Franchise Opportunities in Oakland, CA

Patch has your complete guide to Independence Day fireworks shows, parades and other celebrations in and around Oakland and the East Bay.

OAKLAND, CA — Happy birthday, America!

After a year or two of COVID-related restrictions, Oakland and cities and towns throughout San Francisco's East Bay are back in the star-spangled swing with Fourth of July parades, events and fireworks extravaganzas.

July 4, 2022 falls on a Monday. Do note not all Independence Day events are on that date, with several spread throughout the holiday weekend or earlier. And always confirm with organizers that events are proceeding as planned.

Scroll through our annual event guide to find what's going on near you. And have a happy, safe and festive 4th of July, from Patch!-----------

JULY 4: July 4th Pre-Parade 5K To Benefit Midway Shelter. The run/walk begins at 9 a.m. before the parade.

JULY 4: 4th Of July Parade. "Parade is the longest in the nation with a route that spans 3.3 miles."

JULY 4: USS Hornet July 4th BBQ & DJ. On the flight deck. Tickets on sale.

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JULY 4: 4th Of July Concert In The Park. Pack a picnic, and enjoy!

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JULY 4: July 4th Parade, Fireworks & All-Day Fest. A pancake breakfast begins the fun-filled day.

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JULY 3: July 3rd Torchlight Parade. A hometown, community tradition along First Street.

JULY 3: July 3rd Drone Light Show: Carquinez Straits Waterfront. Hosted by Pedrotti Ace Hardware & follows Torchlight Parade.

JULY 4: July 4th Picnic & Fireworks. "With arts and crafts, delicious hot food, live entertainment & children's activities."

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JULY 4: July 4th Marina Fest & Fireworks. Not planned for 2022.

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JULY 4: 4th Of July Parade. Little ones can join the fun, as no registration required for Kiddie Parade.

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JULY 4: 4th of July 'Stars & Stripes' 5K, Parade & Fireworks. A jam-packed Independence Day!

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JULY 4: Kiwanis July 4th Parade. This year's theme: "Celebrating Our Local Olympians."

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JUNE 28-JULY 5: Safe & Sane July 4th Fireworks Booth Sales. More than a dozen non-profit organizations open booths citywide.

JULY 1:'Picnic Flix' Outdoor Movie: Emerald Glen Park. Perfect family-friendly kick-off to holiday weekend.

JULY 4: July 4th Safe & Sane Fireworks Approved Parks. Four parks designated for fireworks use.

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JULY 4: WorldOne 4th Of July Festival - Music, Art, Food & Family Fun. The annual "hometown institution" returns.

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JULY 4: July 4th Parade & Flyover. "Our Live Parade is BACK!"

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JULY 2: Independence Day, Band & Family Games: Meek Mansion. With outdoor activities, historical games, crafts & Blues Bottle Band.

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JULY 4: July 4th Fireworks & Community Event. Collaboration between cities of Hercules & Pinole.

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JULY 4: July 4th Fireworks Extravaganza. DJ planned, plus free glow sticks for kids, while supplies last.

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JULY 4: July 4th Flag Raising & Hometown Parade. Kids' decorated bike parade included, too!

JULY 4: 4th Of July Fireworks: Marina. Show begins approximately 9 p.m.

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JULY 4: July 4th Pool Party, Concert & Fireworks. Fun also includes food trucks, kids' area, climbing wall, RC cars, video game truck & more!

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JULY 4: July 4th Dog Parade, Concert & Fireworks. Enjoy House Rockers show at 7 p.m., followed by fireworks extravaganza.

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JULY 4: July 4th ALCO Firefighters Pancake Breakfast. With classic car show, magician & more.

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JULY 4: 'Welcome Back' Annual July 4th Picnic In Park: Joaquin Miller Park. Including sports, food provided for a small donation, dance competition & entertainment.

JULY 4: A's vs. Blue Jays & July 4th Fireworks: Oakland Coliseum. Game starts approximately 6 p.m., with postgame fireworks.

JULY 4: July 4th Cruise & Fireworks Viewing: USS Potomac. Typically sells out fast, so book soon.

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JULY 4: July 4th Pancake Breakfast, Parade & Concert. Flag raising, Fun Run For A Reason & library book sale also planned.

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JULY 4: July 4th Parade & Pancake Breakfast. Community picnic follows the parade.

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JULY 4: July 4th Fireworks & Community Event. Collaboration between cities of Hercules & Pinole.

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JULY 4: July 4th Firecracker Run, Parade, Fest & Fireworks. Party in Park includes, kids' rides, food, inflatables & live music, too.

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JULY 1: Fireworks Spectacular: Alameda County Fair. Fairgrounds show is free with fair admission and begins after the concert.

JULY 4: Independence Concert @ Alameda County Fair. The Eternity Band will play at Grand Stand stage.

JULY 4: Community Concert Band July 4th Performance: Lions Wayside Park. A community tradition!

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JULY 3: 3rd Of July Fireworks Celebration: Marina Bay Park. The community event, with music & food, is back!

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JULY 4: 4th Of July Fireworks: Fisherman's Wharf. Two barges will launch fireworks on bay.

JULY 4: Independence Day Pub Crawl & Hot Dog-Eating Contest. July 4th-inspired costumes encouraged!

JULY 4: Free Uber, Lyft & Cab Rides Provided by Law Office of Chuck Geerhart. For rides within city of SF.

JULY 4: Golden Gate Park Band July 4th Concert: Golden Gate Park. Annual, free event with works of Gershwin, Souza, Copland Leroy Anderson & more.

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JULY 1-3: July 4th Weekend Fireworks: SJ Giants Baseball. "With firework shows all three nights of Independence weekend."

JULY 4: July 4th Rose, White & Blue Parade & Festival. "Food trucks, entertainment, art and community!"

JULY 4: July 4th Fireworks: Discovery Meadow Park. Rotary Club of San Jose is bringing fireworks back to San Jose ."

JULY 30: SJ Giants & Hiller Aviation Museum Flight Night & Fireworks. Mark your calendars for more fireworks & portion of proceeds benefit Hiller Aviation Museum.

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JULY 4: San Leandro Historical Railway Society July 4th Open House. Check with organization's website for updates on tentative event featuring model railroads.

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JULY 4: July 4th Celebration: Community Center. Pre-registration required, and no fireworks this year.

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JULY 4: 4th Of July Celebration Concert: Central Park Amphitheater. Featuring patriotic music from Olympia Fields, veterans tribute & popular group Pride & Joy.

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JULY 3: July 3rd 'Hops & Creek Brewfest': Civic Park. "Come spend part of your 4th of July holiday weekend in Walnut Creek's Civic Park."

JULY 4: July 4th Celebration Parkoncert. Free with Walnut Creek Concert Band at Civic Park.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 26, 2022

Contact: Tiffany Kang, [email protected]

Oakland Council Unanimously Places Final, Unified Progressive Business Tax on November Ballot

Proposal by Councilmembers Bas, Fife, Thao and Kalb Would Raise Nearly $22M in New Revenue Annually for Critical City Services, Relieve Smallest Businesses, and Ensure City’s Long-Term Economic Health

OAKLAND, CA – Today, May 26, 2022, at a Special City Council meeting, Oakland City Council voted unanimously to place a measure on the November ballot to establish a progressive business tax structure in which businesses that make more, pay more. Voters will consider the proposal – first introduced and led over the last two years by Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, and co-sponsored by Councilmembers Fife, Thao, and Kalb – to modernize Oakland’s outdated business tax structure (last updated in 2005), which would raise nearly $22M annually in new general fund revenue to strengthen critical city services to address homelessness and keep our streets clean and safe.

See Council President Bas’ summary presentation today to learn more about the measure.

Final, Unified Proposal Among Elected, Business, Labor & Community Groups

This proposal is a reflection of over two years of consensus-building and input among Oakland elected officials, businesses of all sizes, labor unions, and community groups.

Today’s final measure will be the single, unified proposal for consideration by voters in November, thus avoiding a prior scenario where several competing initiatives to restructure Oakland’s business tax would have been placed on the ballot. The final proposal:

“Oakland is united. Groups with different points of view came together to solve the problem of raising resources to improve our City,” said Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, lead author of the legislation. “The investment in modernizing our business tax will pay off in better services for our families, children, elders and our business community, leading us toward a more equitable Oakland for all.”

Councilmember Carroll Fife said, “Today is a win for Oakland and the beginning of a new era. We are putting Oakland visitors, residents and small businesses first, and this collaborative effort is evidence of significant steps forward. If this coalition can come together for our city, I am confident the voters of Oakland will too.”

“We can put the city of Oakland first today,” said Coucilmember Sheng Thao, who brought together the proponents of the two competing ballot measures to reach agreement. “We are all agreeing that these rates will put the City first, put its residents first, and put the ecosystem of Oakland first; and not just that, but create a climate for Oakland to grow, prosper, and attract new businesses.”

Zac Unger, President of Oakland Firefighters Local 55, said, "Oakland residents and businesses will benefit from a modern, progressive business tax system. By modernizing our business tax structure, we can make sure the citizens of Oakland have the vital city services that they need to improve our parks, provide public safety, and keep our communities clean.”

“If you care about the homeless residents in your neighborhood or across town who need services; about public safety in our city, our violence prevention programs; about the tremendous amount of illegal dumping in many of our neighborhoods; about making sure our youth have more programs and services; this measure will provide resources to help make that happen,” said Councilmember Dan Kalb. “This is the opportunity to provide more resources to improve, protect and expand the services that Oaklanders are rightfully demanding.”

“As we come together in consolidated efforts and shared understanding to advance the condition of Oakland residents, we enter the intersection of morality and the care for the least among us, understanding that income is unevenly distributed in our communities,” said Saabir Lockett, Director of Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy at East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy. “A modern, progressive business tax system will allow us to invest in our neighborhoods, help those most in need, and create a strong community serving small businesses.”

If the Progressive & Equitable Business Tax Measure receives 50%+1 support from voters this November, it will go into effect on January 1, 2023.

With Councilmembers Bas, Fife, Thao, and Kalb, the final proposal was co-crafted in partnership with: Oaklanders Together, a coalition of Oakland’s small and large businesses, Business Improvement Districts, business-serving organizations, and Chambers of Commerce representing thousands of businesses in every district across the city, including the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; and the Invest in Our Oakland Coalition, comprised of labor unions, community organizations, and small businesses, including SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, IAFF Local 55, ACCE, East Bay Action, APTP, CURYJ, Parent Voices Oakland, Oakland Rising, Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, Causa Justa: Just Cause, AFSCME Local 3299, Peralta Federation of Teachers Local 1603, Unite Here Local 2850, Oakland Education Association, Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives, East Bay DSA, and the Sierra Club. The co-authors also engaged businesses of all sizes, business associations, community groups, unions, and residents over the past two years.

About Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas

Nikki Fortunato Bas is President of the Oakland City Council and represents District 2, one of the most diverse districts in the city. Since taking office in 2019, she has championed community-centered policies and budgeting. She led the passage of the strongest COVID-19 eviction moratorium in the State of California and a COVID-19 grocery worker hazard pay $5 wage bonus covering 2,000 workers in Oakland’s largest grocery stores. She created a fund for community land trusts to prevent displacement and create permanently affordable, community-owned housing, introduced a progressive corporate tax which will be on the ballot in 2022, and led a task force to reimagine public safety in Oakland. She led a budget team that passed a biennial budget which invests millions in violence prevention and alternative crisis response. She also serves on the National League of Cities’ inaugural Reimagining Public Safety Task Force. For two decades prior to being elected in 2018, Bas pushed for worker, environmental, gender and racial justice. She organized immigrant garment workers to win their wages back in Oakland and San Francisco Chinatowns, and she worked in coalitions to raise Oakland's minimum wage with paid sick leave, create living wage jobs on the Oakland Army Base redevelopment project, and reduce diesel truck pollution at the Port of Oakland. Learn more at oaklandca.gov/officials/nikki-fortunato-bas.

OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER LOREN TAYLOR

PRESS RELEASE:

May 26, 2022

COUNCILMEMBER LOREN TAYLOR'S PUSH FOR A WIN-WIN EQUITABLE & PROGRESSIVE BUSINESS TAX PROPOSAL PROVES SUCCESSFUL TWO YEARS LATER

Oakland, CA – Following robust dialogue and debate with Oakland’s businesses, residents, labor unions, and community organizations, this afternoon the Council unanimously voted to place a more progressive and equitable tax measure on the city’s November ballot. With the broad support of key business stakeholders, this win-win proposal would not exist if not for Councilmember Loren Taylor’s leadership two years ago.

When the first version of a progressive business tax was introduced in May 2020, the business community and members of the public had only 4 weeks to review it before the council was to decide if it should be placed on the November 2020 ballot. There was confusion, frustration, and uncertainty among most who had not participated behind the scenes in drafting the original proposal. Recognizing that such an important change to Oakland's financial system needed to be better understood, analyzed, and co-developed with all stakeholders, Councilmember Taylor gained support for his proposal to establish a more inclusive tax reform process that would bring this item back to Council two years later.

Councilmember Taylor also called for the establishment of a Blue-Ribbon Tax Commission with diverse representation from across Oakland. It is through the 11-member task force that the city’s business community and residents had an opportunity to share their thoughts on how our tax system should be restructured, as well as elevate their concerns and desired outcomes. By taking the additional time to engage a broader set of stakeholders, the proposed measure has a much stronger likelihood of passage when it is placed on the November ballot. Compared with the original 2020 proposal, the newly adopted ballot measure provides tax breaks for over 20,000 small businesses, better supports future growth of the city’s economic base by closing loopholes for large corporations and is still expected to raise over $20M in additional tax revenue to increase our ability to provide vital city services like keeping our streets clean, fixing potholes, responding to emergencies, and addressing our homelessness crisis.

“Deliberate and genuine engagement with all stakeholder groups is essential to crafting win-win solutions that move us forward. Today’s Council vote is undoubtedly a testament to the hard work and collaboration of our business community, residents, and city leadership, who were all committed to creating a more equitable tax structure in Oakland.” said Councilmember Loren Taylor “It is my hope that this both-and approach becomes a fundamental practice of our Council, and I am confident Oakland voters will respond favorably to our collective efforts.”

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Download Press Release

Alameda County, the San Francisco Bay Area’s second-most populous county, reinstated on Friday a mask mandate in most indoor spaces, which it had dropped in February.

Officials cited growing hospitalizations in Alameda, whose county seat is Oakland, which are up about 35 percent over the last two weeks to a daily average of 129, as of Thursday, according to federal data. Nationally, about 28,000 people were currently in hospitals with the coronavirus, an increase of 17 percent over the last two weeks.

Alameda is the first county in California, and the largest jurisdiction in the United States, to issue a universal indoor mask order since the end of the winter Omicron surge.

Further south, the public health director of Los Angeles County said Thursday an indoor mask mandate could be reintroduced later this month if cases continue to rise. In April, Philadelphia became the first major American city to reinstate an indoor mask mandate in response to rising coronavirus cases, though it was dropped after a few days.

More than 100,000 coronavirus cases are being reported each day in the United States, according to a New York Times database, a figure that captures only a portion of the true toll. Many infections go uncounted in official reports, and recent figures are further depressed by reporting delays caused by the Memorial Day holiday.

“Daily new admissions of patients with Covid-19 rapidly increased in recent days and now exceed last summer’s peak,” the Alameda County Public Health Department said in a statement on Thursday announcing the new rules.

The order requires masks to be worn at indoor businesses and workplaces, including offices, stores, theaters and conference centers; in restaurants and bars when not eating or drinking; and on public transportation, including taxis and ride-share vehicles.

The county, with its 1.6 million people in the eastern Bay Area, is not mandating masking in schools, with the academic year in its final days, and the order does not apply to Berkeley, which has its own public health department.

“Rising Covid cases in Alameda County are now leading to more people being hospitalized and today’s action reflects the seriousness of the moment,” Dr. Nicholas Moss, the county health officer, said in the statement.

“We cannot ignore the data, and we can’t predict when this wave may end,” he said. “Putting our masks back on gives us the best opportunity to limit the impact of a prolonged wave on our communities.”

Oakland International Airport will also require everyone two and older to wear masks indoors starting Friday. In April, a federal judge in Florida struck down a mask mandate on public transport, which also applied to airports, train stations and other transportation hubs. The country’s largest airlines stopped requiring masks on flights, ending a practice that most carriers had followed for nearly two years.

There has not been a widespread return to mandates in California, although some schools and universities have reinstated them. The Sacramento City Unified School District is mandating masks for all staff and students beginning on Monday. UCLA resumed indoor masking last week, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo did the same on Tuesday.

In Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous county with about 10 million people, Barbara Ferrer, the public health director, said Thursday that a mask mandate could return “if we continue on the current trajectory.” Hospitalizations are rising even faster there than in Alameda, averaging about 400 each day as of Thursday, a 62 percent increase over the last two weeks, according to federal data.

Alain Delaquérière contributed research.

Oakland City Council members voted to send a measure to the Nov. 8 ballot that will expand voting rights to non-citizen parents, guardians and caregivers of students in the school district if it is passed, the city announced Wednesday.

The measure, proposed by Oakland Council members Dan Kalb and Treva Reid, gives non-citizen parents, legal guardians and legally recognized caregivers of children enrolled in Oakland Unified School District schools the ability to vote in the district's school board elections.

"Non-citizen parents are already doing the hard work to try to ensure that their children each get a good education. Many are already volunteering at their children's schools. But what we're hearing overwhelmingly is that these parents often don't feel heard," Kalb said.

"This measure to allow non-citizen parents to vote will allow us to ensure that these parents are heard and that their children's needs are better met as a result. All parents of school-age children should be able to help decide who runs the school system."

The vote took place on Tuesday, the day after a press conference was held at Oakland International High School where council members were joined by parents, school board officials and community advocates like Unity Council and Homies Empowerment who support the legislation.

Oakland, one of the most diverse cities in America, is home to 230,000 individuals of voting age, of which at least 13,000 are non-citizens, according to the 2020 census. Many of these non-citizens are parents of students in Oakland Unified schools, who pay taxes, contribute to the local economy and are invested in the school district.

"This Non-Citizen Voting Measure will ensure families-including many immigrants and refugees from Africa, Asia, and South America-with over 17,000 students are seen and heard at the voting polls to improve academic outcomes for all students within Oakland Unified School District. It is our responsibility to promote pathways to provide increased quality resources, educator and family support, and mental health services that will advance equitable academic and life outcomes for all students to thrive," Council member Treva Reid said.

The Nov. 8 vote comes at a time when voting rights are being restricted across the country. However, cities like New York and San Francisco have already brought voting rights back to non-citizens.

San Francisco has allowed non-citizen parents and guardians to vote in school board elections since 2016, and New York City will allow around 800,000 green card holders and others authorized to work in the country to participate in mayoral, city council and other local elections starting in 2023.

If passed, the Non-Citizen Voting Measure will make Oakland one of the leading cities in expanding voting rights for non-citizens in the United States.

"Non-citizens were able to vote in this country from 1776 to 1926. Undocumented citizens in California contribute 3.2 billion dollars every year in the form of taxes which amounts to taxation without representation," said Dr. Cesar Cruz, founder of the East Oakland-based community organization Homies Empowerment.

"It is critical that every parent regardless of legal status be allowed to vote as it creates a more engaged community here in Oakland and ultimately it betters our society. Putting this initiative on the ballot is crucial and passing it means we take one step forward in the quest for equal access for all," Cruz said.