Where do I drop off my ballot in Oakland?

Chavez Branch has approximately 56,000 books, CDs, videos, DVDs, audio books, audiocassettes, and magazines and newspapers for all ages.

Our Spanish language collection is the largest of the system, with 18,500 circulating Spanish items. Also of popular interest is our Chicano reference and circulating collection. Chavez also has small Chinese Adult, and Arabic Children’s and Adult collections.

Chavez Branch also has a Seed Lending Library. The Cesar Chavez Seed Library is a free urban seed project committed to increasing the capacity of our community to feed itself wholesome food by means of education that fosters community resilience, self-reliance and a culture of sharing. Anyone is welcome to come in and check-out seeds. No library card is needed, just sign-out for them. We then ask that you let some go to seed after planting them and return some of these next generation seeds for others to borrow. The best part is that there are no fines if you are unable to return the seeds!

The absence of decor and a haze of smoke over the stoves greet you when you walk into Los Cocos, but over twenty years after it first opened Oakland’s best Salvadoran restaurant is still patting out plump, savory pupusas (corn cakes stuffed with beans, cheese, or meats, and topped with a kicky slaw). Other hallmark dishes include robust soups, great carne asada, fluffy tamales, and fried pacalla (palm flower).

At the heart of the Fruitvale District, Taqueria San Jose has been serving great Mexican food since 1991. Located conveniently a block away from the Fruitvale Bart Station.

Arab Bakery

Artifacts & interactive displays in a modern building focusing on state art, history & science.

Lake Merritt in Oakland, California is one of the most unique urban spaces in the United States. Its three mile shoreline in the center of an exceptionally diverse city is a special place where nature and nurture migrates and mingles daily. This tidal lagoon is home to the United States’ oldest designated wildlife refuge dating from 1870. In 2020, we celebrate its 150th anniversary. Lake Merrit is a “tidal lagoon is named after Dr. Samuel Merritt, a medical doctor who came west for the gold rush.” (Lake Merritt Institute) The lake is 3.5 miles around in circumference and 10 feet deep. So you can walk around it in about an hour. It’s also very close to BART, at the Lake Merritt Bart station, or 20th Street station in Uptown.

Mad Oak’s kitchen and patio will be open these same hours. The Lumpia Company is back!

West Oakland Branch has approximately 27,500 books, compact discs, DVDs, audio books, and magazines and newspapers for all ages. Ciculating materials are largely of popular interest.

Special interest collections include the African American nonfiction collection, a small Veteran’s collection, a small Arabic collection for children and adults, and Spanish-language materials for children. The children’s side includes a small Chinese and French picture book collection. West Oakland has an extensive children’s section focused on providing early literacy materials to children and their parents, as well as a growing teen collection. West Oakland also has graphic novel collections for adults, teens, and children, and a large print collection. A toy lending library for children 0-5 is housed at this location.

Park

This on-trend coffeehouse features Sightglass Coffee, giant windows & a chalkboard menu.

Historical Landmark

Soba Noodle Shop

Men’s outfitters whose ethos is “Buy Fewer, Better Things.” Located in one of Oakland’s oldest historic buildings, Standard & Strange is home to some of the best in denim, boots, and more from Japan, USA, and Europe.

Shopping Alley

Ice Cream Shop

Casual cafe offering Latin American street-food favorites, from fish tacos to Cuban sandwiches.

Always Fresh and Delicious. Established in 2013. Lena’s Soul Food Cafe has been serving Oakland since 2013. Our mission is to provide delicious soul food in a warm & friendly environment.

Lena Mae Andrews passed away November 30, 2004. Lena’s Soul Food Cafe is the creation of her five children and two grandchildren in honor of her cooking legacy.

Located in Oakland, California, Mills College is a nationally renowned liberal arts women’s college with graduate programs for women and men.

This funky, thatched-roof restaurant, which looks like a cross between a beachside hut and a 1950s diner, offers rustic, forthright food that’s far more appealing than the sugar- and coconut-drowned fare you’ll find at most Thai restaurants. Mix and match your favorite meats, veggies, and sauces from the menu, or order off the specials board.

Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, landmarked in 1997 as well as the site of many Berkeley festivals and special events, offers a large lawn for sitting and picnicking along with many special features.

Vegan Butcher & Delicatessen

Gelato

Luckyduck is Oakland’s first ever bicycle shop and cafe combo. We’re super stoked about it.

This shop is dedicated to the first kiss. First true love. The first punk t-shirt. The first paintbrush. The first record. And a blacked-out photo of Ronald Reagan. The late eighties began the quest to live free and die old. This shop was when life was a bike ride and a peck on the lips. This shop is all white from top to bottom to represent the time before all the. colors of chaos scattered through the brain. This shop is the clarity. This shop is your first kiss.

Ice Cream

New American Restaurant

BBQ

Attraction