The recall effort against Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao is progressing, with the group behind it, Oakland United to Recall Sheng Thao (OUST), claiming they’ve collected over 30,000 signatures. This exceeds the 25,000 needed by July to qualify for the November ballot. Brenda Harbin-Forte, OUST President and retired Alameda County judge,

by James Conrad Though he only stood 5’4, the British musician Stephen Peter Marriott had a deceptively and indescribably powerful singing voice. Artists like Robert Plant, Paul Stanley and Steve Perry view him as a role model. As a child, he started on ukulele and later moved on to guitar,

Facing eviction, certain people will soil and vandalize the property they occupied as a last word to their landlord. They rip copper pipes from walls, scratch and pit the floor, break windows and toilets. We’ve all heard stories of vengeful tenants smearing feces on walls. It’s a rotten thing to

Say goodbye to another beloved breakfast spot, Lakeshore Cafe in Oakland. They originally opened 22 years ago and have been a go-to for many folks from The Town as the best place for a full breakfast that won’t break the bank. It’s their last weekend in business. In an Instagram post announcing the closure, the owners of Lakeshore Cafe mention that May 27th will be their last day of business.

The midday sun was bright and strong, but thankfully Franklin Square in Uptown Oakland was well-shaded, with two large picnic tables, a half dozen smaller metal ones, and a woman in a red dress crooning into a microphone. A man jangled keys on a color-matched keyboard behind her.

This was AMP Lunch and Listen, a new series of free weekly lunch hour concerts presented by Oakland Central as part of its Oakland Works Wednesdays, a program looking to revitalize downtown with arts and commerce.

With it’s new conductor resigning, and the mass cancellation of programming, the musicians are standing up to fight and save our symphony.

Ddults in all manner of cosplay — DIY steampunk suits, Alice in Wonderland-themed dresses, cat costumes — gamely tried to wriggle themselves down other slides, ducked their heads through tunnels and mazes, and squeezed through the tiny gates of the toy train cars that wheeled slowly around the park.