Oakland dwellers into puffy coats, and Café Underwood’s windows glowed with light and motion. At this moment, the café was home to five customers, spread across the square room with either beer or coffee in hand. Their laptops lit the space before them. Some…

temescal-farmers-dog

It’s the last day of the year to buy tomatoes at the Temescal Farmer’s Market.

Etelvina López, a 33-year old mother of two, is grooming the 400 square-foot nursery room located on the first floor of the headquarters of Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA), an Oakland-based advocacy group for Latina domestic workers. She’s preparing for the arrival of the children who she takes care of every Thursday evening. López came…

Sudhu Tewari at the bike shop

The Crucible is a nondescript warehouse in West Oakland. Except for a few brightly colored metal signs and a large wooden crucible outside the building, the nonprofit industrial arts school could be any other structure in the freeway wrapped landscape. A swinging door in the lobby opens to a large, high-ceilinged workspace with bare cement…

Thomas Denesha is repairing a customer's bike at Uptown 19th Street BART Bike Station

Thomas Denesha pulls up a purple bike on a rack and proceeds to take the front wheel off. The helmet is still attached to the handlebar. Its owner dropped it off at Uptown 19th Street BART Bike Station Friday morning, knowing his bike will be well taken care of while he goes to work. “He…

The Oakland at work series documents the workers who physically keep the city running.

Red caution tape cordons off the sidewalk where Eric Wright and his crew are working on electrical wires.

The sky starts to lighten as Joyce Masih heads out to her bus. It’s just after 6 a.m. at the AC Transit bus yard in Hayward, and Masih is all smiles.

It’s 4 a.m. and Franklin Street is buzzing with the sound of forklifts, shouting and trucks in reverse.