Oaklandside 510

If you haven't turned in your ballot yet, this one's for you. We're going to take a quick tour of almost everything that's on an Oakland ballot, from the mayor's race to the state propositions, then zoom in on the big local decisions. We'll also point you to a guide that rounds up what lots of local groups are recommending, since The Oaklandside doesn't tell you who or what to vote for. And we'll finish with the practical stuff: how and where to get your ballot in. Stories we cover in t...

The federal corruption trial of former Mayor Sheng Thao is now underway. Oaklandside reporters Eli Wolfe and Natalie Orenstein join us to talk about who’s involved, what’s alleged, and what to watch for. Stories we cover in this episode: Sheng Thao trial Sheng Thao trial updatesThao trial opens with fiery allegations, strenuous disavowalsJury selected as Sheng Thao’s trial kicks off in OaklandOakland corruption trial: will Mario Juarez’s checkered past be put to the jury?City Hall Lee gives u...

This week, we're focusing on one story: Oakland schools' push to limit screens. Last month, the school board approved limits on how students can use school laptops during their free time. That follows the cellphone ban that started this school year. So what does all of this look like from inside the classroom? To find out, we sit down with two Oakland Unified teachers, Lara Trale from Oakland High School and Alicia Simba from Prescott Elementary, along with The Oaklandside's education repo...

City Hall reporter Eli Wolfe joins us to talk about a scary accident that happened at Temescal Pool earlier this month, and why the city has no pool technicians on staff even though it has the money to hire them. It's part of a much bigger story about Oakland's struggle to fill city jobs. Link to donate to support The Oaklandside! Stories we cover in this episode: Temescal Pool Incident Were chemical injuries at Temescal Pool linked to Oakland’s failure to hire?Temescal Pool swimmers go to ho...

Twenty years ago, hyphy broke out of Oakland and the Bay Area and onto the national stage with its own slang, fashion, dance and car culture. This week, we revisit that moment with Eric K. Arnold, who has covered Bay Area hip-hop since the 1990s and chronicled hyphy's rise as it happened. We look back at the summer of 2006, what came after and the hyphy revival underway today, as a new generation of Bay Area artists reclaims the sound and people who lived through the era speak openly about wh...