By | Bay Area News GroupOAKLAND — The USS Oakland was commissioned in its namesake port Saturday morning in a ceremony steeped in centuries of naval tradition, with some uniquely 2021 spins.The ceremony was attended by military veterans, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Harker and several guests watching from their cars for the U.S. Navy’s first-ever drive-in commissioning ceremony, an adjustment necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other guests watched a live broadcast of the ceremony online.“She’s a marvel of engineering that will extend our capability...…By | Bay Area News GroupOAKLAND — The USS Oakland was commissioned in its namesake port Saturday morning in a ceremony steeped in centuries of naval tradition, with some uniquely 2021 spins.The ceremony was attended by military veterans, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Harker and several guests watching from their cars for the U.S. Navy’s first-ever drive-in commissioning ceremony, an adjustment necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Other guests watched a live broadcast of the ceremony online.“She’s a marvel of engineering that will extend our capability...WW…

By | Bay Area News GroupA new report on Oakland’s post-COVID economy is bullish on the city’s downtown, which analysts and at least one developer are betting will come back in a big way in 2021 and beyond.Speaking at an economic summit hosted by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Thursday, Beacon Economics founder Christopher Thornberg presented the key findings in the report and said he’s optimistic that downtown office space is going to be a key driver of the region’s economic recovery.“Downtowns are not ending as a result of the pandemic. Quite the opposite,” he said....…By | Bay Area News GroupA new report on Oakland’s post-COVID economy is bullish on the city’s downtown, which analysts and at least one developer are betting will come back in a big way in 2021 and beyond.Speaking at an economic summit hosted by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Thursday, Beacon Economics founder Christopher Thornberg presented the key findings in the report and said he’s optimistic that downtown office space is going to be a key driver of the region’s economic recovery.“Downtowns are not ending as a result of the pandemic. Quite the opposite,” he said....WW…