Oaklandside 510

The Oaklandside

An Oakland news podcast from the journalists at Oaklandside, Oakland’s independent nonprofit newsroom. Each week we’ll catch you up on the biggest news in Oakland, go behind the scenes with Oaklandside reporters for context and analysis you won’t find anywhere else, and tell you about cool events around the Town.

  1. 3d ago

    The battle over Oakland’s billboards

    If you've driven on I-880 near downtown Oakland recently, you may have noticed a new billboard. It’s a black and white photo of a guy in a tank top, flexing, with a dramatic skyline behind him. The text says, "Son of Oakland: For the People, with the People." On today’s episode, we talk with our City Hall reporter Eli Wolfe about who is behind this mysterious billboard and its links to the three-year saga of how one billboard company pushed itself into Oakland's city budget. Stories we cover in this episode: Billboards ‘Son of Oakland’ billboard over I-880 in Oakland turns headsOakland billboard deal could help close the city’s budget gapHow a billboard company melded its interests with Oakland’s in the new city budgetFierce competition among billboard firms boils over at Oakland council meetingOakland billboard fight: Nonprofits will get millions and free advertising, but Clear Channel is pushing backCity Hall Who qualified for Oakland’s November election?Who was the city of Oakland’s highest paid employee in 2025?Public Safety Gun violence crackdown led to 51 arrests, 76 firearms seized across East BayArts and Community ‘The park cared for me’: Lincoln Rec Center rebuild breaks ground — will include a resilience hubReady to ditch your phone for a film camera? Underdog Film Lab can helpAt 60, Too $hort has no plans to stopNOSH Matt Horn closes last Horn Barbecue location amid wage theft accusationsPinkies up! Afternoon tea’s having a moment in the East BayFind all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at editors@oaklandside.org.

  2. Aug 7

    New BART station in East Oakland?

    We talk with our road safety reporter Jose Fermoso about a gap in Oakland's BART map — a stretch of East Oakland that the trains fly right over, with no station in sight. For years, a group in the San Antonio neighborhood, a couple miles southeast of the lake, have been pushing to change that. The group calls themselves the San Antonio Station Alliance — SASA. And recently, that dream got a lot more vivid, thanks to a group of design students from California College of the Arts who drew up what a station there could actually look like — creek and all. Stories we cover in this episode: San Antonio BART Proposal San Antonio BART station is still a fantasy, but here’s what design students think is possibleBART skips over this Oakland neighborhood. Residents are campaigning for a stationYouth Programs A new youth writing lab lands in Uptown OaklandCrosswalks Oakland’s most dangerous crosswalks: 112 injured, 9 killed over 10 yearsElections June election went ‘smoothly’ for Alameda County says new registrarICE and Immigration ICE used Eastmont Mall parking lot to transfer a detainee, say advocatesJudge orders bond release for Oakland woman detained at Denver airportOakland artist detained by ICE for 8 months faces daunting legal challengeOakland Firefighters Acknowledged Viral pigeon rescue earns Oakland firefighters PETA awardFind all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at editors@oaklandside.org.

  3. Jul 31

    Breathing new life into some of Oakland’s oldest spaces

    Today, we're talking about places that make Oakland Oakland. From historic homes and neighborhoods to landmarks and parks to cultural spaces, these places hold the stories of our city. As Oakland grapples with tight budgets and deferred maintenance, we're exploring what it actually takes to preserve these spaces — and who's stepping up to do it. We did this recently at a conversation at the New Parkway Theater, part of our popular Culture Makers series. For today's episode, we're bringing you that conversation.  Featuring East Bay Yesterday host Liam O'Donoghue, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation's Mandolin Kadera-Redmond, and Peralta Hacienda's Miguel Lopez, and moderated by our arts and community reporter Azucena Rasilla. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. More on this conversation: Culture Makers: Breathing new life into Oakland’s oldest spacesFind all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at editors@oaklandside.org.

  4. Jul 24

    We hired 12 Oakland high schoolers to investigate their own schools

    For the first four months of this year, twelve Oakland public high schoolers were embedded in our newsroom. They worked with Oaklandside reporters to examine what’s working in OUSD, what’s not, and how it all impacts students.  They brought us stories we simply didn’t know about, and helped us understand them far better with their help. Today, we sit down with one of our student fellows to talk about two stories she reported on: one on Oakland's glitchy free student bus pass program, and one on how social media makes school fights worse. Then, our education reporter Ashley McBride talks with Castlemont High School's principal about why his school has been investing in a powerful alternative to AP classes — and how it could be a truly empowering choice for more Oakland students. Student fellowship reporting discussed in this episode A free student bus pass is great — if you can get itAs school fights spread on social media, OUSD struggles to keep upSkyline High School has 17 AP classes. 9 high schools have 0. OUSD has a serious college prep gapAll of our stories these student reporters publishedFind all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at editors@oaklandside.org.

  5. Jul 17

    Oakland's new police chief: a Purple Heart, three decades at OPD, and he'll actually talk to reporters

    Mayor Barbara Lee has named James Beere, a nearly 30-year veteran of the Oakland Police Department, as the city's permanent police chief.  Public safety reporter Roselyn Romero joins host Tasneem Raja for a deep dive into who Beere is, how he got the job, why so few OPD chiefs have lasted long in the role, and one big way he's already different from his predecessor — he'll actually talk to the press. We talk about what Beere is facing at the start of his new job: the department's 23-year federal oversight seemingly at the finish line, a staffing shortage and an overtime crisis Beere is trying to rein in, contract talks with the police union, and a recent officer-involved shooting near Fruitvale. Stories we cover in this episode: Oakland's new chief Barbara Lee names James Beere as Oakland's permanent police chiefOakland's interim police chief has long-term plansOakland has had a shockingly high number of police chiefs Hiring a police chief in Oakland has always been messyOPD's federal watchdog Oakland police on track to exit federal oversight by SeptemberStaffing and overtime Overtime at OPD is now much harder to greenlight, following investigation by OaklandsideResidents hope OPD's rampant use of overtime will be addressed in new police union contractAccountability and access Former OPD Chief Floyd Mitchell refused to sit down with the press. Will the next chief be more accessible?Recent fatal shooting by Oakland police Oakland police fatally shoot person near Fruitvale they say was armedFind all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at editors@oaklandside.org.

  6. Jul 10

    Bar Skula and Reem's open in Oakland, OMCA heist, illegal fireworks complaints

    This week's episode is Nosh-centric: Nosh editor Tovin Lapan and reporter Skylla Mumana join Tasneem to talk through three recent Oakland restaurant openings — a "Luka's remix" on Grand Avenue, Gwyneth Paltrow's goop kitchen, and a worker-owned flagship for Reem's — and what each says about the state of Oakland's food scene right now.  Plus, a preview of Nosh's third annual Pop Nosh food festival on July 18. Also this week: Oakland has a new interim city administrator, a deep dive into the data behind Oakland's illegal fireworks complaints, a book of Oakland High School students' medical writing now being taught at Samuel Merritt University, an update on the still-unsolved Oakland Museum of California heist, and six Oaklanders whose names happen to match their jobs. Stories we cover in this episode: Nosh Bar Skula — a 'Luka's remix' — opens on Grand Avenue, across from Lake MerrittGwyneth Paltrow's goop kitchen has landed in the East Bay. We tried itReem's ready to debut worker-owned flagship in Jack London SquareEvents Taste the latest in East Bay cuisine at Pop Nosh 2026City Hall Betsy Lake confirmed as Oakland's interim city administratorPublic safety It's 'a war zone': Oakland residents file hundreds of complaints each year about illegal fireworksCan Oakland's stolen museum artifacts still be recovered? A former FBI art crime sleuth says yesEducation Oakland High students wrote a book about medicine and culture. It's being taught at Samuel Merritt UniversityArts & community When your name matches your job: 6 Oaklanders with aptronymsFind all these stories and more at oaklandside.org and eastbaynosh.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at editors@oaklandside.org.

  7. Jul 3

    Good news about Oakland!

    We spend a lot of time on this podcast covering Oakland's hardest problems. Today, we did something different — we asked our reporters to bring us something good.  Not feel-good fluff, but real progress and real people doing hard work to make Oakland better. In this episode:  Oakland schools go phone-free this August in a rare moment of agreementDeadly traffic crashes hit a multi-year lowYouth Radio reopens after two years darkOPD inches toward the end of 23 years of federal oversightColiseum deal moves forward, possibly with more money on the tableHomelessness in Oakland drops for the first time in more than a decadeStories in this episode: Cellphone ban in Oakland public schools starts in August As school fights spread on social media, OUSD struggles to keep up Oakland's roads are slowly getting safer  Youth Radio is back on the mic Oakland police on track to exit federal oversight by September Oakland Coliseum sale to Black-led developer group inches forward How hot is the Oakland Arena? A second bidder has emerged to buy it Homelessness drops 20% in Oakland, the first decline in years Find all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at editors@oaklandside.org.

  8. Jun 26

    Why is Oakland always in a budget crisis?

    Fiscal cliff. Structural deficit. Unanticipated emergency. If you've lived in Oakland for any length of time, you've heard the warnings — firehouses closing, academies canceled, the biggest deficit ever — and then watched the city keep running anyway. So what's actually going on? City Hall reporter Eli Wolfe and housing and City Hall reporter Natalie Orenstein help untangle why Oakland lurches from one budget crisis to the next, why it never quite goes over the edge, and who absorbs the damage when it doesn't. Stories we reference in this episode: The structural deficit Oakland's big budget crisis: what you need to knowIn her first budget as mayor, Thao stares down Oakland's biggest deficit everPolice and fire cuts may be needed to fix Oakland's longterm budget problemsThe "b" word Oakland accidentally published a report saying the city could face bankruptcyWhere the cuts land Oakland budget cuts finalized on eve of big leadership changesOakland to cut $2.6M for youth, Meals on Wheels, and violence preventionBudget cuts devastated an Oakland public safety program. Now neighbors are scraping byThe current moment 'Nobody's Happy Budget': Oakland adopts $4.2 billion spending planAt vague preview of Oakland budget, officials pledge no layoffs or service cutsHow is Mayor Lee balancing Oakland's budget?Crime, the economy, and revenue New report links crime to Oakland's budget crisisOakland made a big financial mistake failing to collect business taxes, audit findsFind all these stories and more at oaklandside.org. Have feedback or story ideas? Email us at editors@oaklandside.org.

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About

An Oakland news podcast from the journalists at Oaklandside, Oakland’s independent nonprofit newsroom. Each week we’ll catch you up on the biggest news in Oakland, go behind the scenes with Oaklandside reporters for context and analysis you won’t find anywhere else, and tell you about cool events around the Town.

Information

  • Creator
    The Oaklandside
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    54
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Oaklandside 510
  • Show Website
    Oaklandside 510

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