Firefighters, building inspectors, and neighbors are struggling to prevent a long-empty building from sparking a blaze that could threaten the entire block.
Author Archives: Zack Haber
Journalist and poet writing about homelessness, housing, and activism in Oakland and the East Bay.
Posted inHealth & Environment
A new book explores the radical history of abortion activism in Oakland
Angela Hume’s ‘Deep Care’ shows how local activists took abortion care and defense into their own hands, and offers lessons for a post-Roe nation.
Posted inHealth & Environment
This Rockridge lot is perfect for housing—but its soil is possibly contaminated by an old Shell station
Oakland residents want Shell to clean up its former gas station at College and Claremont. Will the county hold the oil company accountable?
Posted inArts & Community
The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse is struggling, again
The arts nonprofit has struggled to recover after losing most of its staff twice during the pandemic.
Posted inArts & Community
As evictions return, more dogs in Oakland could need foster homes
Oakland Animal Services is worried about overcrowding—and the need to euthanize—when the eviction moratorium ends this month. Helping might be easier than you think.
Posted inArts & Community
After closure, Nomadic Press books find a new home
The new publisher, Black Lawrence Press, will also debut 10 new books that Nomadic—long a home for Bay Area poets and other creative writers—planned to release before it had to shut down.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Which Oakland hospitals have mask mandates?
Alameda County’s COVID-19 mask mandate has expired but these local healthcare providers are still requiring everyone to wear them.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Mask mandate for Alameda County hospitals could end next week
Officials say a less-strict masking policy, including at clinics, is appropriate as COVID outcomes improve. But some worry it will put high-risk populations in harm’s way.
Posted inArts & Community
Nomadic Press is gone, but the relationships it fostered live on
The Oakland nonprofit closed its doors for good on Wednesday. For many involved, it wasn’t just a book publisher—it was a family.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
‘I don’t feel homeless here’: 2 Oakland tiny home communities face evictions
At a county auction, the same buyer purchased three abandoned lots. But it turned out two had long-standing residents.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
‘We’re your neighbors, and we’re organized.’ An Oakland tenant union rises in the pandemic
Amid a national wave in renter organizing, tenants in eight Oakland buildings organized a 13-month rent strike—and won.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
How a massive punk show gone wrong harmed a West Oakland homeless community
Attendees of an outdoor concert lit fires and destroyed property. Local groups have worked to repair the damage.
Posted inOaklandside
Cómo reportamos sobre la vida de Mario González
Nuestra sala de redacción se esfuerza por informar responsablemente y con mucho cuidado sobre la vida de aquellas personas afectadas por violencia. Queríamos compartir más sobre nuestro enfoque de esta historia.
Posted inHow We Work
How we reported on the life of Mario Gonzalez
Striving to report responsibly on the lives of people impacted by violence requires great care. We wanted to share more on our approach to this story.
Posted inArts & Community
Pro-Palestine ship blockade is the latest chapter in the Port of Oakland’s activist history
With the support of unionized longshore workers, Bay Area activists prevented an Israeli-operated cargo ship from unloading.
Posted inOaklandside
Más allá del video: La vida de Mario González
Este artículo fue traducido por Azucena Rasilla. Read in English. Nota del editor: lea más sobre como reportamos esta historia. Si fuera un domingo cualquiera, Mario González se habría levantado temprano para ayudar a su hermano menor Efraín de 23 años, que tiene autismo, a bañarse y prepararse para el día. Luego, Mario habría omelets con […]
Posted inCity Hall
Beyond the video: The life of Mario Gonzalez
A video of the Oakland resident’s death is all most people know of him. His friends and family remember him as a caretaker, mentor, and role model.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Facing displacement, Oaklanders living in RVs hope to change city laws
The city classifies RVs and trailers parked in yards as “blight.”
Posted inArts & Community
Ayodele Nzinga lifts from the bottom in her new book of poetry
In “SorrowLand Oracle,” the Oakland artist unflinchingly addresses the harms of racism, capitalism, and the “eternal battleground” of social change.
Posted inBusiness
Why did the East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse lay off its entire staff?
Ex-workers allege that the Depot’s management used the pandemic as an excuse to purge them. Management says they had no choice.
