Estefany Gonzalez

Photos made today on assignment for @theoaklandside !!! Truly so honored that @chroniclesofazu and I got to follow @alysaxliu ’s story before and after winning the gold! ❤️ ➡️👀 swipe to see if you made it into today’s batch of photos / @kehlani / @p_lo / @g_eazy

Photos of VP Kamala Harris made on assignment with @chroniclesofazu for @theoaklandside

Hot off the presses. Photos of @fraktheperson made on assignment for @coyotemediacollective ! Story by @alan_chazaro is live on the site now. (Link in stories)

Photos of @alysaxliu made on assignment for @theoaklandside last year in honor of Alysa Liu‘s Olympic win 🥇 🏆!!! This was one of my favorite assignment of 2025. Big thank you to Alysa for making time and baring with me as I walked onto the ice in my docs to make sure I got the right frames. Lol, such an adventure. Hope I get to work on more cool stories like this one in 2026!!

Pigeons are having a moment. Just ask @maggietokudahall — author, president of @authorsagainstbookbans , and a recent pigeon convert. In this Q&A, she talks to @rahawahaile about picking up a paintbrush after 20 years, art as survival, hyperfixation as balm, and why “rats with wings” might be mirrors. ✍️: @rahawahaile 📸: @estefancy

While the @valkyries continue to make @wnba history on the court, their diverse Bay Area fans are making their presence known all over the region. Our guest contributor @roughnotes.mgs attended and organized watch parties around Oakland for the Valkyries, and wrote about the social politics, joy and queer visibility of having the Bay’s first ever WNBA squad to call our own. ✍️: @roughnotes.mgs 📸: @estefancy Our stories are paywall-free until September 29th. After that, we invite you to join our pack and become a subscriber.

Soleil Ho is back on the restaurant beat at COYOTE! First off is a review of @crazyblockcheesecakes in Oakland. Don’t be fooled by the name: Yes, this spot boasts more than 170 flavors of cheesecake, but owner Ben Block also does a mean BBQ brisket — and some of the best latkes you can find at a Bay Area restaurant. ✍️: @soleil_ho 📸: @estefancy Our stories are paywall-free until September 29th. After that, we invite you to join our pack and become a subscriber.

This year’s Meltdown, and especially Sunday’s lineup, was a homecoming not only for Shannon and the Clams but also for rapper Kreayshawn, who played her first show in a decade. Rapper Kreayshawn might seem like a sonic departure from the screaming and mumbling punks that dominated the festival to an outside observer, but what’s more punk than going viral, disappearing from view — much like the lost cat in her song Missing Kitty — putting your record label on blast, then reemerging a decade later on your own terms, performing a banger of a show in a park in your hometown? “There’s so many people here, I’m gonna crash out,” said the musician, proclaiming to be nervous but exuding magnetic confidence and swag. Kreayshawn is also a descendent of Bay Area punk; her mother, Elka Zolot, was a member of the 1990s band The Trashwomen. “All of my mom’s old friends are here,” her daughter beamed on Sunday. Kreayshawn was one of multiple performers who put politics at the forefront. “I’m lookin’ like Madonna, but I’m flossing like I wanna free Palestine,” she sang on Gucci Gucci, swapping out the original line, “flossing like Ivana Trump.” Waters also invoked the power of punk to resist authoritarian and far-right politics. “We’re defiant in the face of semi-approved demi-gods,” the filmmaker said from the stage. “I’ve had 32 COVID shots and they make me horny! Take that, R-F-u-c-K.” Click 📲 #LinkInBio to read more ✍🏼and 📹 Natalie Orenstein 📸 @estefancy #oaklandside #theoaklandside #oakland

LakeFest Oakland brought thousands of people to Lake Merritt Saturday. From foodies, to music lovers and local artists, the event was bustling with the rich culture and diversity that makes Oakland unique. With long entrance lines and tightly packed crowds, the event felt like a much needed continuation of last week’s Juneteenth celebrations, especially after road closures restricted access to areas that saw large gatherings in past years and left many searching for a place to come together.  As in past years, groups of friends lounged under the sun, and booths with custom shirts, jewelry and art lined the festival grounds. People danced to music from Bay Area artists, with the crowd welcoming Kamaiyah and Mistah F.A.B. with the loudest cheers. The festival stands out for its warm atmosphere that appeals to various  generations. Perhaps that’s why so many families could be spotted in the crowd this year. “It’s important Include your children in your life, reasonably. Like, I wouldn’t go to Coachella with my baby but we’re around the corner from my mother in law’s house,” Andrea Weaver told The Oaklandside.  Read more at the link in @theoaklandside ’s bio. Reported and photographed by @estefancy

Photos I made of @carnavalsf 2025 on assignment for @sfchronicle ! So beautiful to see so many people come together in the heart of the Mission District to celebrate la cultura.

Big, beautiful, and oh so Oakland ❤️ @oaklashdrag reminded me of why I love to be out documenting my community and the world around me. For me photojournalism is about capturing moments in time, holding them close and having a little piece of those moments when we need them later. Assignment or not, this felt like one I needed to remember. Here’s a look at 2025 through my lens.

With a stage production rivaling a Broadway show, a set list full of fan favorites performed with intricate dance numbers and flashy outfits to match, @rauwalejandro ‘s San Francisco tour stop at Chase Center on Monday, April 7, set the vibe for what was advertised as a black-tie affair. Initially the dress code sparked mix reactions on social media but Bay Area fans showed up and showed out in their best “Cosa Nuestra” fits. Read more in today’s copy of @sfchronicle !! Big thank you to @cariemarthecat @raminrahimian and @emilyjan for the help with this one! #cosanuestra #rauwalejandro🎤 #cosanuestradresscode #1960fashion