East Bay Yesterday

After spending more than three decades working in the underground economy, Titus Lee Barnes compiled his stunning stories of “the street life” into a self-published book titled “Drug Lords of Oakland: The untold stories of California’s most notorious kingpins of the 1970s, 80s and 90s.” Starting with the rise of infamous heroin kingpin Felix Mitchell, Barnes traces the trajectory of bloody turf battles and shifting allegiances throughout the emergence and implosion of the crack era. His personal connections with many of the young kingpins he profiles provides a uniquely nuanced view into a world of notorious figures that most people are only familiar with through mugshots. Although “Drug Lords” details the flashy cars and lavish parties that accompanied booming profits, Barnes doesn’t shy away from the heartbreaking consequences that inevitably followed. In this interview, he shares his own experiences of being shot and incarcerated as “a cautionary tale” and offers some surprising insights into the Bay Ar

Emeryville is a tiny town – less than 2 square miles. It’s nestled between Oakland and Berkeley, right at the foot of the Bay Bridge, and most people probably think of it as a place to go shopping. Two major freeways cut through Eville and from your car, while you’re inevitably sitting in traffic, you can see giant signs for Ikea, Target, and Bay Street mall. If you’re not from the Bay Area, you might know it as the home of Pixar. This era of Emeryville as a mecca of cartoons and commerce is relatively new. A generation ago, the landscape looked drastically different. Media often described it as an “industrial wasteland” due to the toxic pollution left behind by factories that fled in the 1970s and 80s. It was also known as a place where corruption festered during the reign of an allegedly corrupt police chief who “ruled the town with an iron fist,” according to former city manager Joe Tanner. Flash forward to 2024 and Emeryville’s brand new mayor Courtney Welch, the first Black woman to hold that positio

In 1970, Dr. Marcus Foster was hired as the first Black superintendent of the Oakland Unified School District. Widely recognized as one of the greatest educators of his generation, he was brought here to help rescue a deeply troubled system. Within three years of his arrival, exactly 50 years ago this month, Foster was assassinated by a shady militant group that called itself the Symbionese Liberation Army. Even though many of the details of Foster’s death are known, it remains one of the most mysterious murders of a notoriously turbulent era. Although the SLA supposedly emerged from Berkeley’s revolutionary underground, there are some startling connections that point to a far more complicated story. On the anniversary of this tragic killing, this episode celebrates the legacy of Foster’s impact on Oakland school and also delves into the murky origins of the group responsible for this death. The first segment features Patanisha Williams, the curator “The Audacity to Believe,” an exhibit about Dr. Marcus

When Oakland’s most prominent graveyard celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2015, SF Gate honored the occasion with this description: “There are 177,000 people at historic Mountain View Cemetery, many of them famous and all of them dead.” The permanent residents of this picturesque site may indeed be deceased, but their stories live on through Michael Colbruno’s blog “Lives of the Dead.” Since 2007, Colbruno has chronicled the politicians, athletes, inventors, and civil rights icons whose names are carved into imposing mausoleums, but he’s also unearthed many fascinating stories behind far less prominent tombstones.  Check out this episode to hear our conversation, which covers the origins of Mountain View, its famous designer Frederick Law Olmstead, the symbolism attached to many iconic monuments, and much more. Listen now via Apple, SoundCloud, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Music for this episode was generously provided by Jason Stinnett and Om Aranda Stinnett. To see photos and links related to

19-year-old Laura Brown started the Oakland Feminist Women’s Health Center in 1972. In the early days, Laura would answer the clinic’s phone using different voices so it sounded like there were multiple people working there. From its humble beginnings in a tiny Temescal house, this DIY project would eventually grow into an institution that would serve countless patients, help many people from poor and marginalized backgrounds become healthcare professionals, and make a historic impact on the trajectory of reproductive justice in this country. Angela Hume uncovers the history of this clinic, which was later renamed West Coast Feminist Health Project / Women’s Choice, in the new book “Deep Care: The radical activists who provided abortions, defied the law, and fought to keep clinics open.” As the title suggests, this story covers topics that range from underground gynecological “self-help” groups to terrifying battles with swarms of anti-choice militants attempting to violently shut down abortion providers.

These days the East Bay’s waterfront is lined with parks, restored wetlands, marinas, and beaches, but for most of the twentieth century this shoreline was a dirty, dangerous wasteland. Factories stretching from Emeryville to Richmond treated the San Francisco Bay as a garbage bin. The habit of using the Bay as a dump was so common in Berkeley that the city legitimized the practice by creating a massive landfill on its western border in 1923. Beneath the idyllic grassy hills of Cesar Chavez Park and the bird-filled marshes of McLaughlin Eastshore State Seashore lay hidden mountains of trash. The transformation of this area from a leaky dump into a beautiful site for recreation and nature, a controversial process that unfolded over several decades, has been well-documented. Less has been said about the day-to-day activities of the landfill before its closure in 1983. Although the dump was a loud, smelly, wind-blasted environmental hazard, some of the people who worked there still carry fond memories of the pl

Long before BART or AC Transit, East Bay commuters relied on the Key System, a network of electric streetcars, for local travel and even to cross the Bay (there used to be tracks on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge!). Despite serving millions of passengers annually, the rails were ripped out and the network was completely dismantled by 1958. This episode explores the forces that brought down the Key System and the lessons this history might hold for those interested in a more transit-friendly future. Listen to the podcast to hear memories from former riders who remember taking many exciting excursions on the streetcars, and also from volunteers at the Western Railway Museum, an organization dedicated to celebrating the legacy of track-based modes of transport. Big thanks to this episode’s guests: John Harder, Robert Immergluck, Cambridge Lutèce, and Mickey Simmons. See photos related to this episode here: https://eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/end-of-the-line/ This episode marks the launch of my new line of

Up until the 1850s, the East Bay was home to hundreds of grizzlies and some of the tallest redwoods in the history of the planet. Within about a decade of the Gold Rush, nearly all of the bears and the trees were wiped out. This episode looks back at the local environment before colonization—and explores how such a massive wave of devastation was able to change the landscape so quickly. Note: This episode was originally released in 2018. It’s being reposted now in celebration of the Long Lost Puzzle, available now for pre-order: https://oaklandpuzzle.com/products/long-lost-oakland Come to a free Long Lost Oakland presentation on July 31! Details here: https://eastbayyesterday.com/events/journey-through-long-lost-oakland/ To listen to the rest of the Long Lost Oakland miniseries, find the links on this page: https://eastbayyesterday.com/long-lost-oakland/

As a librarian at the Oakland History Center, Dorothy Lazard helped countless patrons research their connections to the past. In her new memoir “What You Don’t Know Will Make a Whole New World,” digs into her own history, examining the forces that shaped her young life in San Francisco and Oakland. After getting bounced around between relatives, schools, and towns in her early years, Dorothy found refuge in reading, a habit that would have a profound impact on how she established her place in a tumultuous world. To commemorate the release of this memoir, I recorded a conversation with Dorothy in front of a live audience at Clio’s Books on June 4, 2023. In addition to discussing her book, we also cover her favorite History Center memories, what it was like to live through “urban renewal,” the importance of libraries, and much more. To see photos related to this episode, visit: https://eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/you-get-to-play-a-game-of-detective/ East Bay Yesterday can’t survive without your donations

For the past eight years, Olivia Allen-Price has been solving local mysteries and debunking myths on her KQED podcast Bay Curious. Each week the show tackles listeners’ questions on topics ranging from architecture to salad dressing. Now a new book called “Bay Curious: Exploring the Hidden True Stories of the San Francisco Bay Area” has compiled some of the show’s best investigations along with a batch of new stories. On May 18, I interviewed Olivia about the joys and challenges of investigating forgotten histories, legendary local figures, and all the quirks and oddities that make the Bay Area so unique. To make this special evening even more immersive, the event was held at the Camron-Stanford House, the last of the beautiful Victorian mansions that once surrounded Lake Merritt. If you want to hear about the origins of iconic local cocktails, the saga of the Bay Bridge troll, some very difficult trivia questions, and much more, check out the episode now: https://eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/a-curious-conv

Did you know that downtown Oakland is built on ancient sand dunes? Or that the East Bay hills used to be honeycombed with quarries and mines? Or why Fruitvale was such a great place to plant orchards in the 1800s? These are just a few of the stories Andrew Alden explores in his new book “Deep Oakland: How Geology Shaped a City.” (Heyday) According to Alden, Oakland has the most rock diversity of any U.S. city, and in today’s episode we discuss stories below the soil. The conversation covers everything from earthquakes and volcanoes to landslides and potholes. Check out photos related to this episode at: https://eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/from-volcanoes-to-potholes/ East Bay Yesterday can’t survive without your donations. Please make a pledge to keep this show alive: www.patreon.com/eastbayyesterday This episode is supported by UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. I highly recommend checking out their new podcast, “Revolutionary Care: An Oakland Story,” a series about the history of treating sickle cell a

In her new book “Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock,” Jenny Odell takes a tour of the Bay Area. She begins at the Port of Oakland and travels as far as the Pacific Ocean before turning around and heading back to Mountain View Cemetery in the East Bay hills. Along the way, she also brings readers on a different kind of journey. At each location, she uses these physical spaces to illustrate different ways of thinking about time itself. Are there really 24 hours in a day? By the end of this book, you won’t be so sure. I interviewed Jenny onstage at the Backroom in downtown Berkeley on April 4, 2023 in front of a live audience. The conversation covers everything from deconstructing linear conceptions of history to traffic jams on 880. Original music for this episode was produced by Mark Pantoja. Thank you to KPFA’s Brandi Howell for recording this event and Kevin Hunsanger for production. To see photos related to this episode, visit: https://eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/time-is-not-money/ If you

Oakland’s largest city park is named after Joaquin Miller, an eccentric writer who lived on the property more than a century ago. After gaining international attention as the flamboyant “Poet of the Sierra,” Miller transformed the Oakland hills by planting an estimated 75,000 trees. He called his estate “The Hights” [sic] and it became a renowned creative hub under Miller’s stewardship, attracting artists and authors from as far away as Japan. Although Miller’s literary fame has faded in the decades since his passing in 1913, his name is still familiar to the countless Bay Area residents who flock to Joaquin Miller Park for its stunning views and shaded trails. In 2022, Oakland made history by transferring control of Sequoia Point, a nearly five-acre parcel in Joaquin Miller Park, to Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, an organization led by local indigenous women focused on returning land to Native people and revitalizing Ohlone culture. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, this deal made Oakland “the first city

Delilah Beasley didn’t have much education or money, but when she saw that African Americans were being ignored by history books, she knew she had to do something. Beasley ended up spending nearly a decade interviewing elders and digging through crumbling archives to compile “The Negro Trailblazers of California,” a book that rescued dozens of notable Black figures from historical oblivion. However, Beasley didn’t just focus on the past. Her weekly Oakland Tribune column, “Activities among the Negroes,” documented the East Bay’s Black community at a time when positive portrayals of people of color in the media were almost nonexistent. This episode explores Beasley’s life as a historian and journalist through a conversation with the authors of “Trailblazer: Delilah Beasley’s California,” a new work by Dana Johnson and Ana Cecilia Alvarez. We discuss Beasley’s motivation, her impact, and why her work still remains so valuable. Check out photos and links related to this episode here: https://eastbayyesterday.c

Journalists Ali Winston and Darwin Bondgraham have been investigating the Oakland Police Department for more than a decade. Their coverage of violent misconduct, corruption, and sexual abuse has led to multiple resignations and terminations within the department, but even more shocking is the relative lack of consequences for many of the officers responsible for this illegal behavior. Winston and Bondgraham’s new book “The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover Up in Oakland” proves that this pattern of impunity has characterized the department since its very inception.  “The Riders Come Out at Night” compiles more than a century of OPD scandals in order to understand why the department has been unable to reform itself according to the demands of a court-ordered consent decree, despite two decades of federal oversight. History repeats itself in scandal after scandal as a toxic stew of racism, machismo, resentment, carelessness and lethal violence is brushed aside or even rewarded, while t

Oakland’s Paramount Theater is now recognized as one of the grandest examples of Art Deco architecture still in existence, but this masterpiece almost met the same fate as many other prestigious movie palaces of its era. Originally constructed in 1931, the Paramount was a torn and tattered dump by the late 1960s. At the time, the Oakland Symphony was looking for a new home, and its leaders realized that beneath decades of grime lay a unique gem. After extensive restoration, the Paramount reopened in 1973, and has been hosting icons like Bob Marley, Prince, Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Jerry Seinfeld, and Chris Rock ever since.  On today’s episode, the Paramount’s head curator David Boysel discusses the turbulent history of this 2,996-seat venue as well as the backstory to his never-ending quest to keep the building in perfect condition. Expect to hear about the Paramount’s famed architect Timothy Pflueger, the many historical mysteries that Boysel has solved over the years, the network of local artisans wh

For the past year, I’ve been part of a team developing Rooted in Richmond, a free app that allows visitors to take a self-guided tour through the city’s history. The tour covers 16 locations over 6 miles and includes maps, photos, videos, 3D renderings of historic objects, and more. Topics range from sacred Ohlone shellmounds to the formation of environmental justice groups in the wake of a toxic industrial accident.  Now that the app has launched, I wanted to share a preview of the oral histories I gathered to accompany various tour stops. In this episode, you’ll hear audio clips featuring: –Shirley Ann Wilson Moore on how Black residents stood up against a front yard cross-burning –Flora Ninomiya on what happened to flower nurseries owned by Japanese-Americans during World War II –Melinda McCrary on saving a long-long treasure from a flooded basement –Ahmad Anderson on how Martin Luther King Jr’s visit inspired a generation of Black political leaders –Rebeca Garcia-Gonzalez on the remarkable transform

Elsie Robinson was a pioneer of women in media, an early advocate for equal rights, and at one point the highest-paid woman writer in the nation. Before launching her journalism career, Elsie’s life was an astonishing rollercoaster that included everything from a marriage to a wealthy Victorian gentleman to a job working deep within the bowels of the Sierra foothills mining for gold. So how is it possible that her name has been largely forgotten? Julia Scheeres and Allison Gilbert confront this mystery in a fascinating new biography called “Listen, World! How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson became America’s Most-Read Woman.” In this episode, recorded at the Oakland Library in front of a live audience, we discuss Robinson’s unlikely rise from the Oakland Tribune to the upper echelons of national media, her legacy, and the challenges of uncovering this nearly forgotten story. To see photos and links related to this story, visit: https://eastbayyesterday.com/episodes/what-happened-to-americas-most-read-woman/ Eas

After years of working a corporate job in downtown Oakland, Nenna Joiner woke up one morning with a dream: They wanted to be in the sex industry. After their job applications were rejected by every adult pleasure shop in the area, Nenna decided to launch their own business. They started by selling sex toys and porn DVDs out of a box at bars (and sometimes even at BART stations), but from these humble beginnings grew a mini-empire. More than a decade later, Nenna now owns two Feelmore Adult Galleries, plans to open a sex-themed bar called Feelmore Social later this year, and is running for a seat on Oakland’s City Council. Nenna’s first position in politics was as a member of the Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board, which led them to an interest in the East Bay’s sex history. Years of purchasing adult artifacts from Oakland collectors and now-defunct sex shops deepened their knowledge of former bordellos, theaters, underground sex clubs, and nightlife institutions. For obvious reasons, “sex history” isn’

Miriam Klein Stahl came to the Bay Area in the late ‘80s seeking a community of queer punks that she’d read about in underground zines like Homocore. She wasn’t a musician, but she loved working with her hands and quickly realized that she could contribute to this thriving scene by drawing flyers and creating illustrations. Miriam’s rebellious passion infused her heavily politicized images with confrontational power and urgency. More than three decades later, she’s still making radical art, but now her work is adorning museums as well as punk clubs. An entire wall of the Oakland Museum of California’s Hella Feminist exhibition is covered with 200 paper-cut portraits of “women/nonbinary humans whose lives and work intersect and impact the East Bay.” These figures range from Gilded Age bohemian poets and pre-WWII civil rights leaders to witches, welders, and high school activists. The co-creator of this Hella Feminist portrait project is local author Kate Schatz, who Miram also collaborated with for a series