Natalie Orenstein
@natalieorenstein.bsky.social
Oaklandside reporter covering city hall and housing. East Bay born 'n' bred. DMs are off the record - would love to chat with ya.
Reposted by Natalie Orenstein
This is a few days late but the East Bay Yesterday award for Best Costume goes to @natalieorenstein.bsky.social
November 4, 2025 at 6:17 PM
This is a few days late but the East Bay Yesterday award for Best Costume goes to @natalieorenstein.bsky.social
County officials are about to announce a plan for SNAP recipients at risk of missing November benefits.
But a federal judge just ruled this morning that the Trump admin. can’t withhold those payments.
But a federal judge just ruled this morning that the Trump admin. can’t withhold those payments.
October 31, 2025 at 6:35 PM
County officials are about to announce a plan for SNAP recipients at risk of missing November benefits.
But a federal judge just ruled this morning that the Trump admin. can’t withhold those payments.
But a federal judge just ruled this morning that the Trump admin. can’t withhold those payments.
Thousands starting to march from Wilma Chan Park to the Lake Merritt amphitheater at Oakland’s No Kings protest. Follow @oaklandside.org for updates
October 18, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Thousands starting to march from Wilma Chan Park to the Lake Merritt amphitheater at Oakland’s No Kings protest. Follow @oaklandside.org for updates
Read and take time with this story by @fermoso.bsky.social, who sat down with the family and partner of Marvin Boomer for an in-depth and moving interview.
oaklandside.org/2025/06/06/m...
oaklandside.org/2025/06/06/m...
Marvin Boomer’s loved ones share their grief — girlfriend slams CHP for deadly Oakland chase
Boomer’s family will hold a church service for the beloved Castlemont teacher at Acts Full Gospel Church on Friday.
oaklandside.org
June 6, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Read and take time with this story by @fermoso.bsky.social, who sat down with the family and partner of Marvin Boomer for an in-depth and moving interview.
oaklandside.org/2025/06/06/m...
oaklandside.org/2025/06/06/m...
Is David Duong seeking a pardon from Trump in the Oakland FBI corruption investigation? New with @roselynr.bsky.social and @darwinbondgraham.bsky.social
oaklandside.org/2025/05/16/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/05/16/o...
Is a central figure in the Oakland FBI investigation seeking a Trump pardon?
The idea that the president could help David Duong avoid bribery charges has cropped up in recent articles, including on a Duong company website.
oaklandside.org
May 16, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Is David Duong seeking a pardon from Trump in the Oakland FBI corruption investigation? New with @roselynr.bsky.social and @darwinbondgraham.bsky.social
oaklandside.org/2025/05/16/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/05/16/o...
Reposted by Natalie Orenstein
Weigh in on Oakland's budget 🌳💰🏙️
Each Oakland councilmember is holding a budget forum for their constituents to attend, learn, ask questions, and make requests.
Here's the schedule:
Each Oakland councilmember is holding a budget forum for their constituents to attend, learn, ask questions, and make requests.
Here's the schedule:
May 14, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Weigh in on Oakland's budget 🌳💰🏙️
Each Oakland councilmember is holding a budget forum for their constituents to attend, learn, ask questions, and make requests.
Here's the schedule:
Each Oakland councilmember is holding a budget forum for their constituents to attend, learn, ask questions, and make requests.
Here's the schedule:
Friday night flip in the Oakland election:
Barbara Lee is now leading and likely headed to the mayor's office.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/18/b...
Barbara Lee is now leading and likely headed to the mayor's office.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/18/b...
Barbara Lee springs into lead as Oakland mayor’s race flips
The latest ballot count has Lee with 53% of the vote. Charlene Wang is poised to handily win the City Council District 2 seat.
oaklandside.org
April 19, 2025 at 12:10 AM
Friday night flip in the Oakland election:
Barbara Lee is now leading and likely headed to the mayor's office.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/18/b...
Barbara Lee is now leading and likely headed to the mayor's office.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/18/b...
Reposted by Natalie Orenstein
Barbara Lee is picking up most of her support in Oakland's flatlands neighborhoods and North Oakland.
Loren Taylor is picking up his base of support in the hills, from Berkeley to San Leandro's border.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/15/o...
Loren Taylor is picking up his base of support in the hills, from Berkeley to San Leandro's border.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/15/o...
April 16, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Barbara Lee is picking up most of her support in Oakland's flatlands neighborhoods and North Oakland.
Loren Taylor is picking up his base of support in the hills, from Berkeley to San Leandro's border.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/15/o...
Loren Taylor is picking up his base of support in the hills, from Berkeley to San Leandro's border.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/15/o...
Loren Taylor leads Barbara Lee in the very early Oakland mayoral election results.
Charlene Wang has a stronger early lead for District 2.
Lots could still change as more ballots are counted tonight and this week.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/15/o...
Charlene Wang has a stronger early lead for District 2.
Lots could still change as more ballots are counted tonight and this week.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/15/o...
Oakland mayor’s race: No winner yet
Taylor leads Lee in early results. But with many ballots left to count and a ranked-choice runoff on the horizon, the winner likely won’t be known tonight.
oaklandside.org
April 16, 2025 at 4:46 AM
Loren Taylor leads Barbara Lee in the very early Oakland mayoral election results.
Charlene Wang has a stronger early lead for District 2.
Lots could still change as more ballots are counted tonight and this week.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/15/o...
Charlene Wang has a stronger early lead for District 2.
Lots could still change as more ballots are counted tonight and this week.
oaklandside.org/2025/04/15/o...
I visited the prominent Lake Merritt Lodge homeless shelter after the program moved out in Nov 2024 — and found startling, hazardous conditions.
I looked into oversight at the lodge and found a convoluted system that created confusion and, often, chaos.
oaklandside.org/2025/03/31/l...
I looked into oversight at the lodge and found a convoluted system that created confusion and, often, chaos.
oaklandside.org/2025/03/31/l...
An Oakland homeless shelter was left in shambles. Who’s to blame?
How the mess at the Lake Merritt Lodge was made.
oaklandside.org
April 1, 2025 at 12:09 AM
I visited the prominent Lake Merritt Lodge homeless shelter after the program moved out in Nov 2024 — and found startling, hazardous conditions.
I looked into oversight at the lodge and found a convoluted system that created confusion and, often, chaos.
oaklandside.org/2025/03/31/l...
I looked into oversight at the lodge and found a convoluted system that created confusion and, often, chaos.
oaklandside.org/2025/03/31/l...
Reposted by Natalie Orenstein
Not a scientific poll, but @natalieorenstein.bsky.social talked to Oaklanders at a farmer's market recently.
Many don't know much at all about the special election and who's running for mayor.
Meanwhile, politocs are in an echo chamber on social media....
oaklandside.org/2025/03/19/o...
Many don't know much at all about the special election and who's running for mayor.
Meanwhile, politocs are in an echo chamber on social media....
oaklandside.org/2025/03/19/o...
The Oakland mayor race is heating up. But are voters tuning in?
In conversations at a farmers market, some shared that they’re excited about Barbara Lee or Loren Taylor. But many said they’re uninterested or struggling to learn the facts.
oaklandside.org
March 19, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Not a scientific poll, but @natalieorenstein.bsky.social talked to Oaklanders at a farmer's market recently.
Many don't know much at all about the special election and who's running for mayor.
Meanwhile, politocs are in an echo chamber on social media....
oaklandside.org/2025/03/19/o...
Many don't know much at all about the special election and who's running for mayor.
Meanwhile, politocs are in an echo chamber on social media....
oaklandside.org/2025/03/19/o...
Reposted by Natalie Orenstein
This Chronicle story is strange.
Does Garofoli know how Oakland elections work?
Oakland uses ranked-choice voting, so this election could very likely be decided by the supporters of the candidates he contemptuously labels not "serious."
www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joe...
Does Garofoli know how Oakland elections work?
Oakland uses ranked-choice voting, so this election could very likely be decided by the supporters of the candidates he contemptuously labels not "serious."
www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joe...
The winner of the Oakland mayor’s forum is the candidate who walked out
“It was like a skit from ‘SNL,’” said Carol Strickman, an audience member who moved to Oakland in 1974.
www.sfchronicle.com
February 28, 2025 at 5:26 PM
This Chronicle story is strange.
Does Garofoli know how Oakland elections work?
Oakland uses ranked-choice voting, so this election could very likely be decided by the supporters of the candidates he contemptuously labels not "serious."
www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joe...
Does Garofoli know how Oakland elections work?
Oakland uses ranked-choice voting, so this election could very likely be decided by the supporters of the candidates he contemptuously labels not "serious."
www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joe...
Here's a cheat sheet for the Oaklandside's sold-out mayoral forum tonight, whether you snagged a ticket or will be watching from home.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/26/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/02/26/o...
A cheat sheet for The Oaklandside’s mayoral candidates forum
Who’ll be there? What are their platforms? What will they be talking about? All your questions, answered.
oaklandside.org
February 26, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Here's a cheat sheet for the Oaklandside's sold-out mayoral forum tonight, whether you snagged a ticket or will be watching from home.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/26/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/02/26/o...
Reposted by Natalie Orenstein
Tenants in a North Berkeley apartment building have organized a tenant union under the new law in 2024's Measure BB. @berkeleyside.bsky.social article at
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/02/25/m...
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/02/25/m...
Berkeley residents form city’s first tenants union with power to bargain with landlords
The group of residents in a North Berkeley building are the first to use new expanded renter protections passed under Measure BB.
www.berkeleyside.org
February 26, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Tenants in a North Berkeley apartment building have organized a tenant union under the new law in 2024's Measure BB. @berkeleyside.bsky.social article at
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/02/25/m...
www.berkeleyside.org/2025/02/25/m...
Reposted by Natalie Orenstein
Head shop Annapurna on Telegraph Avenue, central to the Berkeley's counterculture world, has closed after 53 years.
Berkeley's iconic head shop Annapurna closes for good after 53 years
Head shop Annapurna on Telegraph Avenue, central to the Berkeley's counterculture world, has closed after 53 years.
www.berkeleyside.org
February 21, 2025 at 4:31 AM
Head shop Annapurna on Telegraph Avenue, central to the Berkeley's counterculture world, has closed after 53 years.
A bunch of the newer Oakland apartment buildings are being foreclosed on or sold for pennies on the dollar
oaklandside.org/2025/02/14/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/02/14/o...
High-end Oakland apartment buildings rocked by foreclosures and fire sales
New buildings are being seized by lenders during a downturn in construction, rents, and tenancy.
oaklandside.org
February 14, 2025 at 5:43 PM
A bunch of the newer Oakland apartment buildings are being foreclosed on or sold for pennies on the dollar
oaklandside.org/2025/02/14/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/02/14/o...
We're tracking changes in Oakland happening in response to Trump orders or threats (removal of language or art, changing of job titles, self-censorship or mandates from above, etc.)
If you observe something, let us know via this form, anonymously or otherwise.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/06/h...
If you observe something, let us know via this form, anonymously or otherwise.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/06/h...
How is the Trump administration changing Oakland? Help us keep track
We're turning to you to help us document the ways the East Bay community is changing in response to Trump. Submit your observations and tips here.
oaklandside.org
February 7, 2025 at 11:06 PM
We're tracking changes in Oakland happening in response to Trump orders or threats (removal of language or art, changing of job titles, self-censorship or mandates from above, etc.)
If you observe something, let us know via this form, anonymously or otherwise.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/06/h...
If you observe something, let us know via this form, anonymously or otherwise.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/06/h...
We're hosting an Oakland mayoral forum on Feb. 26! It's free but RSVP is required. There's a form here to submit questions you'd like us to ask the candidates.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/05/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/02/05/o...
Join the Oaklandside for a mayoral candidates forum in East Oakland
We will be asking those running for mayor the hard questions about issues Oakland residents care most about.
oaklandside.org
February 5, 2025 at 9:58 PM
We're hosting an Oakland mayoral forum on Feb. 26! It's free but RSVP is required. There's a form here to submit questions you'd like us to ask the candidates.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/05/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/02/05/o...
Got to take a pause from covering contract crises, layoffs, and developer fees to write about talking bottle openers and vintage high chairs 🐘.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/04/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/02/04/o...
13 delightfully weird items from Oakland’s White Elephant Sale
The annual warehouse rummage sale benefitting the Oakland Museum of California runs through early March.
oaklandside.org
February 5, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Got to take a pause from covering contract crises, layoffs, and developer fees to write about talking bottle openers and vintage high chairs 🐘.
oaklandside.org/2025/02/04/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/02/04/o...
The city of Fremont could make it illegal for someone to "aid or abet" a homeless camp. But the proposal backed by the mayor doesn't explain what that means. via @calmatters.org
calmatters.org/housing/home...
calmatters.org/housing/home...
Should 'aiding' or 'abetting' a homeless camp be illegal? It may soon be a reality in this Bay Area city
The move is alarming California activists who worry they could be placed in the ordinance’s crosshairs for helping their homeless neighbors.
calmatters.org
February 5, 2025 at 12:18 AM
The city of Fremont could make it illegal for someone to "aid or abet" a homeless camp. But the proposal backed by the mayor doesn't explain what that means. via @calmatters.org
calmatters.org/housing/home...
calmatters.org/housing/home...
Reposted by Natalie Orenstein
Thao and a high-ranking Oakland official appear to have helped a security company named in the FBI’s corruption investigation retain a multi-million dollar contract, according to public records obtained by The Oaklandside.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/24/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/01/24/o...
Records shed new light on Sheng Thao’s possible involvement with Oakland security contract
Thao and a high-ranking city official appear to have helped a security company named in the FBI’s corruption investigation retain a multi-million dollar contract, according to public records obtained ...
oaklandside.org
January 24, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Thao and a high-ranking Oakland official appear to have helped a security company named in the FBI’s corruption investigation retain a multi-million dollar contract, according to public records obtained by The Oaklandside.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/24/o...
oaklandside.org/2025/01/24/o...
Two local developers successfully protested the $120K in "impact fees" the city charged them for a Temescal condo project.
In their appeal, the builders cited a recent Supreme Court case — which could upend a primary way Oakland funds affordable housing.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/24/s...
In their appeal, the builders cited a recent Supreme Court case — which could upend a primary way Oakland funds affordable housing.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/24/s...
Condo developers say the city ripped them off. A Supreme Court case helped them—but could cost Oakland millions
Affordable housing is tough to build in Oakland. The city relies on "impact fees" to do so, but that model faces a steeper challenge now.
oaklandside.org
January 25, 2025 at 12:51 AM
Two local developers successfully protested the $120K in "impact fees" the city charged them for a Temescal condo project.
In their appeal, the builders cited a recent Supreme Court case — which could upend a primary way Oakland funds affordable housing.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/24/s...
In their appeal, the builders cited a recent Supreme Court case — which could upend a primary way Oakland funds affordable housing.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/24/s...
The Oakland official named in the Thao indictment (“City Employee 1”) left his job on Friday
oaklandside.org/2025/01/21/l...
oaklandside.org/2025/01/21/l...
Oakland official mentioned in bribery indictment quietly left his job on Friday
Mayor Thao and her allies allegedly maneuvered Larry Gallegos into a key city of Oakland position as part of a bribery scheme.
oaklandside.org
January 22, 2025 at 12:15 AM
The Oakland official named in the Thao indictment (“City Employee 1”) left his job on Friday
oaklandside.org/2025/01/21/l...
oaklandside.org/2025/01/21/l...
Federal prosecutors allege Sheng Thao promised city contracts and favorable staff appointments to the Duongs, in exchange for promises of $300K.
They say Thao's partner Andre Jones received $95K in cash from them for a "no-show" job.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/17/o...
They say Thao's partner Andre Jones received $95K in cash from them for a "no-show" job.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/17/o...
Sheng Thao and partner Andre Jones sought more than $300,000 in bribes, feds allege
The recalled Oakland mayor was accused by federal prosecutors of a "corrupt agreement" to hand city contracts and steer city appointments to benefit the Duong family.
oaklandside.org
January 17, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Federal prosecutors allege Sheng Thao promised city contracts and favorable staff appointments to the Duongs, in exchange for promises of $300K.
They say Thao's partner Andre Jones received $95K in cash from them for a "no-show" job.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/17/o...
They say Thao's partner Andre Jones received $95K in cash from them for a "no-show" job.
oaklandside.org/2025/01/17/o...
BREAKING: Sheng Thao, Andre Jones, David Duong, Andy Duong indicted in FBI corruption probe. Allegations of “pay-to-play” scheme dating back to before the 2022 election.
January 17, 2025 at 5:23 PM
BREAKING: Sheng Thao, Andre Jones, David Duong, Andy Duong indicted in FBI corruption probe. Allegations of “pay-to-play” scheme dating back to before the 2022 election.