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Oakland’s surprising affordable housing boom, dropping crime rates, a new health center for East Oakland youth, huge fixes coming for Oakland sidewalks, and much more good news in this week’s episode.Â
We spend a lot of time on this podcast covering Oakland’s challenges — budget crises, crime statistics, political turmoil. That’s important.Â
But it’s not the full story of what’s happening in this city.Â
When we launched this newsroom, we made a commitment to reporting that reflects the value of Oakland. Along with our accountability and watchdog journalism, we share real news about real change that’s making Oakland better.Â
Today’s episode rounds up some of our latest reporting on good news in Oakland.Â
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Stories in this episode
Education and youth support
Samuel Merritt University’s $240M campus to bring 2,000 students to downtown Oakland
Enrollment is up in OUSD for the first time in 8 years. Can it be sustained?Â
Health center for East Oakland youth breaks ground
Crime decrease and violence prevention
Trump claims Oakland crime is out of control. But crime has fallen this year
A violence interruption academy is coming to Oakland
Better sidewalks
Nicole Brown-Booker sued Oakland over its busted sidewalks — and wonÂ
Music communities
RIC Bar in Rockridge is hosting private shows to cure musicians’ blues
Jazz quintet finds fans in Oakland retirement communities, playing music ‘from their era’
Affordable housing boom and food assistanceÂ
Affordable housing construction is taking off in Oakland
Alameda County announces another $1.5 million in emergency food assistance
Good restaurant news: Reems returns, Cenaduria Elvira finds a new home, Saba Grocers expands
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Tasneem Raja is the Editor-in-Chief of The Oaklandside. A pioneer in data journalism and local nonprofit news startups, she co-founded The Tyler Loop, a nationally recognized community news platform in East Texas. She was a senior editor at NPR’s Code Switch and at Mother Jones, where the team she led helped build the first-ever database of mass shootings in America. She started her career as features reporter at The Chicago Reader and The Philadelphia Weekly, and lives in Oakland with her husband and daughter.