business

A few weeks ago, University Press Books in Berkeley announced it would shut for good after nearly 50 years in the business. Now, the remaining East Bay independent bookshops  are turning to the community to hold on. 

San Francisco rent prices have fallen double digits this past month. But how exactly are these decreases related to COVID-19?

In California, farms have not been immune to COVID-19. A Farm Bureau Federation survey recently found that more than half of farms across the state have lost customers or sales due to pandemic. Small family farms are especially vulnerable.

Gov. Newsom announced in-store shopping can resume. County health officials in parts of the Bay Area haven’t approved this yet. We visit Oakland’s Fruitvale District to hear non-essential small business owners’ concerns and how they’re surviving.

The COVID-19 lockdown has forced many street vendors inside, but now the sounds of the street are returning.  

A big question looming over counties’ re-opening is how small businesses are going to operate.

A new survey from a San Francisco restaurant trade group finds that they can’t survive by doing takeout and deliveries alone.

Fremont lawmakers might postpone a scheduled increase in minimum wages set to take effect this July. They’re meeting next Tuesday to hash out the details.

The gooming industry is one of many that have been hit hard by coronavirus closures — nail shops, hair salons, and barbershops. The government doesn’t consider them essential services.

Toni Morrison once said that in chaotic times is when artists must go to work. Theaters, concert halls, and other event venues are shut down. But that isn't stopping Bay Area artists from shining on the virtual stage.

It can be hard to run a successful restaurant in the Bay Area. And there are additional challenges that come with being a trans chef. But despite those hurdles, one Oakland restaurant owner is determined to make it work.

From Facebook’s new privacy features, to Uber’s worker policies, the tech companies in our backyard are changing the way people around the world live every day. Rex Crum, senior business editor at the San Jose Mercury News and Bay Area News Group, gives us an update on what’s going on in Silicon Valley, and what should be on our radar. 

Let’s start with a little backstory. More than $15 million was raised for last year’s elections in San Francisco, according to the city’s Ethics Commission. That’s a lot of cash! About a third of it came from independent groups that raise private money to influence voters. The concern with these political action committees or PACs is that, because they’re private, you don’t really know who’s behind them. 

President Trump’s had both strong rhetoric and policies on immigration during his presidency. One way that immigrants’ lives are impacted is through remittances — money sent from the U.S. to other countries. 

Governor Gavin Newsom, last week, signed AB5: that’s legislation that transforms the way workers are identified and get paid in California.

The Bay Area’s long history of chocolate spans all the way back to the Gold Rush. Since then, the region has been a source for chocolate innovation again and again, from a Berkeley-based revolution in chocolate desserts to a craft chocolate revolution in the ‘90s that turned the industry on its head.

There’s a long history of chocolate making in the Bay Area that goes all the way back to the Gold Rush. Over a century later, a new guard of chocolate makers is picking up where a previous generation of innovators left off, and they’re leading a small but potent revolution in the chocolate industry.

Today, we have a show that may make your mouth water — it's about the Bay Area’s long history of chocolate connoisseurs. And, we’ll meet local artisans who are changing the way we consume it.

In light of the closure of the Haight Ashbury Music Center, our news team started wondering about the current state of craftsmanship in the Bay Area, and beyond. That led us to Todd Oppenheimer.

The Haight Ashbury Music Center is selling off its gear. The store’s been around for some 40 years — it was opened by the brother of Janis Joplin’s bassist. And it’s been a centerpiece of the Haight Street experience ever since. So what happens when a place known for culture and counterculture loses its music?

The fate of a homeless encampment near a Home Depot in East Oakland was decided early Wednesday morning at an Oakland City Council meeting. 

The Stud, a gay bar and performance space in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood, turned 50 in 2016. But, it was also in the news that year for another reason: The owner was calling it quits after a new landlord upped the rent by nearly $6000 — from $3800 a month to $9500. 

The Golden State Warriors are rolling, now. Last night they crushed the Portland Trailblazers in the first game of the Western Conference Finals. But, win or lose, the team is leaving for San Francisco next year. In the latest from Bounce, we're looking at how the Golden State Warriors organization is teaming up with local businesses like Oakland's Bakesale Betty to bring some East Bay flavor to the City.

Haben Girma is a 31-year-old lawyer from Oakland. In 2013, she was named a Champion of Change by President Obama. In 2016, she was listed in Forbes Magazine’s 30 under 30, and it’s all because of her work in the disability community.

In this Audiograph, we head to Lucca Ravioli, a San Francisco landmark since 1925. After being in business on the corner of 22nd and Valencia Streets for almost a century, the building went up for sale and the longtime Italian market & delicatessen is closing its doors. At the end of this month, the familiar hand painted signs on the storefront will be coming down.

More than 25,000 game developers descend on San Francisco for GDC, their annual conference. In an industry that is overwhelmingly male, women complain that the social environment at the conference doesn’t always feel professional.