When I was 12 years old, I left Oakland for a small town on the southern edge of the Carquinez Strait. The towering buildings of Oakland and neighboring San Francisco were replaced by the smokestacks of refineries.  The East Bay is primarily defined by Oakland and Berkeley, but there is

Oakland, California has experienced a 34% decrease in homicides in 2024, but the start of 2025 has seen 4 homicides in just 5 days, indicating that the city is not making progress in solving the root cause of racism and poverty.