Oaklandside's reporting directly led to a major shake-up at City Hall: the resignation of Oakland's city administrator, one of the most powerful figures in the city. City Hall reporters Eli Wolfe and Natalie Orenstein explain who Jestin Johnson is, what the city administrator does, how The Oaklandside obtained the text messages that forced his resignation, and what this means for Oakland.
Plus: three people are killed in a devastating East Oakland crash, First Fridays faces a funding crisis, AI use in Oakland schools is a "Wild West," AC Transit ridership rises as gas prices spike, Oakland's Planning Commission keeps canceling meetings (and why that might be a good thing), and a new barbecue spot is drawing lines before it even opens.

Stories we cover in this episode:

City Hall

• City administrator Jestin Johnson resigns after Oaklandside reports on troubling texts
• Oakland city officials privately cheered Supreme Court ruling on homeless encampments

Public safety

• Three killed in East Oakland crash at International Boulevard and 85th Avenue

Arts and culture

• Oakland First Fridays faces funding crisis 

Education

• AI in Oakland schools: a policy in progress, a "Wild West" in classrooms

Transit

• AC Transit sees first sustained ridership increase this decade as gas prices top $6

Housing and development

• Oakland Planning Commission keeps canceling meetings — and that may signal progress

Food

• Saints Smokehouse brings smoked brisket and serious buzz to downtown Oakland

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].

The June 2 primary is coming up fast. We help Oakland voters get oriented: the Alameda County DA's race, two Oakland ballot measures, and everything you need to know about how and where to vote.

Come to our student journalism event at the New Parkway, May 20. Tickets here!

Stories we cover in this episode:

District Attorney race

• Alameda County DA's race: Supporters weigh in on the candidates
• Jones Dickson's fundraising in Alameda County DA race outpaces Price and Krishan
• Watch: Alameda County district attorney candidates forum

Ballot measures

• Measure E: Oakland voters are being asked to approve a new parcel tax
• Measure C: Oakland business tax relief, explained
• Voters will decide on a new Oakland parcel tax in June

Voter guide

• What Oakland voters should know about the June 2 primary election
• June 2 primary election information and resources for Oakland voters

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].

What happens when Oakland's tree protection laws are broken — and does the city have the will to enforce them? What does a proposal to replace the Rockridge Trader Joe's with senior housing towers say about Oakland's development moment? And can the city make a real dent in homelessness when two competing plans are pulling in different directions?

Housing reporter Natalie Orenstein joins editor Tasneem Raja to work through all of it.

Plus: Dan Fontes, Oakland's giraffe muralist, has died. Several Oakland Catholic churches are closing. The DA race heats up financially. And Mosswood Recreation Center is back after nearly a decade.

Stories we cover in this episode:

Housing and development

• Landowners who cut 38 trees in Oakland hills hit with $915,000 fine
• Rockridge Trader Joe's could be replaced by 415-unit senior housing towers

Homelessness

• Ken Houston's homeless encampment policy passes in Oakland
• Cut homelessness by 50% in Oakland? A new plan says it's possible

Arts and community

• Oakland muralist Dan Fontes, known for his giraffes, dies at 67

Religion

• Oakland Diocese closes seven Oakland churches

Arts and culture

• Check out the new Mosswood Rec Center this weekend in Oakland

Food

• For the latest restaurant openings and closings in Oakland, visit Nosh

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].

Today: illegal dumping in Oakland. Why it keeps getting worse, what the city has tried, and what might actually work. Reporter Eli Wolfe joins us to sort out the mess.

And, we’ll talk about Boots Riley’s new film that debuted in Oakland, how the search for OUSD’s next leader got delayed again, who’s paint-bombing Flock cameras, and what you need to know before you vote in the primary election on June 2nd.

Stories we cover in this episode:

Illegal Dumping

• Oakland’s illegal dumping strategy isn’t working. A new report explains why
• AI drones to spot illegal dumping? Oakland is considering a pilot project
• Illegal dumping fines could go up a lot in Oakland
• Illegal trash dumpers could have vehicle registration blocked under proposed law
• Illegal dumpers face big fines in Oakland, but they rarely have to pay

Arts & Community

• Boots Riley’s raucous ‘I Love Boosters’ premieres in Oakland
• 3 Oakland artists picked for this year’s Rainin Arts Fellowship
• A fight for transgender inclusion in high school sports comes to Oakland

Education

• OUSD postpones superintendent search

Business

• It’s official: The ‘Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport’ name stays

Public Safety

• Who is paint bombing Oakland’s Flock cameras?

City Hall and Politics

• What Oakland voters should know about the June 2 primary election

Nature and the City

• Dozens of trees were red-tagged for removal in West Oakland. Now the plan is on hold
• Tour stunning native plant gardens in East Bay backyards

Food

• The Lodge (including deer heads) is back, but some things have changed
• For the latest restaurant openings and closings in Oakland, visit oaklandside.org.

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].

Editor-in-Chief Tasneem Raja sits down with Oaklandside's deputy editor Esther Kaplan and news editor Darwin BondGraham to take stock of the biggest stories of 2026 — crime, schools, road safety, Mayor Lee's first year, and the state of Oakland's arts and culture scene.

Plus: a major housing program for homeless families at Children's Hospital, a whistleblower shaking up the DA's office, a pothole settlement, a sideshow ordinance that's never been used, and OPD's ongoing transparency problems.

Stories we cover in this episode:

Crime and public safety

• Oakland ended 2025 with the fewest homicides since 1967
• Sideshow participants can be fined in Oakland. Why has the city never done this?
• Oakland police illegally keep information from those who request it, says attorney
• Deputy district attorney says she was retaliated against for whistleblowing

City Hall and politics

• Barbara Lee has yet to confirm she's running for mayor — but she's raised $31,000
• Barbara Lee is relying on big companies and foundations to raise millions for the city
• 'Strong mayor' for Oakland? City Council gets its first look — and some aren't sold

Education

• OUSD has agreed to tens of millions in new labor contracts. How will it cover the cost?
• OUSD lead crisis: Almost all drinking water sources are now safe

Roads and transportation

• 18 speed cameras just went up in Oakland. See where
• Which Oakland streets saw the most speed camera warnings?
• Injured cyclist gets $512,000 from Oakland in pothole settlement

Housing

• 50 homeless patients at Children's Hospital Oakland will get placed in housing

Arts and culture

• Another Alysa Liu mural in Oakland — this one with Kristi Yamaguchi
• This week in Oakland: a Prescott Circus Theatre showcase, and Fairyland's 'Mad Tea Party'

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].

The City Council passed a new encampment policy giving Oakland more power to tow RVs and close camps. Our public safety reporter found that neighbors had been warning the city for years about the operator of EZ's Lounge before last month's mass shooting. And environmental groups are in court challenging plans to expand Oakland's airport.

Plus: the I-980 reimagining project enters its next phase, the city considers AI drones to fight illegal dumping, Sunday parking tickets are here, former Mayor Libby Schaaf takes over the Bay Area Council, restaurant closings, and Prince tributes around town.

Stories we cover in this episode:

Housing and homelessness

• Ken Houston's homeless camp policy passes, after months of debate 

Public safety

• Before the EZ's Lounge mass shooting, warnings surfaced at another nightclub with the same owner 

Health and environment

• Judge hears environmental lawsuits against Oakland airport over expansion 

Infrastructure and transit

• Vision I-980: architects and engineers compete to design the future of the highway 
• AI drones to spot illegal dumping? Oakland is considering a pilot project 
• Sunday parking is no longer free in Oakland. Tickets starting at $64 begin this weekend 

Politics

• Bay Area Council hires former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf as new leader 

Food

• Millennium announces May closure; plus Crepe Pan shutters and Sweet Fingers on the move 

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].

This week, we're keeping things short and sweet, with a round-up of recent reporting from our newsroom.

A fire damaged one of Oakland's most beloved historic landmarks. Oakland voters may get to decide in November how their city government is structured. 

Environmental justice advocates’ decade-long fight to stop a coal terminal enters a new phase. 

A nonprofit bought a building to make it permanently affordable housing for Oakland teachers. A Fruitvale library may be getting a new name. 

And Earth Day is coming up, with some great options for getting outside. 

Stories we cover in this episode:

Camron-Stanford House fire

• Fire damages Oakland’s historic Camron-Stanford House

Charter reform

• A quick guide to the Oakland charter reform debate

No Coal movement

• After 10 years of fighting, ‘No Coal’ activists gear up for new battle

Teacher housing

• Affordable teacher housing is scarce. This group is trying an innovative solution in Oakland

Fruitvale Library renaming

• Oakland library commission takes first step in renaming César E. Chávez Branch

Earth Day

• Oakland Earth Day celebrations will focus on cleanups and community fun
• A trip to the Oakland estuary shines light on a hidden, dirty problem

Wildflowers

• Wildflower season has arrived: here’s where to enjoy the blooms in the East Bay and beyond

Food

• Tanzie's duo open new restaurant, Bad Decision takes over A Capella, and what's come to Phở Vy's old spot

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].

Oakland's 60-day warning period ended March 15th. Road safety reporter Jose Fermoso breaks down what 140,000 warnings revealed about where speeding is worst in Oakland — and what comes next.

And later in this episode, I’ll tell you about more recent news: thousands of Oaklanders joined the nationwide No Kings march, a strong-mayor proposal gets a cool reception at City Hall, three homeless shelters close as the city grapples with a shelter shortfall, Oakland schools are nearly lead-free, the city wants your input on its first General Plan update since 1998, Oakland sports news, and new restaurant openings.

Stories we cover in this episode:

Transportation

• Which Oakland streets saw the most speed camera warnings? 
• New Oakland speed cameras send 70K warnings in first month
• 18 speed cameras just went up in Oakland. See where 

Politics and government

• 'Strong mayor' for Oakland? City Council gets its first look — and some aren't sold 

Housing and homelessness

• As 3 Oakland homeless shelters close, city and residents question outcomes 

Education

• OUSD lead crisis: Almost all drinking water sources are now safe 

Community and civic engagement

• Thousands turn out for Oakland No Kings march 
• Planning the physical future of Oakland 

Food

• For the latest restaurant openings and closings in Oakland, visit oaklandside.org.

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].

City Hall reporters Eli Wolfe and Natalie Orenstein tracked every Oakland City Council vote in 2025 — all 138 of them at full council meetings, plus 519 more at committee meetings — to find out how your representative is doing the most basic part of the job.

Plus: a deeply sad update on the mass shooting at a downtown Oakland nightclub, one in five funded city jobs sitting vacant, a push to raise Oakland's minimum wage to $30 an hour, how license plate thieves are gaming the Flock camera system, ICE agents at airports across the country but not yet at OAK, and Oakland high schoolers are about to start publishing stories with our newsroom.

Stories we cover in this episode:

City Council voting records

• Which Oakland councilmember had the best voting record in 2025?

Public safety

• Weekend mass shooting in Oakland: What we know
• Oakland nightclub shooting: Family of teacher says her story 'cannot be ignored'
• Did a modified gun make the Oakland nightclub mass shooting deadlier?

City Hall

• Oakland is struggling to hire city workers

Economy and labor

• A $30 minimum wage for Oakland?

Transportation and public safety

• Sheriff's deputies thought they'd stopped a criminal. But license plate cameras led them to the wrong person
• Are ICE agents coming to Oakland's airport?

Education

• Oakland classrooms reached scorching temperatures last week. Parents are demanding action
• We're working with Oakland students to deepen our schools coverage

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].

After The Oaklandside's blockbuster investigation into runaway overtime spending at the Oakland Police Department, real policies were changed. 

Investigative reporter Beck Klein and news editor Darwin BondGraham break it down. 

Plus: Oakland's speed cameras start issuing real tickets, schools across California — including OUSD — hand out thousands of layoff notices, the City Council demands hospitals continue gender-affirming care, pro women's football comes to Oakland, and more.

Stories we cover in this episode:

OPD overtime

• OPD overtime: Superhuman hours, fat checks and sparse records
• 6 takeaways from Oaklandside's investigation into OPD overtime 
• Oakland police say they're investigating overtime issues revealed by Oaklandside 
• Overtime at OPD is now much harder to greenlight, following investigation by Oaklandside

Transportation

• Which Oakland streets saw the most speed camera warnings? 
• New Oakland speed cameras send 70K warnings in first month

Education

• California school districts issue thousands of pink slips 
• OUSD board approves 421 staff layoffs 

Politics and government

• Gender-affirming care: Oakland demands hospitals continue services 
• Lateefah Simon talks about repping Oakland in a GOP-dominated Congress 

Sports

• Women are bringing tackle football back to Oakland 

Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at [email protected].