Happy Thursday, everyone!

What a weekend. The Art & Wine Faire took over Park Street on Saturday and Sunday, and the turnout was something else. It felt bigger than last year, and it's always good seeing that many people out on the island at once.

This week is a big one for the two things Alameda argues about constantly: how we get around, and how we pay to fix what's breaking. The little yellow water shuttle is locked in through 2028, and a $300 million bond measure is headed to your November ballot. Both came out of the same council meeting.

On the lighter side, Saturday brings 70+ artists to Faction for a free all-day pop-up, and Tuesday is National Night Out, when half the blocks on this island drag a folding table into the street and call it a party.

Let's dive in!

In this week's email:

• Featured Events: Summer Stack at Faction & Antiques Faire

• Alameda News: A $300M bond heads to the ballot, the water shuttle is saved, and Central Ave signal work

• Restaurant of the Week: I finally made it into Cafe Jolie

• Community Spotlight: Maze Daiko, Alameda's genre-bending taiko group

• This Week's Events: Live music, trivia, markets & more

• Houses on the Market: New Alameda Listings

Job Listing: Friends of the Alameda Free Library is hiring an Executive Director to lead fundraising, partnerships, and operations for the library's next chapter. Salary range: $100,000–$120,000. Apply and learn more here: https://www.npag.com/fafl-ed

Read time: 8 mins

FEATURED EVENTS

Summer Stack

Saturday, August 1 | 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM | Free | 📍 Faction Brewing.

Seventy-plus artists and makers are taking over the Faction lot for the day. This is the fourth year for Summer Stack, run by the Art of the Bay Collective, and this time they've teamed up with South Bay Makers and Faction to make it the biggest one yet.

Expect a full day, not a quick browse. Maker demos, art activities, food, and the usual Faction beer garden with the skyline behind it. Free, all ages, and you can RSVP ahead for the workshop schedule. RSVP free →

Alameda Point Antiques Faire

Sunday, August 2 | 6:00 AM - 3:00 PM | $5 to $20 | 📍 Alameda Point.

800 dealer booths take over the old runways on the first Sunday of every month. Everything for sale has to be at least 20 years old, so this is real antiques and vintage, not a craft fair. Furniture, records, clothing, jewelry, garden pieces, and a lot of things you did not know you wanted.

What you pay depends on when you show up. VIP gets in at 6 AM for $20, early buy is $15 at 7:30, general admission drops to $10 at 9, and after 1 PM it's $5. Kids under 12 get in free. Serious hunters go early and bargain hunters go late, and the view of the San Francisco skyline is free either way. Get tickets →

The Pulse Summer Giveaway

Wave 3 gets drawn this Sunday, and it's the best batch yet. The headliner is a $1,000 private shopping party for six at Daisy's Mercantile, with a cocktail lesson, dinner, shopping, dessert, and gift bags. Behind it: two 2-hour boat rentals from Bay Area Boats, two $200 charcuterie boards from Mosley's Cafe, and nine more prizes from Alameda businesses. Winners get drawn Sunday, August 2 around 7 PM. See all the Wave 3 prizes →

Entering takes about ten seconds. On any giveaway post on @thealamedapulse, follow us and the featured business, like the post, and tag 2 friends in the comments. Sharing to your story earns 5 bonus entries.

Alameda News

A $300 million bond measure is going to Alameda voters

On July 21 the City Council voted to put the SAFER Alameda Act on the November 3 ballot. It's a $300 million bond aimed at flooding and sea-level rise, earthquake prep, fire and medical response times, potholes, and keeping pollution out of the Bay. City staff say Alameda has at least $800 million in unfunded infrastructure needs.

Here's the part that hits your mailbox: property owners would pay about $49 a year per $100,000 of assessed value. That's assessed value, not what your house would sell for today, which for longtime owners is usually a lot lower. It would raise roughly $19 million a year and needs a two-thirds yes to pass. There's an independent citizens' oversight committee and annual audits, and none of it can go to salaries or pensions. Read more →

Source: City of Alameda | City Clerk

The little yellow water shuttle is staying through 2028

Woodstock isn't going anywhere. The same July 21 council meeting approved a Phase 2 pilot that keeps the free shuttle running between Alameda Landing and Jack London Square through at least June 2028. Two Alameda CTC grants totaling $1,475,000 anchor it, and private partners kicked in another $1,565,000.

The numbers are why it survived. In two years the shuttle carried 251,000 passengers and 60,000 bicycles, went from five days a week to six, and grew from 187 to 345 trips a week. May 2026 was its best month ever, including a single day with 1,039 riders. Next up is a fully electric boat and funding past 2028.

Woodstock turns two on Friday. There's a short program and cupcakes at 11:45 AM at Bohol Circle Immigrant Park, near the dock, while supplies last. Read more

Source: City of Alameda

=Expect delays on Central Avenue for the rest of the summer

Crews are upgrading the traffic signals at Webster, Eighth, and Sherman. That's the tail end of the Central Avenue Safety Project, and it means real disruption. The city says signals will be flipped to flashing red, or intersections will go to stop signs with flaggers directing traffic.

The upside is what you get when it's done. Better signal timing, dedicated turn signals, a bike signal, and accessible pedestrian signals at all three. Signals and landscaping are expected to wrap by the end of summer. Read more →

Source: City of Alameda Public Works

Quick hits

• The window to run for office closes next Thursday. Candidates for Mayor and two City Council seats have until August 6 to pick up and file nomination paperwork for the November 3 election. Details

• The Gibbons Drive sidewalk and tree plan just held its last public meetings. The city and its consulting arborist are now picking replacement tree species and a final approach. The online comment form is still open. Comment

• Mastick's summer art show closes Tuesday. "A Brush with Nature" is a Chinese ink-painting exhibit from Mr. Wang's class, all birds, blossoms, and branches. Free reception August 4 in the Mastick lobby. Details

Restaurant of the Week: Cafe Jolie

This week I finally made it into Cafe Jolie, and it did not disappoint. The French American Cafe has been on the West End since 2012, which makes this year fourteen. Chef-owner Joann Guitarte and her partner Bobeck Parandian took over the old Tillie's space and named the place after their daughter.

Get the croissant French toast. Regular French toast is dense and soft, and this is the opposite. You get crisp edges and all those buttery layers still holding their shape inside. The beignets are the ones everyone talks about, and after trying them, I enjoyed them. I personally think it needs the chocolate ganache/dipping sauce to thoroughly enjoy it. But the Monte Cristo might have been my favorite of the three: ham and cheese with an egg wash, served with a jam you dip it in. Light bread, crispy outside, and a guaranteed nap afterward.

Go knowing they're closed Mondays, and the patio and parklet seating is first come first served with no reservations. Tuesday through Friday is 9 to 1, weekends are 8 to 2. There's a second location too, at 1501 Harbor Bay Parkway, built out of repurposed shipping containers. Watch the reel →

Community Spotlight: Maze Daiko

Maze Daiko is an Alameda taiko group that plays almost nothing like a traditional taiko group. The name comes from mazeru, Japanese for "to mix," and that's the whole idea. They put Japanese drums next to West African djembe, Shona marimba, and a European violin, and write original music out of the collision.

They've been at it long enough to be called pioneers by the person who would know. Seiichi Tanaka, the father of North American taiko, used that word for them. Artistic director Janet Koike trained with San Francisco Taiko Dojo, was part of San Jose Taiko's artistic team, and founded Rhythmix. The group also wrote the music for Island City Waterways, the art walk along the estuary.

You can catch them Saturday. Maze Daiko headlines Pour Your HeART Out, Rhythmix's benefit for youth arts education, playing 4:15 to 4:45 PM in the Rhythmix courtyard. North African band AZA opens at 2:30. Tickets are $179 and include tastings from Alameda restaurants, wine, and the silent auction. Watch them play →

This Week's Events

Markets & Meet-ups

Alameda Farmers' Market | Saturday, August 1 & Tuesday, August 4 | 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Free | 📍 Haight Ave at Webster St. Produce, flowers, and prepared food, rain or shine. More info

Beach Side Pack Walk & Pup Meetup | Sunday, August 2 | 3:00 PM | Free | 📍 Alameda Small Dog Park. Group walk along the shore, small dogs. More info

Workshops & Crafts

Craft Night with ARPD | Thursday, July 30 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Free | 📍 Alameda Brewing. Bring a project, they bring the table and beer. More info

Family & Kids

Mother Goose on the Loose | Thursday, July 30 | 10:30 AM | Free | 📍 Alameda Free Library. Rhymes and songs for the under-two crowd. More info

Live Music

Mio Flores SalSazz Trio | Thursday, July 30 | 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM | 📍 Cinema Grill. Latin salsa night, now running every Thursday. More info

Wilson Brooks & Friends | Friday, July 31 | 7:30 PM - 10:15 PM | 📍 Cinema Grill. Local favorite kicking off the weekend. More info

Spill The Wine | Saturday, August 1 | 7:30 PM - 10:15 PM | 📍 Cinema Grill. First-Saturday residency, funk and soul covers. More info

Durand Gist | Saturday, August 1 | 8:00 PM | $23 | 📍 The Fireside Lounge. Soul and R&B in a small room. Tickets

Key Elements | Sunday, August 2 | 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM | 📍 Cinema Grill. Sunday afternoon set, easy to bring people to. More info

Games, Drinks, & Vibes

Trivia Night | Tuesday, August 4 | 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM | 📍 Alameda Brewing. The long-running Tuesday night. More info

Trivia Night | Tuesday, August 4 | 6:30 PM | 📍 Almanac Adventureland. Weekly, out at the Point. More info

Trivia Night | Tuesday, August 4 | 7:30 PM | 📍 The Fireside Lounge. Live at the lounge, Zoom every second Tuesday. More info

Trivia Night | Wednesday, August 5 | 6:30 PM | 📍 McGee's Bar & Grill. Sunset Trivia runs this one. More info

Singer/Songwriter Open Mic | Wednesday, August 5 | 7:30 PM | 📍 The Fireside Lounge. Sign up early, the list fills. More info

Karaoke with KJ Melemel | Wednesday, August 5 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM | 📍 Cinema Grill. First and third Wednesdays. More info

Get Active & Give Back

Kindred Running Club social run | Thursday, July 30 | 6:30 PM | Free | 📍 Park Station. All paces, beer garden after. More info

Kindred Saturday long run | Saturday, August 1 | 8:00 AM | Free | 📍 Park Station. The longer one, early start. More info

Bay Farm Island Shore & Lagoon Loop | Monday, August 3 | 10:00 AM | Free | 📍 Veterans Memorial Park. Flat 4.5 miles with water most of the way. More info

Kindred community walk | Wednesday, August 5 | 9:00 AM | Free | 📍 Park Station. Walking pace, no one gets dropped. More info

Civic & Community

2026 Traffic Safety Open House | Thursday, July 30 | 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM | Free | 📍 Mastick Senior Center. Crash data, e-bike rules, snacks, kids' coloring table. More info

How to Gatsby & ADSC Member Mixer | Sunday, August 2 | 3:00 PM | $18 | 📍 California Historical Radio Society. 1920s dance lesson in the old radio building. Tickets

Zoning Administrator Hearing | Monday, August 3 | 2:00 PM | Free | 📍 Zoom webinar. Use permit applications, registration required. More info

Later This Month

Alameda's Angels Drag Show | Friday, August 7 | 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM | 📍 Faction Brewing. All-ages drag in the beer garden. More info

Sips & Sprouts | Sunday, August 9 | 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM | 📍 Faction Brewing. Craft beer and a plant you take home. More info

South Seas Swing | Saturday, August 15 | 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM | 📍 USS Hornet. Swing dancing and tiki drinks on the flight deck. More info

Alameda Record Swap | Sunday, August 16 | 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Free | 📍 Faction Brewing. LPs, CDs, tapes, and memorabilia. More info

Cape and Cowl Con | Sunday, August 30 | 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM | Free | 📍 Faction Brewing. 150+ comic artists and vendors, all ages. More info

Got something happening in Alameda? Submit it here → and we'll consider it for an upcoming issue.

HOUSES ON THE MARKET

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