This week in Oakland: ‘Sinners’ in 70mm at Grand Lake Theater, and the OMCA White Elephant Sale
Other events include the Fresh Jamz anniversary happy hour, an Oakland Wiki edit-a-thon, a candle and vision board making event, and Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at the Fox.
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city hall
A longtime arts leader and cultural advocate is Oakland’s new cultural affairs manager
Lyz Luke, the former director of Living Jazz, will be charged with securing external funding to support artists from the Town.
OPD was going to arrest an illegal dumper. Then they got a call from Ken Houston
The District 7 councilmember called off the police, saying it was a misunderstanding. The incident highlights his controversial, hands-on approach to city problems.
Did Oakland’s police union convince the City Council to block OPD oversight picks?
The council declined again to reappoint two commissioners in a move that some say could shape the police oversight board in ways friendlier to OPD.
Feds argue corruption case against Sheng Thao built on ‘significant’ evidence
Teeing up a potentially combative court hearing in March, defense attorneys for Oakland’s former mayor and others say evidence should be suppressed. Prosecutors say they didn’t rely heavily on an…
Oakland plans to send cops to the Super Bowl and World Cup
Oakland’s police department is understaffed, but police officials claim dispatching officers to protect events in Santa Clara won’t impact public safety here.
Know the hot spots before they’re hot.
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Hot dog days return to iconic, triangular Temescal building
Winky Dinky Dogs celebrated the grand opening of its second location in the building that formerly housed Original Kasper’s Hot Dogs.
For its first location outside San Francisco, Flour + Water knew it had to be Oakland
The restaurant serving and delivering pizza, wings, salads and more officially opened on Jan. 22 in Uptown Oakland.
Fatto a Mano comes to Prescott Market, two new Yemeni spots hit the East Bay, and a popular SF pizza joint expands to Oakland
A running list of restaurants that have recently opened in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and beyond.
PUBLIC SAFETY
OPD may be ready to end federal oversight, say city leaders
Ahead of a court hearing Tuesday, the city of Oakland wrote in a brief that OPD is “on the best possible path.” Civil rights attorneys disagree.
Education equity
What you need to know about enrolling in Oakland public schools
The regular application window for next school year closes on Feb. 8 for OUSD. A guide to all of your questions.
Oakland school board re-elects leadership as senior staff exit in contentious departures
Oakland Unified School District loses its top business officer as the board navigates a $100 million deficit and a superintendent search.
10 new laws that will impact California schools in 2026
New state laws will limit student cell phone use, require gender-neutral bathrooms, and shield schools from ICE enforcement.
Arts & Community
Photos: LaRussell brought the crowds to a block party in Old Oakland
The free event was put together to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the education nonprofit XQ Institute.
Housing & Homelessness
Landlord of fire-ravaged Oakland building attempts to evict displaced tenants
The city attorney demanded a prominent Oakland real estate owner withdraw “unlawful notices” of termination.
Vanderbilt University buys old CCA campus in Rockridge
It is unclear how the transfer of the Oakland arts campus will impact long-term plans to build 448 homes there.
7 stories of senior housing proposed for old Red Cross site in Rockridge
Neighbors are organizing against the Claremont Avenue building, which would include 203 market-rate apartments.
Oakland calls for 500 volunteers for homeless count
The Point-in-Time Count determines how much money Oakland gets for shelters and services, and helps policymakers and community groups understand the scale of the crisis.
Health & Environment
Thousands walk out in Kaiser strike
The open-ended strike was called by the United Nurses Associations of California, which represents about 31,000 employees. They have accused Kaiser Permanente of squeezing patient care and staffing — a claim the system denies.
Kaiser Permanente will pay $556M to settle Medicare fraud case
Federal prosecutors alleged the Oakland-based healthcare giant schemed for nearly a decade to rake in higher Medicare reimbursements.
Environmental groups organize to protest Chevron, military action in Venezuela
The East Bay action came together in response to the Trump Administration’s capture of the Venezuelan president and the fatal shooting of an observer by an ICE officer in Minneapolis.
Business
Moxy Uptown Oakland stops taking hotel reservations and is expected to close
The news follows challenges to the city’s hospitality industry, including tech industry layoffs and declining tourism dollars.
Does your home need an electrical upgrade? Call Mr. Poppy.
New company aims to offer professional wiring work with good service at a lower cost.
Why is couchdate leaving downtown? It depends on who you ask
A city spokesperson says the bar held unpermitted events and had a “concerning history” as a commercial tenant. The owner says Oakland made it “impossible” to stay open. Records show there’s more to the story.
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Hundreds of Oaklanders told us what they want from local journalism. Here’s what we learned.
HOW WE WORK
Everything that happened in Oakland in 2025
Corruption charges, beloved teachers lost, scrappy baseball wins, and federal agents on Coast Guard Island. Yeah, it was a lot. Here’s everything you need to know about Oakland’s chaotic 2025.
Parking ban at Lake Merritt, coal terminal, explaining the Oakland Police Commission: on the podcast
Catch up on Oakland news while walking the dog or cooking dinner with Oaklandside 510.
Oaklandside’s Alejandra Armstrong, Roselyn Romero, Darwin BondGraham receive journalism honors
All three are being honored tonight by the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Armstrong will receive the Unsung Hero Award.
The Oaklandside is launching a reporting fellowship for high schoolers
The program will pay 12 OUSD high school students to collaborate with the newsroom and help shape our education coverage. Students must apply by Nov. 30.
Values guiding our work
News organizations don’t always tell you–or know–what drives their decisions.
