Oakland Post, week of January 4 - 10, 2023

Oakland

John Lewis, Thurgood

to be Honored with Federal Stamp, Statue on Capitol Hill

rests, Lewis remained resolute in his commitment to what he liked to call ‘good trouble.’”

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, where Taner was born, led the push in the House to remove Taner’s statue from the Capitol building. Other statues of Taner have also been removed in Maryland, according to NBC News. “Over three million people visit our Capitol each year,” Hoyer said in a statement. “The people we choose to honor in our halls signal to those visitors which principles we cherish as a nation.”

Community: “Price is Right for DA”

By Brandon Patterson

Civil rights icons John Lewis, the late former Congressman, and Thurgood Marshall, the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, will be honored with official memorabilia commemorating their legacy after recent announcements made by Congress and the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS issued official stamps honoring Lewis in December. And Congress voted to replace a Capitol Hill statue of Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney, the pro-slavery justice who authored the infamous 1857 Dred Scott decision declaring Black people “threefifths” of a person, with one of Thurgood Marshall, the first Black Supreme Court Justice. The bill to replace the Taney statue with one of Marshall has now gone to President Biden for a signature.

“Lewis spent more than 30 years in Congress steadfastly defending and building on key civil rights gains that he had helped achieve in the 1960s,” the USPS said in a press release. “Even in the face of hatred and violence, as well as some 45 ar-

“For Black Americans who have grown up in segregation, face racial violence and still confront institutional racism today, seeing figures like Taney honored here is a searing reminder that the past is present,” he continued.

Earlier versions of the bill ultimately passed by Congress would have removed statues honoring three other white supremacists from Capitol Hill, including former U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, NBC News reports. But the bill was changed to accommodate senators who wanted to continue the custom of allowing individual states to decide what statues they place in the Capitol.

Lewis will also soon be honored with a monument in front of the Dekalb County Courthouse in Georgia, where a new monument will replace a Confederate monument erected in 1908. The earlier monument, called “The Lost Cause,” was erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy the year Georgia banned Black people from voting in the state, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

Mother Maryann Mitchell Cares for Our Neediest

By Carla Thomas

Pure joy and pride filled the atmosphere as hundreds convened at the Oakstop California Ballroom in Oakland Monday to celebrate the inauguration of Attorney Pamela Price, who was sworn in at the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse Tuesday as the 14th District Attorney of Alameda County. Price is the first Black woman to hold the position in its history, and only the second woman elected to the position.

Presiding Judge Charles Smiley of the Alameda County Superior Court presided over the oath and offered his courtroom for the historic moment. The official Oath of Office was given by retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge, the Honorable Brenda Fay Harbin. DA Price was surrounded by her family from across the U.S., more than 90 members of the DA’s Office, and elected officials including Alameda County Board of Supervisors President Keith Carson, Supervisor David Haubert, Supervisor Lena Tam, and County Administrator Susan B. Muranishi.

“My vision is to serve you as a Minister of Justice,” said DA Price during her speech. “My job is to protect public safety by advancing justice. Our goals are to reduce crime and criminal activity, engage the entire community in eliminating exploitation and violence against vulnerable members of the community, and lead the conversation about justice in the diverse communities that we represent.”

Pamela Price Makes History as Alameda County’s First Black DA

is more fair, equitable, and just.

Oakland Post publishers Paul and Gay Cobb spoke highly of Price. “The Price is right!” said Cobb at the podium with his wife, Gay.

Price humbly expressed that her campaign was never about her or her place in history, but it was to “bring justice with compassion.” She thanked everyone who helped her to run a “people-powered, grassroots, corporate-free campaign that defeated a wellfunded political machine and got the message out all over Alameda County.”

Price credited her supporters and introduced her new team. A group photo nearly surpassed the stage capacity as each team member posed for the historic photo.

Harbin-Forte welcomed the spiritual presence of the great trail blazers during the ceremony including Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Shirley Chisolm, Rosa Parks, and Mary McCleod Bet-

escal’s Faith Presbyterian Church, representing Price’s faith and ancestral heritage, gave thanks to God and the ancestors for guiding her and blessing her new term.

“I am ecstatic with joy and thanksgiving on Pamela accomplishing this milestone in this moment,” said Miles-Tribble, who has known Price for 30 years.

By Richard Johnson

During this recent holiday season of Thanksgiving, Channukah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa while the Formerly Incarcerated Giving Back Organization (FIGB) was distributing tons of food, water, toys, and gift bags to families, I met Mother Maryann Mitchell, a lifelong member of the Evangelistic Outreach Center.

My heart was warmed by her quiet, fearless dedication to taking care of our city’s most vulnerable populations. I discovered that she has been helping to feed and provide clothing to the underserved since 2010. Oakland needs to know that this god-fearing lady is the lady

who has distributed blankets and survival needs for the homeless and toiletries for everyone, including the women and girls who walk the streets alone.

Every Week FIGB, along with community videographer/photographer JonathanFitnessJones, we travel around the city to volunteer to help non-profit organizations, churches and others to “just serve the neediest” citizens. We have been inspired to work with the Market Street SDA Church, Cooper AME Zion, Mistah FAB, AASEG, PIC and many more organizations.

She is shown with Richard Johnson as both met and volunteered to distribute to the neediest Oakland

The new mayor of Oakland, Sheng Thao, former Oakland mayor Jean Quan, Rev. Dr. Harold Orr, Rev. Wanda Johnson, California State Senator-elect Aisha Wahab, BART Director Lateefah Simon, and the iconic activist and renown author Angela Davis attended the inaugural celebration Monday along with more than 450 others. Attendees enjoyed wine and dessert while hearing from guest speakers.

Each speaker was more complimentary and enthusiastic than the next, praising Price as a history maker and woman of the people on the brink of transforming Alameda County into a system that

At Price’s swearing in the following day at the Alameda County René C. Davidson Courthouse, several family members, Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, and retired attorney Otis Bruce, Jr., among others, attended.

Donning her signature purple, Price wore a beautifully textured suit as she placed her hand on the Bible, held by her sister, Tonsa

hune. “We welcome our African queens,” said Harbin-Forte, who became friends with Price in law school in 1978.

Prior to the swearing in, Rev. Dr. Valerie Miles-Tribble of Tem-

“I empathize with the pain of victims and families and know that justice delayed is justice denied,” said Price of her civil justice career. “And I know no one wants to ever be judged by the worst thing we’ve ever done in our lives. For most, that happens by the age of 24.”

Price says she will create bridges throughout the community to rebuild a broken system into one that can do a better job of serving society.

Former mayoral candidate Alyssa Victory said she was overwhelmed with hope and

Marshall

Price-Edwards from Phoenix and sworn in by award-winning, retired Judge Brenda Fay HarbinForte.

New Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price in her new office at the Alameda County René C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, California.

New Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price seated in her new office at the Alameda County René C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, Ca. with surrounding family members (l-r) De’Angelia Huggins, Shawn Huggins, Tonsia Price Edwards, Saa Shemsu, Kia Shemsu, Dr. Adrienne MaGee, and Del Monte Edwards. Photo By Carla Thomas.

Retired Judge Brenda Fay Harbin-Forte swears in Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with her sister, Tonsa Price-Edwards

Maryann Mitchell is shown with Richard Johnson as both met and volunteered to distribute to the neediest Oakland encampment. Photo by JonathanFitnessJones

Community Rally hailed Price as a “Defender of Justice for All.” Photo by JonathanfitnessJones

Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters, Dies at 74... Page 2

Mental Health: Solving CA’s Homelessness Crisis... Page 5

How California is Pulling Racism and Hate Crimes

Out into the Open

Black Californians are most affected by criminal offenses based on prejudice

By McKenzie Jackson California Black Media

Officials and advocates across California are pouring resources into revealing that racism and racial intolerance impact public health — major factors, they say, behind the substantial increase in hate crimes and hate incidents in the Golden State.

In Stop the Hate, a 2021 report focused on hate crimes in Los Angeles County, researchers reached several revealing conclusions that line up with trends reported across the state.

Among the findings that stood out in the LA County report were: Black Californians are still most impacted by hate crimes; hate crimes are significantly underreported to law enforcement (by as much 50%); and they violate human rights as defined by 177 nations around the world in the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

Although African Americans in Los Angeles County make up only 9% of the population, they accounted for 46% of the victims of hate crimes in 2021, according to the Stop the Hate Report.

Statewide in 2021, Black Californians accounted for a disproportionate 44% of the victims of documented hate crimes although African Americans make up about 6% of the state’s population, according to statistics released by the California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office in June.

The Los Angeles County study was spearheaded by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Rights and research for it was conducted in an area encompassing Central and South Los Angeles, neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley, West Hollywood, and Hollywood.

In nearby Orange County (OC), officials there joined a growing chorus of other Golden State cities and counties that have declared racism a public health crisis.

At their Dec. 6 public meeting, the Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved “A Resolution of The Board of Supervisors of the County of Orange Declaring Racism and Inequity as a Public Health Crisis.”

The resolution is based on the premise that systemic racism causes persistent discriminatory policies and evidence cited in numerous studies linking racism to negative health outcomes. In it, the OC Board of Supervisors vowed to promote an inclusive and racial equity justice-oriented governmental organization that is aware of “unfairness through robust training and continuing education to expand the understanding of how racial discrimination affects individuals and communities most impacted by inequities.”

Orange County Human Relations Council Director of Operations Don Han applauded the Southern California county board’s move.

“This signified that we are serious about stopping hate,” said Han, whose nonprofit is geared toward combating discrimination in the Southern California county. “That is our goal.”

Han said there is evidence that systematic racism has existed in Orange County — which is 70% white — like most of the U.S., for generations.

Within the last two years, the cities of Coachella, Goleta, Long Beach, and Los Angeles and counties such as Monterey, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, and Santa Barbara passed resolutions categorizing

racism as a public health distress.

The Oakland City Council deemed racism a public health crisis in June and promised to work to advance racial equity.

At the time, Seema Rupani of the Oakland City Attorney’s Office, said the government had a responsibility to address the health problem racism has caused.

“Structural racism has existed for centuries, and it has always impacted communities of color here, but during the pandemic the inequities became more pronounced,” she said. “They were growing. They were becoming more exposed particularly with COVID and housing and homelessness and economic disparities and there was just a responsibility to acknowledge what was happening and to take steps to address it.”

Oakland’s resolution directed $350,000 in the city budget for data analyst and consulting services to aid the city and its department of race and equity to enhance “improvements in systems for collection and processing data to track performance and equity progress,” reads the council’s resolution.

The OC supervisors did not attach a dollar amount to what the county will do to combat discrimination but indicated they will support diversity and inclusion as a core component to the delivery of health and human services for underserved populations, including appropriate allocation of resources to personnel training and public education.

Over 200 governmental bodies in 37 states have passed declarations concerning racism’s impact on public health.

U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky called racism a public health danger in 2021.

She pointed to how the pandemic impacted communities of color in terms of case numbers, deaths, and social consequences.

“What we know is this: racism is a serious public health threat that directly affects the well-being of millions of Americans,” Walensky said. “Racism is not just the discrimination against one group based on the color of their skin or their race or ethnicity, but the structural barriers that impact racial and ethnic groups differently to influence where a person lives, where they work, where their children play, and where they worship and gather in community.”

In Orange County, hate crimes and related incidents were up 165% in 2021 compared to five years ago, according to OC Human Relations Council’s “2021 Orange County Hate Crimes Report.”

Black people were the target of 24 reported hate incidents and 16 hate crimes in 2021, while there were 153 hate incidents and 10 hate crimes committed against Asian/Pacific Islanders.

Han touched on how systematic racism can be traced back to slavery — citing, for example, the U.S. Government never honoring Union General William T. Sherman’s promise to grant formerly enslaved Black people land after they were freed. He added that people who do not understand history fear what the OC resolution could mean legally.

“There are a number of folks who have a lack of knowledge on this, and they lash out,” Han said. “But they don’t represent a majority of the county. The resolution signified that we are serious about stopping hate. We are seeing a shining light at the end of the tunnel.”

Anita Pointer, Founding Member of the Pointer Sisters, Dies at 74

By Post Staff

Anita Pointer, a founding member of The Pointer Sisters, succumbed to cancer on Dec. 31, 2022, at her Beverly Hills home. She was 74.

“While we are deeply saddened by the loss of Anita, we are comforted in knowing she is now with her daughter, Jada and her sisters June & Bonnie and at peace,” the family said in a statement reported in The Guardian.

“She was the one that kept all of us close and together for so long. Her love of our family will live on in each of us. Please respect our privacy during this period of grief and loss. Heaven is a more loving beautiful place with Anita there,” they added.

Anita was one of six children raised in West Oakland and Prescott, Arkansas, by Rev. Elton Pointer and Sarah Pointer, who co-ministered the West Oakland Church of God in Christ. Soon after her graduation from Oakland Technical High School, Anita became a legal secretary.

In the late 1960s, her younger sisters, Bonnie and June, broke with the expectations of their religious family and began singing as a duo and as back-up for several renowned local bands including Boz Scaggs, Taj Mahal, and Elvin Bishop.

Seeing their success, Anita quit her job and joined them in 1969, and when eldest sister Ruth stepped in in 1972, the trio became a quartet.

According to CBS News, “The quartet brought a unique fusion of

COMMENTARY:

funk, soul and 1940s-style jazz, scat and pop to their act, often dressing in a retro style that resembled their forerunners the Andrews Sisters.”

But their strict upbringing meant they had never heard of the Andrews Sisters and had come to that style of dress because they had grown up poor and frequently outfitted themselves by shopping at thrift stores.

Though Anita sang lead on their breakout hit, “Yes, We Can Can” from their self-title first album, she and her sisters took turns with lead vocals during a lengthy recording career that spanned decades and crossed what had once been well delineated genres.

Measured by the standards of sales and frequency of play on radio stations, The Pointer Sisters held sway from the 1970s to mid1980s in songs that ranged in style from gospel (from their church upbringing) to jazz and pop.

In 1974, they even crossed over to country music with the recording of “Fairytale.” Written by Anita and Bonnie and vocalized by Anita, the song hit No. 13 on pop charts and broke the top 50 on country music charts, garnering their first Grammy award for Best Country Performance by a Group. That hit would also lead them to becoming the first Black female group to perform at The Grand Old Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.

According to New York Times music critic Alex Traub, “the Pointer Sisters occupied a middle point in pop history between the doo-wop innocence of

the Ronettes and the stilettoed girl power of Destiny’s Child.”

To Traub, “Anita’s voice had a lot to do with that. She sang with the speed and flavor of molasses. Though she commanded the virtuosity to trill prettily, she tended to sing too softly to sound overpowering.”

When Bonnie Pointer chose a solo career in 1977, the remaining sisters almost disbanded, but instead gave up their retro image and became a force in modern pop music in the 1980s with such hits as “He’s So Shy,” “Jump (For My Love),” and “Automatic.”

The sisters’ recording of “Neutron Dance,” was the intro for Eddie Murphy’s first run as Sgt. Axel Foley in 1984’s “Beverly Hills Cop,” and they played The Wilson Sisters in “Car Wash” in 1976.

In 1986, Anita’s crossover hit — a duet with country singer Earl Thomas Conley entitled “Too Many Times,” — led to a rare appearance for Conley on the R&B show “Soul Train.”

In 1994, the sisters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Illness would lead to Anita’s retirement from touring in 2015.

Anita Pointer was preceded in death by her daughter Jada (2003); and sisters June (2006) and Bonnie (2020). She is survived by eldest sister Ruth and brothers Aaron and Fritz and granddaughter Roxie McCain Pointer.

The Guardian, CBS News, NBC News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Wikipedia were the sources for this report.

Inglewood Calls on Its Legislators to Help Return Local Control to City’s Schools

By Brandon Patterson

The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) will soon announce its choice for the next County Administrator for the Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD).

In the job description, applicants were told “the district has

ninth administrator being around to coordinate IUSD’s transition back to local control.

The IUSD Board of Education should be selecting the next leader for the school district, not LACOE. But, in 2012 facing the possibility of insolvency, Senate Bill 533 authorized a state loan and gave the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI), Tom Torlakson control over IUSD. In 2018, Assembly Bill 1840 transferred authority to LACOE Superintendent Debra Duardo.

Since 2012, IUSD’s five-member Board of Education has been serving in an advisory role to the revolving door of appointed State and County Administrators.

and general consulting to the state’s school districts. Their latest review of IUSD generated 885 recommendations for implementing 153 operational standards spread across the five operational areas.

IUSD has achieved proficiency in just two of the FCMAT operational areas — governance and personnel management — after 10 years under state and county control.

made significant strides toward recovery and is within 3-4 years of being able to meet the minimum milestone for self-governance, offering the successful candidate a rare leadership opportunity.”

If history is any indication, IUSD has had eight State/County Administrators (including three interim) in a little more than 10 years. The odds are against the

Existing laws governing receivership say that a school district will regain control when it shows adequate progress in implementing the recommendations of a comprehensive review conducted by the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance (FCMAT) in five operational areas (financial management, personnel management, community relations and governance, facilities management, and pupil achievement).

FCMAT is an independent and external state agency that provides financial management assistance

Existing laws give Duardo, with the concurrence of SPI Tony Thurmond and State Board of Education President Linda DarlingHammond, the power to determine when IUSD can resume local control. However, many Inglewood residents familiar with the school district believe it’s Duardo’s choice of administrators that are failing to conform with FCMAT standards.

The nine reviews FCMAT conducted show that constant turnover of leadership and the number of poor leader choices by the state and county have led to inconsistency in developing and executing effective recovery plans for IUSD, stunted academic progress for the students, and inadequate maintenance of IUSD facilities.

When Torlakson took over

The Oakland City Council deemed racism a public health crisis in June and promised to work to advance racial equity.

The Pointer Sisters: Anita Pointer (left) appears with her sister Ruth Pointer (center) and Sadako Pointer Johnson (right), at the “green carpet” for the Save the World Awards in 2009 (Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant, Lower Austria) / Photo: Manfred Werner / Wikimedia Commons.

By Ben Jealous

As we greet 2023, I’m feeling more than the typical seasonal optimism. America is primed once again for a historic achievement — call it our “Earth shot.”

In the 1960s and early 1970s, the United States spent the current dollar equivalent of just under $300 billion on “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth” as President Kennedy proposed in 1961. Ever since, that combination of aspiration and expenditure has made us call any well-financed goal that seems improbable, if not impossible, a “moonshot.”

President Biden and Congress committed almost $700 billion in the next 10 years to reducing pollution, particularly in marginalized communities most likely to suffer, and to making the transportation and energy sectors cleaner to preserve the climate. We need to appreciate the investment to save our fragile planet made in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act as our Earth shot.

This is a moment of unprecedented opportunity to combat the climate crisis, lessen the impact of environmental decay in communi-

ties that unfairly bear its brunt, and build a cleaner economy. We need to come together to seize it. It’s a moment long awaited by people of color in particular — who have always been strong voices for environmental protection and who have been the most demanding of political leaders on these issues at the ballot box.

What’s behind this optimistic outlook? First, the landmark investment since 2021 moves us beyond the point of simply imagining what could be done to hand us the tools to build what it will take to avert climate catastrophe and environmental decay. It’s up to us now to take up those tools and get to work. We can accelerate the arrival of a green economy. We can rebuild our manufacturing sector, not just our roads and bridges. We can create good jobs for people who need them and have struggled to find them. And we can do it all at once. In fact, we must do it all at once.

Second, that historic investment comes at a particularly opportune moment for changing the course of our climate and environment. It’s a moment when innovation is matching our resolve to make change. From batteries to LED lights to energy production,

2023

we have better, cleaner options across the economy.

This intersection of investment and innovation means we can move past the old either-or thinking that has held us back for too long, the mistaken notion that the only way to have a flourishing economy is to force some people in some places to pay the cost of prosperity. The new reality of this time is that we can have thriving businesses and good jobs without sacrificing the planet. Getting to the moon led to everything from the silicon chip to more PhDs in science and engineering. Our Earth shot can have the same spillover effect.

While the federal government has set the stage for unprecedented progress, the work of implementation will play out in every state and community. There were no corporate lobbyists fighting to keep the Apollo rockets grounded, but we can expect fights everywhere to divert investment in a cleaner environment or to minimize its impact. We need to match those opponents in statehouses and city halls with our people power. Environmental, labor, and civil rights advocates need to come together as all our interests align in this cause.

As we close out this holiday season, let’s give ourselves the gift of belief. Let’s believe that we can do this, we can save the planet. Let’s believe that we can figure out tough challenges that our inspiration has yet to crack. And let’s believe we can move beyond old, harmful patterns of division and discrimination to ensure everyone enjoys a livable planet.

Happy New Year.

John Berry Meachum and the Floating Freedom School

By Tamara Shiloh

It is known that educated slaves posed as threats to white slave owners. Learning to read and write would open doors to calculated methods of escape, allow for secret communications, and inspire possible slave revolts. In fact, an 1847 Missouri Constitutional law prohibited Blacks in Missouri, whether enslaved or freedmen, from being taught to read or write. Any person caught teaching literacy to Blacks faced a penalty of a $500 fine or six months in prison.

However, abolitionists like John Berry Meachum (1789–1854), despite these laws, devised ways to educate Black students.

Prior to the 1847 law, Meachum provided classes to free and enslaved Blacks at the First African Church of St. Louis, one of the oldest Black churches west of the Mississippi River. This caused a rise in racial tensions. Slaveholders openly feared the loss of their

businesses, free labor, and the possible emancipation of slavery, specifically in the South. The law was passed and classes at the church were under threat of being shut down.

The laws against teaching literacy were enforced only sporadically. Still, Meachum, along with a White Englishman hired on as a teacher, was arrested by the local sheriff. This took place during class time, a planned move that would frighten several children who then scattered. Local authorities, through means of threats against Meachum and John Mason Peck, forced the classes to stop.

Peck was an American Baptist missionary and prominent anti-slavery advocate. A prolific writer, he founded many educational institutions.

The arrest and subsequent threats only lit a fire under Meachum. He was committed to educating young Black children and would continue to do so, no matter the risks. That same year, he purchased a steamboat, which he anchored in the middle of the Mississippi River. The location placed it under the authority of the federal government which was conveniently outside of Missouri’s jurisdiction.

The steamboat was outfitted with desks, chairs, and a library. Students were ferried back and forth between St. Louis and what was named the “Float-

WAIT LIST OPENING FOR OAKLAND HOUSING AUTHORITY PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS AT LOCKWOOD GARDENS AND

PERALTA VILLAGE

2023 WAIT LIST OPENING FOR HOUSING AUTHORITY PUBLIC HOUSING UNITS AT LOCKWOOD GARDENS AND PERALTA VILLAGE

The 2023 Waiting List for Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) Public Housing at Lockwood Gardens and Peralta Village is for one, two, and three-bedroom units only. OHA will place selected applicants onto the waiting list based on a computerized random lottery selection process. The waiting list will be active for 12 to 18 months

How do I apply?

The 2023 Waiting List for Oakland Housing Authority (OHA) Public Housing at Lockwood Gardens and Peralta Village is for one, two, and three-bedroom units only. OHA will place selected applicants onto the waiting list based on a computerized random lottery selection process. The waiting list will be active for 12 to 18 months.

Fill out a pre-application online. Pre-applications will only be accepted Tuesday, January 17, 2023, starting at 8:00AM through Tuesday, January 31, 2023, ending at 4:00PM.

Housing Authority (OHA) Public Housing at Lockwood Gardens and Peralta Village is for one, two, will place selected applicants onto the waiting list based on a computerized random lottery be active for 12 to 18 months.

1. Go to www.oakha.org or https://myohaportal.oakha.org/ to submit a pre-application. You must have a valid email address to submit a pre-application. If you do not have an email, you will have the opportunity to create an email address in the portal. There is no fee for completing the pre-application. THIS IS NOT A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE PROCESS.

How do I apply?

2. Applicants can submit a pre-application for only one of the Public Housing communities listed below.

Fill out a pre-application online Pre-applications will only be accepted Tuesday, January 17, 2023, starting at 8:00AM through Tuesday, January 31, 2023, ending at 4:00PM.

3. You must complete and submit your pre-application prior to Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 4:00 PM.

4. SAVE YOUR CONFIRMATION EMAIL when you successfully complete and submit the pre-application.

1. Go to www.oakha.org or https://myohaportal.oakha.org/ to submit a pre-application. You must have a valid email address to submit a pre-application. If you do not have an email, you will have the opportunity to create an email addres s in the portal. There is no fee for completing the pre-application. THIS IS NOT A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE PROCESS.

applications will only be accepted Tuesday, January 17, 2023, starting at 8:00AM through 4:00PM.

5. If you need assistance, please visit one 1327 65th Ave., Oakland, CA 94621 (Lockwood Gardens), 935 Union Street, Oakland, CA 94607 (Peralta Village) or 1540 Webster St. Oakland, CA 94612 (Leased Housing) January 17-20, 23-26 and 30, 31, between 10am-3pm or call (510) 587-2100.

2. Applicants can submit a pre-application for only one of the Public Housing communities listed below.

3. You must complete and submit your pre-application prior to Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 4:00 PM.

4. SAVE YOUR CONFIRMATION EMAIL when you successfully complete and submit the pre-application.

The Public Housing locations are in following areas in Oakland:

• Lockwood Gardens: 1327 65th Avenue Oakland, CA 94621 http://www.oakha.org/Residents/Pages/Lockwood-Gardens.aspx

• Peralta Village: 935 Union St. Oakland, CA 94607 http://www.oakha.org/Residents/Pages/Peralta-Village.aspx

5. If you need assistance please visit one 1327 65th Ave., Oakland, CA 94621 (Lockwood Gardens), 935 Union Street, Oakland, CA 94607 (Peralta Village) or 1540 Webster St. Oakland, CA 94612 (Leased Housing) January 17 -20, 23-26 and 30, 31, between 10am-3pm or call (510) 587-2100.

Occupancy Standards

The Public Housing locations are in following areas in Oakland:

The unit size for which an applicant family qualifies,

• Lockwood Gardens 1327 65th Avenue Oakland, CA 94621 http://www.oakha.org/Residents/Pages/Lockwood-Gardens.aspx

• OHA will assign one bedroom for each two persons within the household, regardless of age or gender.

• Peralta Village 935 Union St. Oakland, CA 94607 http://www.oakha.org/Residents/Pages/Peralta -Village.aspx

Occupancy Standards

• The Head of Household, if single, will be assigned their own bedroom and then one bedroom will be assigned for each remaining two persons within the household.

• Single person families will be allocated one bedroom.

https://myohaportal.oakha.org/ to submit a pre-application. You must have a valid email address to submit have an email, you will have the opportunity to create an email addres s in the portal. There is no application. THIS IS NOT A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE PROCESS. application for only one of the Public Housing communities listed below. your pre-application prior to Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 4:00 PM. EMAIL when you successfully complete and submit the pre-application. one 1327 65th Ave., Oakland, CA 94621 (Lockwood Gardens), 935 Union Street, Oakland, CA Webster St. Oakland, CA 94612 (Leased Housing) January 17 -20, 23-26 and 30, 31, between in following areas in Oakland: Avenue Oakland, CA 94621 http://www.oakha.org/Residents/Pages/Lockwood-Gardens.aspx Oakland, CA 94607 http://www.oakha.org/Residents/Pages/Peralta -Village.aspx family qualifies, depends on their household size and composition and any verifiable special needs. each two regardless of age will be then one remaining two allocated one

587-7119. The City of Oakland prohibits rental discrimination based on criminal history per the Ronald V. Dellums and Simarashe Sherry Fair Chance Access to Housing Ordinance No 13581 C.M.S. (O.M.C. 8.25). For more information, visit http://oakha.org/AffordableHousing/HowDoIApplyForHousing/Documents/Fair-Chance-Ordinance.Tenant-Notice.10.5.2020.pdf

Social Security benefits, pensions, child support, unemployment benefits, CalWin (TANF), net persons listed on the pre -application must not exceed the following:

có tạy nhìêu văng phòng gần đây.

Ben Jealous

Photo from “Kelly Miller’s History of the World War for Human Rights.”

COMMENTARY: America, Divided by Politics, United by Football

got more votes than McCarthy, 212-203. Not the 218 needed to be Speaker. But enough to highlight Republicans’ incompetence and inability to lead.

McCarthy’s plan was to keep grinding out rounds of votes until he wins. After being nominated by MAGA leader Jim Jordan, McCarthy lost a second time. Rounds of votes could go on for days. My deadline came first.

belief was “the show must go on.”

Things have changed. Everyone now realizes that football is more dangerous than we think. Is that why we like it? Maybe we should reconsider making it safer. These players are human, not robotic gladiators.

By Emil Guillermo

Chances are more of you were watching Monday Night Football, which is a good thing. You know America can agree on something.

Because you know the country is deeply divided if you were one of the few watching the vote for Speaker of the House in Congress this week.

Oakland’s member of Congress, Barbara Lee, your witness/ representative, was on the front lines as one of the “congressional tellers” of the vote count.

And that vote was an embarrassment for the new Republican majority in the “People’s House.”

The dividers are the divided.

They couldn’t do the easy stuff — vote for a leader.

California Republican Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield could not get a 218 vote majority to be elected speaker. In fact, 19 Republicans voted for someone else. For as much as McCarthy has bootlicked Donald Trump the last six years, hardline right-wingers denied McCarthy a victory and made him the first person in 100 years to lose the first round in a vote for speaker.

And who led the charge?

MAGA Republicans like Arizona’s Paul Gosar, a favorite with white supremacist groups; Matt Goetz, who sought a preemptive pardon from Trump in relation to a child sex trafficking scandal; and Lauren Boebert, who barely won her Colorado seat.

It meant that after the first vote, Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, an African American from Brooklyn

Whoever wins the speakership, the first day of divided government was disastrous for the dysfunctional Republicans who showed they cannot govern.

Damar Hamlin

Which brings us to the country’s real topic A, Buffalo Bills professional football player Damar Hamlin.

Monday Night Football was a big game for both the Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals.

But then in the first quarter, something happened that you rarely see. Hamlin, a defensive back, stopped a ball carrier who ran high into his chest. Hamlin absorbed the force and tackled the player down. That’s normal.

Hamlin stood up, then promptly collapsed, and fell backward.

That’s not entertainment. And that’s when we all blew the whistle — on football.

Suddenly it was life and death. Concussion? No, this was something different. The announcers talked about CPR being administered. Later, we found out a defibrillator was used. One of the docs on cable TV conjectured on what we all saw: that the blunt force to Hamlin’s chest caused ventricular fibrillation — the Bills reported it as cardiac arrest. It’s where the heart is unable to pump blood causing a drop in blood pressure so extreme Hamlin collapsed.

The nation was stunned.

This isn’t football. The game was suspended and there was no further play. How could there be? But that wouldn’t have been the case five or ten years ago when the

This is a message that needs to trickle down to college, and on to the high school and youth levels, where I played and had one scary moment.

In my day, they taught you to lead with your head. Use your helmet. One time I did and blacked out. No one administered or cared for me. I shrugged it off because I was taught to be football tough. But I came to my senses. I quit the team and never played again.

It was like I walked away from the football brotherhood.

At the pro level these days, the brotherhood is real. You saw it on players’ faces as medical staff administered to Hamlin. They all know how dangerous the game can be.

“I cherish [life] every second that I can, you know, every second of every day,” Hamlin said in a November interview, when he talked about praying with his fellow defensive backs, holding their hands and grabbing hard. “Because you never know when the last day could be that you get to experience something like this.”

Football.

Hamlin was not considered a “star,” yet. He started the season as a backup, then took over when another player was injured and never looked back.

And now he is the one player all of America roots for.

President Obama used to say America, in politics and in life, needs to understand we’re all on the same team.

On a football field in Cincinnati this week, we were.

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a talk show on www.amok.com.

Mental Health is Major Hurdle to Solving California’s Homelessness Crisis

“Enslaved: The Sunken History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade” by Simcha Jacobovici & Sean Kingsley

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

It’s boring if it moves too smoothly without a hitch. No, you need a detour or two, a couple of switchbacks, a pothole in the road to make the story interesting, and a good meander to smooth it out. Even so, as in the new book “Enslaved” by Simcha Jacobovici & Sean Kingsley, sometimes, the story is a wreck.

Were it not profitable — if it hadn’t been for the money in it — “the transatlantic slave trade would never have happened,” say the authors in the first sentence of their book. This fact launches a tale of high seas, low tides, and the people of Diving With a Purpose who volunteer their talents to find former slave ships that lie beneath the ocean. This work helps tell the stories of ancestors who died beneath the waters — victims of the slave trade.

Jacobovici and Kingsley start out with a tale of three divers, “a story they did not want to hear. And...a dive to a haunted slave wreck they did not want to dive” in Paramaribo, a port city in Suri-

name. There, 664 Africans were purposely locked in the hold of a sinking ship for reasons that the ship’s captain kept to himself.

Just off the coast of Gibraltar, the site known as 35F was an accidental find discovered by treasure hunters. At first DWP workers weren’t sure there was anything left of the shipwreck; it had been destroyed by area trawlers and fishermen. A second look showed cannons, ceramic pots, ivory, and copper bracelets called “manilla,” that were used “to buy gold, elephant tusks, and humans.”

And then there was the Clotilda, a ship that was illegal from the start, and was sunk on purpose in a small waterway. Today, many descendants of its survivors live in a “sleepy” town near Mobile, Alabama, a “purely African town in America” founded by former slaves, “started from scratch...”

Many thoughts may swirl around your head when you read “Enslaved.”

The first is that there’s something to learn everywhere, but also a good amount of information that

you already know. It’s filled with powerful stories, but they’re written in sometimes-florid language that can make those tales hard to follow. And some of the tales will make you wince and cringe and cringe again.

Authors Jacobovici and Kingsley weave history inside tales of recovery, which is helpful in an overall understanding of slavery around the world, beginning well before 1619 and including how it came to be that Africans were the people most captured. There are times, however, when that history gets in the way of DWP’s fascinating involvement — what they found, how it was discovered, what was done with the information, and how it matters. It’s easy to miss those parts of this book, and that’s too bad.

This book will satisfy readers who want history, but armchair archaeologists may be left wanting. Come at “Enslaved” with that in mind: devour it, perhaps, or switch it out and put it back.

By Aldon Thomas Stiles California Black Media

Aaliyah Muhammad is a member of the civil rights group All of Us or None and a pillar of her community in Sacramento. She works tirelessly to help the homeless population along Market Street, a thoroughfare in the Sacramento County community of Walnut Grove.

She also is mother to a son suffering from severe mental illness.

Muhammad fears that she might be the one thing standing between her son and a life on the streets.

“He told them one day he didn’t want their services anymore and so they stopped coming and that’s when he started going downhill,” Muhammad said of the social workers who were handling his case. “But I feel that they shouldn’t have just quit. They should have tried to talk with him or find some other group that he might work with.”

For many Californians this is not an unfamiliar story. For a lot of families with homeless rela-

tives — or loved ones on the verge of becoming unhoused — it is that one intervention or strategic assistance at the right time that prevented that person battling mental illness or other life challenges from losing their stable housing.

About 161,548 people in the state experience homelessness on any given day, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) reports the number of homeless people in the state increased 42% from 2014 to 2020.

About 25% of the adult homeless population in Los Angeles County deal with severe mental health issues according to a report from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

According to a survey conducted by the California Health Care Foundation, 43% of the Black Californians interviewed reported that someone close to them has experienced homelessness — a rate much higher than any other racial group in the survey.

Experts attribute California’s

homelessness crisis to a few key historical factors.

La Tina Jackson, a licensed clinical social worker and a deputy with the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, explained that a person can become homeless due to struggles with severe mental illness and vice versa.

“A person with severe mental illness may experience delusions or hallucinations that might result in bizarre, irrational, impulsive, or disorganized behavior. In a minority of cases, even aggressive behavior,” Jackson said.

Alex Visotyzky, Senior California Policy Fellow at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, claims that this crisis has been decades in the making.

“We’ve seen the federal government slowly, over the last 50 years, disinvest from affordable housing in major ways,” he said.

The Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act of 1967 was signed into law by Gov. Ronald Reagan to provide guidelines for handling involuntary civil commitment of individuals to mental health insti-

Special to The Post

On Nov. 21 and Dec. 19, the Pinkney Foundation and the Oakland Unified School District Expanded Learning Department launched their series of “Girls Love Golf” clinics hosted by Terry T Mr. Community.

Funding for the pilot program comes from the California Department of Education’s Expanded Learning Opportunity Program and The Pinkney Foundation, a non-profit organization co-founded by Preston Pinkney created to serve underprivileged urban youth by providing youth development programs that assist in developing essential life skills. The free clinics

invite OUSD girls in grades K-5 to learn golf fundamentals and etiquette.

This is a fun and entertaining event. Girls rotate through different stations and learn golf fundamentals, fitness, nutrition, mental toughness, and compete in fun competitions. All participants will receive lunch, swag, and free golf clubs.

Free golf clubs are provided by Robert Baker of Logical Golf and Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn.Play Foundation, which will also provide meals.

With efforts to build excitement around golf, the clinic finishes with young ladies participating in a personalized theme song

and video filming with Terry T Mr. Community entitled “You Wanna Play Golf With Us.”

“Oakland Girls Love Golf Clinics is a step in the right direction for diversity, equity and inclusion in golf,” said Pinkney.

The next Oakland Girls Love Golf clinic will be held on Monday, April 3, 2023, at the Lake Chabot Golf Course in Oakland. There is no fee to participate. Clinic times from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

To sign up, please contact The Pinkney Foundation at preston@ thepinkneyfoundation.org. Phone: 510-367-3001.

Simcha Jacobovici (left) and Sean Kingsley

La Tina Jackson, a licensed clinical social worker and a deputy with the L.A. County Department of Mental Health.

Girls receive certificates of participation at the completion of a session at a golf clinic in Oakland. Photo courtesy of the Pinkney Foundation.

Financial Resolutions: 4 Tips and Tools to Improve Your Family’s Money Skills in 2023

To help start the new year off strong, have open and honest conversations as a family about finances. The beginning of the year is a great opportunity to review your family’s expenses. Use this moment to review spending and savings habits and discuss how to improve them this year. By having these open conversations with your kids, you can help them better understand the basics of money and lay a strong foundation for financial independence.

Not sure where to start? Check out these four tips that can help your family talk about your finances and build better money habits together.

1. Saving made easy for 2023

Managing your money can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t need to be. The end of the year can be especially hectic with additional expenses like holiday shopping and travel costs. To make things easier in 2023, automate your savings to help reach your financial goals faster.

With tools like Chase Autosave, customers can set up repeating, automatic transfers from their Chase checking into their Chase savings account. This presents a great learning opportunity for families to discuss the importance of savings, working toward a goal and building healthy habits.

Parents, you can show your

children how you determine your savings goals and then help them set their own financial goals for the new year. Once they’ve figured out how much they want to save, help them set up a plan to get there.

2. Work together as a family to improve your finances

Working toward a common goal can make everyone feel like they have a stake in the ground.

Setting financial goals together for 2023 and creating a monthly budget will help organize finances throughout the year.

As a Chase checking customer, you can open a bank account with a debit card for kids. For kids 6-17, Chase First BankingSM comes with its own debit card and parental control, while offering several other benefits like setting spending limits and allowing them to experience money firsthand. This opens the line of communication between parents and kids about building good money habits.

3. Build healthy financial practices

Make financial discussions a regular part of family conversations.

Whether it be what or where they’re spending, how much they’re earning or their savings goal, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to discuss good money habits with your kids. To get a clearer picture of your spending and saving habits, check out their Spending Snapshot in the Chase Mobile® app. You and your kids

can also set up real-time account alerts to ensure you know exactly where and how they are spending their money.

4. Prepare students heading back to school

Now that 2022 is coming to a close, it’s time to prepare students heading back to school for their second semester. Before winter break is over, talk with your high school and college students about their finances and help them feel confident in their future by laying the groundwork for financial independence.

Accounts like Chase High School Checking℠, for students 13-17 and co-owned by the parent, and Chase College Checking℠, available to students 17-24 with no monthly service fee for five years while in college, provide access to digital banking tools to help them stay on top of their finances throughout the semester.

Using these four tips, your family can start the new year off with optimism about the state of their finances. To learn more and continue the conversation, visit chase.com/studentbanking.

Chase Mobile® app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply.

Bank deposit accounts, such as checking and savings, are subject to approval.

Deposit products provided by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC.

As Republicans Battled Over Speakership, CBC Members Stand United at Swearing-In

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

On Tuesday, Jan. 3, members of the Congressional Black Caucus held an inspiring swearing-in ceremony, even as Republicans were fighting over who would become the next Speaker of the House.

“In the work we do, we honor our history, like the many Black members that served before there was even a Congressional Black Caucus,” said Nevada Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford, the CBC’s new chairman.

Horsford, 49, counted among the 58 CBC members taking the oath of office, most praised the BidenHarris administration, spoke glowingly of the CBC’s history, and kept an eye on their Republican counterparts as they tried to find the votes to select a new speaker.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who is 57 and from California, continued to face strong opposition from his own party as he tried to replace outgoing speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California).

At least six members of the GOP have opposed McCarthy, who needs 218 votes.

Democrats have seized upon the GOP’s inability to unite.

“The 118th Congress has yet to begin, and Americans are already seeing how dysfunctional and disastrous GOP control of the House is going to be,” said Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Washington).

DelBene is the new chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

“While House Republicans fight one another in unprecedented ways, and Kevin McCarthy gives in to the most extreme flanks of the Republican Party in desperate plays for their support, Democrats are clear-minded, unified, and eager to get to work for the American people,” she said.

“No matter who becomes Speaker of the House or how many votes it takes, the contrast is clear, and in two short years voters will reject this chaos and confu-

sion.”

Further complicating McCarthy’s bid, Republicans with a small majority only occupy 222 seats in the 118th Congress, which means there’s enough opposition to block his candidacy.

He needs a majority of the present members to vote for him.

Incoming House Minority Leader, New York Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, said no Democratic party member would be absent for a vote and did not expect any to simply vote “present.”

Headed into Tuesday, there was even the belief that Jeffries, 52, could get more votes than McCarthy in a first round of voting.

But, because the GOP controls the House, he wouldn’t become speaker.

“We’re focused right now on making sure that every single Democrat is present and voting, and I hope to be able to earn everyone’s vote,” said Jefferies, the first African American to lead a party in Congress.

“It’s unfortunate that all we’re seeing is chaos, crisis, confusion, and craziness take hold of the other side of the aisle, as opposed to trying to find common ground to deliver real results for the American people,” Jefferies continued.

“Hopefully, we’ll get to a place sooner rather than later when the Congress can actually function in a way that brings Democrats and Republicans together to get things done for the American people.”

Jeffries and Horsford focused on the historic battles of African Americans.

“Our community’s journey in this country has been a turbulent one. From slavery to Jim Crow, Jim Crow to mass incarceration, and mass incarceration to a malignant narcissist in the White House,” Jeffries states.

Horsford added that “this is our opportunity to advance the mission, the vision, and the goals of those 13 founders and the 166 Black members of Congress who have served in our nation’s 246 years in both the House and the Senate.”

House, Senate Pass Legislation to Lower Cost of Inmate Telephone Calls

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

In 2017, Reesy Floyd-Thompson, who calls herself a “digital wonder woman,” said she had to deal with the shame of the incarceration of a significant other.

Her husband’s incarceration also meant that calling him would be difficult, if not impossible.

“I used to maintain a side hustle to take care of these calls alone. My husband and I used to endure monthly bills as high as $500 to stay connected,” said Floyd-Thompson, who headed an organization called “Prisoner’s Wives, Girlfriends, and Partners,” a support group for spouses and partners of those incarcerated.

Exorbitant telephone call rates have historically made it almost impossible for loved ones to keep in touch with family and friends behind bars.

With rates as high as $20 per call in some areas, Congress has finally acted, and in 2023, inmates and family members will pay a lot less.

Both the House and Senate passed the Mar-

tha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act, which gives the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) the authority to guarantee reasonable charges for telephone and video calls in correctional and detention facilities.

“Too many families of incarcerated people must pay outrageous rates to stay connected with their loved ones,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel remarked in a statement.

“This harms the families and children of the

Sponsored content from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

On Tuesday, Jan. 3, members of the Congressional Black Caucus held an inspiring swearing-in ceremony, even as Republicans were fighting over who would become the next Speaker of the House. (Photo: Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire)

Exorbitant telephone call rates have historically made it almost impossible for loved ones to keep in touch with family and friends behind bars.

The measure now heads to President Joe Biden for his signature.

Phone calls in prison are said to generate more than $1.4 billion per year, and the FCC previously capped rates.

A federal court, however, overturned new regulations that set rates at 25 cents per minute in 2017.

Even though a three-judge panel at the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia agreed that the rates for in-state prison calls were way too high, they said the FCC went beyond its authority when it set rate caps.

“This actually undermines a key goal of prisons, which is to foster rehabilitation to foster successful reentry,” Dr. Melissa Hamilton, a senior lecturer of law and criminal justice at the University of Houston Law Center, said at that time.

“Charging a high fee for phone calls discourages communication between prisoners and those who may be best able to keep prisoners calm and focused while in prison and who may be able to provide opportunities to prisoners upon release,” Hamilton said.

“These are friends, family, and religious connections. We know from decades of correctional research studies that prosocial contacts and opportunities are important mechanisms for rehabilitation and reentry.

“To the extent that the programs reduce these interpersonal contacts, not only are prisoners worse off. It can be detrimental to

family members themselves, particularly children,” she said.

African Americans comprise about 13% of the U.S. population, and they also make up 35% of inmates.

According to a U.S. Department of Justice report, approximately 37% of the 2.2 million male inmates are Black.

“The astronomical fees are predatory and perpetuated by the phone companies and prisons, creating a mini-monopoly,” D.C. Democratic Delegate Eleanor Holmes-Norton said.

She said that the profits from the calls are sometimes shared with sheriff’s offices, who say they use the money for security needs.

A strong social support network is an essential tool in reducing re-offending, mainly for drug-related crimes, said Matt C. Pinsker, a former prosecutor, and magistrate who’s an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Virginia Commonwealth University.

“I find the high cost of phone calls concerning. Anything that limits one’s opportunity to be better connected with family is cause for concern,” Pinsker said.

“I have had numerous cases where clients, especially indigent ones, were unable to talk to loved ones because they had no money on their accounts,” he said.

Former FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn challenged the high rates, calling them a civil rights issue that prevents inmates from connecting with the nearly 3 million children in America with at least one parent in prison.

“It’s the greatest form of regulatory injustice I have seen in my 18 years as a regulator in the communications space,” Clyburn said.

Gridlock and Low Expectations Greet New Congress

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire

When the 118th Congress started on Jan. 3, Americans had the slimmest hope that lawmakers would pass any essential laws.

Instead, experts, people who follow politics, and the public have every reason to think there will be gridlock in 2023 and maybe even after that.

With Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans enjoying the majority in the House, much of any bill or other action signed by President Joe Biden would likely come in the form of executive orders.

“The first three months of next year, we should all just kind of avert our eyes. There’s a tremendous amount of pent-up aggression,” Jason Grumet, president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, said in a recently published interview.

Americans, Grumet declared, should expect a bumpy start to the new Congress.

But once the growing pains subside, Grumet argues there is room for cooperation and productivity.

“There will be some very angry moments, but there will also be some quiet, competent moments that I think will advance a national policy agenda,” said Grumet.

Lawmakers could find common ground on issues like homelessness, mental health, immigra-

tion reform, and more, Grumet continued.

Still, he does not expect grand legislative victories to go down in the history books.

The new Congress includes 89 incoming representatives, the largest first-year class in three decades.

The House plans 30 weeks of sessions in the new year, and Republicans may use much of that to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter.

Radicals like Republican Marjorie Taylor-Green of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado want the House to consider impeaching Biden, citing America’s troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 and the president’s immigration and border policies.

Meanwhile, House Democrats will have new representation, led by New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the first African American to lead a major party in the history of Congress.

According to a Pew Research Center study, 65% of American adults think Biden will fail to pass any of his initiatives over the next two years.

Approximately 61% said they also expect the GOP to fall short of its goals.

Only 8% of respondents said they expect relations between Republicans and Democrats to improve in 2023.

About 48% of Democrats and

Democratic-leaning independents said Biden would do well in the next two years.

Meanwhile, 44% of Republicans and those who vote Republican expect GOP leaders in Congress to pass their programs into law.

“These first two years were under full Democratic control. A number of the big-ticket items were voted along party lines, so just Democrats passed those for Biden,” Laura Barrón-López, the White House Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, said during a broadcast this week.

“That includes, of course, the big COVID response funding at the beginning of his presidency and then, more recently this year, the Inflation Reduction Act, which was that big Democratic wish list bill that had climate change, action, and prescription drug reform, as well as, of course, Affordable Care Act subsidies,” BarrónLópez continued.

She said that Biden likes to talk about bills passed with support from both parties. She also said that the president has a long list that fits that category.

“And this is not an exhaustive list, but it includes investment in semiconductor manufacturing— that’s the big China competitiveness bill—expansion of health care for veterans that were exposed to burn pits, the big bipartisan in-

frastructure bill that was passed with a number of — like, big negotiations that went on for a long time, gun safety, protections for same-sex marriage, Ukraine aid, and averted a rail strike,” BarrónLópez added.

“So, all of these were major bipartisan bills that the president really tried to champion, saying, ‘Look, a lot of people doubted that I could work with Republicans,’ and yet he did during his first two years.”

While the 117th Congress concluded with the passing of a bill to replace a bust of former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney with Thurgood Marshall, the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, members of the 118th Congress will still traverse a building that contains paintings and statues that honor 140 enslavers.

“In removing Taney’s bust, I’m not asking that we would hold Taney to today’s moral standards,” said Maryland Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer.

“On the contrary, let us hold him to the standard of his contemporaries: Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and all of those who understood that the enslavement of others has always been an immoral act.

“Figures like Taney belong in history textbooks and classroom discussions, not in marbled bronze on public display of honor.”

1111 Broadway, Suite 800, Oakland, CA 94607 (510) 208-7400 • www.alamedactc.org

Request for Proposals (RFP)

Investment Advisory Services (RFP No. R23-0006)

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: January 27, 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. All questions regarding this RFP must be submitted in writing to vvijil@alamedactc.org, no later than 3:00 p.m. PT on January 6, 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.

incarcerated — and it harms all of us because regular contact with kin can reduce recidivism.”

County Registrar of Voters Admits Error in Vote Tally, Flipping Winner in One Race

By Post Staff

Only days before winners of the November election were to take office at the beginning of January, the Alameda County Registrar of Voters announced that a programming error in the count of election results led to a miscount in all ranked-choice races. In one case, Nick Resnick, a school board candidate in District 4, was incorrectly declared the winner.

The registrar made the announcement after the county had officially certified the election results, raising questions about what will be done to rectify the error in the school board race and more generally deepened concerns about the reliability of the election process.

The new vote count resulted in new final tallies in all rankedchoice races in Alameda County but did not affect the outcome, except in the school board race.

is critical for every voter to know that their vote was counted accurately.”

2002, and the system has been used in local races since 2004. Rankedchoice elections, also called “instant runoff,” are designed to eliminate costly runoff elections.

As results were being released in November, FairVote, an organization that advocates election reform, saw issues related to how to count a second- or third-choice vote if the voter did not select a first choice. Ballots with blank spots in ranked-choice races are considered “suspended.”

Pamela Price, Historic Alameda County D.A.

Continued from page 1

excitement about seeing such a dedicated person, who she has witnessed in the legal community on behalf of the community and Black women, hold such a powerful position. “She has my support 100% and I can’t wait to see what she does.”

Price, a survivor of the Ohio foster care and juvenile justice systems, graduated from Yale College and UC Berkeley School of Law. With a strong track record in law for more than 40 years,

Price represented women, workers, low-income people, and communities of color — even arguing before the United States Supreme Court.

Several community members displayed enthusiastic support for Price. “Pamela’s commitment for justice along with her experience and values will serve the County well,” said retired attorney Otis Bruce, Jr.

“We are so excited,” said Oakland resident Diane Burr, with her son Sean.

“This whole thing erodes confidence across the board,” Loren Taylor, who lost the Oakland mayor’s race, told the Chronicle. “All of my residents and others who have reached out to me — so many have lost confidence in the election results. That is not something we can take lightly.”

In the mayoral contest, Taylor had won the most first-place votes, receiving one-third of the total vote, still far short of the over 50% needed to be declared winner.

The new vote tally means that Resnick, formerly named the winner in the District 4 school board race, has lost to Mike Hutchinson, who is currently a board member representing District 5.

According to the registrar, if a voter didn’t select a first-choice candidate, then the second choice should have been counted as the first choice in the first round. This

Dr. Washington Burns, 93, of West Oakland’s Prescott Joseph Center

By Post Staff

Washington Burns, M.D., executive director and founding board member of West Oakland’s Prescott Joseph Center (PJC) for Community Enhancement died on Dec. 26 at his home. He was 93.

prepared to enter preschool and kindergarten. He was tireless in his efforts to ensure youth had summer activities to keep them engaged. He was a friend, advocate, mentor, and role model to so many,” continued Cooper-Rodriguez.

As

released the following statement:

“These succession of storms have reminded us - yet again - that we are now more vulnerable to severe weather conditions due to climate change. We must continue to work as a City, state and nation to upgrade our prevention and response systems.

“I’m enormously proud of the Oakland workers and leaders who continue to stand ready to assist our residents. At the Emergency Operations Center, our departments are working together, sharing information and addressing concerns and emergencies as they occur. City workers also partnered with local nonprofits to help residents prepare, including distributing sandbags and providing information on what to do in the event of power outages, gas leaks and road closures.

would also occur in subsequent rounds moving lower choices up into the empty slot.

Oakland Mayor-Elect Sheng Thao released the following statement after the registrar’s announcement:

“This error is reported to have only impacted the District 4 OUSD Board election, but if the Registrar of Voters chooses to conduct a hand recount in the Mayor’s race, to bring additional assurance that every vote was counted accurately, I welcome it fully, ” she said. “Free, fair, and accurate elections are a hallmark of our democracy, and it

While admitting the error, the registrar did not declare Hutchinson the winner or explain what the process is to correct the error.

Resnick, who expected to take office on Jan. 9, said he was still gathering information and was unsure whether he would pursue a legal challenge.

In an interview with the S.F Chronicle Hutchinson said he was talking to lawyers to get legal advice on what to do. “I have the same questions as everyone else,” he said.

San Francisco voters have utilized ranked-choice voting since

Instead, the erroneous computer program did not count any vote in a round if a space was blank.

Over 200 ballots were suspended and not counted correctly in the Oakland District Four school board race. Of these, 115 votes were for Hutchinson.

Without counting the suspended votes, Hutchinson had the fewest votes and was eliminated in the first round. But with the suspended votes, his vote tally made him the second-highest vote-getter in the first round after Resnick. Hutchinson then won by a few hundred votes in the second round, meaning he should have been declared the winner.

Dr. Burns served as the volunteer executive director of the Prescott Joseph Center for over 20 years and was administrative director of the Northern California Breathmobile Program. He was a Retired Chief of Pathology, formerly with California Pacific Medical Center.

Passionate about social justice and equity, he was committed to providing equitable, high-quality services to the children, youth, and families of West Oakland and beyond.

“He was tireless in his efforts to ensure children with asthma had access to the best health care, and he was tireless in efforts to ensure that all West Oaklanders had food and basic needs,” said Ouida Joi Cooper-Rodriguez, interim executive director of the PJC in an email statement.

“He was tireless in his efforts to ensure children 0-5 were well-

Born on Dec. 3, 1929, Dr. Burns first settled at 27th and Adeline streets after moving from northern Mississippi when he was a teenager. He earned a degree in public health from UC Berkeley and a medical degree from the University of Buffalo. In 2000, he retired from his post as lab director in the department of pathology at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where he had worked for 34 years. He won many awards for public service as a pillar of the Oakland community.

The Burns family will be holding a private memorial this month.

The PJC Board and friends are planning a Community Celebration of Life for Dr. Burns at St. Patrick Catholic Church in West Oakland in early February.

For more information, email Ouida Joi Cooper-Rodriguez at ouida@prescottjoseph.org

“I’m particularly grateful for the hard work put into greatly expanding our shelter capacity for unhoused people - more than doubling shelter space at St. Vincent de Paul in West Oakland and opening an emergency facility in East Oakland. It is this type of compassionate and proactive work that saves lives.

“Moving forward, we are going to closely examine our emergency response and public outreach efforts to improve in the future, as sadly, we know these types of storms are all the more likely to happen again. And we will continue the work needed to harden our infrastructure to reduce damages and help prevent catastrophes.

“As always, I’m so proud to be a resident of Our Town and work with the compassionate, hardworking and thoughtful community members who were looking out for each other. We will remain vigilant as these storms continue and continue to work for a safer city.”

Oakland City Council Establishes Public Bank

Better Business Bureau Offers Tips for Homeowners Affected by Flooding

By Keith Burbank Bay City News

The Better Business Bureau is offering some tips for homeowners affected by flooding.

Homeowners are urged to take a cautious approach to choosing a business or contractor to do repairs.

Homeowners are urged to check their insurance policies for coverage. Flood damage is not covered by standard homeowners’ and renters’ insurance policies.

But residents in high-risk areas may be required to carry flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program.

Take photos of any storm damage to show to your insurance company. National Flood Insurance Program policies are sold by insurance companies.

Avoid making any permanent changes to the property before getting approval from the insurance company covering the home. Any changes made without the permis-

sion of the insurance company may not be covered by the policy.

The Better Business Bureau suggests getting multiple opinions before hiring a contractor. Avoid high-pressure tactics and businesses that are not trustworthy.

Property owners can search for reputable businesses at BBB.org.

Property owners are urged to verify that a contractor has liability insurance, workers compensation insurance and the correct license to do the repairs.

Demand a written contract from the hired contractor. Clear, detailed proposals are evidence the contractor has been thorough and has provided an accurate estimate.

Officials with the Better Business Bureau also suggest being aware of people looking to take advantage of owners desiring to repair their home quickly.

Red flags to be aware of include door-to-door salespeople claiming to have leftover materi-

als, a contractor who shows up unannounced and says the home is unsafe, contractors who require payment in full before repairs are complete, and businesses without a local address.

Check to see if door-to-door salespeople have identification and a permit if the residential community requires one. Avoid signing front door sales pitches.

Anyone concerned about structural damage to their home should have an engineer, architect or building officials take a peek. Also, be careful with roofing contractors. Unethical contractors may create damage to get work.

When making a down payment for work in California, do not pay more than 10 percent of total contract or $1,000, whichever is less, according to the BBB.

Lastly, a business that does not have a permanent address may be cause for concern.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council on Dec. 20 approved resolutions establishing a public bank that will serve Oakland and nearby cities.

The new bank will operate as a wholesale Bank, meaning it will not accept individual accounts, and won’t have ATMs and tellers, or any brick and mortar at all. By law, the bank must partner with community banks, credit unions, and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to make loans to small businesses, for affordable housing, and to electrify/green neighborhoods.

The bank will also refinance

some municipal bond debts, thereby saving the cities money.

According to the bank’s website summarized the bank’s loan policies. “Public Bank East Bay expects to open by 2023 and will be a transformative institution that keeps our money local, allowing local governments to divest from Wall Street and reinvest its profits back into our community. Public Bank East Bay’s initial loan policies will support affordable housing development, provide support for small businesses (especially for marginalized entrepreneurs), finance the renovation and electrification of existing buildings, and

help cities and counties refinance their municipal debt.” Bank East Bay

The cities of Oakland, Richmond, Berkeley, and Alameda County will be the bank’s owners, and their Councils will be represented on the bank’s board, but most of the board will be drawn from the East Bay communities. The bank’s day-to-day management will be by bankers - not politicians.

The Friends of the Public Bank meet weekly and welcome new supporters. For more information, please go to the website: PublicBankEastBay.org

The Better Business Bureau suggests getting multiple opinions before hiring a contractor. Avoid high-pressure tactics and businesses that are not trustworthy. Property owners can search for reputable businesses at BBB.org.

Oaland Mayor-Elect Sheng Thao

Loren Taylor

Mike Hutchinson

severe weather continues to impact Oakland and Northern California, Mayor Sheng Thao