Gabriel and Efrain Escobar are continuing the family tradition at their shops in Oakland and Pleasant Hill.
Author Archives: Ricky Rodas
Ricky Rodas is a member of the 2020 graduating class of the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Before joining The Oaklandside, he spent two years reporting on immigrant communities in the Bay Area as a reporter for the local news sites Oakland North, Mission Local, and Richmond Confidential. Rodas, who is Salvadoran American and bilingual, is on The Oaklandside team 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.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Can Lake Merritt be saved from another fish kill?
Stewards of Oakland’s wildlife refuge are fundraising to create oxygenated refuges where fish can escape harmful algae blooms.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
3 Oakland leaders announce runs for federal and state offices
Barbara Lee, Lateefah Simon, and Dan Kalb each recently announced their campaigns for the 2024 election.
Posted inArts & Community
Oakland Asian Cultural Center is hosting its third annual “virtual” night market
The online directory, which started during the pandemic, will spotlight local businesses throughout March and April.
Posted inArts & Community
‘We will rise again’: A devastating fire won’t stop the East Bay’s oldest Black church
This isn’t the first time its 165-year history that Oakland’s First African Methodist Episcopal Church has had to rebuild.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
What is a ransomware attack? An expert explains.
As Oakland struggles to get systems online, we asked a cybersecurity expert about what makes cities vulnerable, and who’s often behind the attacks.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
As Oakland braces for winter storms, ransomware attack has partially downed 311 system
The city’s call center for non-emergency services, OAK311, is experiencing an outage.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
Ransomware attack: some city of Oakland services are back online while recovery work continues
The city remains tight-lipped about the cyber attack.
Posted inBusiness
‘Envios de dinero’: The importance of money transfer businesses in East Oakland
Dozens of international delivery shops line the Fruitvale district. It’s a service that has remained despite the neighborhood’s shifting demographics.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
Ransomware attack causes Oakland to declare local state of emergency
A cyberattack that began Feb. 8 has taken several of the city’s non-emergency systems offline.
Posted inBusiness
A Brazilian attorney in East Oakland helps other Latino immigrants pursue their dreams
Natalia Vieira Santanna wasn’t supposed to stay in the U.S. Now, she runs a successful immigration law firm in Fruitvale.
Posted inBusiness
Listen: An Oakland pastor and a funeral assistant reflect on a difficult year
Sylvester Rutledge and Todd Walker share how they help people cope with loss.
Posted inArts & Community
‘Oakland was just heavenlike’: Earnestine Hayes, 100, reflects on her years in The Town
Hayes, who celebrated her birthday this week, shares her advice for living a long, fruitful life.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
‘A nice place’ where gun violence is too common, neighbors say after East Oakland mass shooting
We spoke to people who live and work near the Valero gas station in Millsmont where a shooting Monday night resulted in one death and several injuries.
Posted inArts & Community
Oakland’s overcrowded animal shelter wants you to adopt a dog this week
Oakland Animal Services is extending its hours and waiving adoption fee to find forever homes for dogs at the city-run shelter.
Posted inBusiness
‘It’s a cost we didn’t account for’: East Oakland business owners cope with storm impacts
We checked in with business owners and business advocates to see how their operations have been affected by the ‘bomb cyclone.’
Posted inHow We Work
Global Oakland: a year of reporting on immigrants, small business, and lots more
The Oaklandside’s Ricky Rodas reflects on a year of local stories that made big connections to world events.
Posted inArts & Community
East Bay Iranians organize local condemnation of state violence against women and others in Iran
Several Bay Area cities have passed resolutions decrying ongoing human rights abuses in Iran. The effort started in Berkeley and Oakland.
Posted inOaklandside
National pride, ethical qualms, and family: Oaklanders talk about the World Cup
An Argentinian, Brit, and Mexican-American reflect on what soccer and this year’s cup mean to them.
Posted inArts & Community
Oakland Moroccans lose the World Cup but win community and connection
The Bay Area doesn’t have a large Moroccan community, but this year’s tournament brought them together.
