Thanks to COVID, more Oaklanders are interested in food entrepreneurship. A state law already makes it easier—Alameda County just hasn’t adopted it yet.
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 inCity Hall & Policing
A wide open race for Oakland’s District 7 City Council seat
With longtime councilmember Larry Reid retiring, five candidates hope to become deep East Oakland’s next representative.
Posted inBusiness
Bissap Baobab reopens as a women-led collective
Five women entrepreneurs are breathing new life into Oakland’s only Senegalese restaurant.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
Land, development, and safety: District 7 residents discuss East Oakland’s opportunities
We asked deep East Oakland residents about the significance of this year’s City Council election.
Posted inBusiness
Beyond business: Oakland’s LGBTQ establishments offer community
For decades, these bars and shops have been support networks, too. The pandemic brings new challenges.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
Oakland City Council candidates discuss issues in their districts, virtually
The Coliseum, housing, police budgets: in an online forum last night, incumbents defended their records and challengers laid out visions for change.
Posted inBusiness
How Uptown and downtown Oakland bars are surviving the pandemic
We spoke with four nightclub and bar owners about their strategies for safely serving up drinks and food and fun.
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. Aquà 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.
Posted inArts & Community
A new fund to help Black-owned businesses stay in Oakland
Black small-business owners can now apply, and the distribution of funds is set to begin next week.
Posted inArts & Community
A new fund to help Oakland Chinatown businesses survive and thrive
Chinatown gets help from younger volunteers, a new fund for hard-hit shop owners, and more.
Posted inHow We Work
Immigrant small businesses: Sharing the stories behind the storefronts
Hearing my family’s immigration stories pushed me to become a journalist.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
‘Defund the police’: Protesters march to Oakland mayor’s house
A rally led by Oakland youth focused on calls to cut the budgets of city and schools police.