We spoke with four nightclub and bar owners about their strategies for safely serving up drinks and food and fun.
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 inBusiness
A new streetfest aims to safely draw diners and shoppers back to Chinatown
The weekly outdoor event could help struggling businesses stay afloat during the pandemic.
Posted inArts & Community
Street vending at Lake Merritt: race, space, and COVID-19
Black and brown vendors operating without permits say they need the lake, and the lake needs them. What should the city do?
Posted inBusiness
Rideshare tax rejected again by Oakland City Council
Lyft claimed the tax would negatively impact low income communities, and several council members agreed.
Posted inBusiness
Two Black-owned Oakland businesses are finding new life, online
Proper Fashions Boutique and Queen Hippie Gypsy had loyal in-store customers. Now, the Black Business Fund is helping them recover and find new clientele.
Posted inBusiness
Oakland business tax reform put on hold until 2022
After intense lobbying by business leaders, the City Council voted not to put the reform on this year’s ballot.
Posted inBusiness
Rasul Oriental Rugs rolls up its wares for good, signaling a changing Oakland
Rasul Salahi escaped Soviet-occupied Afghanistan and sold carpets on Grand Avenue for 24 years, until the pandemic.
Posted inOaklandside
Cómo deshacerse de la basura de los fuegos artificiales
Las calles de Oakland están llenas de los desechos de las celebraciones del 4 de Julio. Aquí se le explica cómo limpiar de manera segura.
Posted inHealth & Environment
How to safely dispose of fireworks waste
Here’s how you can safely dispose of used and unused fireworks to keep Oakland’s streets, creeks, and the Bay clean.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
Should Oakland’s big businesses pay a higher tax?
The city currently taxes small shops at the same rate as big corporations. Several councilmembers want to change that.