Your trusted source for local Oakland, CA news, updated daily with the most important stories from your community.
Signature Development Group seeks to convert a designated public park space into housing in Oakland's Brooklyn Basin neighborhood, sparking community opposition. The proposed change affects Parcel N of the Estuary Park expansion, which had recently received city council approval. Community members argue that the housing development would obstruct public access to vital green space.
Rose Banks, a 59-year-old nursing assistant, died in a hit-and-run while crossing at 82nd and Bancroft avenues in Oakland on July 7. Family members seek justice and answers, expressing their devastation over her death and the lack of timely communication from authorities about her whereabouts. The Oakland Police Department is investigating the incident, with concerns raised about the dangerous nature of the intersection.
Baby Cafe and Rotten City Pizza closed in Emeryville, while The Rendez Vous in Oakland and SanDai in Walnut Creek also shut their doors. SanDai's coffee and pastry business will continue, but the restaurant faced challenges with foot traffic and high rent.
Alameda County officials claim to have severed ties with ICE, yet they received over $1 million from a federal program that requires sharing sensitive information about undocumented immigrants. Despite a public commitment to a “zero contact policy” with ICE, local leaders defend their participation in the program, which some jurisdictions have abandoned to protect immigrant rights. Advocates argue that funding from immigration enforcement can compromise local policing practices.
Parole agent Joshua Byrd, 40, was fatally shot in East Oakland on Thursday, prompting authorities to arrest 48-year-old Bryan Keith Hall. Governor Gavin Newsom ordered flags at half-staff to honor Byrd, who leaves behind a wife and three children. This incident marks the first line-of-duty death for California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation since 2018.
Firefighters extinguished a 2-alarm fire at a vacant apartment building in Oakland's Chinatown on Wednesday night. The blaze, reported around 10 p.m., involved 35 firefighters who contained it by 11 p.m. The cause remains under investigation.
Staccato Powell, a former bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, pleaded guilty to defrauding California congregations out of $14 million through fraudulent loans. He and an associate misled pastors to transfer church property deeds to their private company, using the properties as collateral for high-interest loans. Powell faces up to 20 years in prison at his sentencing hearing scheduled for September 23.
Fifty-one volunteers removed 21 tons of illegally dumped debris from Wood Street in Oakland, California. The Urban Compassion Project organized the cleanup, highlighting ongoing challenges with illegal dumping and homelessness in the area. City officials noted enforcement difficulties and the high costs of legal disposal.
Oakland residents face challenges with stolen vehicles receiving parking tickets, as highlighted by an Alameda County grand jury report. The city's parking control lacks technology to identify stolen cars, leading to financial burdens for victims. Oakland plans to update its parking citation system to address this issue.
A federal judge ruled that the Oakland Police Department has not yet achieved full compliance with its federal oversight program after 22 years. While improvements were noted, including reduced racial profiling, key reforms regarding internal investigations remain unmet. Judge William Orrick emphasized the need for the department to address these issues swiftly to end court supervision.