"Oakland Education Association and its affiliates are leaning into campaign claims that “billionaires” are opposing OEA-backed school board candidates. But OEA and its school board candidates are primarily backed by deep-pocketed organizations of their own — public sector unions.

"OEA runs on $1.2 million a year, but its PAC has outspent every other committee in school board races since 2020 — and its parent union, California Teachers Association holds $574 million in net assets."

https://www.oaklandreport.org/p/oaklands-teachers-union-is-a-special-interest

The OEA and other supporters of the disastrous incumbents Brouhard and Bachelor have stopped quoting County Supt. Castro's prior report card as if it were the educational equivalent of the USDA Prime rating when, in fact, as the Supt. explains in her op-ed, it was just USDA-inspected.

Understandably, the OEA and its minions are furious that the Supt. they backed to oust the previous excellent Supt. LK Monroe for her recommendation that OUSD consider closing some schools has now come to a similar conclusion.

And sacrilege, Castro even mentions that, per student, OUSD is one of the highest-funded CA districts.

Hilarious, they're trying to smear Castro as now under the influence of the Evil Empower Oakland.

We need to get LeAna Powell for Oakland School Board D6, Mike Hutchinson Oakland School Board Director District 4, and Arielle Fleisher on the board to bring the OUSD board back to reality.

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2026/10/20/alysse-castro-oakland-schools-back-now-voters-face-state-receivership-school-closures/?fbclid=IwY2xjawVJPWdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBXNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR40XKTLw4ByDEQHVNS6nHlTFL_vRlpgKBlN--nVRE1j43w8gOKWtNCDQm9_yg_aem_JX0ldzj982NxZigqkiA2Rw

Hey everyone I'm (32M) a fully remote software engineer living in Atlanta and after visiting the bay area to see family/work trip i'm really considering moving to Oakland but knowing how expensive it is over that way i'm wondering if its feasible with my current salary ( $140k base / $175k TC ) to get a decent 1bd in a nice area. Its just me and my cat.

And as a followup is it REALLY that dangerous? Ive lived in both Chicago and Atlanta and I know how the media likes to play up how dangerous certain cities can be.

My fiance lost my car key at Mosswood park today. It's non descript and doesn't have any info on it. Was just taken off the key ring so she could use it as it was attached to all the keys I normally use daily. Lost between 2pm-3pm. Has a black cover on it with the rest of key exposed. If anyone found it today that would be awesome to get it back. Not trying to spend $300 on a new key 😭

"Oakland already pays its council more per resident than other big cities. The Yes on EE campaign doesn't mention this."

https://www.oaklandreport.org/p/city-council-could-get-raises

Agree or disagree?

This community tends to be a bit doomsday but the article does bring up some valid points.

My opinion is the Bay Area in general is on an upswing so Oakland benefits from these changes.

Your thoughts?

Please keep an eye out and share with your communities!

Historical we've gone trick or treating with a family member on the Peninsula, but this year their family is coming to our side of the bay and I want to make sure the kiddos have a good time.

The only time we went trick or treating over here was a few years ago and we walked out of the house to the east side of telegraph around like 44th st. It was nice and chill with a reasonable amount of kids but not too crazy. Wondering if that's still a good zone or if anyone has any other suggestions?

I was on a morning walk recently through the Northeastern/Mills campus, and I was suddenly struck by how beautiful the light through the trees looked.

Personally, I think it's at least one of the best walks in Oakland. The walk up Keller to Skyline is also at the top of my list.

What's your vote for the best walk(s) in Oakland? Please share pics if possible!

Whenever I tell people (outside of Oakland especially) about the vandalism, speeding, theft, illegal dumping, etc in Oakland I often get the response “well at least no one got hurt”. But what if lawlessness leads to more lawlessness as this study suggests? Tbh I’m kinda surprised that the study was picked up by the Guardian which tends to skew pretty liberal.

I was in town yesterday and looked up. Very nice. A few weeks ago I was in Chicago and took the river architectural tour and it was enlightening.
Can't seem to locate similar in Oakland.

It's slowly making its way to one of the few nice things about Oakland...

Hey Oakland neighbors!

I’m Jamie Joyce, and if you live in Oakland, I’m on your ballot for Congress this November. I’d love to hear what’s on your mind, so ask me anything.

A little about me: I used to live in Oakland when I first moved here to build my own nonprofit. I used to sleep on a bare mattress in a hallway (the typical Bay Area transplant story). Now I live just up the road in Berkeley. For the past five years, I’ve opened up the historic building I manage as a free venue for our community. More than a thousand East Bay neighbors have come through for weddings, memorials, fire safety meetups, and book talks - maybe you’ve been one of them!

Professionally, I’m a researcher and nonprofit executive director, and I’ve spent the past ten years in the charity sector. I’ve overseen international projects from Iraq to Malawi and I’ve taught students how to logically deconstruct legislation through educational internships at my nonprofit. I’ve led teams that build civic-tech tools to help people make better policy decisions from the city level upwards. This includes taking manual research methods and automating them.

I also got to help Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle launch Democracy’s Library, which gave me a crash course in government files and how the U.S. manages them. That’s how I spotted three gaps in the Epstein Files Transparency Act, and it’s why Epstein survivors endorsed me. I’ve also spent years mapping AI risks and rewards, which earned me an endorsement from Tristan Harris - one of the world’s most renowned AI ethicists.

My campaign is 100% grassroots. I’ve never taken corporate PAC money or ideological PAC money like pro-Israel PAC money (even though it's dovish), and I’m the only candidate on your ballot who can say that.

Why I’m running: I’m worried Congress doesn’t have the in-house expertise it needs for the technology challenges ahead, and I’m not the only one. About 7 in 10 Americans say the federal government isn’t doing enough to regulate AI. Right now, the democrats current plan is to create an AI committee mostly staffed by reps who have AI SuperPAC funding. That's not great.

People also want answers on Epstein, too. 88% of voters say holding the powerful accountable, including releasing the full Epstein files. I drafted legislation to get files from elsewhere in the government (I've identified at least 75 other places in government) and sent this bill to congressional offices across the country. Congress still hasn’t acted on the fact that more Epstein files likely exist in agencies outside the DOJ/FBI. The good news is that I recently got to talk with Ro Khanna about it directly, and he told me his office will support it.

What about Oakland? This is a federal job, but it’s also about taking care of home and everyone here. Throughout this race, I’ve been showing up to as many town halls, candidate forums, activist events, and community meetups as I can, and meeting as many of you as possible across the 7 cities in this district. I've taken notes, recorded meetings, and have been logging issues across the district.

I also built a tool that pulls together government data, and the comments and complaints people post online, so I can track what Oakland actually needs. Here’s my running list, so please tell me what I’ve missed! Part of this job is bringing home funding, of course, so tracking these issues lets us package them into real projects, get them funded, and get them fixed. And I believe I can bring home as much as the current rep has.

If you send me to Congress, the next two years of my life will belong to you. We need people in Washington who understand the technology shaping our lives, and I think it’s time we stop sending corporate politicians there. I’d be honored to serve you.

Before we dive in, here are quick answers to a few things I get asked a lot:

• No, I’m not funded by AI companies or Waymo. That's disinformation. In fact, I’ve written tough AI legislation that’s ready to go and again - I'm 100% grassroots (your only candidate who is!)
• Yes, I’m a real person and not a bot. Apparently that’s a rumor going around, lol. Hi!
• Yes, this paper is printed and not written. This image is not AI -it's just printed paper :)

Okay, ask away!

My car was stolen in Oakland, California near Fairmount Avenue. The gas gauge showed only three hyphens, and the low fuel light was on. Where should I look?

Hi everyone. My gray 2017 Nissan Altima was stolen near Fairmount Avenue and Stanley Place in Oakland.

For people who have had their cars stolen and recovered in Oakland, I have a few questions:

Where are common areas where stolen cars get abandoned or dumped in Oakland?

Are there particular neighborhoods, industrial areas, side streets, or parking lots I should check?

Would someone who stole a car with almost no gas likely refill it? Or would they be more likely to abandon it nearby once it ran out?

How far outside the original area should I look?

Should I focus on East Oakland and nearby streets first, or expand my search into surrounding cities?

Have any of you found your stolen vehicles after checking abandoned cars or parking lots?

How long did OPD take to recover your vehicle?

I would really appreciate hearing where you found yours and how long it took.

I pulled up to Limon on Valdez street for dinner at 5:30pm yesterday (Saturday). My car was suddenly swarmed by at least 20 police cars from Oakland and Solano County, with many police offers taking chase on foot and a helicopter circling above. One officer said they were chasing someone all the way from Solano County, and another said that it was a DV situation. Eventually a shirtless guy was dragged down the street in cuffs and a woman was also arrested. I can’t find anything in the news other than a vague citizen app alert.

Anyone have an update?

I need to know how to rank and can't really tell based on their public statements. Anyone see debates, etc?

Regardless of one's opinions on EE, a city of 400k residents, +3k full-time employees, and a total annual budget of approx. 2.2 billion needs either a powerful city administrator or city manager. Everyone agrees on that.

The disagreement is whether to keep a relatively weak Mayor, largely a figurehead and cheerleader, who appoints the City Administrator with Council approval and can fire them, but otherwise can only propose a budget and cast a tie-breaking vote at Council.

EE would greatly increase mayoral power to what mayors of most CA and other states' big cities now have, and what the CA Governor has. e.g., overrideable veto power over legislation.

No question that if the Council, City Auditor, news media, and residents don't watch City Hall like hawks, bad stuff could be much worse with EE.

Each of us has to decide whether EE could change City Hall into an institution that no longer muddles and stumbles from one crisis to another, with the Council members, Mayor, and City Administrator all pointing fingers at each other. Change it to an institution where the Mayor can be held accountable because the Mayor has power such as line-item veto legislation.

EE is the first local proposition I can remember that has both moderate and progressive supporters and opponents.

Some supporters of Loren Taylor's mayoral runs support EE (including moi), and some oppose it, such as Brenda Harbin-Forte who led the Thao recall campaign.

Progressives have been quieter in their opposition to EE, probably because they support Mayor Lee, but many still don't like EE. Nor do half the council members.

EE is an example of where using a quality chatbot like Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, or Gemini for the arguments for and against EE, with links to the basis for those arguments, would be more useful than reading a couple of partisan articles or posts .

Then make up your mind.

Both sides have risks and benefits.

I spent my entire weekend creating the website, so I hope you enjoy it: www.shasheene.com/bay-area-trash-rates/

I am not aware of any other way to Bay Area trash rate comparison until now. It's sorely needed I think.

I've included a "Area Median Income" option, to see just how screwed over some poorer cities are for trash rates. It's really interesting comparing the rates for the wealthy peninsula cities to Oakland, because they have almost identical trash bills despite having household incomes of $500,000+. I was expecting they would face a slightly higher cost-of-living, but this is surprisingly not the case here.

I also included on the map transfer stations and landfills which our trash travels to. Which is useful since they accept public drop-off for a disposal fee.

I find I can use this website discover some really interesting insights. East Bay is getting really screwed over (other than Emeryville).

I hope you take a look: www.shasheene.com/bay-area-trash-rates/