I hate these bastards. I had to publish my fictitious business name (which is a pain in the ass…read moreenough as it is) and these schmucks wanted to charge me sixty bucks to do it. Furthermore, their process for submitting your information is complicated, involving snail mail and fax machines. Plus I had to navigate their phone tree multiple times AND they were rude when I finally got to talk to a human. They also tried to convince me that there was no way to pay LESS than sixty bucks for this service, as they have a monopoly on the newspapers in the bay area and therefore charge sixty bucks for every newspaper you might attempt to call. They said that their newspapers are the ONLY newspapers acceptable to the government for these kinds of legal notices. They're liars and they suck. If you need to publish a fictitious business name, go to the Inter-City Express instead. Not only is it "acceptable" to the government, it was actually RECOMMENDED to me by a government agent. STICK IT TO THE MAN, I SAY.

To ring in the new year, this review is for the Trib's bells…read more Today, while walking through the crisp air in downtown Oakland around 5:30 pm, I stopped to listen to the bells of the Oakland Tribune Tower. I have a thing for bells. I love living in a neighborhood, visiting small towns, and being in places where bells (probably recorded but still cool nonetheless) ring gloriously. For a few seconds, you are reminded of where you are and what you were doing when the bells rang. I'd probably fell differently if if I lived *next* to one though. According to Wikipedia, bell towers (or belfries) rang bells to signify the hour, for special occasions or hearken the old days to sound a civil defense or fire alarm. History comes alive. The Trib's bells ring daily around 12 noon. Other famous local belfries include the Ferry Building's clock tower and the Campanile Bell Tower at UC Berkeley and the many church bell towers including one in my beloved 'hood-St. Peter & Paul's. So next time if you are in the vicinity of a bell tower/belfry on or near the hour, stop, listen and remember.

i have been reading through the east bay express since i was in junior high as i would dream of th…read moreday i could get out and try the things i have read about so many times. as i got older it became more of bathroom reading for me as i seemed to mostly find it in or near restrooms. it became a very useful resource for great restaurants, music and movie reviews and best of all live concerts. the best part was they were right in my backyard. well ok just a drive down i580 or i680! i will admit it is fun to read the xxx, massage and all those great classifieds. it's always fun to get one of those numbers and call and leave them your best friends number. these days it's right outside the restroom at my work so all throughout the shift we find ourselves reading the east bay express when it gets on the slow side. ok we read it all darn night!

I've been using this company for more than 25 years. I travel a good amount. They are always early,…read morealways on time to pick me up. They make traveling extremely easy. I can tell you they have never failed me. That's why I gave them five stars. They absolutely deserve that. The cars are nice and roomy.

By far the most affordable option to publish your DBA for your new business. Other newspapers…read morecharge double. I am in Alameda county, had no issues whatsoever. Really easy.

I had used DBA Store in the past and had a good experience. But the last time I used it was…read morehorrible. I submitted a filing and heard nothing for months! I emailed multiple times and got no response. I called and was told the person in charge would call me back but she never did. Finally after months of this I called and asked to speak to the supervisor. Finally they filed my form. The excuse the person gave was that she had been on vacation. It finally got filed but it was filed twice which created a mess that they refused to address. I will never use this service again.

good price easy to work with everyone else wanted way too much cash!! These people were hard to get…read morea hold of but worth it for the better price

We needed a copy of the Daily Journal, stat. In fact we needed several copies. And unless you…read moresubscribe to the journal you need to drop by to pick up a paper from the front receptionist. In person. The Daily Journal is like any other office in this area, you have to check in at the desk, the elevators are posh and secure and all the offices, whether they are or not, look vaguely law officey. It's a little intimidating because it's not a newsstand or check in window, but the woman at the front desk was quick, prompt and friendly, giving the office a welcoming air. The only drawback I found was that they didn't have any sort of change on hand so I couldn't buy as many copies as expected. But we got our copy, so mission completed.

The Alameda Journal (AJ) is not a hometown newspaper…read more The AJ is actually part of the East bay Times Community newspapers group, which covers Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. I don't subscribe to it, but I do occasionally get a free paper on my driveway. It contains local, county and State news. But half the paper is all about ads and real estate. But that's ok, someone has to pay the bills right? I just look at what interests me. I've lived in Alameda for decades, and we no longer have a true home town paper, like we did with the Alameda Times-Star. The closest thing now is the Alameda Sun, and it's website is a wealth of info. There's also lots of Alameda facebook groups where residents chat and post about what's happening right now. Some people use Nextdoor for neighborhood news. So it appears the hometown newspaper has been replaced by social media.

If you are considering purchasing or renting property in this town, make sure that you do not use…read moreany real estate company or person from Alameda. I have lived in Alameda for more than 40 years on and off. My mother died here after being a resident for 45 years. I always read the journal just to see how much money the local real estate thief's are putting into the journals advertisement pockets. Anyone who has been here long enough to be able track the real estate prices for the last 40 years is probably shaking his or her head right now. I remember when a home on central ave. was selling for $ 38,000 just 25 years ago, that is listed right now for $ 660,000. This property is stucco over dry rotted redwood, sheet rocked interior with old tube and knob wiring, a foundation that is brick encased in concrete with minor anchoring and plumbing that is a combination of galvanized supply line, black pipe here and there, or PVC wherever the previous owners could get away with it. It's also listed with that much sought phrase "bonus room " and states that the garage has been converted into a storage area with a separate entrance, plumbing, finished walls , electrical and finished ceilings. This town has 80 + year old wood and stucco homes that are literally held together with either paint, stucco ,an incredible amount of sealant , siding or other creative aesthetic coverings designed to disguise the fact that most of the older wooden structures are dry rotted, insect & mold , mildew troubled structures. Any news about this towns renters , be it complaints about the way the owners treat their tenants, the conditions of some rental complexes on shoreline drive, especially the 40 or more unit complexes that fall into a special city controlled category, the violations being dealt with by our building dept. or important information or news that may help renters is purposely and quickly buried and not reported. I have personally contacted the journals reporter with information regarding massive city code violations, living condition abuse at a complex on shoreline Dr. and was told that the journals revenues are not drawn from complaints but instead from real estate based contributions, and that the complaint path is nonexistent as far as news in the journal.

Obituaries are a process, much more difficult than I once thought. You want something memorable and…read moreof quality, that honors a loved one. Well Al Stewart did a wonderful job designing and creating an obituary that I felt truly honored the essence of my grandmother. I may have told him the colors one time and BAM he designs a beautiful obituary. I liked the process, his edits were prompt, and the material and product were outstanding. I pray I don't need his services for a while, but when I do - I will definitely reach out to him!

My family had an obituary made for my father. I reached out to the seller via email due to my name…read morebeing spelled wrong. They never got in contact with me and still gave my family the obituaries. Would have been great if they would have fixed the issue.

Last year, I moved to the East Bay from Portland, OR, where the local incarnation of the EcoMetro…read moreGuide, the Chinook Book, is a household staple. You can imagine how excited I was to hear about the EcoMetro Guide. This little coupon book has information and coupons for everything you could want--food, entertainment, recreation, dining out, you name it. As someone who's fairly new to the Bay Area, it's been a good resource for finding sustainable businesses, yoga studios (see 7th Heaven Yoga), and bike shops--the trifecta of a happy me.

EcoMetro Guide is a great resource for supporting local businesses in Oakland and the East Bay…read morewhile leaving a lighter footprint. There are resources for recycling and green living and coupons for local business that have sustainable practices. The book launch is happening in September of 2007 and is being sold by many local businesses.

I knew Tom Berkeley personally and not only was he a top professional he was and awesome person…read more There is even a street named after him and this is well deserved! The Oakland Post was his life time passion and is a wonderful Newspaper.

The Post covers Oakland City Hall and the Oakland School District better than anyone else…read more Surprising info that affects our lives now and future.