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Jan 18, 2025 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Christine Schiavo |Xavey Bzdek
Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has been charged by the federal government of using her office to enrich herself, her boyfriend and Oakland contractors David and Andy Duong. The eight-count indictment, which was handed down by an Oakland grand jury on Jan.
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Jan 9, 2025 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Andres J. Larios |Xavey Bzdek |Haydee Barahona
The AC Transit board of directors voted 6–1 on Wednesday to reject a censure of Director Sarah Syed in favor of committing to more leadership, governance and communication training for the board, and additional coaching for Syed. Syed cast the sole no vote, saying the board’s decision to single her out was unjustified. Syed sent an email on May 23, 2023, to staff working on the Realign project, asking for a draft analysis of the plan, which assesses every route in light of a decline in ridership.
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Jan 6, 2025 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Christine Schiavo |Xavey Bzdek |Haydee Barahona
California has reported 37 cases of human infection from avian influenza, about 56% of the country’s total. And on Monday, the Louisiana Department of Health reported that nation’s first human death from the infection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are still no cases of human-to-human infection, and that the risk of people contracting the virus is low.
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Dec 23, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Xavey Bzdek
The Oakland mayor’s office had been working to bring a Historically Black College to the city. That effort is now uncertain, after Oaklanders voted to recall Sheng Thao, who officially left the mayor’s post on Tuesday. Before her recall, Thao had appointed Deputy Mayor Kimberley Mayfield to lead a task force to bring one of the more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Oakland. Mayfield did not respond to follow-up requests for comment after the election.
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Nov 17, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Sophia Cutino |Xavey Bzdek
With Oakland facing a roughly $80 million hole in the city budget, a heralded new program to bring film productions to town is on the chopping block. The Film Rebate Incentive Program, an effort to lure film and television with rebates on production costs, was approved unanimously in July by the City Council.
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Nov 16, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Alana Minkler |Xavey Bzdek |Neha Gopal
Organizers and activists gathered Friday for a discussion on the election’s implications on justice and safety in Oakland. But despite certain results that horrified the crowd, the gathering focused on the opportunities for change. “When there’s a crisis or an emergency in our community, it’s an opportunity to come together and choose how we respond, and to learn,” John Jones III, the discussion host and director of programs at Urban Strategies Council, told the 40 of so people gathered.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Amy Jo Osborne |Xavey Bzdek |Neha Gopal |Ahamad Fuwad
The East Bay Regional Park District began during the height of the Great Depression with a ballot measure asking voters to institute a property tax for the purpose of creating a park system. Despite the hard economic times, voters overwhelmingly agreed to tax themselves so they could have more parks. Ninety years later, about 25 million people a year enjoy what has become the largest park district of its kind in the nation, a network essential to the active, outdoor East Bay lifestyle.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Xavey Bzdek |Neha Gopal |Ahamad Fuwad
Over 70 people gathered outside the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center near Lake Merritt Wednesday to celebrate the first anniversary of the creation of the Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District — bringing a moment of joy to many who felt discouraged by last week’s election of Donald Trump as president.
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Nov 5, 2024 | 
oaklandside.org | Xavey Bzdek |Jack Hildebrand |James Mawien Manyuol |Jacob Simas
Many voters in Oakland and across the country chose to cast their ballots by mail or during early in-person voting, long before Election Day. But for thousands of Oaklanders, there’s just no replacing the feeling one gets from heading out to the neighborhood voting center, filling in the bubbles, and dropping the ballot in the box.
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Oct 26, 2024 | 
oaklandnorth.net | Sara Martin |Xavey Bzdek
BART is capturing the attention of the next generation of riders by introducing anime mascots, community events, and creative outreach programs that make public transit more engaging and accessible. BART’s initiative to increase youth ridership is centered on creating a connection between younger generations and public transportation.
