events – The Oakland Beat

Category: events

16
May
2014

Oakland To Spend Next Several Weeks Fixing Potholes

categories: events, local, news, TheOaklandBeat

Thousands of potholes are expected to be fixed in the coming weeks in Oakland, part of an annual blitz to fix city streets. Crews work to fix a pothole on 106th Avenue in Oakland, California on May 15, 2014. (Margie Shafer/CBS)

Crews on Thursday were filling potholes on 106th Avenue, the first of many roads to be repaired. “For the next seven weeks, each week, we’ll take one city council district and we’ll pave as many potholes as we can,” said Oakland Mayor Jean Quan. “Usually by the time we’re done, we’re up to 2,000-4,000.”

Mayor Quan herself reported a pothole problem on 106th Avenue with an app on her cellphone called SeeClickFix, and Assistant Public Works Director Jason Mitchell said mobile reporting is catching on.

“Since we started SeeClickFix, our intake in our call center has increased 30 percent,” Mitchell said. “And a lot through mobile apps. One of the exciting things about SeeClickFix is engaging a new user, a younger generation of Oakland.”

In California, many cities fund their street repair through gas taxes, which have gone down with more efficient cars.

Mayor Quan said she is hoping for more regional money for Oakland street repair, citing the fact that because it is a port city, Oakland sees more heavy truck traffic than suburban areas.

13
May
2014

Jack London Square to Get Bowling Alley, Beer Garden in New Entertainment Complex this Fall

categories: development, events, food, local, music, news, TheOaklandBeat

The final concept will include casual dining featuring gastropub and coastal California cuisine, luxury bowling lanes, both state of the art and vintage interactive games and a large outdoor beer garden with a long bar and bocce courts.

In addition, the entertainment venue will offer live music and entertainment on weekends featuring local talent as well as an area that can be separated for corporate events and private parties. This centerpiece to Jack London Square will leverage the large outdoor elevated patio along with expansive communal seating areas to maximize the waterfront experience and serve as a community gathering spot.
Construction has already begun in Jack London Square, and the entertainment complex is scheduled to open this fall. The developers said they will announce more details about the project later this summer. The development will transform the 34,000-square-foot indoor site and 15,000-square-foot outdoor plaza in the heart of Jack London Square.

Ellis’ statement added: “Since Barnes and Noble closed in 2010, we have been on a national search for a concept for the building that would accentuate the surrounding retail space and maximize the one-of-a-kind location at the foot of Broadway and adjacent to the Estuary.”

06
May
2014

Oakland City Hall Celebrates 100 years

categories: Architecture, events, local, TheOaklandBeat

Oakland City Hall, located at 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza adjacent to 14th Street, was completed in 1914. At the time, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi, at 335 feet tall. The Beaux Arts building replaced an earlier City Hall building which formerly stood on what is now Frank Ogawa Plaza. The first day of business at the new City Hall was on Saturday, June 7, 1913.

On October 13, 1911, President William Howard Taft laid the cornerstone for the new city hall. When city hall first opened to the public, it included a jail (complete with outside exercise area), a fire station, a police station, and a small hospital. Today it houses a variety of city offices, as well as various chambers used for city council meetings and other city meetings.

After suffering damage during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the building was immediately shut down. The building reopened in 1995 after an $85 million seismic retrofitting and can now move 18-20 inches laterally in an earthquake. 1 The most prominent feature, the “wedding-cake” cupola is earthquake prone .

The current Oakland City Hall was designated Oakland Landmark #28, under Zoning Case #LM 79-131, on June 19, 1979, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

26
Apr
2014

High-Fidelity: Oakland Museum Explores Sound and Culture of Vinyl

categories: art, events, local, music, news, TheOaklandBeat

High-Fidelity: Oakland Museum Explores Sound and Culture of Vinyl

Artist Raphael Villet interviewed collectors and photographed them as part of the Oakland Museum of California’s new exhibition, Vinyl: The sound and Culture of Records. Photo: courtesy of Raphael Villet

People perusing the gallery can take an album out of the sleeve and play it on a turntable. With eight listening stations, and a social space outfitted with beanbag chairs, this is one exhibition that invites you to linger.

The launch of “Vinyl: The Sound and Culture of Records” was timed to coincide with Record Store Day, an annual celebration of the medium that sends avid collectors to independent sellers around the world to hunt down new releases and rare gems. The exhibit has that same participatory vibe: whole walls framed by stacks of empty black crates, giant beanbags decorated like sound waves and a bunch of working turntables.

“What I envision is a lot of people spending a lot of time talking to one another, listening to music, exchanging stories and then recommending records to play for one another,” de Guzman says.

Vinyl: The Sound and Culture of Records is on view at the Oakland Museum of California from April 19 to July 27. OMCA, 1000 Oak St., Oakland.

23
Apr
2014

Birdland Jazzista Social Club takes over former TeaCakes in North Oakland

categories: events, food, local, music, TheOaklandBeat

Birdland Jazzista Social Club takes over former TeaCakes in North Oakland

Birdland Jazzista Social Club, located at 4318 Martin Luther King Jr. Way (about three blocks from the MacArthur BART station), is scheduled to have its soft launch June 20-21.

Beginning that weekend, six businesses along a five-block stretch of Martin Luther King Jr. Way — including Marcus Bookstore, MLK Cafe, Ray’s Barbershop, The Fruit Basket, Gallagher’s Liquors, and Micro’s Market — will begin offering free music on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to midnight. Opening weekend will include blues, samba, bossa nova, West African, neo-soul, jazz, and Cuban music.

The Birdland Jazzista Social Club plans to host live music two to four nights per week at its new location. Entry cost will likely be a $10 donation. By day, the 2,700-square-foot building will also serve as a retail space for Parayno’s birdhouses. Parayno said he expects dance and music classes to begin at Birdland in July, and for the cafe component to open by Thanksgiving.