News

Last week, the Cultural Affairs Division in the Economic & Workforce Development Department convened the inaugural cohort of Cultural Strategists-in-Government (CSIG) pilot program. Seven individuals, rooted in the realm of culture, artmaking and aesthetic practices of Oakland’s various communities, will bring new perspectives and skills to five City departments over the next year.

In response to one of the most frequent challenges faced by Oakland business owners, the City’s Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD) will host a free workshop on attracting, training and retaining employees on Thursday, July 25.

The Hidden Figures: The Power of the Untapped Talent Pool workshop will be held in the Huey Newton & Bobby Seale Student Lounge at Merritt College, 12500 Campus Drive, from 8 to 11:15 a.m.

In May 2019, the Oakland City Council approved $80,000 in fiscal year 2018-2019 grants to eight Oakland-based nonprofit organizations through the City’s pilot Neighborhood Voices grant program. City Council also approved acceptance of a $75,000 grant award from the Surdna Foundation to support actions and recommendations found in the City’s Cultural Plan, including a cultural and racial equity impact analysis.

Downtown Oakland’s continuing renaissance has captured national media attention, with Uptown emerging as a premier arts and entertainment destination. Local residents and visitors can glimpse both today’s happening scene and landmarks from Oakland’s past during the 2019 Oakland Tours season.

Today, the City of Oakland announced the hiring of Alexa Jeffress as Real Estate Managing Director within the Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD). She will be responsible for management, disposition, and development of the City’s real property assets. Alexa will start work on April 22, 2019.

The City of Oakland announced that applications are available for its 2019-2020 Cultural Funding Program grants supporting arts and cultural activities in four separate project categories. All applicants must be Oakland-based, and all arts activities must be presented in Oakland between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020. Interested artists and nonprofit organizations may access the grant guidelines and application forms online at www.oaklandculturalarts.org. The application submission deadline is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2019.

Applications for Cultural Strategists-in-Government, Neighborhood Voices being accepted through Jan. 7

As part of the first steps in implementing the new Cultural Plan, the City of Oakland announced two new pilot Cultural Funding initiatives today that will advance cultural equity, belonging and well-being for all the communities of Oakland. Both initiatives are accepting application through January 7, 2019. Details and links to the online applications can be found at http://bit.ly/PilotInitiatives.

The City of Oakland welcomes three FUSE Fellows for a 12-month engagement that runs through September 2019. These executive-level fellows will be embedded in the Mayor’s Office, the Economic & Workforce Development Department, and the Planning & Building Department. Working alongside City leaders and staff, the fellows will bring new approaches, diverse perspectives, community-based solutions and added capacity to tackle pressing challenges around equitable access to City services, economic growth and education.

On September 17, 2018, the City of Oakland released a new Cultural Plan, its first in thirty years. Titled “Belonging in Oakland: A Cultural Development Plan,” the document provides a roadmap to support and lift up the role of culture in building a just and equitable city – so that every Oaklander in every neighborhood has access to cultural amenities.

The Moms, Grads and Dads promotion has been launched to encourage Oaklanders to shop at Oakland stores for unique gifts for Mother’s Day, graduates and Father’s Day. The promotion brings together a new online small business directory of Oakland retailers by Main Street Launch with Oakland Grown’s concierge service and motivates participation with a shopping selfie contest featuring a grand prize of airfare to Oakland, hotel, meals and more provided by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Visit Oakland.