Despite booming economy, Oakland finances deteriorate
Original Editorial Article by Daniel Borenstein – The Mercury News Without new income streams or budget cuts, the city now faces a projected $100 million annual shortfall by the 2019-20 fiscal year, a forecast 74 percent worse than just two years ago. Some of that difference is due to using more realistic assumptions. But the city’s […]
Oakland Economy, Tech in Oakland
How Uber could end up as Silicon Valley’s most spectacular crash
Original article by Kevin Maney – Newsweek Just a year ago, Uber reigned as the tech industry’s awe-inspiring, all-powerful Wizard of Oz. But lately, the curtain is being pulled back to reveal a guy who’s more like an angry drunk frantically yanking levers while taking roundhouse swings at the Tin Man and propositioning Dorothy. Uber […]
As nonprofits struggle to find affordable space, new Oakland center provides relief
Original article by Annie Sciacca in East Bay Times As Bay Area nonprofits struggle to operate in the region amid rising rents and competition for office space, one East Bay organization is offering a solution for some. The Greenlining Institute, a public policy organization that advocates for racial and economic justice, has opened a new center […]
Oakland Economy, Tech in Oakland
Bay Area tech job growth is decelerating
Original article by George Avalos – East Bay Times SAN JOSE — Job growth in the tech industry used to zoom like a race car, but these days, hiring by this principal driver of the Bay Area’s economy chugs along more like a family SUV. The technology industry’s job growth in the nine-county region has […]
Airbnb issue highlights Oakland’s gentrification fears
Original article by Marisa Kendall in The Mercury News OAKLAND — As city leaders here take their first steps toward regulating Airbnb, they have made one concern abundantly clear: they don’t want what San Francisco has. Not gentrification that forces long-term residents out of the city’s diverse neighborhoods, not a community divided by tension between techies and everyone else, and not an […]
Oakland Economy, Tech in Oakland
Salesforce expands $22.5M education investments to Oakland
Original article by Kate Conger (@kateconger) – TechCrunch Salesforce.org, the philanthropic arm of the San Francisco-based cloud computing company, is expanding its education funding from its home city to Oakland. The foundation will invest $2.5 million into Oakland public schools this year and pour $6 million into San Francisco’s schools, bringing its total contribution to […]
Public health problems in Oakland linked to housing crisis
Original article by Rachel Swan – SF Gate The high cost of housing has created a public health crisis in Oakland, Dr. Muntu Davis, head of the Alameda County Public Health Department, said during a news conference at Oakland City Hall on Tuesday. Hypertension and asthma rates are increasing as residents grapple with increased rents and lack of […]
Oakland’s office market is now fuller than San Francisco’s
Original article by Roland Li – San Francisco Business Times Oakland’s central business district office vacancy rate plunged to 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter, down from 12.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2014, as dozens of companies migrated from San Francisco, according to preliminary data from brokerage Avison Young. During the same period, San […]
Oakland Culture, Oakland Economy
Oakland on the verge of change (video)
Original video/article by Roland Li and Todd Johnson – San Francisco Business Times Here’s a look at some of the neighborhoods that have been at the forefront of development, and a glimpse into Oakland may look like in the coming years. Oakland is on the verge of change, with over 7,000 residential units approved in […]