Bid for a Good Cause!

Public schools are some of the few places where people from all walks of life come together—and they need the support of the whole community. You can show your support for Peralta Elementary—and score local experiences, gifts, and services—by bidding in the school’s annual online auction open February 24 - March 8. 

The Peralta Elementary Annual Auction is the school’s largest fundraiser of the year, with a goal of raising $40,000 to support programs that directly benefit students. As Oakland Unified School District faces ongoing budget pressures, funds raised through the auction help pay for teachers’ aides, music and garden education, physical education, field trips, classroom supplies, and other resources that are not always fully covered by district funding.

Peralta is inviting the broader community to participate in the online auction featuring a wide range of donated items from local businesses and families. Bidders can browse offerings that include family-friendly experiences, gift cards to local restaurants and shops, kids’ activities, classes, and one-of-a-kind experiences that reflect the creativity of the Peralta community and its supporters. Items include: 

• A weekend family pass at the Claremont Resort and Spa

• Warriors tickets and a signed Steph Curry jersey! 

• Gift certificates from Oaktown Spice, Bird & Bean, Zachary’s, Asmara restaurant, Leslie Evers and so many other wonderful neighborhood establishments

Organized by the Peralta Parent Teacher Group, a certified nonprofit run by parent volunteers, the auction transforms local generosity into direct classroom support. For businesses, donating items is a way to support neighborhood families while reaching new customers. For bidders, it’s a chance to get something meaningful while investing in public education.

You can register to bid and browse the items here: givebutter.com/c/PeraltaAuction2026/auction

Online bidding will begin February 24 and end March 8 -  so don’t wait!

FYI: There is also an in-person auction event on Saturday, March 7 from 6-9pm at Groundfloor Club on Telegraph Ave. & 40th St. Childcare is available on campus! See the accompanying event for more details. 

RCPC Website: Rockridge News Volunteers

College Avenue is Calling You!

College Avenue is beckoning a Rockridgian to distribute The Rockridge News to businesses and residences along the commercial thoroughfare while enjoying window shopping and chatting with business owners along the way (not required of course). Once a month a bundle of papers will be delivered to your doorstep and they are yours to pass out on one segment of College Avenue (see below) as soon as possible.

Route CAv1: Businesses and apartments along College Avenue from Claremont Ave to BART. Stack at Zachary’s (50 papers).

To volunteer, call or email Susan at 510-547-3855 or smontauk@gmail.com  Let us know if you are interested and/or, perhaps, might need more information.

View all event online here.

Sunday Coffee, hosted by Jeff Wright, vol. 4

• Sunday, February 1, 2026

• 10:30 AM 12:30 PM

​Jeff Wright of Edith’s Pie has been hosting a regular event on Sunday mornings at his house for months. It’s a low-stakes morning of chatting, coffee, and snacks, and he’s bringing it to Local Economy on a Sunday morning each month. 

For this edition, Hailie Hay and Christopher Sturm are spro.machine, and they will be pulling wrecking ball espresso for donations at this event.

Cost: Free for members, sliding scale $10 for the public
Vibes: Chill, chatty, cozy

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Book Release: Solidarity Economics

• Wednesday, February 4, 2026

• 6:00 PM 8:00 PM

Organizers all around the world are working to build ways of managing resources that serve human and ecological needs. But how can these projects be more than small islands of solidarity and sustainability surrounded by oceans of domination and environmental destruction?

​Cynthia Kaufman, Director of the Vasconcellos Institute for Democracy in Action at De Anza College, tackles this question in a new book. 

​Solidarity Economics: Building Sustainable Social Relations lays out the landscape of these projects aimed at building a better world, and explores the institutional frameworks needed for them to expand. How do we build just and sustainable societies based on relations of solidarity. Drawing on Indigenous economics and anti-capitalist theory, this book critiques the idea of an economy as something autonomous from the rest of society and helps us see practical pathways to building systems which ensure that everyone’s needs are met.

RSVP

​Vibes: Deep, learned

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Works-in-Progress x MIPSLIP

• Friday, February 6, 2026

• 6:00 PM 8:30 PM

For our third round of the Works-in-Progress series, we’re partnering again with MIPSLIP, an ongoing gathering for sharing recent creative work. You bring a recent or unfinished creative work and come prepared to share why it is meaningful to you. All media and themes welcome.

​MIPSLIP aims for greater aliveness through consistent practice, self-expression, and collective inspiration. They have some guidelines. ​Part of being seen in your creative process is seeing others in theirs. Please come prepared to witness others and disclose how their works impact you.

​Max attendance: 15

​Vibes: Participatory, open, supportive,

​Cost: Free

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Paint-and-Chat

• Wednesday, February 11, 2026

• 6:00 PM 8:00 PM

You may have seen the excellent recent story in Coyote Media about author (and LE member) Maggie Tokuda Hall's hobby: painting pigeons. In these times, who doesn't want to paint a little pigeon with a jaunty hat on?? And even if you don't, it's nice to spend some time doing something creative with friends, rather than doomscrolling. 

​Though Maggie is now known as an author of celebrated books, she did go to college for studio art, so you will be in good hands.

​Vibes: Pigeon'd, creative, chatty

​Cost: Sliding scale, 0-$10

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Zyzzyva Issue 131 Release Party

• Thursday, February 12, 2026

• 6:30 PM 8:30 PM

Come and toast the publication of the newest issue of ZYZZYVA, the award-winning literary journal publishing since 1985. Featuring short readings by contributors Tomas Moniz, Maw Shein Win, and Suzanne Rivecca, emceed by ZYZZYVA Editor Oscar Villalon. 

Tomas Moniz is a Latinx writer living in East Oakland. His first novel, Big Familia (Acre Books), was a finalist for the 2020 PEN/Hemingway and the LAMBDA. His second novel, All Friends Are Necessary (Algonquin Books), won the 2024 California Golden Poppy Award. His next novel will be published by Algonquin Books in 2026. He teaches at Berkeley City College, the Antioch MFA program, and the University of San Francisco. 

Maw Shein Win's latest full-length poetry collection is Percussing the Thinking Jar (Omnidawn), which was shortlisted for the 2025 Northern California Book Award in Poetry. Her previous full-length collection, Storage Unit for the Spirit House (Omnidawn), was nominated for the Northern California Book Award in Poetry, longlisted for the PEN America 2021 Open Book Award, and shortlisted for the Golden Poppy Award for Poetry. She is the inaugural poet laureate of El Cerrito, the recipient of the 2025 Berkeley Poetry Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2025 Nomadic/SF Foundation Literary Award for Non-fiction.

Suzanne Rivecca is the author of the short story collection Death is Not an Option (WW Norton), which won the Rome Prize in Literature and was a finalist for the PEN/Hemingway, the Story Prize, the NYPL Young Lions prize, and others. She lives in the Bay Area and works at a civil rights law firm in San Francisco. 

​Vibes: Literary, released

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An Invitation to Talk About Death and Dying, Vol 2

• Sunday, February 15, 2026

• 10:00 AM 11:30 AM

In this series of events, death doulas Tracy Tingle and Ka Yun Cheng invite you into a conversation about mortality.

This conversation doesn’t have to be scary or taboo or something we react to in crisis. It can be something we get inspired by and plan for. 

This is not a grief session or a death cafe. It’s an invitation to gather and explore topics about aging and dying in an actionable and approachable way. We encourage you to show up and participate at your comfort level. Bring your curiosity, and a pen and paper.

The first event occurred in January, but different topics will be discussed each month. You can dip your toes into one or come to several for further exploration. The last session will be held
March 15.

Tracy Tingle is an Oakland based end of life doula whose work stems from the belief that everyone benefits from being more comfortable in talking about and planning for our inevitable end.

Ka Yun Cheng is a Sunnyvale based death doula at Leave Behind Love who strives to normalize death as a conversation topic. 

If the event is sold out and you’d like to be added to a waitlist, please email Tracy at tracy.a.tingle@gmail.com 

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