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.
Recent news
PUBLIC SAFETY
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.
city hall
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.
Hear the latest episode
Education equity
OUSD commits to violence intervention in Oakland schools next year
After a year of uncertainty, the district is seeking applications from organizations to provide violence intervention, life coaching, and gender-based violence support in its high schools.
roads & transit
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.
Arts & Community
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.
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.
Features & Guides
Housing & Homelessness
‘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.
Health & Environment
Radius Recycling reaches $1.5 million settlement with state over toxic fires
California’s toxic control agency is still investigating possible other violations from a fire that occurred in March.
Business
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.
About The Oaklandside
How we work
We embedded high schoolers in our newsroom to report on OUSD. Come hear what they found
The Oaklandside’s education reporter Ashley McBride will moderate a conversation May 20 between students and OUSD leaders on academic equity, artificial intelligence, and other big storylines shaping the district.
We’re working with Oakland students to deepen our schools coverage
12 Oakland public high schoolers are getting journalism training, mentorship, and an opportunity to collaborate on reporting through a paid fellowship at our newsroom.
Values guiding our work
News organizations don’t always tell you–or know–what drives their decisions.
