AC Boost provides loans of up to $210,000 to help with down payments for people who live or work in the county.
Natalie Orenstein
Natalie Orenstein reports on housing and homelessness for The Oaklandside. Natalie was a Berkeleyside staff reporter from early 2017 to May 2020. She had previously contributed to the site since 2012, when she started as an intern. Orenstein covered a range of beats for Berkeleyside, focusing primarily on education. Her 2018 three-part series "Beyond the Buses" explored the legacy of Berkeley’s historic voluntary school integration, earning her the Society of Professional Journalists NorCal’s long-form storytelling award and a finalist position in the Education Writers Association National Awards for Education Reporting. Orenstein's reporting has also appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the J Weekly, the San Francisco Bay Guardian and elsewhere. Natalie is a proud Berkeley native and only strayed from the Bay Area once, to attend Pomona College.
Street Spirit homeless newspaper is back in print
The “touchstone” publication and job program for Berkeley and Oakland lost funding last year but has raised enough to resume operations this spring.
District attorney aims to stop real estate scams with new notification program
Alameda County DA Pamela Price hopes to reveal and prosecute fraud targeting older homeowners.
Street Spirit homeless newspaper returns to print in March
The “touchstone” publication and job program for Berkeley and Oakland lost funding last year but has raised enough to resume operations this spring.
Oakland cafe confrontation over anti-Zionist graffiti leads to staff firings, boycott call
A tense customer-employee argument at Farley’s East is the latest case of political tensions erupting in an Oakland coffee shop.
Your cellphone will blurt an emergency alert Wednesday. Here’s what this test means
FEMA is testing a nationwide alert system on phones, TVs, and radios at 11:20 a.m.
How should Alameda County spend $40M meant to address the opioid crisis?
The county asked for community input this month on programs that could treat addiction, reduce harm, and more.
Billions for affordable housing? Voters may get chance to weigh in
A regional bond measure could fund affordable development in Oakland, Berkeley, and beyond at a size and scale never seen before.
‘Desperation’ and ‘bitterness’ in Alameda County eviction court
The end of the eviction moratoriums has brought an unprecedented wave of lawsuits as landlords and tenants attempt to resolve conflicts.
At Alameda County eviction court, one judge tries to swim through a tsunami
With pandemic eviction moratoriums over, cases have shot up and the court is overwhelmed. Meet the sole judge handling the influx.
Peralta colleges ask state for $52 million for student housing
Students say a proposed 306-bed dorm in Alameda is not enough. The district oversees four community colleges, including Berkeley City College.
Will small local movie theaters survive?
Movie houses have closed in Berkeley and across the East Bay. We checked in on the New Parkway, the Piedmont Theatre, and the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland.