Oakland's Grand Lake Theatre, the movie palace just northeast of Lake Merritt, celebrates its 100th birthday this week. And while some classic East Bay movie houses are still in operation, like the Jack London Cinema and Landmark Piedmont Theatre, there's something undeniably unique about the Grand Lake Theatre, with its Mighty Wurlitzer Organ, reasonably priced snacks and location smack dab in the middle of the Town.
"Needs have been growing, that why this event is so important," Murillo said. "There's around 20,000 community members in the county that rely on SNAP. And so the shutdown, the fear of SNAP cuts that are yet to be implemented has created a lot of fear and a lot of concerns in the larger community."
The Lakeshore LGBTQ Cultural District and the Oakland LGBTQ Center on November 13, 2025, unveiled an historic new rainbow crosswalk. The occasion was marked with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony and walk. The center's Co-Founders Joe Hawkins and Jeff Myers, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, iHeart Radio DJ Christie James, community leader Lisa Williams, and other local leaders and allies were present.
Save the date for the 6th Annual Pho for the People event at Monster Pho! This will be a fantastic community event with free pho and lots of connecting with the community. Seiji Oda will be performing, so come for the pho and stay for the music! This is also a community toy drive, so remember to bring a new toy to donate. Pho will be available from 10am until 3pm, or until they run out.
One such gathering Wednesday evening in deep East Oakland was a "know-your-rights" safety training and town hall. Organized by Rev. Cheryl Ward, longtime pastor and founder of Cheryl Ward Ministries, and hosted by Amos Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, the event featured speakers from the Anti Police-Terror Project, Oakland Rising Action, and the Oakland/Berkeley chapter of Black Women Organized for Political Action.
