Octavio Peña - COYOTE

Pastiche Is King at Oakland’s Crazy Block Cheesecakes

Get your secondhand dopamine high between bites of smoked beef ribs and latkes.

Soleil Ho Sep 15, 2025

Power

SF Streamlined Its Street Teams. Now, Fewer People Are Getting the Help They Need

Street medicine outreach workers describe a new, expensive, and disorganized program that lacks clear objectives.

Nuala Bishari Sep 15, 2025

Culture

Where Did All the Abandoned A’s Elephants Go?

A scrappy group of Oaklanders have built a “sanctuary” for the sculptures that the A’s left behind.

Alan Chazaro Sep 15, 2025

Octavio Peña is a food journalist and recipe developer from San Jose, CA. His work has appeared in KQED, Eater SF, Serious Eats, NYT Cooking, and Food & Wine. In his free time, he enjoys walking his dogs, photographing his food, and playing MOBAs.

1 article

A colorful statue of a bipedal creature with big ears and a huge mouth stands on a red plinth in front of an urban boulevard. A skybridge says "SJSU."

Power

Experimental Beers, Paletas, and Lattes Are Fueling Downtown San Jose’s Renaissance

Post-lockdown, downtown San Jose is booming.

Octavio Peña Sep 15, 2025