A new round of federal COVID-relief grants—up to $15,000—is available for small businesses in low-income areas. Here’s how to see if you qualify.
Author Archives: Ricky Rodas
Ricky Rodas is a member of the 2020 graduating class of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. He has spent the last two years reporting on immigrant communities in the Bay Area as a reporter for the hyperlocal news sites Oakland North, Mission Local, and Richmond Confidential. Rodas, who is Salvadoran American and bilingual, joins us through a partnership with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Rodas will be reporting on small and immigrant-owned businesses in Oakland.
Posted inArts & Community
A business improvement district is in the works for Oakland Chinatown
The district would raise money for neighborhood improvements and security, but not everyone is sure it’s needed.
Posted inArts & Community
‘Stop watcha doin!’ Oakland might declare a Digital Underground Day
The city plans to honor the late Gregory “Shock G” Jacobs, founding member of Oakland-based hip-hop group Digital Underground, with an official day.
Posted inArts & Community
‘Retired from the waterfront, but not from the struggle’: Clarence Thomas’ new book on port labor activism
“Mobilizing in Our Own Name: Million Worker March” sums up decades of longshore worker organizing in Oakland and beyond.
Posted inBusiness
Small businesses in Oakland’s low-income communities are eligible for up to $15,000 in federal COVID relief money
Although the money is available through a federal loan program, recipients will not be required to repay either of the two advances they receive.
Posted inBusiness
Scarred but resilient: Telegraph Avenue emerges from the pandemic
Lines around the block for cupcakes and a boom year for a flower shop, but a shoe shop for the stars is calling it quits, one of several COVID-19 casualties.
Posted inBusiness
‘We’re back to being people’: The first night without masks at Oakland’s bars
We captured the scene on Tuesday night at six bars, from East Oakland to downtown.
Posted inBusiness
Hella Plants Market gives budding plant entrepreneurs a space to grow
The pop-up event this Sunday will feature plants and plant-based products from Oakland vendors.
Posted inBusiness
City Council looks to extend Flex Streets, its emergency program for Oakland businesses
The initiative, which led to more parklets, street closures, and outdoor markets during the pandemic, will likely be extended through next spring.
Posted inBusiness
A new Oakland-based incubator helps small businesses step up their game
The Port Product Lab is a free program focused on helping business owners improve their products.