If you want to do more research, you can easily find directories like this: https://buddhiststudies.stanford.edu/resourcesother-resource.... There is tremendous access to teachings in the Bay Area and a handful of fantastic monasteries within 100 miles.
For effective teachings, I recommend: https://pointingoutthegreatway.com/. As you're getting started, it doesn't really matter what you do, but if you want to progress along the path quickly, I have found the Tibetan "pointing" style teachings to be most safe and effective by about an order of magnitude.
Near Oakland there is San Francisco Zen Center (in Marin and in SF)—you might reach out and ask them for recommendations.
Also near Oakland you have many Tibetan organizations like https://gyalshen.org/ and https://nyingmainstitute.com/.
If you want to do more research, you can easily find directories like this: https://buddhiststudies.stanford.edu/resourcesother-resource.... There is tremendous access to teachings in the Bay Area and a handful of fantastic monasteries within 100 miles.
For effective teachings, I recommend: https://pointingoutthegreatway.com/. As you're getting started, it doesn't really matter what you do, but if you want to progress along the path quickly, I have found the Tibetan "pointing" style teachings to be most safe and effective by about an order of magnitude.
Realization Process is also very good, and not strictly Buddhist: https://realizationprocess.org/schedule-of-events/
Finally, https://sfdharmacollective.org/ is an incredible resource and people there can guide to whatever might suit you.