Health officials are encouraging flu shots—especially during the COVID pandemic—but fewer people this season are being vaccinated.

Author Archives: Azucena Rasilla
Azucena Rasilla is a bilingual journalist from East Oakland reporting in Spanish and in English, and a longtime reporter on Oakland arts, culture and community. As an independent local journalist, she has reported for KQED Arts, The Bold Italic, Zora and The San Francisco Chronicle. She was a writer and social media editor for the East Bay Express, helping readers navigate Oakland’s rich artistic and creative landscapes through a wide range of innovative digital approaches.
Updated: Oakland Museum of California isn’t reopening
Closed for eight months, the museum is completing phase one of an ambitious renovation that includes new gardens and a revamped cafe.
Oakland’s District 5 City Council race is a nail-biter
Incumbent councilmember Noel Gallo is still leading by a thin margin. But challengers Richard Santos Raya and Zoe Lopez-Meraz say their ranked-choice strategy might still pay off.
In a pandemic year, Oakland’s Día de Los Muertos festival has new meaning
Our reporter reflects on what the Latinx community has lost without Fruitvale’s yearly Day of the Dead gathering.
Measure QQ: Lowering the voting age for school board races
The measure is one of four on the Oakland ballot this year. We produced an explainer video to give you the vital details.
Oakland will resume parking enforcement for street sweeping starting Nov. 9
Vehicle owners will receive one warning before getting a citation.
En el Distrito 5 de Oakland, dos millennials compiten contra el concejal, Noel Gallo
Zoe Lopez-Meraz y Richard Santos Rayas se están uniendo utilizando la votación por clasificación. Noel Gallo está promoviendo un distrito “limpio y seguro.”
Panel virtual en español para discutir cómo el COVID-19 ha afectado al vecindario de Fruitvale
La biblioteca de Oakland facilitará la conversación con La Clínica de La Raza, Street Level Health Project, y el buró de noticias El Tímpano.
Jorge Bejarano’s ‘Town Lotería’ is a love letter to Oakland
The artist drew on his bicultural identity to put a local spin on the beloved Mexican game.
20 years of politics on the Grand Lake Theatre marquee, photographed
Two decades ago, a local photographer began documenting political statements placed on the iconic Oakland marquee by the theater’s owner.
In Oakland’s District 5, two millennials are running against incumbent Noel Gallo
Social media savvy candidates Zoe Lopez-Meraz and Richard Santos Raya are teaming up using ranked-choice voting. Noel Gallo is promoting a ‘clean and safe’ district.
Drive-in theater on hold, but the Oakland Coliseum and Arena will become a massive voting site
Starting October 31 voters can cast their ballots in person or drive-thru and drop them off.
Chabot Space and Science Center discovering new ways to entertain local stargazers
The science and education center is physically closed, but offering an array of virtual events. The Oaklandside will join Chabot in live-streaming a Q&A with astronomers on Oct. 16.
Children’s Fairyland to launch ‘Celebrity Storytime’ with Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal
The two Oakland artists will co-host a virtual kickoff Sept. 26 for the park’s new digital storytelling series.
Fremont High’s Media Academy: ‘The best-kept secret in East Oakland’
Four films made by students at the academy are being featured in this year’s virtual Fruitvale Short Film Series.
Immigrants navigate the healthcare system in “A Place to Breathe”
Filmmakers Michelle Grace Steinberg and Robyn Bykofsky follow the work of Oakland’s Street Level Health Project in their new documentary.
Aida Salazar’s ‘Land of the Cranes’ is an immigrant tale of hope
The Oakland-based author’s second book is told through the eyes of a child separated from her father and locked in a detention center.
Oak Harvest Kitchen’s new family meals support jobs for the formerly incarcerated
The nonprofit vegan restaurant, which employs and trains people after prison, launched the new program last month.
Oakland Pride kicks off this weekend, online
The scaled-down pride online festivities will include a virtual vendor village that will run all this month.
One cherished shop in Oakland’s Laurel closes, but there’s hope for others
Movement Ink shuts down this month. Meanwhile, the online directory Local Motiv is tracking business closures and hoping for the future of retail.