business

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. 

San Francisco voters banned all flavored tobacco sales last June, and full enforcement of that law began on January 1st. But what happens when small businesses have to pull these products off their shelves, and how is the city helping with the transition?

On this edition of Your Call, we talk about getting money out of politics.

  On this edition of Your Call, we’ll discuss election spending in the 2018 midterms. This November’s election will be the costliest midterm ever, with the total amount of money raised expected to reach $5.2 billion.

In 2017, Federal Elections Committee chair Ann Ravel resigned saying: “The mission of the FEC is essential to ensuring a fair electoral process. Yet, since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, our political campaigns have been awash in unlimited, often dark, money.”

On this edition of Your Call’s media roundtable, we’ll discuss coverage of the surge of violence in Afghanistan. In recent weeks, more than 200 people, including 34 students, have been killed by ISIS and Taliban forces.