Oakland workers continue the “Fight for $15”

Fast food workers, union representatives and their allies converged on Frank Ogawa Plaza yesterday afternoon to call for a rise in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Photo by Teresa Cotsirilos.

Hundreds of fast food and other low-wage workers gathered outside Oakland City Hall Tuesday evening demanding a higher minimum wage of $15 per hour. The demonstrations were part of a wider national campaign, Fight For 15, which has seen over 270 cities participating in similar protests.

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Fans rally as A’s look to playoffs

Oakland A's right fielder Josh Reddick with A's fans.

Mayor Jean Quan and members of the Oakland city council joined local fans at Frank Ogawa Plaza on Oct. 1 for “A’s Oaktober Rally” – a free public celebration honoring the 2013 Oakland Athletics. The A’s clinched a playoff spot this season by winning the AL West Division and will host the Detroit Tigers in the American League Division Series on Friday and Saturday at O.co Coliseum.

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Businesses, city leaders say in Oakland, economy is rebounding

Sarah Kirnon and her business associate were putting the finishing touches on their new restaurant in Old Oakland—Miss Ollie’s, specializing in Afro-Caribbean fare—days before it was scheduled to open. In the kitchen, spices were still in their packaging: cardamom, cumin, dried and smoked habanero peppers.  Tables were stacked in front. The grill shone brand new.…

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OpenOakland brigade encourages collaboration between government and community using technology

Code for America founder Jennifer Pahlka gives the keynote at CityCamp at City Hall.

Sounds of Christmas music, cheering and motorcycles at the Oakland Parade seeped through the windows of City Hall, but didn’t stop discussions on youth and technology, the freedom of information act and the digital divide in Oakland at the first annual CityCamp, organized by the OpenOakland brigade. Over 120 people, including programmers, city officials, bloggers and community members, attended the “unconference,” or interactive forum with topics of discussion that attendees themselves choose.

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Oakland restores City Hall plaza and lawn, damaged by Occupy campsite

The bust of Frank H. Ogawa in front of Oakland City Hall. The plaza is fenced off for restoration.

Nearly a year after the Occupy protest coalesced in downtown Oakland, a longsuffering casualty of the protest is finally being attended to as the City of Oakland begins a full-scale restoration of the lawn of Frank H. Ogawa Plaza. The project involves the removal and replacement of all grass sod in the plaza—a new lawn, essentially, from scratch.

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200 Yards project asks photographers to focus on downtown Oakland

Genevieve Brazelton, co-founder of 200 Yards, wants photographers to take a closer look at North Oakland. The premise of the project is simple: Draw a 200-yard radius around an alternative gallery or other landmark and invite photographers to cover that area with a hyperlocal focus and submit their work. The cream of the crop from the show’s Oakland version, which has the majestic oak tree as the center of its radius, will be displayed in a show at Oakland City Hall during the Art & Soul festival.

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Five Occupy Oakland campers speak about why they joined the protest

"Endism Road," one of the makeshift wooden walkways at the Occupy Oakland camp that has been putting down roots over the past two weeks in the downtown Frank H. Ogawa Plaza.

There used to be grass here, but it didn’t last long―not after the bodies started multiplying and the make-shift community started growing. Now the space is covered in mud and heaps of hay. And a runaway pancake that slid off of someone’s blue-plastic plate. And a stray sock, and a boardwalk of planks. And feet. Hundreds of feet. This used to be Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, but not any more. Welcome to Occupy Oakland.

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