Oakland Reporter

Shomik Mukherjee

Shomik Mukherjee covers Oakland, with a focus on local politics, developments and activism. He previously reported in Contra Costa County and before joining the Bay Area News Group he worked in Eureka and Santa Barbara. Find him taking walks around town; he is always looking for story tips.

Oakland city council member district seven Ken Houston speaks during the 2025 Inauguration Ceremony held at Oakland City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

A councilmember’s obscene gesture went viral. His policies are reshaping Oakland’s politics.

December 22, 2025 at 5:02 p.m.

It was the latest of several recent policy decisions by a mostly new council — just two of the eight members have served beyond a first term — that seems...

Mindy Pechenuk and Debra Gelber, from right, hold signs during an Oakland City Council meeting at City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The Oakland City Council voted 7-1 to award Flock Safety a new contract to maintain an existing network of 300 cameras in the city. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

AI-powered surveillance company will continue to monitor Oakland’s streets

December 17, 2025 at 4:05 p.m.

Flock representatives have fended off criticisms — and a lawsuit by a local privacy advocate — that its vast trove of license plate information is accessed by federal immigration authorities.

A Flock security camera is photographed along Park Ridge Drive in the Country Club Vista neighborhood of Richmond, Calif., on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. The homeowners association recently purchased the security system that can capture still images, including license plate numbers. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

Despite ICE concerns, Oakland revives possible $2 million deal for surveillance cameras

December 16, 2025 at 4:15 a.m.

The contract will now appear Tuesday before the full council.

A drone view of Laney College and downtown Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Why Oakland will soon begin charging for street parking on Sundays

December 15, 2025 at 2:14 p.m.

Free parking on Sundays may seem like a staple of city life, but an increasingly certain jurisdictions have ended the tradition.

Edy Chavez kicks the ball during Oakland Genesis soccer practice at Madison Park Academy's soccer field in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2025. Edy has benefited from the Oakland Genesis program, which offers an after-school Community Soccer program and the Oakland Genesis Academy. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

Share the Spirit: An East Oakland teen’s grades plummeted during COVID. Then he met a soccer coach.

December 11, 2025 at 6:00 a.m.

Oakland Genesis wants to transform a neglected East Oakland park into a brand-new athletics facility.

A gravel pit, left, is seen on land owned by California Capital & Investment Group CEO Phil Tagami, of Oakland, is seen along Burma Road in West Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, July 6, 2023. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

A controversial Oakland port development moves forward after city loses ‘coal war’

December 11, 2025 at 4:02 a.m.

"At this point, it's just another development project," Oakland's top administrator said. "The city has exercised all its legal options."

Mayor Barbara Lee announces the sale of a key infrastructure bond during a press conference at City Hall in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Oakland to pave roads with lucrative bond sale attained despite city’s credit rating decline

December 10, 2025 at 8:24 a.m.

"When the financial markets believe in Oakland's direction, that helps us fund the work that Oakland deserves and needs," Mayor Barbara Lee said Tuesday.

Former student athletes and friends of coach John Beam gather to remember his legacy at Everett and Jones restaurant in Oakland, CA on Friday, December 4, 2025. Beam, a coach at Laney College and Skyline High School, was killed on the Laney campus in November. (Don Feria for Bay Area News Group)

Memorial for Coach John Beam, who shaped generations of Oakland athletes, matches sports icon’s spirit

December 8, 2025 at 8:07 a.m.

Beam, who received national recognition after his appearance in the Netflix series "Last Chance U," is among the highest-profile Bay Area residents to be killed in recent memory.

Oakland police Assistant Chief James Beere, who has been appointed as the interim Oakland Police Chief, speaks during a press conference on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)

Oakland police again dinged by federal official for investigating misconduct too slowly

November 26, 2025 at 4:25 a.m.

It is a key task that U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick expects OPD to complete.

A security officer keeps watch from his car as flowers are illuminated by candlelight from a makeshift memorial for Laney College athletic director John Beam at Laney College in Oakland, Calif., on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025. Beam died Friday after being shot by alleged suspect Cedric Irving Jr., on Nov. 13th while on campus at Laney College. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Peralta approves $220,000 in security upgrades after killing of John Beam

November 26, 2025 at 11:03 a.m.

The emergency measure allows Peralta's leaders to sign a contract for the work without first undergoing a competitive bidding process.

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