"Puerto Rican restaurant La Perla is set to shut down its Oakland restaurant at 3409 Fruitvale Avenue as of Saturday, November 30. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that owner Jose “Cheo” Ortiz is closing the location for personal reasons; he is recovering from cancer, and commuting from his Castro Valley home to Oakland has become more difficult. But while it’s sad news for Oakland residents, Ortiz is opening a new location of La Perla in Castro Valley, which will be much easier on him, distance-wise. Ortiz shares that he’ll be able to walk to the new location at the Castro Valley Marketplace from his home, and will continue on with the menu that La Perla is known for." - Dianne de Guzman