A beloved East Bay hat store is hanging up its last cap after 50 years in business.
The Berkeley Hat Company will close its 2510 Telegraph Ave. storefront on Jan. 31, 2026. The shop, located just four blocks south of UC Berkeley, is known for hosting the largest selection of hats for men and women in the Bay Area.
Founder and owner Carol Lipnick, 77, said the decision to close has been on her mind for years. The Oakland resident looks forward to “writing a new chapter” in her life by spending more time with her four grandchildren, traveling the world and enjoying her other hobbies.
“The store has been extremely good to me and the customers have been wonderful … I’m very glad to be a part of it,” Lipnick said.
To celebrate the store’s longstanding legacy, all new and old hats are on sale from now until the closing date. Store hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30am to 6pm, and Sunday from noon to 4pm.
Lipnick, formerly a registered nurse, was introduced to the world of hats through her late husband, Ed Dougherty. A New York native, Lipnick moved to Berkeley in the ’70s, where she met Dougherty. Dougherty was intrigued with importing and learning about Panama hats, a type of tightly woven straw hat made from Toquilla Palm. He recruited Lipnick to decorate each one. “The stack [of hats] went all the way up to the ceiling,” she said.
Soon they were selling the Panamas for $8 each at local fairs and festivals. Encouraged by the feedback and sensing a promising market for selling hats, the couple opened their first brick-and-mortar store on University Avenue in 1978. Two years later they moved to Telegraph.
For decades, the two supplied locals with all sorts of quirky caps. Each wall in the store is lined with endless selections: vintage-styled ones, designer products made for famous events like the Kentucky Derby, snapback baseball caps, berets and even hats fitted with ostrich, peacock or pheasant feathers.
The company offers an online shopping option as well, where customers can browse through photos and descriptions of several iconic hats. These include their signature Panama hats, Irish caps made from wool tweed, and sleeker ones ideal for fancy tea parties or weddings.
“People really call me the ‘Hat Lady’ all the time, and I respond to it,” Lipnick said.
Berkeley Hat Company has even supplied the Cal Marching Band’s signature straw boaters. Before Spirit Halloween stores existed, locals lined up outside the hat company to buy costumes. In addition to hats, accessories like boas, masks, facepaint and costume jewelry were available. At one point, the hat company served as the exclusive East Bay ticket outlet for the Burning Man festival.
Throughout the company’s 50-year run, staff witnessed locals and celebrities alike flow through its doors.
In 2009, the company hosted a public appearance by designer Luke Song—best-known for creating Aretha Franklin’s hat during her performance at President Obama’s first inauguration. In 2011, the hat was inducted into the Smithsonian Museum.
More recently in May, Grammy-nominated artist Kenny Lattimore dropped by the store to purchase a hat, according to the store’s Instagram page. Angus Cloud, HBO’s former Euphoria star and an Oakland native who passed away in 2023, also paid a visit to the hat company in 2022.
Lipnick said she and Dougherty enjoyed getting to meet so many people over the years.
“I really feel like I put a hat on everyone in Berkeley,” she said.
Dougherty passed away in 2017, and Lipnick continued to work in the storefront six days a week. She considered selling the store to a new owner, but had difficulty finding someone to do so. “It’s a full-time job,” she said, “People are looking for things that are easier.”
Lipnick hopes locals take advantage of the ongoing sale. Any leftover items will be donated or resold to organizations.
“I really want to thank Berkeley for allowing me to have a successful business all these years,” Lipnick said. “I’ve really appreciated it, and it’s been really fun.”
Invite ice to become part of the winter holiday tradition. No, not that ICE. Actual ice—as in frozen water Zamboni’d to glossy smoothness and perfect for skating. The East Bay offers options: Oakland Ice Center, operated by Sharks Sports & Entertainment. In Walnut Creek, the Bay Area’s only outdoor ice rink and ice slide in Civic Park celebrates the season with the annual Walnut Creek on Ice. In San Ramon, go Olympic at the Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink. Proceeds from the rink benefit Yamaguchi’s Always Dream foundation. The locations offer skate rentals, lessons, special holiday events and access to food/beverages. Goes through the holiday season. – LOU FANCHER
Straight out of Compton, L.A. born, legendary rapper and producer DJ Quik is the exemplary prognosticator of the sounds we now call West Coast hip-hop in the G-Funk style. Working with Snoop Dogg (“Buss’n Rocks”), 2Pac (“Heartz of Men”) and even Shaquille O’Neal (“Strait Playin’”), DJ Quik cemented his towering role in rap and hip-hop. Yoshi’s has become a favorite stop for DJ Quik and his band, and this is a hot ticket. Last year, DJ Quik paired with JasonMartin for the funny, groove-centric CHUPACABRA, and with the world being what it is, you know there’s going to be some fresh tracks up ahead. Shows go through Dec. 28. – DNA
Even before the 2020 global shutdown, movie theaters scrambled to figure out ways to fill seats. With instant, at-home streaming, more people are opting to wait to see the year’s biggest films from the comfort of their couch. Theaters have come up with unique and innovative ways to bring us back to the big screen—including renovated recliner seats and updated food/beverage menus. The New Parkway has done even better and now offers a monthly Five-Course Vegan Dinner and Movie deal. Enjoy a cruelty-free appetizer, soup, salad, entree and dessert before or after your movie of choice for a unique and tasty dining experience that keeps the magic of cinema alive. – MAT WEIR
INFO: Sat, 6pm, The New Parkway, 474 24th St., Oakland. $100-$130. 510.338.3228.
SATURDAY, DEC. 27
BLUES
JEFFREY JAMES
A journeyman blues guitarist from the South Bay, Jeffrey James has paid dues for two decades and is beginning to gain recognition as a bandleader and frontman with a repertoire encompassing songs associated with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix and Prince, as well as originals. After winning the Golden Gate Blues Society’s 2024 band competition, James tore it up at a recent fundraiser with his solo prowess. Joined by Back Room proprietor Hurricane Sam Rudin, a jazz-inflected blues piano powerhouse, James plays the Berkeley venue to raise funds for a trip to the Blues Foundation’s 2026 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, a showcase that has boosted the careers of several Bay Area artists. – ANDREW GILBERT
INFO: Sat, 8pm, The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley. $20. 510.654.3808.
SATURDAY, DEC. 27
AMERICANA
SEAN HAYES
California crooner Hayes shares the bill with songwriter/guitarist John Courage. The fine musicians drive a mighty music wagon loaded with soul, country, folk, roots, rock and reggae tunes. Hitched to the back is something that never gets old: fantastic fingering on acoustic and electric guitars, terrific sense of rhythm and pacing, voices with just the right jaggedness to make a smooth curve sound authentic, and lyrics true to life. Want to dance? Cry in your beer? Travel the “Lost Highway” or get “Trapped by a Thing Called Love”—two songs on Hayes’ EP, Biography—or get “Stuck in Encinitas” (Courage’s album, Lovers Without a Care)? It’s all there in one unforgettable evening at the Ivy Room. – LF
INFO: Sat, 8pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $40. 510.526.5888.
SUNDAY, DEC. 28
JAZZ
TUCK & PATTI
Possessing a rich, warm mezzo-soprano, Patti Cathcart sounds as commanding as ever at 76, whether she’s molding a standard to the contours of her voice or interpreting a love-besotted original. Tuck Andress is a dazzling guitarist in any setting, but collaborating with his wife he provides orchestral accompaniment, supplying rhythmic drive, harmonic support and melodic counterpoint. As a vocal/guitar duo, they stand alone in the lush territory where jazz, pop and soul overlap. – AG
Veteran saxophonist Boney James brings his 19th album, Slow Burn, to the last days of December, shaping the night around a record built for after-hours listening and unhurried momentum. The title fits: James has built his career patiently, letting feel, tone and groove do the heavy lifting. Across the record, the mood is confidently adventurous and unrushed, the result of three decades of refinement rather than nostalgia. Slow Burn doesn’t chase climaxes; it accumulates warmth like a coal, settling in late and lingering long past midnight. Shows go until Dec. 31. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
With bassist Les Claypool leading the way like a combination of Weird Al and Frank Zappa, the trio known as Primus is one of rock ’n’ roll’s most dynamic triads. Guitarist Larry “Ler” LaLonde has been a staple of America’s oddest ducks since 1989, but drummer John Hoffman only officially joined the band earlier this year. Beating out 6,200 other drummers in an interstellar drum derby, Hoffman rejuvenated Primus and they are firing on extra-dimensional cylinders. Primus was, after 30 years, still blowing minds on the “Sessanta Tour” with A Perfect Circle and Puscifer, but this show is all about new chapters with the “Onward & Upward Tour.” – DNA
What exactly is “Yacht Rock”? Call it music built for breezy SoCal sunsets, smooth cocktails and the radical idea that not everything has to be hard to be good. For over a decade, soft-rock tribute band Mustache Harbor has treated the “easy listening” canon with obsessive care and world-class chops, recreating the sleek grooves of the ’70s and ’80s with precision and humor. This is a band that knows the Piña Colada song and how to throw a party. Their New Year’s celebration will certainly feature polished songs, cool shades and enough swagger to sail straight into midnight. – SBB
They say, “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow,” and what better way to do that than with Fleetwood Macramé—the premiere Fleetwood Mac tribute band—ringing in the New Year? 2025 was a rough one. For some, it felt like they climbed a mountain, then turned around. Others saw their reflections in the snow-covered hills, till a landslide brought it down. But they persevered, breaking the silence, damning the dark and damning the light. After all, thunder only happens when it’s raining, so why not go your own way, run through the shadows and make it to the Ivy Room for New Year’s Eve? – MW
INFO: Wed, 9pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $56.18. 510.526.5888.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the Brazilian rainforest, Cecropia trees and Azteca ants have a special relationship. The trees’ hollow branches serve as nesting spaces for the ants and offer them sugar-rich food. In return, the ants aggressively defend the trees from herbivores and predators, protecting them from damage. This mutualism benefits both species. The trees get protection that enhances their growth, while the ants gain shelter and nutrition. In the coming months, Aries, I invite you to seek symbiosis that’s equally vigorous. Enjoy the fun challenge of reducing your solo struggles as you rouse collaborations that boost your power and everyone else’s. The goal is intelligent alliance, not compromise. Be resourceful as you trade a bit too much independence for just the right amount of interdependence.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): When potters center clay on a wheel, they typically use one hand inside the vessel to apply steady, controlled force. The other hand remains fluid, guiding and stabilizing the outer rim of the spinning clay. This balanced use of pressure—one hand firm and bracing, the other adapting minutely to the shifting clay—helps bring the lump into perfect symmetry. I propose you make this a prime metaphor in the coming months, Taurus: control meeting surrender. You will be crafting a new balance between security and surprise. Too much rigidity, and the form cracks; too much flow, and it collapses. Practice the middle art.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Poet Audre Lorde spoke of how caring for herself was the exact opposite of being selfish. It was the foundation of her ability to serve and inspire other people. My Aunt Sophie used to say, “You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.” Educator Stephen Covey advised, “Be patient with yourself. Self-growth is tender; it’s holy ground. There’s no greater investment.” Poet Vironika Tugaleva writes, “Learning to love yourself is essential and life-changing.” Everything I just said should be your keynotes in the coming months, Gemini. Boost your self-care to sublime levels.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): A remarkable species of jellyfish can circumvent the aging and death process that affects all other animals. Turritopsis dohrnii converts its mature, specialized cells back into stem cells, essentially recycling its own body into youth. The process may repeat indefinitely, making the animal theoretically immortal. In the coming months, Cancerian, your emotional wisdom will also show amazing regenerative power. Challenging and intriguing situations will be opportunities for you to initiate stunning acts of renewal. Like the jellyfish, you won’t merely manage change but will use it as a catalyst for vigorous growth. Have you ever before been blessed by such wildly rejuvenative powers of metamorphosis? I don’t think so.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): According to ancient Egyptian myth, the sun god Ra rode a celestial boat across the sky by day. Each night, he plunged into the underworld to wrangle with chaos so he could rebirth light in time for the dawn. That’s your mythic assignment for the coming months, Leo: not to be nonstop luminous, but to renew and nurture your radiance in the dark. Your courage will lie in feeling and learning from your doubts without identifying with them. Your magnetism and wisdom will deepen as you descend. You won’t be less golden for passing through shadow.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In medieval monasteries, scribes added whimsical drawings called drolleries into the margins of sacred manuscripts. These marginalia included scenes like frogs playing harps, nuns chasing rabbits, and fantastical creatures engaged in playful or absurd activities. How should we interpret these seemingly prankish additions? Scholars disagree. In any case, I recommend you experiment with drolleries of your own, Virgo. Inject improvisation into duty. Add ornament to order. The coming months will reward your serious play. You’ll accomplish more by enjoying the work than by obsessing on perfecting it. A touch of friskiness may even improve efficiency. So when you edit, doodle; when you analyze, wink.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Italy’s Orto Botanico di Padova is the world’s oldest botanical garden still in its original location. Since its inception 480 years ago, it has been a center for botanical research, education and conservation. Its layout is striking, a square inscribed in a circle, symbolizing harmonious order. In the coming months, Libra, you will be wise to associate yourself intimately with a similar wonder: an enduring source of beauty and revelation that you can both serve and benefit from.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Astronaut Chris Hadfield has spent 166 days orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station. In the microgravity of outer space, he says, motion is very smooth; objects and people float. He marvels at how everything is always moving, and yet the pace itself is tranquil and unhurried. I foresee you enjoying a lot of this kind of grace in the coming months, Scorpio: momentum without mania; constant fluidic movement that’s never hectic or rushed. What a great privilege! I expect you will rack up many flowing accomplishments.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Kyoto’s famous moss gardens, caretakers practice artful arrangement rather than total removal of shed foliage. They use delicate tools to gather trees’ cast-off leaves and arrange them on the moss to create visual harmony rather than bare tidiness. This approach reflects the Japanese aesthetic principles of embracing imperfection. Supposed “flaws” become part of the beauty of the garden. I propose that you regularly adopt a metaphorically comparable approach in the coming months, Sagittarius. Integrate rather than edit. Be creative with what’s changing form. Treat so-called messes and unexpected plot twists not as blemishes but as rich textures that feel meaningful and inspiring.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): A newly planted orchard spends its first year growing roots, not fruit. Underground and unseen, the real work happens. I surmise that’s like what you will be doing in the coming months, Capricorn: mostly invisible stabilization and preparation. If anyone asks you what you’re producing, smile inscrutably and say, “Depth.” Be committed to the quiet, hidden work rather than any showy song and dance. As my rough and rugged spirit guide Esther likes to say, “You don’t got to prove nothin’ to nobody!” The nourishment you will be storing up will sustain later abundance.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Engineers may engage in “stress testing.” They evaluate a system’s hardiness and reliability by subjecting it to pressure or force. I suspect that life will bring you a benevolent version of this trial in the coming months, Aquarius. That’s a good thing! It’s not meant to break you, but to prove how much resilience you have developed. Situations that might have formerly cracked your confidence will affirm and reveal your upgraded endurance. Take note of your composure and congratulate yourself for it. You will have every right to exult in the vivid evidence of how much you’ve grown.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean author Anaïs Nin wrote, “Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don’t know how to replenish its source.” Apply her counsel dynamically during the coming months, dear Pisces. Be the great replenisher. Make yourself into a fountain of beauty as you share lavishly. Nurture tenderness and adoration with unexpected flowers, gorgeous music in the midst of the routine and affection expressed through artful thoughtfulness. Be brilliant and persistent in ensuring that love thrives. Your elegant generosity and fond attention should enrich everything you touch.
Published in cooperation between Casino Recommendations and the East Bay Express
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In spite of its light design, Lizaro boasts one of the largest libraries on the market. Admittedly, we didn’t see many new releases. But what you get is more than 5,000 games not on GamStop ranging from classics like Book of Dead and Starburst to modern hits such as Big Bass Bonanza and Reactoonz. Additional categories such as scratch cards, virtual sports and crash games keep things dynamic, and many titles can be played in demo mode before wagering real money.
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Lizaro supports standard card payments, popular e-wallets and several alternative methods used across international casinos. Deposits are fast, withdrawals follow a straightforward approval process and limits are structured to accommodate both everyday players and higher-stakes users. The cashier system is simple and secure, helping players manage real-money play without friction.
Support and Accessibility
The nonGamStop platform is easy to navigate, with clear game categories and smooth performance across mobile and desktop devices. Support is available via live chat or on-site forms, assisting players with account queries, game information or responsible gambling tools. Lizaro also encourages balanced gaming by offering deposit limits, loss caps and self-exclusion options directly from the account dashboard.
Pros
Over 5,000 games not on GamStop plus live casino and table games
Powered by 90+ top providers including Play’n GO and Evolution
Free demo play available on many titles
Cons
Limited direct email support
Wide game variety may feel overwhelming to new players
How We Picked the Best Non-GamStop Casino
We tested each non-GamStop casino like real UK players who are big fans of the casino (which is basically what we are). Our goal was simple: find the best casino not on GamStop that’s safe, fast and fun. Here’s how we made our picks:
No GamStop Restrictions: Every site we recommend lets you play freely without being blocked by GamStop. You can sign up instantly (no ID, no delays).
Big Welcome Bonuses: We looked for casinos offering great bonuses, particularly welcome bonus. There are a number of factors we looked for: decent-sized bonuses, free spins and fair wagering rules, and low barrier of entry. A good non-GamStop casino should reward you right from the start.
Fast Withdrawals: We only listed casinos not on GamStop with fast cashouts. Crypto, Skrill and Neteller all got top marks.
Top Games: The best casino not on GamStop should have a collection of games not on GamStop to match. We played real slots, jackpots and live tables. Sites with titles like Mega Moolah, Big Bass Bonanza and Book of Dead scored highest.
Player Safety: Even though these sites are non-UK casinos, we made sure they’re licensed offshore (like Curacao), use SSL and have real customer support.
Our team tested everything firsthand in their search for the best casino not on GamStop and the top 10 non-Gamstop casinos. The casinos not on GamStop that we listed at the start of our article are the best non-GamStop casinos for UK players who want control, freedom and real payouts.
What is GamStop?
In this section, we answer the question ‘what is GamStop?’ GamStop is a free self-exclusion program run in the UK that helps players block themselves from gambling at all UKGC-licensed casinos and betting sites. Once you register, you’re locked out of these sites for 6 months, 1 year or 5 years.
GamStop is designed to promote responsible gambling, but it also blocks access to legit sites for players who still want to play. That’s why many turn to non-GamStop casinos, which operate outside the UK and are not part of the GamStop system. These sites let you continue gambling even if you’re on GamStop.
If you’re asking “what is GamStop?”, the likelihood is that you don’t really need a non-Gamstop casino. However, you still might find that the casinos not on GamStop that we listed above are entertaining places to play. Non-GamStop casino sites have transcended their original function and have now become great places to play with a unique style of gaming and exceptional bonuses, as we hope our casino reviews have illustrated.
Note: The main advantage of safe casinos not on gamstop is that they get around the GamStop restrictions. UK casino sites are not all nonGamStop casinos, so don’t get confused.
Licensing and Regulation of Casinos Not on GamStop
The best casino not on GamStop sites in the UK are not all licensed by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission. Most non-GamStop sites are regulated and licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, Gibraltar Regulatory Authority, Curacao eGaming or the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.
How to Verify The Legitimacy and Trustworthiness of A NonGamStop Online Casino
While many gambling sites not on GamStop offer fair play and fast payouts, others may cut corners. Here’s how to make sure a non-GamStop casino is safe before you deposit.
Check the License
Look for a valid license, which means a license issued by a trusted regulator. We realise that might sound a bit complicated, but all you need to do is look around the website’s homepage for logos of the following bodies: Curacao eGaming, Malta Gaming Authority or Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Licensed casinos not on GamStop usually list their license number at the bottom of the homepage. If you are not sure the casino you’re playing at is licensed, walk away.
Read Real Player Reviews
This is what we did while compiling the list of online casinos we included at the top of the article. We recommend checking for complaints about withdrawals, bonus scams or poor support. Scour the web and visit sites like Trust Pilot, Reddit and Facebook.
Test Customer Support
Players from the UK should reach out to live chat or email before signing up. Ask about payment methods, bonus terms or ID checks. A legit non-GamStop casino will answer fast and clearly. If support is slow or dodgy, that’s a red flag.
Review Bonus Terms
If the welcome bonus sounds too good to be true, read the fine print. A fair non-GamStop casino should have clear wagering terms (ideally 20× to 30×) with no hidden rules. Free spins should also be wager-free or clearly explained. Wagering requirements of 45× and above will be challenging for you to fulfill.
By checking these points, you can safely pick from the best casinos not on GamStop and avoid shady sites. Don’t just trust your gut! Always do a little research on non-GamStop sites before you play.
UK Casinos Not on GamStop vs UKGC Casinos
If you’re a UK player deciding between gambling sites not on GamStop and UKGC-licensed casinos, it’s important to understand the differences. Both options have pros and cons depending on what you’re looking for: freedom or regulation.
UKGC casinos are tightly controlled and part of the national self-exclusion scheme (GamStop). Casinos not on GamStop, on the other hand, are based offshore and give players more flexibility. We’ve broken down the key points below:
Feature
UKGC Casinos
Casinos Not on GamStop
GamStop Restrictions
Yes (blocked if enrolled)
No restrictions, play anytime
License Type
UK Gambling Commission
Curacao, Malta, Gibraltar, Isle of Man
Bonuses
Lower value, capped offers
High bonuses, often more than 200 percent
Verification
Strict KYC and ID checks
Minimal or no ID required
Payment Options
Debit cards, PayPal
Crypto, e-wallets, cards, bank transfer
Withdrawal Limits
Set by UKGC rules
More flexible, varies by site
Self-Exclusion Support
Full tools via GamStop
Varies, manual limits only
Player Protection
High (regulated by UKGC)
Moderate (varies by license)
How to Sign up to SpinDog Casino
Signing up to SpinDog Casino, one of the best casinos not on GamStop, is quick and easy. You don’t need to pass any ID checks or wait for long verifications (and that’s the whole point of why nonGamStop casinos are appreciated by players). Here’s how to get started:
Make Your First Deposit (Note: Deposit at least £20 using Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller or crypto like Bitcoin. Deposits are instant and safe)
Start Playing
Last Words on Non-GamStop Online Casinos in the UK
If you’re tired of limits, restrictions and blocked access, non-GamStop casinos are your way back into the game. The gambling sites we listed are not on GamStop. They give players full control. This means no GamStop, no ID checks and fast payouts with crypto or e-wallets. Whether you’re chasing big jackpots, live dealer action or wager-free bonuses, the best non-GamStop casinos offer more choice and better rewards.
In this article, we have confidently asserted that SpinDog casino is the best casino not on GamStop. There is no single reason for why we ranked this as the best casino not on GamStop. However, if we had to sum it up, we would say that SpinDog is a fast, no-limit, non-UK casino that offers top games and bonuses.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Non-Gamstop Casinos
What Are Non-GamStop Casinos?
Non-GamStop casinos are online gambling sites that operate outside the UK and are not linked to the GamStop self-exclusion program.
Do Non-GamStop Casinos Pay out?
Yes, non-GamStop casino sites do pay out: especially the reputable ones we’ve tested and listed. Stick to trusted online casinos in the UK not on GamStop to ensure smooth payouts.
What Does Not on GamStop Mean?
When a casino is “not on GamStop,” it means the site is not part of the UK’s self-exclusion system. These online casinos in the UK give you the freedom to gamble without restrictions.
The bodies of innocent citizens don’t stay buried, or submerged, for long in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent. Corruption in 1970s Brazil saturates the bodies and souls of politicians, police officers, the media, and industrialists. In the world Filho constructs, moral ambiguity doesn’t exist. Everyone is complicit. The chief of police’s henchmen are his sons. But he’s not torn about the example he’s setting. They carry out his orders without questioning him. Callous self-interest is their true inheritance. A rotted out spiritual capital gets handed down from generation to generation. They’re part of an expansive network of everyday villains who get their thrills from hunting down liberal dogooders. Kidnapping, murder, extortion: it’s all part of the sadistic fun taking place under a dictatorship.
Marcelo (Wagner Moura) is the sad-eyed hero of the film. He’s introduced to viewers on his way to find refuge in the seaside city of Recife. It’s one of those films where the ocean isn’t recreational; it’s a safe harbor for sharks. When he pauses to fill up his gas tank, the camera, taking up his point of view, zooms in on the dusty ground where a corpse is clumsily wrapped in newspapers and cardboard. The station attendant tells him they reported it to the police but several days have passed without any response from the authorities.
While Marcelo is processing this information, two highway patrol officers pull up to the station. At first, their arrival suggests they’ve responded to the call. Marcelo knows better. Neither officer is interested in the dead body but one of them makes a beeline towards him. Marcelo’s defensive posture indicates a wariness. He understands he’s about to get interrogated. He gives careful, measured responses knowing that, at the end of the interview, he’ll have to bribe the officer to avoid being beaten or taken into custody. He can’t afford to take any risks.
After the encounter, he drives toward the city center. Carnival dancers on the side of the road seem to herald his arrival. But one of them, dressed up as a red bird in full plumage, sticks his head inside Marcelo’s car as if to threaten him. It’s not a good sign. These first 10 minutes of The Secret Agent are a harbinger of what’s to come.
One Battle After Another is, stylistically, the American equivalent of Filho’s film. Both evoke an earlier, looser era of filmmaking, one that Peter Biskind documented in his book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. Paul Thomas Anderson and Filho have made overtly political movies. But they’re also entertainments, the ideas acted out by several characters who, along with their competing ideologies, inevitably collide. One Battle relies on Leonardo DiCaprio to communicate a generation’s anxiety about the state of class and race relations in America—where one’s personal life must be compartmentalized separately and away from one’s political life. The two cannot coexist in this country without some aspect of the self surrendering to a moral breakdown.
Anderson presents a bleak picture of the current moment but he also retains a sense of hopefulness. Filho, a realist, does not. Marcelo, whose real name is Armando, is impassively resigned to his fate. He and a group of political exiles are resisting the State’s greedy and punitive reach. But he doesn’t seem to feel the same sense of urgency as Bob, DiCaprio’s character, does. Both are essentially widowers, single fathers trying to claim and protect their children in the midst of many other equally pressing dilemmas.
There are multiple differences between these two characters on the run but they boil down to psychology, the time periods, and the geographical settings. Bob is a true paranoid who suffers from justifiable paranoia. He participated in what the government would describe as domestic terrorist activities. But he also came of age in a post-Nixon era. His mind is overwrought because he intuits that, eventually, the State will catch up with him. No amount of vaping will help him avoid the long arm of the law.
Before he adopted the Marcelo pseudonym, as Armando he worked in academia. At that time in Brazil after the military coup, his profession was considered subversive. He remains quizzical, and in disbelief that he and his ideals are being forced to flee the country (the historian Mark Bray might identify with Armando’s plight). Where Bob is a comic figure—bumbling, unconscious, naive—Armando is tragically laconic. He can’t form the thoughts or find the words to defend himself. Armando enters the gates of Hell thinking it’s a path towards salvation. That plan works for Bob in a cinematic universe defined by happier endings. The Secret Agent takes place in another country, a wiser, more rueful one.
‘The Secret Agent’ is now playing at AMC Bay Street 16, Emeryville; and Rialto Cinemas Elmwood, Berkeley.
It’s Friday night and the tiny venue is packed. People of all ages—mostly punk or punk-adjacent—crowd the bar, shouting drink orders over the blaring sound system. Others mill about, buzzing with anticipation.
She walks toward the stage, her heart racing, a bead of sweat forming on her upper lip. Stepping onto the platform, she takes a breath, grabs the mic, nods at the guitarist, then the drummer. The crowd leans in—faces expectant, willing her to begin. She feels jittery, slightly nauseous and totally alive.
And here’s the thing: She’s not in the band.
In fact, she’s never been in a band. What she is about to do is sing karaoke—backed not by a machine or a YouTube instrumental, but by a fully rehearsed, four-piece punk band playing live behind her. This is Punk Band Karaoke, an East Bay project that makes it possible for anyone—literally anyone—to live out a long-buried rock-star fantasy for three chaotic, glorious minutes.
The idea first sparked three years ago, when Julio Palacios managed music programming at the then-new Little Hill Lounge in El Cerrito. People kept asking for karaoke. “If we did karaoke,” Palacios recalls saying, “I’d want to do it with a real band. Like a Punk Rock Karaoke.”
He was thinking of the SoCal band from the late ’90s that functioned as something of an Orange County punk supergroup. That rotating lineup included Steve Soto of the Adolescents and Agent Orange, Derek O’Brien of Social Distortion, Greg Hetson of Circle Jerks and Bad Religion, and even Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo. It was equal parts reverent and ridiculous—punk mythology brought to life by letting regular people scream into the void.
Palacios, a guitarist, plays in Sweetwater Black, an Oakland band that formed about a decade ago. But as members started families and moved across the Bay, the band began playing less frequently. Still, Palacios couldn’t shake the karaoke-with-a-live-band idea.
Around that time, he befriended Berkeley drummer Gracie Malley, who was immediately on board. Malley plays in Rip Room, a “weird, slightly technical” art-punk trio based in San Francisco, as well as the Greasy Gills, an instrumental surf-rock band. She’s also been filling in on drums for the Wind-Ups, a garage-punk band connected to Oakland’s Dandy Boy Records.
“Genre-wise it’s a bit different,” Malley says. “But drumming style-wise I’m pretty much just ripping fast tempos, which is a zone I’m comfortable in. If I ever have to play under 130 BPM I feel naked and scared.”
Mack Narragan was DJing at Little Hill around the same time, and also signed on. He plays in the Oakland power-pop psych-rock band CVCC—pronounced “civic”—and records solo material under the name Dum1, where he plays all the instruments himself.
“It’s kind of jangle-poppy,” he says. “I love ’60s baroque pop, ’70s glam. It kind of runs the gamut from smarter stuff to dumb ’70s ‘Saturday Night’ Bay City Rollers and anywhere in between.”
Punk Band Karaoke became official when bassist-vocalist Sarah McKinney joined in the summer of 2023. McKinney also plays in Rip Room with Malley, and the two share a deep musical shorthand forged over eight years of playing together. In spring 2024, Oakland DJ Cristy Nelson—a.k.a. DJ Cristy Bubbles—came on board to warm up the crowd at every show. While not technically in the band, she’s widely considered its unofficial fifth member.
“I view myself as a cheerleader for the band,” Nelson says. “I think they respect my knowledge of rock ’n’ roll and punk history so I try to bring out the obscure, popular and tracks from local bands.”
A STAR IS BORN Ivy Room Manager Donna Berry celebrated her birthday with Gang of Four’s ‘Damaged Goods’ and the Waitresses’ ‘I Know What Boys Like.’ (Photo by Dino Mehicic)
With Palacios on lead guitar and Narragan mostly on rhythm, Punk Band Karaoke (PBK) played its first show on Oct. 13, 2023, during Little Hill Lounge’s one-year anniversary. The initial setlist was 25 songs—each band member picked four.
“It’s cool because everybody’s taste within the band is a little different,” Palacios says. “We all pick different things so that keeps it pretty diverse.”
“We all grew up listening to punk,” McKinney says.
Over time, the song list grew organically. First came written request sheets at shows. Then another Rip Room bandmate, guitarist-songwriter John Reed, built a PBK website so people could request songs online. Those requests went into an Excel spreadsheet, where the band would choose which songs to learn before the next gig. They’re now up to 107 songs.
“When we first started doing this, it was me, Gracie and Mack,” Palacios says. “In those days, we were kind of trash.”
Narragan agrees. “Sarah and Gracie play in Rip Room, where it is so technical, so much virtuosity in that band. Me and Julio—we’re the loosey-goosey rock ’n’ roll boys. They school us. It’s definitely upped our game. Having them as the rhythm section is just an insane cheat code.”
All that practice means anyone can sing with the band, regardless of skill level or experience. That accessibility is the whole point.
Punk Band Karaoke features (L-R) Sarah McKinney, Mack Narragan, Julio Palacios and Gracie Malley. (Photo courtesy of the band)
Sezín Devi Koehler, a local author and editor, found PBK soon after moving to the Bay Area last year. She finally attended a show on Nov. 22 at the Ivy Room in Albany.
“The moment I heard that you could sing karaoke with a live band I was sold,” Koehler says. “I’m a trained actor so the stage doesn’t scare me. But secretly, I’ve always wanted to be a singer.”
She chose “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” by the Ramones—partly because it has relatively few lyrics, and partly in honor of a friend who introduced her to the band years earlier. She practiced by listening to the song on repeat, figuring that if she messed up at least the chorus would carry her through. She needn’t have worried.
“It was one of the best moments of my life!” Koehler says. “Performing with the band was one of the most magical things I’ve experienced. I’ve always wanted to sing with a punk band, but not being a singer has understandably put a wrench in those plans. Until Punk Band Karaoke, that is, making my lifelong dream come true.”
She’s now considering voice lessons. Not because she needs them, exactly—but because she wants to do it again.
“I love being on stage,” she says, “and feeling like part of an actual band was next-level enchantment.”
Local author Sezín Devi Koehler chose to sing the Ramones’ ‘Sheena Is a Punk Rocker’ to honor a dearly departed friend. (Photo by Dino Mehicic)
That transformation—from nervous curiosity to full-body exhilaration—is something the band sees every show. But it doesn’t happen by accident. When PBK was first getting started the members enlisted a friend to come sing during practice to help them figure out how to support future performers.
“[That first show] was sort of a trial by fire,” McKinney says. “It’s a bar so there are varying levels of sobriety.”
“People think they know the song, but then they don’t,” Palacios adds.
Lyrics are displayed on a monitor for singers, complete with cues for guitar solos and breaks. If someone gets lost, the band steps in—sometimes with a look, sometimes with a pointed finger, sometimes by singing along loudly enough to guide them back.
“I think a lot of bands kind of rely on the singer,” McKinney says. “There’s cues that you listen for when you’re playing a song. When you can’t rely on that with karaoke, we have to be the ones that are like, ‘We’re here.’”
“Sarah’s my cue,” Palacios says. “Sarah knows the songs and I just watch her.”
When things go wrong—and they occasionally do—they tend to go wrong gloriously. One night, a singer bailed on a Sex Pistols song moments before it was supposed to start.
“So I asked the crowd, “Does anybody want to do ‘Bodies’?’” Palacios says. “This guy came up out of nowhere, sang it perfectly without looking at the words, crushed it—[and then] just walked off.”
Another night, a man stumbled while getting onto the stage to perform Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer.”
“But the audience all knew the words,” McKinney says. “Everybody was singing and it was just like, OK, we all know where we’re at here.”
Those moments—when the room collectively steps in—are what keep the band coming back.
“That’s the biggest surprise to me, show after show,” Narragan says, “is the way that people support each other. It’s way cooler to see somebody come up, belt their life out on the stage and then that’s the person sweeping the floor at the end of the night when you’re loading out. Average people get to play these shows, where people are so engaged with them and positive.”
For Malley, the emotional impact is unmistakable.
“People say things like, ‘I was at the first show and thought I’d never sing on stage but after talking to my therapist about it, she said I should, so fuck it here I am,’” she says. “And then they’d dive into ‘Rebel Girl’ [by Bikini Kill].”
It’s also unexpectedly healing.
For people who insist they “can’t sing,” Punk Band Karaoke offers something rare: teamwork. Singers aren’t alone up there. The band sings with them. The crowd sings with them. The pressure dissolves.
SUPPORT SYSTEM This East Bay punk crew lets locals scream their way to transcendence. (Photo by by Dino Mehicic)
“It’s not like you’re just going up there alone like karaoke,” Palacios says. “There’s the four of us, we’re going to be right there with you. We’re going to sing when you don’t sing. We’ll sing with you. We’ve got the chorus. Just come up, you can do it.”
McKinney adds, “It does feel like you’re in a band. It’s really an exciting feeling if you haven’t experienced that.”
Narragan puts it more philosophically. “[It] democratizes the musical landscape,” he says. “Everyone talks about punk as if it’s this monolith where there’s this connection with the crowd. But there’s still this blockism. And [with PBK] that wall is torn down, yet it’s still in this great show environment.
“And on top of that, we’re not being overly earnest about it. We’re gonna create a fun environment. We’re gonna support you. It’s a give and take. Fortunately for us, it’s just been incredible,” he adds.
“People have talked about it like it’s church for them,” Malley says. “I’ve played hundreds of shows in my life and there’s something different about the energy in the room at a PBK show. The way the audience is way more visibly appreciative of both what you’re doing but also what their peers are doing on stage. It’s really wholesome. Pretty classic that the punk crowd is just a bunch of sweethearts.”
In a scene often defined by coolness and detachment, Punk Band Karaoke is radically sincere. It’s messy, generous, occasionally off-key—and deeply human.
“In a lot of ways it feels more like providing a service in the community but by being in a band,” Malley says. “I love it.”
On any given Friday night, that service looks like someone conquering a fear, honoring a friend or remembering—just for a moment—what it feels like to be brave, loud and alive.
Punk Band Karaoke plays Friday, Dec. 19 at Bar 355, Oakland; and Jan. 9 at Thee Stork Club. More info: punkbandkaraoke.com.
When the most recent group of MacArthur Fellows was announced in October, three recipients of the “genius grants” were from the Bay Area: Oakland novelist Tommy Orange, Stanford assistant professor of chemical engineering William Tarpeh, and UC Berkeley associate professor in the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science Teresa Puthussery.
One of the unusual aspects of the MacArthur Fellowships is that recipients are not notified in advance that they have been nominated. According to the MacArthur Foundation: “A pool of peers from various fields nominates individuals to be fellows. According to the award’s requirements, there are three field categories: exceptional creativity, promise for significant future advances based on a track record of notable accomplishments, and potential for the fellowship to facilitate subsequent creative work.”
East Bay Express spoke to Orange and Tarpeh about the $800,000 awards, administered over five years, and what they mean for their work.
Tommy Orange’s first novel, There There, about an Oakland Native American family’s struggles and solidarity, was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Award and won the 2019 PEN/Hemingway Award. His prequel/sequel, Wandering Star, was longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize.
“They tricked me!” Orange chuckled when asked about his MacArthur notification. He was asked to do a phone call about someone he knew who was being considered for the fellowship. “And then they dropped the news!”
He’ll use part of his fellowship money as he finishes his third novel. He is currently working on another draft and expects to be finished by the end of the year. This book, though it features Native characters and takes place in Oakland, is not connected to the first two, he said.
The fellowship will also be of help with a film project that may be greenlighted soon, he said. His concern about the impact AI may have on creative projects is compelling him to start many new projects. “I think we have about five years [before the impact is fully felt],” he said, and as that is the time frame of the fellowship, the two things are connected in his plans.
At this point in his career he could live anywhere, but the Oakland-born author said, “I love Oakland—its diversity … Oakland has a lot to give to its people.”
In John Freeman’s recent book, California Rewritten, Freeman refers to There There as “sonically rich.”
Orange noted that he likes to hole up in a hotel—his favorite was the now-closed Waterfront in Jack London Square—and read his drafts aloud, over and over. “The way I write and think about sentences has to do with sound,” he said. He is concerned that the popularity of recorded books is causing people to lose their textural relationship to story. “Storytelling is all oral,” he said.
In the video he filmed for the MacArthur Foundation, he refers to thinking about characters’ “nuance and specificity.” Asked to elaborate, he said, “You start out having a general idea of something … then get more specific. It’s not weirdness for the sake of weirdness. [Showing a character’s vulnerability] draws people in.”
GENIUS PLANS Oakland novelist Tommy Orange plans to use part of the $800,000 award to finish his third novel. (Photo courtesy of the MacArthur Foundation)
MacArthur Fellow William Tarpeh’s passion is developing cost-effective technologies for recovering valuable resources from wastewater, primarily nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus. These resources can then be converted into chemicals and used in fertilizers, household products and industry. The assistant professor of chemical engineering at Stanford is focused on the uses of these technologies in places such as under-resourced and poor communities in Africa and rural Alabama.
Tarpeh was also “pranked” initially by the fellowship administrators. “They emailed me first, saying they were thinking of giving grants in my area,” he said. When he agreed to a phone call, the caller asked, “Are you alone?” before revealing that Tarpeh was actually the recipient of the award.
He is still deciding how to use the funds, but projects in Alabama and Africa that were interrupted first by Covid and recently by federal government cutbacks will likely be reinvigorated. For example, according to Stanford sources, the Alabama project is linked to environmental justice. Tarpeh is studying problems with failing septic tanks, particularly in low-income Black communities, to see if some of his lab’s processes might be a solution.
Tarpeh’s video on the MacArthur site shows him describing his lab’s work as “electric chemical wastewater refining.” The concept is a “closed loop. We take things from the environment, use them as many times as possible, and then discharge as little as possible to the environment,” he said.
Tarpeh said he is humbled to follow in the footsteps of 1995 MacArthur Fellow Bryan Stevenson, the American lawyer and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, who serves as an inspiration to him.
Although Tarpeh is a Washington, D.C., native, he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in environmental engineering at UC Berkeley and, as he said, “Almost all of my adult life has been spent in the Bay Area.” It was as a Berkeley grad student, he said, that he began tying engineering to social programs, and found the support to try a different path in his field. He passes his concepts on to the students he mentors at Stanford.
In his video, he said, “I would love it if we could get to a future where the concept of wastewater is obsolete.”
The third Bay Area MacArthur Fellow, Teresa Puthussery, is a neurobiologist and optometrist at UC Berkeley, whose research is devoted to advances in the early detection of ocular neuropathies like glaucoma, which remain undetectable until the later stages of the disease. Although she was not available for an interview, in her MacArthur video she said, “I hope in my lifetime we can see some of these treatments for these blinding diseases reach the clinic, and improve the quality of life for our patients.”
Don’t believe the haters; rock isn’t in a slump. Enter Monsterwatch. Hailing from Seattle, for the last decade this band has explored the weird and wonderful world of the heavy fuzz. And as with anything good, holy and pure in rock ’n’ roll, Monsterwatch is even better live, delivering a sweltering stage performance of anarchy and psychedelic sin. This will be the best show to say goodbye to 2025 to with the middle-finger salute. – MAT WEIR
Three East Bay improvisers convene for an evening of exploratory music when alto and tenor saxophonist Kasey Knudsen meets drummer Scott Amendola and bassist Mat Muntz. Marked by lyricism and melodic imagination, Knudsen’s improvisational flights have played a central role in an array of jazz ensembles over the past quarter century. Many of those situations have involved Amendola, a drummer equally effective laying down a propulsive groove and providing deep textures for other players to push against. Muntz is the wildcard. Since moving from New York City to Berkeley in 2022 he’s infused a bracing jolt of creative energy into the scene. – ANDREW GILBERT
Imagine Scrooge being taught lessons from ghosts of politicians past, present and future. Well in this case, Scrooge is Scrump, and if you do a switcheroo with the letters, a very familiar orange king appears. Surrounded by his fawning court, Scrump begins a tormented evening of eye-opening consequences to his less-than-noble life. Filled with songs, clowns, comedy and a devilishly appropriate sense of humor this holiday event will tickle your cockles and roast your chestnuts. Spoiler Alert: Despite a huge dose of self-aggrandizement, ye olde Scrump might NOT be heading upwards when death comes a knockin.’ No babies allowed. Performance on Saturday, too. – DNA
The 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, James Caan and Bob Newhart careens and cartoons around the life of Buddy—an orphaned infant raised by elves on the North Pole and now a too-tall, grownup elf. He travels to New York City in search of his biological father, Walter Hobbs, a Scrooginian man unaware he is a father and lacking any Santa-like spirit. Tickets to the show include all-you-can-eat pasta; hopefully enjoyed minus Ferrell’s real-life vomiting when filming one scene when Buddy eats candy and pasta. Slouch on the Parkway’s comfy couches, slurp up unlimited noodles and laugh along with others at a now-classic holiday film. – LOU FANCHER
DAGGERBOARD & ERIK JEKABSON’S WINTER SOLSTICE CONCERT
Trumpeter and composer Erik Jekabson, the force behind the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra and other projects, has forged a collaboration with percussionist and producer Gregory Howe, who runs Berkeley’s Wide Hive Records. Together they’ve created albums featuring jazz stars such as saxophonist Kamasi Washington, Headhunters drummer Mike Clark and bassist Henry “The Skipper” Franklin, often working under the moniker Daggerboard. In their next seasonal concert installment, the Daggerboard Chamber Orchestra + Jazz Quartet celebrate the winter solstice with eight world premieres for a 17-piece ensemble featuring some of the Bay Area’s best musicians. – AG
Jenner Fox—folk troubadour, John Prine devotee and twinkly eyed storyteller—brings 1993 album A John Prine Christmas to life with his all-star band. Based in Bellingham, Washington, and featuring musicians from Polecat, Gregory Alan Isakov, Noah Gundersen and Petty or Not, the Jenner Fox Band makes music that’s cozy, uncluttered and full of quiet humor. Together they’ll bring together Prine classic and holiday oddballs (“Silent Night All Day Long,” “Christmas in Prison”) into a night of folk, laughter and that familiar Prine ache. – SONYA BENNETT-BRANDT
Harrington Saints carry the legacy of Oi!, the working-class street genre that emerged in late-’70s London as a response to art-school punk. Bay Area–bred, they channel that gritty, communal, football-chant energy into taut, hook-driven songs and pointed lyrics about fascism, gun violence and revolution. Across their dozen-plus singles, EPs and full-lengths, the band has honed a sound that’s both fierce and good-hearted—they’re unflinching in their honesty, but buoyed with an uplifting, collective energy. – SBB
INFO: Sat, 8:30pm, Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Ave., Albany. $20.13. 510.526.5888.
SUNDAY, DEC. 21
AMERICANA
LUCY SOUTHERN
Jazz violinist Lucy Southern appears with pianist/venue owner Sam Rudin for a not-to-miss concert. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Southern was a member of the Berkeley Youth Orchestra and graduated Summa Cum Laude from San Francisco State University School of Music before moving to world stages. Awards and accolades stacked up, Southern founded the Gypsy Messengers group, sold-out appearances proliferated and a uniquely gifted, animated performing artist emerged. Which makes the opportunity to cozy up with Southern and her fiddle in the intimate Back Room a perfect holiday gift. Celebrate a homegrown talent, bring your favorite snacks and don’t leave the young folks out because kids under age 12 are free. – LF
This is the perfect season for Deadheads to spend time with loved ones, reflect and give back to the world while simultaneously twirling out to the music we all know and love. Despite playing with the Dead for the seminal years of 1968-1970 and recording Aoxomoxoa and the band’s first live album, Live/Dead, Constanten never received the money and fame that some of the other members did. This Tuesday his friends are throwing a benefit to help Constanten pay for lung cancer treatments in the best way they know how: with friends, extended Deadhead family, plenty of stories and music that never stops. – MW
INFO: Tue, 8pm, Ashkenaz, 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. $20-$80. 510.525.5099.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 24
BLUES
ALVON JOHNSON
When it comes to showmanship, Alvon Johnson is a living master’s class in top-tier entertainment. Not often do you find a guitarist who is so valued in both the blues and jazz worlds. With a home base in Vallejo, Johnson jet-sets the world, playing internationally and being welcomed as royalty. Russia lays out the carpet to welcome the King of the Blues. Johnson’s ability to shift between genres is mindboggling as he also belts out everything from jazz standards to classics from his time in the legendary Coasters. From R&B to rock ’n’ roll, Johnson commands the stage with a chest full of awards, like a general at the top of his game. – DNA
Published in cooperation between CasinoBeats.com and the East Bay Express
California’s gambling scene is dealing with a problem that has been building quietly for years. It is not a single bill or a single lawsuit. It is a slow shift in how people access online casinos, how they move digital money around the state’s rules and how enforcement agencies try to keep up. Even though California does not license real money online casinos, people still find their way to offshore platforms.
A growing number do it through privacy tools, and online gambling with VPN has simply become the workaround people use when they want access to offshore casino sites that California does not license. Players share routes to platforms that offer full slot libraries, fast deposits and real-money tables that the state cannot provide, so the VPN becomes part of the routine rather than a novelty. It is a practical response to a system where the demand for online play is growing faster than the laws that restrict it.
The practical issue is that the law on the books was written for a different era. What used to be simple enough to enforce has turned into something more complicated. The state can ban operators. It cannot stop the entire internet. People route their traffic through locations that are not real, pay with tokens instead of cards and log in to casino sites that do not sit anywhere near California. The behaviour is not new, but the scale of it is. Offshore platforms have become smoother, faster and harder to distinguish from legitimate services. For regulators, that means almost every line of the rulebook is under pressure.
Recent developments have added even more fuel to the conversation. In early 2025, several of California’s tribal nations filed a lawsuit aimed at card rooms that run banked table games. The tribes argue that these card rooms are offering games that should fall under tribal authority. The case has nothing to do with offshore casino websites, yet the timing highlights how stretched the entire regulatory space has become. When the state struggles to contain disputes inside its own borders, the idea of policing offshore operators becomes even more difficult.
Crypto has taken this tension and pushed it further. A federal investigation recently ended with a California casino paying almost one million dollars in fines because it failed to keep up with anti-money laundering rules. That case did not involve online casino play, but it did show how much scrutiny digital payments are attracting. Crypto-based gambling platforms are already on that radar. Regulators know that digital wallets can cross borders instantly, and they know that offshore casinos have become comfortable accepting them. The mix of crypto, VPN use and unlicensed casinos turns every transaction into a chain of uncertainty.
For players, the attraction is obvious. The online casino world is bigger than it has ever been. Offshore platforms offer slot games, live dealer tables, fast payouts and round-the-clock access. None of that exists under California law. People follow whatever access paths are available, and many of those paths are now technical rather than legal. VPNs hide location. Crypto hides financial identity. Together, they create the idea of frictionless access, even if the law has not changed.
Behind the scenes, California’s gambling regulators know they are in the middle of a moving target. Some of the enforcement work focuses on payment channels. Banks and processors are encouraged to block transactions linked to known offshore operators. It helps, but it is not perfect. Crypto transactions are harder to track, and even traditional payments can slip through grey zones. Other efforts look at advertising and affiliate networks, trying to reduce the number of Californians who end up at offshore casinos in the first place. That helps too, but offshore sites adjust their branding quickly. It becomes a cycle rather than a solution.
Meanwhile, tech companies in the state watch the situation with a different kind of interest. They see the gap between innovation and regulation. The online casino world moves fast because it is built on tech. California moves more slowly because lawmaking does not run at the same speed. Startups working with blockchain, payments, data security or gaming technology see a preview of their own future in this conflict. Every new idea enters the world first and becomes regulated later. The longer that gap is, the more unpredictable the landscape becomes.
Legal analysts expect the next phase of California’s response to revolve around clarification rather than an outright crackdown. The state could decide to tighten rules around VPN use, though that raises civil liberties questions that the government has not always been eager to confront. It could focus on the payment side and strengthen cooperation with banks and exchanges. It might even push for federal coordination, since offshore operators rarely limit themselves to one region. None of these approaches is simple, but they reflect an understanding that the problem will not fade on its own.
For tribal casinos and land-based operators, the concern is more practical. Online play threatens to peel away a segment of customers. Even if the scale is not huge yet, the trend line points upward. Younger adults are more comfortable with digital money and remote access tools. They are used to services that adjust to them, not the other way around. As online casino platforms grow bolder, the pressure on brick-and-mortar venues increases. This does not mean the casino floor is disappearing. It means the competition has changed shape.
Crypto gaming adds one more layer. It is not regulated in California, but it is accessible. Anyone with a mobile phone and a digital wallet can participate. For consumer protection groups, that is the biggest worry. Offshore casinos do not follow California self-exclusion rules. They do not follow state-level dispute procedures. They do not offer the safety nets that local regulations require. When something goes wrong, there is no reliable path for help. People lose money, accounts get locked and customer support is often limited to canned responses.
The next twelve months will likely show how California plans to approach all of this. The white paper on gambling reforms drew attention nationally, but those reforms were rooted in British law, not American law. California does not have an equivalent blueprint to follow. Lawmakers are reviewing various proposals, yet none of them fully capture the reality of VPN access, crypto wallets and offshore platforms built to avoid jurisdiction altogether. Any future framework must acknowledge the practical behaviour of players, not just the technical language of statutes.
At the risk of sounding like a Stepford-eyed influencer, the green gift boxes at Casa de Chocolates are, like, omg super cute! Tied up with red, yellow or green ribbons, they’re the color of Christmas trees for a reason. Located on Ashby Avenue since 2012, the Berkeley chocolate store with Oaxacan and Michoacán roots just opened a second location on Park Boulevard. After catching co-owner Linda Sanchez right before the new store’s grand opening, I drove up to Glenview to take a look inside.
The shelves are lined with the aforementioned gift boxes and candy bars, which are also smartly wrapped for the season of giving. The front counter is a line of demarcation between the retail and manufacturing spaces. One baker, or maker, was on a break from fabrication while I visited but a lot of pristine machinery sat quietly resting. At the register, Linda’s sister Rosa managed the store. She’d chopped an Inca crunch candy bar into bite-sized sample pieces. The quinoa crunch summoned up another famous, puffed-rice “crunch” bar that I associate with my adolescent snack routines.
I also purchased a bonbon in the shape of a Dungeons & Dragons’ die filled with creamy peanut butter. All of Casa de Chocolates’ available bonbons are displayed up front on a bright white plate. There’s quite a range. Memorably, the Mexican vanilla is decorated with snowflakes, the coconut is perfectly round with an ombré effect and the hibiscus is made to look like a milky-pink heart.
Sanchez told me one of her roles is to support recipe development while her business partner, Jesus Chavez, minds the financials. “He’s the person telling me we have a very thin budget, or he’ll tell me what is possible,” she said. Chavez has also answered the phone every time I’ve called the store.
The two took over Casa de Chocolates from the company’s founders, Amelia Garcia and Arcelia Gallardo. Once in charge, Sanchez felt like she didn’t need to spend time adjusting the original recipes. “All of our stuff is really delicious,” she said. “Now that we have a second location, our line of production and offerings are going to expand.”
Casa de Chocolates currently features the major fruits of Latin America, such as passion fruit, mango, guava and tamarind. Sanchez said, “We don’t need to develop those things. So I think, ‘OK, is there something new?’” One item she’s developing is a gluten-free chocolate cake recipe with amaranth. At the start of the production process, Sanchez asks herself the question, “How can we remake and reintroduce different crops and fruits that are traditional to Latino America, and give them a twist?”
To celebrate the Park Boulevard opening, she created a vegan truffle that combines two flavors, a cinnamon ganache with a goat’s milk caramel filling. “It’s just an incredible bonbon, between the cinnamon and the caramel and the gaminess of the goat’s milk,” Sanchez said. “It’s getting creative with what we already have in-house and making new profiles that customers will really enjoy.”
Casa de Chocolates currently features the major fruits of Latin America, such as passion fruit, mango, guava and tamarind.(Photo by J.S. Edalatpour)
Casa de Chocolates’ mission, Sanchez noted, “is to uplift Latino America but specifically the Indigenous Mesoamerican influence on cacao, which dates back to the Olmecs.” She said that, according to research about the region, the Olmecs were the first people to have processed and consumed cacao.
“We use European techniques, the bonbons, but all of our ganaches, caramels and flavors are of Latino America,” she said. She cited the mole bonbons made with spices and chilies, tequila and Mezcal ganaches, and the fruit flavors from parts of Mexico and Central America. “Our specialty has always been and will continue to be dark chocolate because dairy is not really something that was part of how we thought about chocolate in Latino America,” she said.
Initially, Casa de Chocolates used Guittard chocolate. But a year and half ago it transitioned exclusively to sources from Brazil, Ecuador and parts of Mexico. Sanchez considers that transition to be a major milestone for the business.
“One of our new chocolatiers went to Ecuador to visit folks who were working with the cacao where our chocolate was coming from,” she said. “In the past few years, we have been really intentional to source our cacao specifically from Latino America.”
Casa de Chocolates, 2629 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, and 4228 Park Blvd., Oakland. Open Mon noon to 5pm; Wed-Sun 11am to 7pm. 510.859.7221. casadechocolates.com
A beloved East Bay hat store is hanging up its last cap after 50 years in business.
The Berkeley Hat Company will close its 2510 Telegraph Ave. storefront on Jan. 31, 2026. The shop, located just four blocks south of UC Berkeley, is known for hosting the largest selection of hats for men and women in the Bay Area.
Founder and...
This week's expertly curated calendar picks features local ice skating, DJ Quik, New Parkway's 'Vegan Dinner + a Movie,' Jeffrey James, Sean Hayes, Tuck & Patti, Boney James, Primus, Mustache Harbor, and Fleetwood Macramé.
Published in cooperation between Casino Recommendations and the East Bay Express
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The bodies of innocent citizens don’t stay buried, or submerged, for long in Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent. Corruption in 1970s Brazil saturates the bodies and souls of politicians, police officers, the media, and industrialists. In the world Filho constructs, moral ambiguity doesn’t exist. Everyone is complicit. The chief of police’s henchmen are his sons. But he’s not...
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When the most recent group of MacArthur Fellows was announced in October, three recipients of the “genius grants” were from the Bay Area: Oakland novelist Tommy Orange, Stanford assistant professor of chemical engineering William Tarpeh, and UC Berkeley associate professor in the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science Teresa Puthussery.
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THURSDAY, DEC. 18
GARAGE
MONSTERWATCH
Don’t believe the haters; rock isn’t in a slump. Enter Monsterwatch. Hailing from Seattle, for the last decade this band has explored the weird and wonderful world of the heavy fuzz. And as with anything good, holy and pure in rock ’n’ roll, Monsterwatch is even better live, delivering a sweltering stage performance of anarchy and psychedelic...
Published in cooperation between CasinoBeats.com and the East Bay Express
California’s gambling scene is dealing with a problem that has been building quietly for years. It is not a single bill or a single lawsuit. It is a slow shift in how people access online casinos, how they move digital money around the state’s rules and how enforcement agencies try...
At the risk of sounding like a Stepford-eyed influencer, the green gift boxes at Casa de Chocolates are, like, omg super cute! Tied up with red, yellow or green ribbons, they’re the color of Christmas trees for a reason. Located on Ashby Avenue since 2012, the Berkeley chocolate store with Oaxacan and Michoacán roots just opened a second location...
