possible and within our reach.”
Mayor Thao provided a few minutes on the program to introduce to the community Dr. Kimberly Mayfield, the newly appointed deputy mayor, who has served as vice president of external affairs
“Sometimes, we take our shared progressive values for granted, our advances toward justice and equality,” said Mayor Thao.
She reminded people that “a… century ago, our city was dominat-
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors this week recommended a manual recount of the Oakland mayoral race and other close ranked-choice election results in the county Nov. 8 elections but fell short of requiring a recount and making clear that the supervisors’ decision was contin-
gent on what is allowable under California election law and regulations.
Passed unanimously Jan. 10 by board members, the resolution who authored by Supervisor Keith Carson, who said he and other board members have received “thousands” of emails and
By Ken Epstein
Sheng Thao, a daughter of Hmong refugees who overcame homelessness and domestic abuse to attend university and build a life for herself and her family in Oakland, received the official oath of office Monday afternoon as the new mayor of the City of Oakland.
Sworn in at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Oakland by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, she stood on stage surrounded by friends, family, and staff members. She was flanked by her son Ben Ventura, who performed a musical piece on the cello, and her father “Richard” Nou
My Thao.
The mayor called on Oaklanders to join with her to create a more humane, inclusive, and just city. She spoke about her commitment as a progressive to significantly improve the quality of life for residents, making the city safer and cleaner, building 30,000 units of truly affordable housing, fostering jobs, promoting economic development, supporting small businesses and providing solutions to homelessness that recognize the dignity of the unsheltered.
“I know what we can do together, Oakland,” she said. “Our city’s’ best days are still to come. The Oakland that we all know is
and dean of the school of education at Holy Names University, a leader of the Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) and a member of the sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc.
In her remarks, the mayor focused on the city’s long fight to become more inclusive and equitable.
“We believe everyone deserves a seat at the table, not just a few, not just the wealthy, not just the wellconnected,” she said.
ed by members of the Ku Klux Klan (where) Klan members burned crosses in our hills and marched through our streets. As recently as the1970s, freeways were made possible by tearing down thriving Black, Latino, and Asian communities,” she continued.
“We recognize what we have overcome together to remember what is worth fighting for every day…(and) to take stock of how far
The newly elected progressive majority on the Oakland Board of Education voted this week to save five schools that a previous school board had approved for closure at the end of this school year.
The schools that remain open are Brookfield Elementary, Carl B. Munck Elementary, Grass Valley Elementary, Horace Mann Elementary, and Korematsu Discovery Academy, and Hillcrest K-8, will maintain its middle school.
Voting for the decision to rescind the closures were Board President Mike Hutchinson and VanCedric Williams, joined by new board members Valarie Bachelor and Jennifer Brouhard.
Boardmembers Sam Davis and Clifford Thompson voted no, while Nick Resnick abstained. Board President Hutchinson authored the resolution to halt the closures.
The previous board had voted last February to close or consolidate 11 schools over two years, including the five that were saved this week.
However, the closures were met with a community uprising that lasted for months, including protests, marches, walkouts, a hunger strike that received national attention and a one-teachers strike. Powered by that energy, two new progressive school board members won their elections, joining Boardmembers Williams and Hutchinson to create the anti-closure majority.
Uncertain at this point is how state overseers, which have long pressed the district to close schools, will respond to this board decision.
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee was officially sworn in as United States Representative for California’s 12th Congressional District, representing the people of the East Bay in the 118th Congress.
“I am honored that the people of the East Bay have entrusted me with the great responsibility of representing them in Congress, and deeply grateful to have such engaged and enlightened constituents. As a result of the 2020 Census and redistricting, our beautiful 13th district’s number is now 12.
“After four days, thousands of votes, 15 ballots, and the longest Speaker election since 1858, during the Buchannan presidency, we can finally begin legislating in the 118th Congress. I was honored to serve as one of two official Democratic tellers for the Speaker’s race and I’m looking forward to continuing the work of putting people over politics. I will continue fighting for safer communities; ending poverty; affordable housing; combatting homelessness; climate action; reproductive freedom; racial
justice; global peace and security, an equitable health care system; an economy that works for all, and so much more. We have work ahead of us, but with our most diverse and committed House Democratic Caucus yet, we’ll resist the rightwing’s extremist agenda and improve the lives and livelihoods of our communities.”
Congresswoman Lee is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. She serves as Co-Chair of the Steering & Policy Committee, former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chair Emeritus of the Progressive Caucus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Health Task Force, and Co-Chair of the ProChoice Caucus. She also serves as Chair of the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. As a member of the Steering and Policy Committee, she is the highest-ranking Black woman appointed to House Leadership.
By Keith Burbank Bay City NewsOakland may miss out on millions of dollars in grant money that could advance the Oakland A’s proposed ballpark at the city’s port.
The U.S. Department of Transportation failed to recommend that Oakland get $182.9 million in the initial round of funding for the city’s Waterfront Mobility Project. Oakland has not received official word that it was denied the grant money.
The city has been securing
dollars for the offsite infrastructure needed to support a new ballpark at the Charles P. Howard Terminal.
“While we are disappointed to have not been selected in the first round, we believe we put forward a strong application and are well positioned to secure other funding sources,” said Fred Kelley, director of the Oakland Department of Transportation. “We will continue to pursue other funding sources to ensure our projects have the resources they need.”
The great-grandchildren of the African American couple Willa and Charles Bruce, whose land in Southern California was taken in 1924 and returned to the family last year, have opted to sell it back to the local government for $20 million.
In the 1920s, the beach resort was extremely popular with African American tourists. At that time, Black people were not permitted on white beaches.
The site became famously known as “Bruce’s Beach.”
The children and grandchildren of Charles and Willa Bruce fought for decades to get back the land.
Chief Duane Yellow Feather Shepard, a family historian and spokesman for the Bruce family, stated in a 2021 interview, “It was a very significant location because there was nowhere else along the California coast where African Americans could go to enjoy the water.”
The Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists often threatened the Bruce family, but they kept the resort open and took care of the land.
In 1924, the municipal council used eminent domain to take the land to build a park.
But, according to a TV show called “The Insider,” the area wasn’t used for many years.
Willa and Charles Bruce fought back in court, but their compensation was only $14,000. In recent years, local officials have estimated the property’s value to be as high as $75 million.
The area contains two coastal properties and
is currently used for lifeguard training.
Janice Hahn, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, revealed that the family would sell the property back to the local government.
Hahn stated that the price was set through an appraisal.
Hahn stated, “This is what reparations look like, and it is a model I hope governments around the country would adopt.”
The statement made by Hahn may or may not be exactly what the Bruce family desired in addition to the restitution of their land.
In 2021, Anthony Bruce, the great-greatgrandson of Willa and Charles Bruce, told The New York Times, “An apology would be the least they could do.”
Contract Amount: TBD Terms: TBD
Project Description: The City of Oakland, Human Resources Management Department, Risk Management Division, seeks TPA to provide comprehensive Workers’ Compensation TPA services throughout the term of the contract. These services will be provided under the direction of the City’s ‘Risk Manager in accordance with agreed-upon terms and compensation.
Proposal Submittal Deadline: Submittals are due no later than February 13, 2023 by 2:00 P.M. via iSupplier. Please log on to iSupplier to submit your proposal online before the 2:00 P.M. deadline. Please register in iSupplier at least seven days prior to submittal to avoid last minute complications. In addition, please submit an email copy of the proposal to the project manager Andrew Lathrop, at alathrop@oaklandca.gov. Questions regarding online submittal through iSupplier must be directed to isupplier@oaklandca.gov to the attention of Marina De La Torre
NOTE: (1) Proposals not received at the above location by the stated deadline will be returned unopened; (2) If using a courier service, please secure guaranteed delivery to the required location and time as noted above.
• All who wish to participate in this RFP must register (at least 5 days prior to submittal due date) through iSupplier at (https://www.oaklandca.gov/services/register-with- isupplier) to avoid last minute submittal complications and receive addenda/ updates on this RFP.
• Did not receive and invitation? Start Early with iSupplier registration. Upon completion of registration, send an email to iSupplier@oaklandca.gov listing “RFP for Automobile subrogation” as the subject and advise of an invitation to the RFP. DWES will add your business to the RFP invitation.
• Experiencing bumps when registering? Send email to isupplier@oaklandca.gov or advise DWES support staff that you need HELP to expedite registration for this RFP!
• The following policies apply to this RFP: Equal Benefits • Revised L/SLBE (waived but L/SLBE participation is strongly encouraged) • Living Wage • Campaign Reform Act • Professional Services Local Hire • Prompt Payment • Arizona Boycott • Dispute Disclosure • Border Wall Prohibition • Sanctuary City Contracting and Investment Ordinance.
Please read Contract Boilerplate and Insurance Requirements (Schedule Q) in preparation for your success.
Contacts for Answers to Questions Regarding:
1. For answers to written emailed questions, send to: Marina De La Torre via email at mdelatorre @oaklandca.gov (510) 238-6419.
2. For iSupplier registration support, contact: isupplier@oaklandca.gov
3. Project Manager: Andrew Lathrop via email at alathrop@oaklandca.gov, (510) 238-7165 Asha Reed, City Clerk and Clerk of the City Council, (Friday, January 13, 2023) The City Council reserves the right to reject all proposals.
Officers searched Black, Hispanic/Latinx, and multiracial individuals at higher rates for consent-only searches than all other racial/ethnic groups.
A new report has revealed that California law enforcement officers searched, detained on the curb or in a patrol car, handcuffed, and removed from vehicles more individuals perceived as Black than individuals perceived as white, even though they stopped more than double the number of individuals perceived as white than individuals perceived as Black.
California’s Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory Board’s report gathered information from 18 law enforcement agencies.
The data revealed that officers stopped 2.9 million individuals in 2020. Most were African Americans and members of the LGBTQ community.
The agency said that the data included what officers “perceived” to be the race, ethnicity, gender, and disability status of people they stopped, even if the perception was different from how the person identified.
According to the data, authorities search African Americans 2.4 times more than whites and disproportionately more than other racial and ethnic groups.
It also found that individual officers perceived as transgender
women were 2.5 times more likely to be searched than women who appeared cisgender.
Data for the report came from the state’s most important law enforcement agencies, like the California Highway Patrol.
However, the highway patrol didn’t include data analyzing stops based on gender identity.
All agencies must report the data in 2023.
“The data in this report will be used by our profession to evaluate our practices as we continue to strive for police services that are aligned with our communities’ expectations of service,” Chief David Swing, co-chair of the Board and past president of the California Police Chiefs Association, said in a statement.
The report further showed that Black and Hispanic individuals were more likely to have force used against them compared to white individuals, while Asian and other individuals were less likely.
Specifically, the odds of having force used during a stop were 1.32 times and 1.16 times as high for Black and Hispanic individuals, respectively.
Asian and other individuals
Read the full story at postnewsgroup.com
of all racial groups, according to a new study co-authored at UC Berkeley.
The study led by Byeongdon Oh, a postdoctoral researcher in the campus’ Social Sciences DLab, found that young Black men with no college education earn barely half of what their Asian American and white counterparts make. Latinx, Asian and Black women lag even further.
Less-educated U.S. workers often face a lifetime of financial challenges, but some among them are more disadvantaged than others: Young Asian and white men without college education are paid more — sometimes far more — than both Black men and women
“Earnings are an important factor to study because they’re related to other outcomes, like health, engagement with the criminal justice system and family development,” Oh said. “So, we focus on the noncollege population at an early age. They are already disadvantaged
It strikes me that the days we’re living through represent a metaphor for our national dilemma. Jan. 6 and the weight of history that date carries are in the rearview mirror, at least on the calendar. Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream still is on the horizon.
America’s existential challenge is to put the former behind us permanently so we can finally achieve the latter and be what we pledge allegiance to — one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. After the attack on the Capitol, I sat down to figure out how we might finally do that, and my answers have filled a book.
As my mother’s family has for four centuries, I live south of the Mason-Dixon Line close to the Chesapeake Bay, which was a literal superhighway for slavery. Casual conversations about the likelihood of another Civil War are frequent at my favorite waterside bar. Combine that with the political fault lines running through many families and friend-
ships (including my own) and we feel more divided than indivisible. It’s clear why so many fear for our republic’s survival.
I have always been an optimist about America. Even for me, witnessing a failed coup shook my usually hopeful outlook.
Like many whose Southern roots run deep, I often turn to the past for answers. What I discovered in questioning our current differences revived my faith that the United States always will overcome our troubles and emerge even stronger on the other side.
In the 1880s, formerly enslaved men and former Confederate soldiers in Virginia — home to the Confederacy’s capital — banded together to fight for the future of their children. They built a political party called the Readjusters. Their demand was simple: readjust the terms of Civil War debt so that we can maintain free public schools for all.
Not only did they win that victory, they also won control of the state’s government and achieved several more: they abolished the poll tax, they abolished the public whipping post, they created
the first public black college in the South, and they expanded Virginia Tech to make it the working person’s rival to the University of Virginia.
The Readjusters’ short-lived multiracial populist movement eventually was attacked violently by white supremacists and defeated politically by wealthy special interests spreading vile disinformation; their party is all but erased from history books.
Still, they defined the future of Virginia and our nation by planting early seeds for FDR’s New Deal coalition and by creating a bold legacy in public education that endures to this day. Moreover, their example reminds us that the spirit that moved Dr. King to dream hopefully about Black and white children has always run deep in our nation, and always will. When we lose faith in our neighbors, that hope reminds us that the path to a stronger nation is to remember we still have more in common than we don’t, and to act on the beliefs we share.
If men who had been enslaved could find common cause with men who fought to keep them enslaved to build a better future for all their children, we should never lose faith that we can unite for the sake of ours.
Ben Jealous is incoming executive director of the Sierra Club, America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization; former national president of the NAACP; and professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania. His new book “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free” was just published.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) Tony Thurmond took the oath of office to begin his second term on Jan. 7 at a ceremony conducted at Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools in Los Angeles.
Thurmond oversees the education of 6 million PreK-12 students in over 1,000 public school districts across California.
Although SPI is a non-partisan office, Thurmond drew support from many of the state’s top Democrats in his bid for re-election, including from Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and several members of the California Legislative Black Caucus. He was also endorsed by unions across the state, including the California Federation of Teachers and California Teachers Association.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona performed the ceremonial swearing in of Thurmond, who then reflected on his path to the office. The son of a Panamanian immigrant mother and Vietnam veteran father who did not return to his family after the war, Thurmond and his brother were raised by their cousin and relied on public assistance programs and public schools to make it out of poverty.
“I am standing on the shoulders of those relatives who struggle and sacrifice so that we could have a better life,” Thurmond said after he was sworn in. “It was the sacrifices of teachers and classified staff and childcare workers and school administrators who make it possible for me to stand here today as your public servant fighting for 6 million students in the great state of California.”
Thurmond’s first term coincided with one of the most tumultuous periods in California’s history — a
time, he says, that brought with it many unforeseen challenges.
“We all watched it together. The lives lost and impacted and disrupted by the pandemic,” Thurmond said before naming other cultural, social and political developments the country endured as the COVID-19 crisis intensified.
“The killing of George Floyd, fighting hate against the Asian American Pacific Islander community, racism targeted directly to African American families, anti-Semitism, the mistreatment of Latino families, immigrant families, we have seen so much hate all in such a short period of time that we would move into a pandemic and find out that, in a state with all the wealth that we have in California, that a million students could be without a computer,” Thurmond added. “That is the most important thing that they needed to be connected to in those early days through remote learning.”
Thurmond says his administration stepped up to address challenges presented by the pandemic.
“We know that the impact this has had clearly affected student proficiency levels where they are now compared to where they were a few years before the pandemic and of course, a deep, deep impact on the mental health of our students and our families,” he said.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in depression and anxiety and hospitalizations for children and it has been difficult for them,” Thurmond continued. “But our children are more than the sum of their circumstances. They’ve demonstrated their resiliency, and they’re on the path to recovery, and we’re going to help them with that because we just secured enough
CITY OF OAKLAND REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) FOR
Representation of Small Property Owners at Rent Adjustment Program Petition and Rent Adjustment Board Appeal Proceedings
By Jaivon Grant California Black MediaBlack and other minorityowned small businesses in California have actively fought for decades for more inclusion in California state government contracting opportunities.
Their hard work and patience paid off in September last year, when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 2019 into law.
Authored by Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Irvine), the law took effect on Jan. 1. It mandates that state departments and agencies commit to providing at least 25% of all procurement opportunities to small businesses. Additionally, the bill requires state departments and agencies ensure that minority-owned and womenowned businesses are included in the procurement process, when contracting opportunities are available.
“California has invested billions of dollars to help small businesses and entrepreneurs achieve their California Dream,” said Newsom when signing the bill in September 2022. “These new laws build on our efforts to create a more inclusive economy with renewed opportunity for innovation and growth for the country’s largest small business community. I’m thankful for the Legislature’s leadership and support to help the backbone of our economy thrive.”
Newsom signed AB 2019 after
it passed in the Assembly unanimously with a 74-0 vote and it passed in the Senate 34-0.
Small businesses employ nearly 7.2 million workers or 48.8% of all employees in California.
According to AB 2019, more than 39% of California’s 4.1 million small businesses (1.6 million) are minority owned. The bill is projected to have a significant positive impact on the overall economic stability of the state by enhancing state agencies’ ability to support underserved businesses in state contracting and encouraging entrepreneurship.
“Billions of dollars are at stake in our state contracting process and when we make it fair for diverse entrepreneurs, the success of these small businessowners lift up communities all across our state,” said Petrie-Norris, who is chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. “This bill will not only keep the state accountable, but it would give businesses that face systemic barriers an opportunity to succeed, keep families fed, create jobs and vitalize their communities.”
A coalition of minority-owned business advocacy organizations recently produced and released a video emphasizing some of the benefits of working with the state government.
“There are a lot of times where you’re questioning ‘am I going to have enough work for my small
company,’” stated minority business-owner Gary Efhan, CEO of Qualis Telecom in the video. “Without support, it’s pretty hard, and I’ve seen a lot of people go out of business.”
“Supporting us — and being in our communities — that will make a huge difference for sure,” Efhan added.
In the same video, CalAsian Chamber of Commerce President Pat Fong Kushida expressed that there are many barriers to full participation for small businesses in California.
“Part of our goal with AB 2019 is to come up with an infrastructure that makes sense for small businesses,” Fong Kushida said. “There’s an understanding about what types of opportunities are available that are easy to access. How do we better connect California’s diverse businesses to those opportunities? I think that’s the challenge but also the opportunity.”
The California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce represents more than 815,000 Latino-owned businesses in California — organizations that, in aggregate, contribute more than 7% to the United States’ GDP, the organization says.
“As proud co-sponsors of AB 2019, we are thankful that the bill is now signed by the governor,” said Julian Cañete, president of the California Hispanic Chambers of
Project Description: The City is seeking a qualified organization(s) or person(s) to provide representation services to small property owners under jurisdiction of Rent Adjustment Program ordinances and regulations at Rent Adjustment Program (RAP) petition and Housing Residential Rent and Relocation Board (HRRRB) appeal proceedings. These representations services are more expansive than consultation and include but are not limited to, fully representing client in negotiations, hearings and mediations in RAP and HRRRB petition and appeal proceedings respectively.
Pre-Proposal Meetings (Voluntary): To provide multiple opportunities for interested parties to learn about the RFP and ask questions.
Friday, January 20, 2023 2:00 AM Pacific Time
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84214531930?pwd=U0huZ0ZtZ0xrS0Yyakp4cG1RemdMQT09 Meeting ID: 842 1453 1930
Passcode: 618997
Proposal Submittal Deadline: Friday, January 27, 2023 by 2:00 P.M. via iSupplier.
Reminders:
• iSupplier will not allow submission of proposals after 2:00 P.M. Friday, January 27, 2023.
• All who wish to participate in this RFP must register through iSupplier at (https://www. oaklandca.gov/services/register-with-isupplier ) to receive addenda/ updates on this RFP, submit proposals, invoice payments if selected, and direct notification of future bid opportunities.
• The following policies apply to this RFP: Equal Benefits • Revised L/SLBE • Living Wage • Campaign Reform Act • Prompt Payment • Arizona Boycott • Dispute Disclosure • Border Wall Prohibition • Sanctuary City Contracting and Investment Ordinance
For Answers to Questions:
• For project-related questions, contact Victor Ramirez via email at vramirez@oaklandca. gov or (510) 238- 3220.
• For iSupplier registration support, send email to isupplier@oaklandca.gov or call (510) 238 7643 and advise that you need HELP to expedite registration for this RFP.
Asha Reed, City Clerk and Clerk of the City Council, (June 25, 2021) The City Council reserves the right to reject all proposals.
In 1775 Boston, abolitionist and civil rights activist Prince Hall (ca. 1748–1807), accompanied by 14 other Black men, sought to join the city’s whites-only Masonic lodge. After the unwelcomed attempt, the group was initiated into Lodge No. 441 of the Irish Registry. This arm of the organization, however, was attached to a British army regiment.
This marked the first time that Black men in America were made masons.
In March of the following year, the British were forced to evacuate Boston following General George Washington’s successful placement of fortifications and cannons on Dorchester Heights. After their departure, Hall and his group were granted a permit to organize and assemble on July 3, 1776, as African Lodge No. 1. Hall served as the worshipful master.
In 1784, the group petitioned the Grand Lodge of England for a charter. Once granted, African Lodge No. 1 became African Lodge No. 459 of Boston. Prince Hall Freemasonry is now the oldest African American Masonic organization. Its purpose is to foster racial uplift, mutual aid, and social justice.
The lodge expanded and prospered so that in 1791, Hall was appointed a Provincial Grand Master. From this, the first Black Provincial Grand Lodge grew. In 1797, Hall organized lodges in Philadelphia and Rhode Island, each designated to work under the charter of African Lodge No. 459.
Little has been recorded about Hall’s early life. His birthplace was only rumored to have been Barbados. There was never a record of birth, by church or state, found in Boston. He did, however, spend the first 35 years of his life enslaved, and in his writings, refers to New England as “his homeland.”
A successful leather merchant, Hall was an artisan and abolitionist in Boston. He owned property and was therefore on the city’s voting roll. Known as a prominent citizen, he advocated for the Black community as a vocal supporter of the abolition of slavery. He was also active in the back-to-Africa movement, the widespread belief among some white Americans that Blacks would want to return to the continent of Africa.
Hall lobbied for equal educational opportunities and operated a school for Black children from his home. An active public speaker, writer of petitions, and savvy debater, he cited Christian scripture against slavery to a Continued on page 8
c.2022, Pegasus Books $28.95 332 pages
By Terri SchlichenmeyerYou try to stay on top of things.
You keep your eyes and ears open for news of what’s going on because you know that being informed is being forewarned.
Somebody’s got to watch what happens in your state and your city. Somebody needs to keep track of the goings-on in your neighborhood. And in the new book “My People’’ by Charlayne HunterGault, somebody needs to testify.
It was hot that early July day in 1959 when Charlayne Hunter and a friend went to the Courthouse in Atlanta to get their college applications certified. That day, they hoped to enroll in the University of Georgia but, though the papers were all in order, the judge refused to sign them, accusing the pair of wanting to cause trouble.
“All this talk made little sense to me,” Hunter-Gault says now.
She’d been “the only Negro” in schools before, so attending the all-white University of Georgia didn’t seem like a big deal. Still, they weren’t accepted — at least not then but a year-and-a-half later, a federal judge ordered the univer-
sity to enroll both Hunter and her friend.
That’s not the end of this particular story but a degree in journalism is — and so Hunter (later, Hunter-Gault) went to work reporting the news at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, not long after her own activism.
This book is a collection of some of her columns and interviews.
Perhaps because of her own experiences in education, she writes of schools, integration, and curriculums. She tells tales of other Civil Rights icons, John Lewis, the Panthers, Mandela and Tutu, The Black Women’s Community Development Foundation, Shirley Chisolm. She writes about living and working in South Africa and in Harlem.
Personally, Hunter-Gault writes of her jobs in newspaper and television, what a delight it is to find a good vacation spot, and how to talk to young people about Trump and today’s current events. And she sings the praises of Black newspapers, that “’tell their story.’”
As memoirs go — and this is a
kind of memoir — “My People” is really different.
You have to look quite a bit between the lines to get author Charlayne Hunter-Gault’s story; it’s here, just not presented in the way you expect a life story to be. Instead, Hunter-Gault wraps her experiences inside the things on which she reported in these columns from the middle 1960s to just a few years ago.
What’s interesting is that the columns, despite the age of some of them, seem as fresh as if they were written last year. HunterGault’s work often focused on reporting issues of racism and inequality and the people who fought those things through the years, and yet readers will see the modern relevance. Sadly, however, there’s no editorializing or commentary on that; the columns merely stand on their own.
Still, this collection-cum-memoir is a fascinating read, especially for someone who’s looking for a unique sort of historical record. For you, “My People” is the thing to put at the top of your to-be-read pile.
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Continued from page 9
the state’s attorney general. He was appointed to the position by Newsom in March 2021.
Before Newsom’s outdoor ceremony, the governor, his wife, and four children led a march from West Sacramento, across the Tower Bridge, to the Capitol. During the governor’s address on the steps of the Capitol, he shared his feelings about the attack on the U.S. Capitol two years ago while addressing some of the state’s most pressing issues.
“Our politics doesn’t always reward taking on the hardest problems. The results of our work may not be evident for a long time. But that cannot be our concern,” Newsom said. “We will prepare for uncertain times ahead. We will be prudent stewards of taxpayer dollars, pay down debt, and meet our future obligations. And we will build and safeguard the largest fiscal reserve of any state in American history.”
Continued from page 3
Commerce. “There are numerous and diverse small businesses who can provide services and products to the state and this bill ensures they at least have a fighting chance to be awarded a contract. Thank you to Assemblymember PetrieNorris for her work on this bill.”
The bill has garnered strong support from the California Chamber of Commerce, Small Business Majority, the California African American Chamber of Commerce, the California State Controller, California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce, and the National Association of Women Business Owners.
This California Black Media report was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library.
Continued from page 5
predominantly Christian legislative body.
His notable written works include the 1792 Charge, which focuses on the abolition of slavery in his home state of Massachusetts, and the 1797 Charge, which elaborates on the treatment and hostility that American Blacks receive.
Hall formed the African Grand Lodge of North America, serving as its Grand Master until his death in 1807. He is buried in Boston’s historic Copp’s Hill Cemetery.
Black Freemasons today continue to expand the original vision and approach. More than 4,500 lodges worldwide are descended from this original organization, now known as the Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts.
Unlock the aura of mystery surrounding Masonic traditions and Prince Hall in Warrior Hawks’ “Prince Hall Freemasonry: The Secret Within.
economically — they have very low earnings. If there’s a sizable racial or ethnic earnings disparity in this population, there may be severe consequences.”
The study, “Inequality among the Disadvantaged? Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Earnings among Young Men and Women without a College Education,” was released Dec. 21, 2022, in the journal Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, published by the American Sociological Association. It provides the first detailed look at the earnings of young adults with no college experience as their working lives take shape.
In recent years, about one-third of young Americans have stopped their education after high school. That projects to roughly 1 million less-educated young people every year entering a job market that increasingly requires advanced education and training to earn even a middle-class salary. LatinX and Black people are over-represented in this group.
To understand their experience, Oh and colleagues Daniel Mackin Freeman and Dara Shifrer from Portland State University studied data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, tracing racial and ethnic earnings disparities among men and women who had never attended college. In 2016, they were in their early 20s.
“Striking” was the word the authors used to describe the earnings gaps revealed in the core data: Young Asian American men with no college education earned an average of $24,837 in 2016, followed by white
men at $22,056 and Latinx men at $17,984. Young Black men averaged just $12,573 — barely half the wages earned by Asian Americans and whites.
• A similar, but less severe, disparity was evident among young women with no college experience. White women on average earned $14,766, followed by Latinx women at $12,465, Asian American women at $10,935 and Black women at $10,871.
• The gap between these women and men was vast, with young Black women on average earning only 44 cents for every dollar earned by Asian American men with similar levels of education.
Exploring the impact of race and gender discrimination How to explain these racial and gender gaps in earning?
Oh said the data did not allow the researchers to determine the causes. They did find, however, that a range of possible factors — from family background and home location to high school grades and criminal records — rarely account for the earnings gaps.
But, he explained, racial discrimination in the workforce cannot be ruled out as the cause.
Oh suggested that complex social and economic factors may sort people of color into lower-paying job sectors, but the estimated earnings gaps among groups of people in the same occupation are still dramatic. These earning disparities, he said, may reflect employer bias against women and Black men.
The findings “suggest that, like
their more educated counterparts, young non-college-educated women may face pernicious earnings discrimination in the labor market, regardless of their race/ ethnicity,” the authors wrote.
They added: “The results may indicate that employers devalue the work of young Black men without a college education to a greater degree than they do the work of white, Latinx, and Asian men without a college education.”
According to Oh, the pay disparity between Asian and white men on one side and Black men on the other may actually be worse than the data suggest. A disproportionate number of young men who did not go to college are Black. A disproportionate number of young Black men have been incarcerated, he explained, and incarcerated men were not tracked in the survey data.
“And so, our findings on the earnings gap are conservative — it may be larger,” he said.
The new study opens up a range of new questions for Oh and other researchers. Understanding the experience of the young workers would require more targeted surveys and in-person interviews. Those would allow the researchers to understand whether discrimination is to blame, and if so, how it works, Oh said.
“I hope the contribution of our research is to make people ask why we have these striking earnings gaps,” he said. “Then, rather than wasting time blaming workers’ choices or attitudes, we might get further by identifying discriminatory labor market processes.”
money to recruit 10,000 counselors for our schools in the state of California.”
The addition of counselors is good news for teachers across the state seeking resources to help their students recover and develop in areas outside of academics where school also plays a crucial role for many students.
“I was very excited when Superintendent Thurman said that there would be 10,000 counselors coming to the school sites because we need that,” said Bridgette Donald-Blue, an elementary school math teacher and California Teacher of the Year award recipient. “The emotional health of our students, that is important, that is very important.”
The SPI does not have any legislative role. But Thurmond, who served in the California State Assembly for two terms, sponsored or endorsed several legislative initiatives that may have a profound effect on the future of education in California and the role that schools play to meet the social and emotional needs of students to provide a positive learning environment.
Thurmond says, beginning in the 2022–23 school year, the California Universal School Meal Program will help all students to reach their full academic potential by providing a nutritiously adequate breakfast and lunch at no charge for all children each school day regardless of individual eligibility.
Thurmond also has initiatives to combat inequities in the school
system including universal preschool for 4-year-olds regardless of background, race, zip code, immigration status, or income level.
He also launched the Black Student Achievement Taskforce to help quantify the impacts systemic and institutional racism have had on Black students in California.
Thurmond points out that he sponsored legislation to increase funding to the lowest-performing students, ban suspension and expulsions in preschools, and secured $90 million for suspensions and chronic absenteeism programming.
“I know the impacts of what happens when our students don’t learn to read by third grade. Sadly, they end up dropping out in many cases and in the criminal justice system, and we’re going to change the narrative and flip the script. We’re going to educate, not incarcerate our kids.” Thurmond repeated a pledge for today’s kindergarteners to be able to “read by third grade.”
Recently, some education advocates pointed out that there has been a reported wave of retirements and disincentives that have led to an unprecedented teacher shortage across the nation.
In response, Thurmond says he is creating new incentives to draw qualified people into the school system to help students, especially those who are of color.
“We’re offering scholarships for anyone who wants to become a teacher. $20,000,” Thurmond told California Black Media. “I sponsored a bill, HB 520, that was focused on how we get more male educators of color. And that bill turned into funding in the state budget. That now means our residency programs can be used to help have male educators of color as part of the beneficiaries of that program.”
Last week Malia M. Cohen was sworn in as the first Black woman — and first African American — to serve as California’s state controller.
On Monday, Jan. 2, the oath of office was administered by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“I am proud and honored to serve as California’s state controller,” said Cohen. “The work to create a more equitable California has already begun. I look forward to ensuring fiscal accountability, with an eye toward transparency and innovation.”
On Jan. 6, Cohen was given the oath of office by San Francisco Mayor London Breed with her husband Warren Pulley by her side.
The community event was held at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Sacramento.
California now has three Black politicians holding Constitutional offices including Cohen. Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond are the others.
“Congratulations @MaliaCohen. As California’s first Black state controller, Malia has made history and continues to break barriers while helping build longterm equity throughout our communities. I’m confident she will continue fighting for the rights of all Californians,” Breed stated in a Jan. 6 post on her Twitter page.
“I am excited to get to work on creating a more equitable California as your next Controller,” Cohen tweeted on Jan. 6.
Cohen was elected to the California Board of Equalization (BOE) in November 2018 and was named chairperson in 2019 and 2022. As Controller, Cohen con-
tinues to serve BOE as its fifth voting member.
Prior to being elected to BOE, Cohen was president of the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. As a member of that body, she also served as the chair of the Budget and Finance Committee and president of the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS).
Cohen was born and raised in San Francisco. Her political journey, she says lightheartedly, began when she was elected class president of San Francisco’s Lowell High School, the oldest public high school on the West Coast.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Fisk University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU), and a master’s degree in public policy and management from Carnegie Mellon University.
She and her husband reside in San Francisco along with their daughter.
As the chief fiscal officer of California, Cohen is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The controller also has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds.
Cohen’s duties include being a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation’s two largest public pension funds.
At the St. Paul Baptist Missionary Baptist Church swearing-in, Kenneth Reece, the senior pastor, gave the opening prayer.
Held at the church six miles from the State Capitol, Cohen’s swearing-in ceremony included prayers offered by Imam Yasir Kahn, the chaplain of the Cali-
The Women Presidents Organization (WPO) and JPMorgan Chase Commercial Banking are seeking nominees for the 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned and/ or Led CompaniesTM ranking. Nominations are open now and the deadline to apply is Feb.16, 2023.
This year’s 50 Fastest honorees will be recognized at the WPO Entrepreneurial Excellence Forum on May 10-12, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada, and will gain access to exclusive networking and educational opportunities presented with JPMorgan Chase.
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“This ranking was created 16 years ago to recognize fast-growing women-led companies, the impact they have in growing the global economy, and the women entrepreneurs who lead these incredible organizations,” said Camille Burns, CEO of the Women
fornia State Assembly, and Rabbi Mona Alfi, the senior rabbi of Congregation B’Nai Israel.
Among the guests were Assemblymember Chris Holden (DPasadena), Director of Bay Area Rapid Transit Bevan Duffy, Cali-
for the GOP.
But Rep. McCarthy is a son of Bakersfield, California, town known for its dusty hot weather and some of the worst air pollution in the country. Early Saturday morning on the House floor in Washington, D.C., McCarthy won the speakership of the House just like his hometown.
Bakersfield Ugly.
It took 15 ballots, a near brawl, and six GOP members taking no standby simply voting present. This was the best the new House majority could muster.
When your doctor needs 15 tries to do a simple routine procedure, you don’t praise him for his incompetence. You question his right to practice.
And then when he tells you that he does everything that way, you SMH and get concerned.
And that’s McCarthy’s GOP. Democracy is practically a sacred right that we Americans must hold dear. It requires serious, mature and respectful people — who should be acting in a deliberate and high-minded way — for the good of the people and the republic.
It’s not the moment for petty squabbles and horse-trading on the rules of power. Democracy is about public service, not self-service.
But there was McCarthy making deals for votes on the speaker-
ship. And we still don’t know all he gave away.
Here’s the math of this new Congress.
There are 222 Republicans in the majority and 212 Democrats. Republicans can only afford to lose four votes and still make things happen; hence, 218 is their magic number.
But five or more detractors is the death block, as it was for McCarthy, until they get enough “present” votes to lower the required vote threshold.
When Republicans get that, they can do anything they want, anytime, including making rules that are against Americans’ selfinterest.
For example, is it in your selfinterest to allow for the default of the U.S. government? A new rule gets rid of a “safety net,” the automatic lifting of the debt ceiling to allow the country to pay its bills. With that gone, five blocking votes could have the leverage to really screw things up. Raise the debt ceiling but cut Medicare and Social Security first?
Things will be far worse when the stakes are higher than a speaker vote.
So where do we draw some comfort?
In his first speech to the 118th Congress, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries eloquently spelled out what I have long called “the litany.”
Using former Congressman John Lewis’ quote how we may have come over on different ships, but we’re all in the same boat now, Jeffries waxed poetic.
“We are white; we are Black; we are Latino; we are Asian; we are Native American. We are Christian; we are Jewish; we are Muslim; we are Hindu; We are religiously secular. We are gay; we are straight. We are young; we are older. We are women; we are men. We are citizens; we are dreamers. Out of many, we are one; that’s what makes America a great country.”
There was loud applause in the People’s House, the part of it that looks like America.
And Jeffries concluded: “And no matter what kind of haters are trying to divide us, we’re not going to let anyone take that away from us. Not now. Not ever.”
Once Jeffries passed the gavel to McCarthy well past midnight Saturday morning, there was no “litany” from the new speaker.
It was a weak speech from a weak speaker in his moment of glory that few saw.
That’s what happens when after giving up so much, just holding the gavel is more important than democracy itself.
Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a talk show on www.amok.com
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The 50 companies honored in 2022 spanned a range of industries including healthcare, government, technology and more, and for the second year in a row, the top three companies were run by women of color.
Over the last two years, the WPO saw an increase in the size and age of businesses that were named to the 50 Fastest list. The 2022 50 Fastest generated a combined $6.8 billion in revenues, up from $4.1 billion in 2021, and
fornia Labor Federation Executive Secretary-Treasurer Lorena Gonzalez, the singer Aloe Blacc and Jaqueline Thompson, pastor of Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland.
Cohen’s swearing-in was held
averaged 18 years in business, up from 14 years in 2021.
They also employed more people on average, with a projected employee base of 732 per business, an increase of 160 employees from 2021.
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The WPO and JPMorgan Chase will host an informational webinar in February to review eligibility requirements. For further information on the webinar or the 50 Fastest program, please visit women-presidents.com/50fastest
WPO is a non-profit membership organization where dynamic
on the second anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The day was packed with political activities in Sacramento and overshadowed by references to the infamous Capitol insurrection in Washington that shocked people
and diverse women business leaders around the world tap into collective insight with exclusive access to entrepreneurial equals, innovative ideas, and executive education.
WPO members have guided their business to generate at least $2 million USD in gross annual sales (or $1 million USD for a service-based business). Each WPO chapter serves as a professionally facilitated peer advisory group for members where they can harness the momentum of their successes and cultivate new strategies that will take them even farther. Learn more at women-presidents.com.
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across the country and around the world.
That day, Newsom was sworn in to a second term. Rob Bonta was also sworn-in for the first time as
1111 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland, CA 94607 (510) 208-7400 • www.alamedactc.org
Request for Proposals (RFP) for State Legislative and Policy Advocacy Services (RFP No. R23-0008)
The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) is seeking proposals for a contract to commence services on July 1, 2023, or as indicated in the RFP and/or appropriate addenda.
Key Date:
Proposal due date: February 14, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. PT
Proposals are subject to Alameda CTC’s Local Business Contract Equity Program. The Program goals for professional services are 70% for Local Business Enterprise (LBE) and 30% for Small LBE. For Program requirements and forms, visit Alameda CTC’s website. Any contract resulting from this RFP will be awarded without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or national origin.
All RFP documents are available at www.alamedactc.org/contracting-opportunities and may also be obtained by contacting Ana Melendez at (510) 208-7408. All questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing to amelendez@alamedactc. org, no later than 3:00 p.m. PT on January 27, 2023.
Submittals must be made in accordance with the instructions in the RFP. Any contract awarded must be in compliance with the local, state, and/or federal requirements.
On Jan. 9, with the sound of African drumming in the background, Shirley Weber was sworn in as the first elected Black Secretary of State (SOS) of California and the 32nd person to hold the position.
The ceremony was conducted at the SOS’ auditorium in downtown Sacramento, one block south of the State Capitol.
Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) administered the oath of office in front of Weber’s grandsons Kadir and Jalil Gakunga.
“I want to thank all of those who work so hard to make this position, the Secretary of State — and all of those wonderful things that come with it — possible, and for being in my life,” Weber said. “I have been blessed beyond imagi-
nation with all of the good things California has to give.”
The daughter of a sharecropper from Hope, Arkansas, Weber said she is “not supposed to be here” as the state’s chief clerk, overseeing a department of 500-plus employees.
Weber grew up in a two-room, “clapboard house” in Arkansas with her parents and five other siblings before the family relocated to Los Angeles where they lived in Pueblo Del Rio, a housing project known as the “pueblos.”
Weber said the “data” projected that she would not have a bright future. Still, she went on to graduate from UCLA with a PhD, serve on the San Diego Board of Education, teach African American studies at San Diego State University, and
we still have to go.”
Promising a “comprehensive” approach to public safety to make all neighborhoods in the city safer, she said she would bolster anticrime programs like Ceasefire and “we will fill (police) vacancies with home-grown police officers who know our community, who look like us.”
At the same time, she said, the city must increase opportunities for young people, reinvigorating the summer jobs program (for youth) and enhance the school-towork pipeline so young people can gain experience and job skills.
She said she would beef up the many city departments that are currently operating on skeleton staffing, promising to fill the staffing vacancies that “plague our city.”
Mayor Thao said she herself is a renter, and that she “will fiercely protect Oakland renters. If you are a renter in Oakland, you’ve got a mayor who’s got your back.”
Speaking about the Oakland A’s proposed waterfront real estate development promoted by former Mayor Libby Schaaf, Mayor Thao said the city will continue negotiations to keep the team “rooted in Oakland.”
“Working closely with the A’s, I’m hopeful we can reach a good deal, (based) on our Oakland val-
ues,” she said.
The former mayor’s plan for building the proposed waterfront real estate development at the Port of Oakland was dealt a major setback this week when Oakland failed to secure more than $180 million in federal funds to help pay for infrastructure development for the project.
Speaking of the importance of the appointment of Mayfield as deputy mayor, the Mayor’s Office explained her role in the new administration:
“Mayor Thao was thrilled Kimberly Mayfield agreed to join her team because of her tremendous and longstanding leadership in Oakland. In recognition of her vast experience, it was decided that the best role for her would be as deputy mayor where she will be an instrumental part of the leadership of both the Office and Oakland.”
In her introduction at the Paramount Theatre, Mayfield said, “Today is not about political agendas…It’s about the power of the people…it’s a recognition of the rejection of the status quo. This new chapter begins with a mayor that understands how to build a culture that works for everyone. Thank you, Mayor Thao for the opportunity to serve.”
phone calls urging the recount.
“In order to enhance transparency and accountability regarding the ranked-choice voting results, I am recommending consideration of a recount count of the Nov. 8, 2022, ranked choice elections for which the outcome has been called into question, specifically the Oakland Mayoral race, Oakland Unified School Board District 4 race, and the two races in San Leandro that were decided by a very small margin of victory,” Carson’s resolution said.
Ignoring the one race that the Registrar of Voters said was tallied incorrectly, the supervisors said they would pay for recounts in all ranked-choice election that resulted in narrow victories, failing to provide any evidence of errors in the vote count.
The resolution called for the Registrar of Voters to hire a “qualified individual with experience overseeing ranked choice voting from another county” to oversee the manual recount. The county would charge the cost of the recount to the budget of the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, a charge that would be borne by taxpayers.
Though they passed the resolution, supervisors were unsure that the actions they were recommending were legal.
“We request the registrar conduct the recount, (but) but we’re not going to order it. We’re not sure we can order it,” said Supervisor David Haubert, who represents Dublin, Livermore, and Fremont.
a month or longer and cost many thousands of dollars, according to the registrar.
Many of the public speakers at the board meeting, either in person or on Zoom, who supported the recount, were from Fremont, Danville, Hayward, and other cities outside Oakland. Among the supporters of the recount were Republicans who argued the election results could not be trusted, while others advocated getting rid of ranked choice voting, called for ending vote by mail, or recommended requiring people to vote in person with ID.
Some people in Oakland are saying ranked-choice voting is unfair and argue Loren Taylor should have won the election because he had the most votes first-round votes, leading Sheng 33.07% to 31.79% of the vote. However, Oakland requires a candidate to receive over 50% of the vote to win, not just a plurality. When all the ranked-choice instant runoff ballots were counted, Thao won with 50.30% to Taylor’s 49.70% the vote.
Supporters of ranked choice voting, which has been utilized in Oakland since 2010, say that it allows for a more diverse and less well-funded candidates to run for office and that it provides for an instant runoff, rather than a separate run-off election which has a participation rate of about 40% fewer voters and is therefore less democratic.
successfully run for California State Assembly in November 2012.
“My father came from Hope, Arkansas, because there was no hope in Hope,” Weber said. “He came to California because he wanted his children to have a better chance and a better life.”
When Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Alex Padilla the state’s junior U.S. Senator in January 2021, he nominated Weber as SOS. Padilla filled in for Sen. Kamala Harris, who had been elected U.S Vice President. Weber was officially installed as SOS in April 2021.
Weber’s plan after serving in the Legislature was to move to Ghana, Africa, and “build a house up in the hills.” But that all changed when Newsom called.
“It was hard for me to think about becoming Secretary of State because I was so content in the Assembly,” Weber said. “When I was asked to be Secretary of State, I thought hard and long about it. I realized that everything about the Secretary of State was central to my life. I thought to myself that I am always the one taking the hard challenges. I said who better than a kid of sharecropper, who never had a chance to vote, who could fight for the rights of voters.”
The Secretary of State is the chief elections officer of the state, responsible for overseeing and certifying elections, as well as testing and certifying voting equipment for use in California. Weber’s duties also include overseeing the state’s archives division and registry of businesses.
In her remarks, Atkins praised Weber’s “leadership” and “morality” and called her “a tireless champion of democracy,” adding that those characteristics are integral to performing the duties of Secretary of State.
Atkins told guests that she first met Weber when she was 24 years old and that Weber helped her run for state Assembly.
For the first time in its history, California has three Black constitutional officers. The others are Controller Malia M. Cohen and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
“You know, our constitutional officers are unique, and I give credit to our Governor (Gavin Newsom) and the people of California.”
“There is no other list of constitutional officers like this? Where do you have a list of constitutional officers where it only has one white male in it? That is unheard of. The diversity (and) the fact that women are constitutional officers in California is historic.”
Weber’s daughter, Assemblymember Akilah Weber (D-San Diego) was the ceremony’s emcee while Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) provided the invocation. David Bauman’s African drumming and musical selections by Dr. Tecoy Porter, pastor of Genesis Church Sacramento and president of the National Action Network Sacramento Chapter and his Genesis Church choir provided the entertainment. Weber’s son Akil Weber provided the closing statements.
Oakland applied for grant money through the Mega Grant Program, which funds “large, complex projects that are difficult to fund by other means and likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits.”
The ballpark proposed by the Oakland A’s would seat about 35,000 people, and the development overall consists of new housing, parkland, an entertainment venue and commercial space.
Not everyone wants the A’s to build a new park at the Port of Oakland. Groups have come together in opposition, hoping to have the A’s build a new park in East Oakland at the current Oakland Coliseum site.
Groups led by the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association sued to stop Oakland from issuing a required environmental impact report for the proposed ballpark.
The opponents said the lack
of a recommendation by the U.S. Department of Transportation “shows the lack of credibility — likely based on concerns over safety, economic viability, disruptions to port traffic and supply chains, echoed by maritime stakeholders — for the future of the project with key public transportation and political stakeholders that should prompt an overall re-evaluation.”
A city document suggests $600 million will be needed for offsite infrastructure. The city has secured or is in the process of securing more than $320 million of that money, according to city documents published in December.
Former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was a strong supporter of the project.
New Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said at her inauguration Monday that she will work with the Oakland A’s on a deal to keep the team in Oakland while protecting Oakland values.
Supervisors noted that the votes have already been counted and certified, that the deadline for challenging results has passed and that winners have already been sworn in, asked county counsel if their actions could be legally challenged.
“Any action we take can be challenged,” county counsel said.
Alameda County’s election results were certified on Dec. 8.
The county counsel said the resolution includes the following language, which she recommended:
“The recommendations set forth in this letter will be implemented to the extent allowed and consistent with the California Elections Code, state regulations implementing the Elections Code, and all other applicable laws governing California elections, including those governing recounts the authority of the Elections Official (the Registrar of Voters).”
Supervisor Carson acknowledged the unlikelihood of obtaining a recount that would reverse election results.
“The bell has already been rung. We cannot un-ring it. We understand that,” he said.
A manual recount could take
However, while questioning election results, the supervisors did not speak to or seek to correct the error in the one race that had been identified by the Registrar of Voters as being tabulated incorrectly, which recorded Nick Resnick as the winner of the Oakland District 4 school board race, rather than Mike Hutchinson, who was the real winner.
Seeking to remedy the error, Hutchinson has had to hire a lawyer at his expense. A recount in this race would not address the error, which was not a mistake in the count, but a tabulating error caused by incorrect setting in the ranked choice algorithm. A recount would not benefit Hutchinson, who was the ranked choice winner, but could potentially benefit Resnick, who was the losing candidate but has been seated as the District 4 school board representative.
The software error, which was admitted by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, involved a wrong software setting that affected a small subset of votes in which voters did not vote for a number one candidate but voted for second and third-place candidates. When corrected, this error only changed the winner of one race.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi (wearing a green pantsuit) she was present at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a MUNI subway project. Photos courtesy of Nancy Pelosi, who stepped down from the Democrat leadership last year, closed the 117th Congress on Jan. 3. “It was my privilege today to gavel out the end of the 117th Congress — an extraordinarily productive session #ForThePeople. I look forward to continuing to serve the people of San Francisco in the 118th Congress and will share more on this account,” she said on Twitter. Three days later, as Speaker Emerita, Pelosi took her oath again to serve again. “I was proud to be sworn in early this morning as the Representative for California’s 11th District. Thank you to the people of San Francisco for trusting me to be your voice in
Congress. Now, we can proceed with the People’s work.”
The same day, (wearing a green pantsuit) she was present at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a MUNI subway project. “Today, I was proud to participate in the ribbon cutting ceremony for @ SFMTA_Muni Central Subway Project — a new subway line connecting families to a booming corridor, taking another step toward a transit-first San Francisco and supporting economic growth and cultural vibrancy.”
In the days since, Pelosi has expressed sympathy and concern for her constituents impacted by the winter storms and ensuing flooding.