Elihu M Harris State Building

I only come here for the architecture. Like the Federal building, there’s a nice thoroughfare through the main lobby, although the Northern side perhaps isn’t somewhere you’d want to go that much apart from a couple of restaurants.
For looks, the Federal building wins hands down. The state building is more modern looking, but loses out for all that. I suspect the state building is a nicer place to work though.

Dear State of California,
I’ve always thought the state is in the red and we did not have money. But I walk into this beautifully architectured building in downtown Oakland and I realize, wow, state does… or did have money. They just spend it all. I’ve worked at many high tech and fortune 500 companies, but none were nice as this. Now we know where our tax $ goes…

I stopped in to get the 540 tax forms and instruction booklet. Well, I was glad that I did not have to go through the security to get to the third floor — location of the Franchise Tax Board. What I needed was readily available in the lobby by the huge rock. The visit was brief and lo and behold… who do I run into… one of my former colleagues who did not know I am almost retired.
The interior lobby area of this building still looks nice… just the way I remember it over 15 years ago.

If you’re not an employee, be prepared to get your belongings put through a scanner and have your shoes (most days) beep through the metal detector. They scan you with a handheld detector and ask you to turn around. The security folks who work here are pretty nice; they do their job, and most days are busy chatting with each other or ignoring you.
There’s a little cafeteria on the second floor. There’s a sign for Peet’s coffee in the lobby that’s a little misleading as they serve Peet’s at this cafeteria, but it’s not a Peet’s café. I needed coffee one day, so got a cup and also a breakfast English muffin with sausage, egg, and cheese. T’was good.
Security gets beefed up when someone special like the Governor shows up. Sometimes there’s a German Shepherd who accompanies them. I’ve left the building to find Girl Scout moms selling cookies as well as protesters outside the building. Nice garden design going on out there as well.

It’s a big grungy but easy to get in and of, staff are nice, the security people are quick. It’s COLD in there! Definitely not as nice as SF.

Its a nice building regardless if its new or old.

Glad Denise thinks it looks clean and new. I think it’s about ten years old, if not older. The metal detectors were just installed in June or July 2007, and while CHP has authority over security, the bozos who are hired to monitor the security system sure ain’t Ponch.
While you don’t have to show ID, leave cameras/​camera phones at home, or state where you’re going, you do need to walk through a metal detector; put items through an x-​ray, and, if the security guard is the old perverty guy and you’re a woman, you’re going to have to take off your suit jacket and put it through the x-​ray while he stares at your boobs.
If you’re looking for the bathroom, the easiest one to find is in the dark, southern wing of the first floor. You’ll need to go through security, but the line isn’t long, since no one goes down this way. There are no signs for the bathrooms – they are all the way down the hall into the dark, on the right. For some reason, the building management doesn’t like to turn the lights on in this hallway.
If you’re looking for payphones, you won’t find any on the first floor anymore.
I personally wouldn’t eat at the bad cafeteria. There are enough decent sandwich shops, burrito places, etc., in the big block that you don’t need to subject yourself to hospital-​quality food.
Remember, the State Building, is open to the public, any public, so sometimes there are crazies and the not-​so-​trustworthy hanging out in the lobby when you’re waiting for your real estate exams. Of course, some of these are fellow test takers.
If you’re totally bored, take a look at the little art gallery in the lobby – you don’t need to go through security to go into it!

I had to take a Department of Real Estate exam here today. Unlike the State building in San Diego, this one is totally brand new. So in that sense it was great, new and clean. To get in you go through the same metal detector as the airport. Once you get through security you can go anywhere in the building. There are 2 cafeteria like eating establishments in here with decent food. (see review on Fresh Natural Café for the one I ate at). Carpeted, with signs everywhere pointing you to where you need to go.
One thing I will say about the design: you have to follow a maze to get anywhere. Luckily there are signs directing you where to go, but is it really necessary to make 5 turns to get to one room? Couldn’t we have found some other way to get the rooms lined up or something or somehow be more accessible?
All in all, if this is what my tax money is paying for, at least it looks clean and new. Hope it stays that way.