Before the tractors showed up, Raimondi Park didn’t look like the future home of a professional baseball team.  Sitting in the shadow of Interstate 880, the long-standing West Oakland field felt forgotten. Almost every patch of grass was overgrown and the infield dirt had long since been blanketed with a thin layer of sod in… The post New era of baseball in Oakland — move over A’s, here come the B’s appeared first on Oakland North ..read more

On a recent Friday at the Old Oakland Farmers’ Market, one stall kept people lingering for longer than usual among the rows of vendors offering produce and food. At a table decorated with a large zoning map and a wooden outline of Oakland’s skyscrapers, those who stopped weren’t there to buy but to share their… The post Oaklanders share what they love about downtown and what needs to change appeared first on Oakland North ..read more

In 2023, there were over 13,000 smash-and-grab car burglaries in Oakland, a 23% increase from the year before. The crime is prevalent throughout the Bay Area, where it is known as “bipping.” The burglaries happen quickly and often go unreported, making them difficult to combat. Businesses, especially in downtown Oakland, are also victims, as frequent car… The post VIDEO: Oakland businesses create ‘no bipping’ zones to bring back customers appeared first on Oakland North ..read more

On a rainy Saturday morning in February, Josh Gunter organized the cleanup equipment for the day ahead — buckets and trash-pickers, elastic gloves and trash bags, coffee and water. Then he waited for volunteers from Friends of Raimondi Park to arrive for the monthly cleanup event.  Gunter was among more than a dozen residents who… The post With city services lacking, residents clean up Raimondi Park, future home of B’s baseball appeared first on Oakland North ..read more

Sarpreet Oberoi has been to various In-N-Out Burger locations in the Bay Area over the past eight years and found news that the Oakport outlet was closing because of crime “saddening.”  He believes it’s a good spot for a fast food company, with plentiful parking, lots of customers, and a vibrant retail corridor. But it’s… The post ‘Customers aren’t taking the risk’: growing retail crime upends Oakland business community appeared first on Oakland North ..read more

A perfectly curated window display. The smell of essential oils in the air. Free samples of homemade lemon pound cake. These are just some of the ways the vendors of Uptown Market are trying to draw people in amidst sights of seemingly constant construction and all-too-frequent incidents of property crime downtown. Launched in August, Uptown… The post At Uptown Market, tech pays the rent for local retailers appeared first on Oakland North ..read more

Oakland Unified School District is behind schedule on implementing two important projects, one with over $75 million in state funding.  Educators, parents and students voiced their frustration at Wednesday’s board meeting, saying the district has failed on its promise to establish a task force on student equity and a committee to allocate a grant for… The post Residents take OUSD to task for delays on community schools and reparations for Black students appeared first on Oakland North ..read more

An Oakland police officer was shot and killed Friday, responding to an overnight burglary on the 400 block of Embarcadero. Officer Tuan Le was in plain clothes and driving an unmarked car when he was shot around 4:30 a.m., police said at a news conference Friday. Le, 36, emigrated from Vietnam when he was a… The post Oakland officer killed in line of duty was a Vietnamese immigrant on the force for nearly four years appeared first on Oakland North ..read more

A new water taxi that takes riders between Alameda and Oakland will launch next year, Alameda city officials said. The taxi, named Woodstock, will go between Alameda Landing to Jack London Square five days a week and at least one weekend day for nine to 12 hours a day. City officials said it will likely… The post New water taxi service will connect Alameda Landing to Jack London Square appeared first on Oakland North ..read more

Oakland First Fridays, a monthly festival on Telegraph Avenue featuring food and crafts, will shut down through March because of financial constraints, organizers say, and may be different when it reopens.  “This year, we’ve been losing money every month and we need to stop the bleeding,” said Shari Godinez, the executive director of Koreatown Northgate… The post Costs shut down Oakland First Fridays for the winter appeared first on Oakland North ..read more