## Oakland down one True Burger, Line 51 announces final day and Townhouse shutters after a century

A running list of restaurants that have recently closed in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and beyond.

## Cellphone ban in Oakland public schools starts in August

In a rare moment of alignment, OUSD’s board, parents and teachers agreed on a new rule — no smartphones during the school day.

A development corporation for downtown? Business leaders appear to be quietly starting one

A developer’s powerful political group and Barbara Lee have discussed launching a vehicle that could invest in beautification projects, parks, and businesses in the city’s core.

OUSD’s superintendent went around her own team on the budget. Then she brought down the axe

In December, Superintendent Denise Saddler sent the board a budget plan her chief of staff and finance chief had never seen. Days later, they were both gone.

## A stretch of East Bay Greenway is finally complete in East Oakland

Over the next few years, more sections will be added to the planned 16-mile project.

## For the uninsured, the Order of Malta Clinic is a lifeline

For 18 years, the Oakland clinic has provided medical care — more than 62,000 office visits — free of cost.

Recounting The Cheese Board’s early days: Manure-cured cheese, 25-hour work weeks, and bungled bread

Alumni of the collective gathered at the Berkeley Hillside Club to share wild and surprising stories of the influential shop’s founding and evolution.

Doug Martin’s family sues Oakland police and ambulance co. over former NFL player’s death

Martin died after a struggle with police last year. His family alleges he was restrained and not provided timely medical care while experiencing a mental health crisis.

## Can the World Cup score for Oakland’s economy?

From watch parties to BART travelers to Airbnb bookings, the 2026 FIFA tournament appears to be kicking off business in The Town.

Deficit? Surplus? OUSD passed a very confusing budget

The school board approved a teacher contract, without deciding how to pay for it. And it approved a budget with a projected surplus — assuming $30 million in new cuts.

Council and mayor clash over pick for interim city administrator

With financial deadlines looming, Mayor Lee wants her appointee to temporarily replace Jestin Johnson confirmed, but two councilmembers are hitting pause.

## Youth Radio is back on the mic

The nonprofit had shuttered in 2024, but reopened its downtown headquarters this week.

Reem’s ready to debut worker-owned flagship in Jack London Square

The Arab street food restaurant with California sensibility returns to Oakland after its first restaurant in Fruitvale closed in 2021.

## Why Oakland teenagers spent days ripping up ivy along Glen Echo Creek

A recent restoration project has brought native plants and wildlife back to a small stretch of an urban stream.

California historic parks beckon. How to get a free summer pass

From a Coast Miwok site that dates back to 6,000 BC to Jack London’s former cottage in Sonoma County, the pass offers free summer admission to 33 historic state parks.

Oakland artist Mildred Howard’s first major retrospective is up now at OMCA

At 80, the multimedia artist who lives and works in West Oakland has received her first museum survey and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

2 men released from Death Row sue Alameda County for $572M over jury selection

When prosecutors were found to have wrongfully excluded Black and Jewish people from juries, several men were freed from prison. Now the county faces a costly legal reckoning.

## Oakland’s roads are slowly getting safer

Deadly crashes in 2025 were down to 23 from highs of 36 in 2020 and 2022, according to new data from Safe Oakland Streets.

Millennium redux, a new Burmese restaurant moves into Swan’s Market, and an ice cream shop with a twist opens

A running list of restaurants that have recently opened in Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and beyond.

## This week in Oakland: Kev Choice at Yoshi’s, and the So So Anxious party at Golden Ratio

Other events include a summer stroll in Old Oakland, and two conversations with Black authors.

## Costco nearing exclusive negotiations for West Oakland store

A retail warehouse and gas station would add 400 jobs to West Oakland and generate $3M in tax revenue, a city report says.

## Everything, everywhere, all at once: What it’s like to be Oakland’s at-large councilmember

Rowena Brown has a big job. We followed her around to see what it takes to get it done.

Local lawyer Scott Herndon defends victims of serious-injury accidents and sexual abuse

Herndon's boutique firm takes a limited number of cases each year, putting a great deal of research into each one.

## Nearly 20 years after ‘Scraper Bike,’ the Trunk Boiz are back

The legendary Oakland rap group has dropped a new album with rising local artist Seiji Oda. It’s a match made in hyphy heaven.

## ‘Wood Street’ doc follows Oakland homeless community as sweep looms

The new film, covering the 2023 closure of the city’s largest encampment, screens at the New Parkway in July.

## Oakland First Fridays fights for its future…on our podcast

Catch up on Oakland news while walking the dog or cooking dinner with Oaklandside 510.

## Dax Lee’s Chili Cook-Off has ‘no rules’

The annual bean boil raised over $10,000 for homeless nonprofits in Oakland.

As school fights spread on social media, OUSD struggles to keep up

Students say when a fight breaks out on campus, a crowd often gathers to hit record. School leaders are now considering discipline for students who share those videos.

## Fees for public records? A bill could kneecap state transparency laws

Oakland City Council backed a draft of the bill that would give governments more time to respond to requests.

An unexpected bartender stint sparked Nelson German’s cocktail craze and new book

The chef-owner of alaMar and Sobre Mesa co-authored the recently released "Caribbean Cocktails," which includes small bite recipes in addition to drinks inspired by the Afro-Latino diaspora.