Oakland Post, week of February 1 - 7, 2023

Pamela Price Re-Opens 8 Police Shootings and Death Cases

“I want to give each case a thorough review to ensure justice has not been forgotten,” she said.

By Ken Epstein Delivering on bold pledges she made while running for office, newly elected District Attorney Pamela Price has reopened eight cases in Alameda County, including six officer-involved shootings

and two in-custody deaths, to “determine whether charges should be filed or not,” according to a press statement released this week by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

To conduct the reviews and investigations, the DA’s office has created a Public Accountability Unit (PAU), which will be respon-

sible for “holding law enforcement and public officials accountable for misconduct,” according to the press statement. The unit will be housed under a Civil Rights Bureau, which will oversee the PAU as well as Brady compliance, which requires pros-

Continued on page 10

Oakland Post

“Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18 postnewsgroup.com 60th

No. 5 Weekly Edition. February 1 - 7, 2023

Thelma Mae Simmons, 1942-2023

Corporate Executive, Mother, Grandmother and Friend to Many

Historic Oakland Coliseum Development Moves Ahead with African American Sports and Entertainment Group

This project will be the largest transfer of public land to African Americans in Oakland’s 171-year history

By Carla Thomas and Ken Epstein

Holding a celebratory and historic press conference Thursday, city leaders joined the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) to announce an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with the City of Oakland to develop the city’s 50% interest in the Coliseum complex, making this the largest transfer of public land to African Americans in Oakland’s 171-year history.

Attending the media event at the Oakland Coliseum were Mayor Sheng Thao, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan (who authored the resolutions allowing the deal to move forward) and several Oakland elected officials and community, business owners and faith leaders as well as AASEG founder Ray Bobbitt, who hosted the event.

“Awarding the development agreement of this vital site to an Oakland-based African American-led business entity will go far in addressing glaring racial disparities within the City of Oakland’s contracting practices,” said Bobbitt a press statement.

Bobbitt said the project will mean real development that will benefit the people of Oakland. “This project will foster economic parity, entrepreneurial and local small business opportunities,” he said.

Bobbitt also explained that AASEG reached out to 50 community organizations prior to presenting his proposal to the city. “Being from Oakland, our group knew that in order for this to work we had to ensure we heard from people who live here to give us the proper direction. That was my main goal.”

Praising AASEG, Mayor Sheng Thao said, “We are talking about an organization that is leading Black-owned businesses partnering with Black-owned investment

firms, working to bring housing and Black-owned businesses to our town, creating jobs in East Oakland and is the largest development opportunity for an African American-led group in Oakland’s history.” know about the 2021 NCAA season. Your source for s Thao said the agreement with AASEG would potentially bring new public facilities, retail to an underserved area of the city, hospitality opportunities, affordable housing, and new sports teams to the city, as well as between 20,000 and 30,000 new, high-paying jobs to the city.

AASEG is an African American founded, Oakland-based group focused on creating economic opportunity in East Oakland and using the Coliseum Complex as a vehicle for economic equity and social justice.

Their proposal includes bringing a WNBA team to the City of Oakland, which aligns with the city’s values to uphold and support women and to allow fans to root for a sport primarily led by Black women. The group has received strong support from the Oakland community, Oakland City Council, and Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority.

Said Kaplan, who introduced the Oakland City Council and the Coliseum Authority resolutions allowing for the ENA with AASEG, “I am thrilled that we have the opportunity to bring jobs, housing at all income levels, sports, entertainment and more to this vital Oakland site, in a way that strengthens equity and vibrancy for the community at this transit-accessible location.”

For several years, Kaplan has advocated for community-oriented revitalization of the Coliseum site as a remedy for long-term concerns over the loss of jobs, lack of affordable housing, and the further erosion of the Black community in

East Oakland.

Kaplan considers the Oakland Coliseum property to be an excellent large site that has connectivity throughout the region, including with BART, Amtrak, freeway, and airport access. Developing the site in a way that provides jobs, housing at all income levels, and public revenue can achieve significant opportunities for the Oakland community, especially in the East Oakland area where it is located.

District 4 Bart Director Robert Raburn said he has supported developer Alan Dones and AASEG throughout multiple meetings.

Citing the location as a transit hub with BART, the airport, and the freeway, Rayburn said, “We have to pull this off for…the people of East Oakland.”

Councilmember Noel Gallo said, “This agreement gives AASEG two years to propose and negotiate with the City Council and the Oakland A’s about what will happen on this land.”

Sports leader agent Bill Duffy, former Rufus Williams of Loop Capital, former Oakland City Manager Robert Bobb, City Councilmembers Treva Reid, and Kevin Jenkins were also on hand for the historic announcement. “This is an exciting time for Oakland,” said Dones.

AASEG was founded in 2020 with the goal of using the vehicle of sports and entertainment to create a path for enhanced economic equity for the Black community.

The group’s most well-publicized proposal is the establishment of the first majority Black-owned NFL team in Oakland, California, along with plans to bring WNBA and NWSL teams to a thriving sports, entertainment, educational, and commercial district in East Oakland at the Coliseum site.

By Tammerlin Drummond

Thelma Mae Simmons was born in 1942 in Bastrop, Louisiana. When she was four, her parents headed west to Seattle where Thelma grew up in a diverse neighborhood. It was an unusual experience for an African American in the 1950s and would shape Thelma’s worldview.

“My mother believed that everyone came from the same tribe, that you never met a stranger,” said Thelma’s son, Eric Cross. “She taught us to accept people with love and not judgment.”

Thelma, who had lived in Oakland since 1985, died Jan. 24, 2023. She was 80.

Thelma was a pioneer who helped shatter the glass ceiling for Black women in corporate America. She was a globetrotter who visited every continent except Antarctica. But Thelma will best be remembered as a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

She grew up in Seattle, graduating from Garfield High School. She got her bachelor’s degree from Western Washington University.

In 1960, Thelma was hired as a switchboard operator at Western Pacific Bell in Seattle. She rose through the ranks to become a human resources manager. At the time, Black women made up just 2% of managers at U.S. companies.

When Thelma traveled to satellite offices, white colleagues often assumed her white male subordinate was her boss. She handled it with her characteristic grace and humor.

In 1989, Thelma was featured in an Ebony magazine article, “She’s the Boss.”

After a 36-year career, Thelma retired as a regional human resources manager at AT&T in San Francisco. She became a human resources consultant and served as a professional witness in employment discrimination cases.

The greatest testament to Thelma’s life, however, is the many people in the Bay Area and beyond, who now mourn her passing.

“Thelma was a true friend,” said longtime friend Sandra Smith, “for those close to her, she was always there when they needed her.”

When Thelma’s friend Faith Fancher, a former reporter at KTVU, Channel 2 in Oakland, was diagnosed with breast cancer, Thelma took her to medical appointments and remained a steadfast source of support until Fancher passed away nearly six years later.

Thelma was a founding member of Friends of Faith, a former nonprofit that provided financial support to low-income women battling breast cancer.

She was a lifetime member of the NAACP. She also served on the board of the Oakland Private Industry Council and was a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Thelma was a voracious reader, which made her a master at Jeopardy!

She loved football and basketball, collected art and was an excellent cook.

Friends fondly remember Thelma’s competitive streak.

“When she was winning in dominoes she would talk a whole lot of mess, but when she was losing, she would get real quiet,” said another longtime friend Levi Fisher.

Years ago, Thelma gifted Fisher a set of dominoes inscribed with his name. After her death, he took them out for a game, reflecting on their long friendship. “I just loved her so much,” Fisher said.

Thelma was preceded in death by her parents Charlie and Leona Cross and brother Charles Cross, Jr.

She is survived by sons, R. Stevonne Cross, and Eric Lamont Cross, daughter-in-law Diane Cross, longtime friend Barry Washington, five grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren.

There will be a Celebration of Life Memorial Service on Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. at Chapel of the Chimes, 4499 Piedmont Avenue in Oakland.

Women bosses, such as Thelma Simmons, AT&T’s Western Region compensation manager, have climbed the ladder to success. She was shown with employees (from left) Stella Martin, Sasha Green, Wilma Sanchez and Gary Rhodes.

Thelma Mae Simmons

L to R: John Jones, Bill Duffy, Samantha Wise, Rufus Williams, Ray Bobbitt, Shonda Scott, Alan Dones II, Tarika Lewis, Jade Williams-Smith, Jonathan Jones, Robert Bobb, Director for the City of Oakland.

Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan led the council support for the AASEG plan

Noel Gallo speaks for City Council Sheng Tao, Oakland City Mayor

Price’s office will review and investigate cases that were cleared by previous district attorneys

COMMENTARY: Taking on the Symptom that is Gun Violence and the Disease Behind It

Bicycles: A Smoother Ride for Black Inventors

By Tamara Shiloh

By Ben Jealous

We’ve had more mass shootings this year than we’ve had days this year.

It’s sad to imagine that Half Moon Bay and Monterey Park will join a list with Uvalde and Buffalo and Orlando and Charleston and Sandy Hook and Columbine — reference points for a national epidemic we haven’t mustered the will to end despite decades of tragedies. But they likely will unless we can confront both the symptom that is gun violence and the underlying disease that causes it.

I shoot for sport, and I’ve trained others to shoot. I live in a coastal community in Maryland where hunters and hikers share wild places and work together to preserve them.

I also live not far from the Capital Gazette’s offices, where a man armed with a shotgun and angered by newspaper stories about him killed five and injured two five years ago. For generations, many in my family have served in law enforcement. I support common-sense steps to keep guns out of the hands of those who have demonstrated they shouldn’t have them. We all know that list by now — more and more thorough background checks, bans on assault weapons and unnecessarily

large magazines, red flag laws that allow guns to be taken away from those who are risks to others or themselves, and penalties for gun owners who fail to keep them out of the hands of children, teens, and mentally unstable people.

Fighting the disease at the root of the violence demands that we address it like the public health crisis it is. I realized that as a graduate student at Oxford when I started exploring rates of suicide in the United States. Almost unfettered access to guns, particularly handguns, has a lot to do with the numbers. If you try to kill yourself with a firearm, you’re much more likely to succeed. While suicides among young Black men sparked my research, I learned that white men over 55 were more likely to die of suicide with a gun than Black men 15 to 30 were to kill each other with a gun. You would never have known that from the media and popular culture at the time.

What pushes those two trend lines in the same direction are shared causes — hopelessness, economic uncertainty, downward mobility, and addiction all made more painful by social isolation. Those same factors feed the cultural and political polarization that has many wondering about the future of our republic.

Let’s not accept the isolation so many feel and the polarization we see in our public discourse as reinforcing and insurmountable. Let’s be determined to act now to find the solutions we can agree on — even gun owners overwhelmingly support some regulations, just as majorities support helping those with mental health needs.

I’ve seen this happen. When I was young, my dad organized a peer counseling program for abusive men, with 80 men taking part every six weeks. Men grew not only more empathetic but more humane. Some eventually wanted to do more together and formed Whites Interrupting Racism in our community. It was one of many lessons my dad taught me — that how we treat each other in our lives shapes what we’ll permit in the structures of our country.

Ben Jealous is the incoming executive director of the Sierra Club, the oldest and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the country. He is a professor of practice at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “Never Forget Our People Were Always Free,” published in January.

IN MEMORIAM: Autris Paige

tival in Oregon from 1983-2017, with artists from around the world. Puerto Ricans Ilya and Raphael LeBron, soprano and baritone, remember him: “He leaves us with a warm memory of the simplicity that made him great: as a human being, as a friend and as a masterful artist!”

America’s bicycle revolution began in the 1890s. Riding, leisurely or otherwise, represented social status for Whites. For African Americans, the bicycle was an acute symbol of the extent and limits of freedom in the age of Jim Crow, according to the Washington Post. It also served as a badge of freedom; relief from the otherwise segregated public transit systems.

Southern Blacks adopted cycling for many of these same reasons. Several played a significant role in the world of cycling, including contributing to the shape and development of the bicycle.

Matthew A. Cherry (1834–unknown) was known to have invented several devices that helped revolutionize the transportation industry. His improvements were to the velocipede, a metal seat frame with two or three wheels attached. A person sitting on the seat could propel themselves forward as fast as they enjoyed by moving their feet along the ground in a fast-walking or even running motion.

Cherry’s model of the velocipede was an improvement on past

versions, as pedals were added. This soon morphed into the tricycle, for which he received a patent in 1888.

Today, tricycles are the choice of transportation for many as opposed to bicycles, because on a bicycle, the rider is required to look down, which decreases visibility. Motorized versions are popular in many Asian and African countries for transporting both passengers and goods. In the United States and Canada, they are also used extensively for shopping and often, exercise.

In 1899, the bicycle frame was invented and patented by Isaac R. Johnson. A New Yorker, Johnson was not the first to invent the bicycle frame, but the first African American to invent and patent one that could be folded or disassembled for easy storage. The frame was popularized by those who traveled or vacationed often.

Today, many daily commuters depend on this model.

According to the patent documentation, Johnson’s frame was different because of “a steeringhead section and a frame with a slot-and-stud connection for detachably uniting; a bicycle frame with a front and rear sheath or

tube section; and a steering-post sleeve and seat-post tube to which the sheaths are removably connected.”

Many deliveries of food supplies, medication, and other goods were often made by bicycle, specifically in more rural areas. Workmen and even doctors visited homes with tools and instruments in tow. It was a way to interact with the community and offer a well-needed service. In 1899, Jerry Certain designed and patented the pannier, or parcel carriers that could attach to several different parts of the bicycle. There was also a complete set of bike packs, a pair of baskets on the front forks, and a pair of baskets over the rear wheel.

Little information about Certain’s life has been recorded. His inventions, however, have evolved and are still in use by delivery companies and couriers today.

Be inspired by the timely genius that led to the many inventions of African Americans. Read “Black People Invented Everything: The Deep History of Indigenous Creativity” by Dr. Susan J. Dass.

August 17, 1938 – January 12, 2023

AUTRIS T. PAIGE was the youngest child born to Estella and Overton Paige in Sugar Land, Texas on Aug. 17, 1938. He passed away Jan. 12, 2023, in Oakland after a brief illness. He was supported and comforted by his longtime companion Donna Vaughan.

Mr. Paige grew up in Oakland, California where he attended Star Bethel Church and graduated from McClymonds High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from San Francisco State University before pursuing advanced studies in musical theatre at the University of Southern California.

He served in the U.S. Air Force.

In 1971, he made his debut with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, appearing in Candide at the Los Angeles Music Center and at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. He appeared with Ray Charles and the American Ballet Theatre and performed in several musical theatre productions on Broadway including Lost in the Stars; Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope; as Walter Lee in Raisin; and in Timbuktu with Eartha Kitt.

Mr. Paige has also sung with

the New York City Opera, the Houston Grand Opera, the Metropolitan Opera and with the San Francisco Opera. Other opera companies in which he performed include the Seattle Opera and the Glyndebourne Opera in England.

He was featured in the PBS film and award-winning EMI recording of Porgy and Bess as well as the recording of the opera X, The Life and Times of Malcolm X.

When he returned to Oakland to “retire,” he met Dr. W. Hazaiah Williams, founder and director of Today’s Artists Concerts (now Four Seasons Arts), who auditioned Paige and invited him to perform on his series. Mr. Paige began a new phase of his musical career.

He appeared many times under the auspices of Today’s Artists Concerts/Four Seasons Arts in New York’s Alice Tully Hall and in venues around the Bay Area in their Art of the Spiritual programs. He was featured in his own Spiritual Journey in 2009. His recently released solo CD, Spiritual Journey, based on this program, has received critical acclaim.

Paige performed regularly at Four Seasons’ Yachats Music Fes-

Baritone Anthony Turner of New York says, “Autris was the embodiment of class and elegance. He delivered every song with a warm silken tone and economy of gestures. Autris gave of himself, his truth, his joy and love.”

Pianists Dennis Helmrich and Gerald Hecht often collaborated with Mr. Paige said, “Autris Paige was among the most intuitively refined musicians we have encountered: a pure pleasure and a cherished memory.”

Pianist Jeongeun Yom, pianist, responds, “Autris will be remembered for his kindness, cheerfulness, and above all for his voice, with which he touched the listeners’ heart.”

In 2011, Mr. Paige was featured in Four Seasons Arts’ annual W. Hazaiah Williams Memorial Concert with the Lucy Kinchen Chorale and later with soprano Alison Buchanan. In 2013, he performed his Spiritual Journey II in Berkeley with pianist Othello Jefferson.

A second CD entitled Classics and Spirituals was released in September 2013. Pianist Jerry Donaldson of Oakland was a frequent collaborator with Mr. Paige, performing throughout the Bay Area.

A Celebration of Life for Autris Paige will take place Friday, Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. at Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, 1399 McAllister Street, San Francisco. A repast will follow the service.

Apply for Wildlife Conservation, Education Grants

March 6 is deadline for nonprofits to land grants worth up to $5,000

By Tamara Shiloh

Novato, CA – Nonprofits that support nature and wildlife education have until March 6 to apply for grants to support environmentally friendly promotions through the Marin County Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Grants worth up to $5,000 are earmarked for promotions of environmental and habitat restoration projects in Marin County. About a dozen nonprofits are awarded grants annually through the program. The nonprofits must be registered as 501(c)3.

The Fish and Wildlife Commission advises the Marin County Board of Supervisors on expenditures of funds obtained through

fines levied for fish and wildlife violations in Marin. The funds are designated by Section 13100 of the Fish and Game Code to be used to enhance fish and wildlife resources in the county and for public education.

The commission is staffed by the Marin County office of the University of California Cooperative Extension, better known as UCCE Marin. Its mission is to sustain Marin’s vital agriculture, environment, and communities by providing University of California research-based information in agriculture, natural resource management, healthy living, and youth development. UCCE programs operate through a partnership of

the County of Marin government, the University of California, the federal government, and private funds.

Grant proposals are submitted to the commission chair during the first quarter of the calendar year and are recommended on a competitive basis based on availability of funds. Commission members review applications at their regular April meeting, set funding levels, and vote to recommend projects for approval by the Board of Supervisors.

The grant application form is online. For more details about grant application process, visit the commission website or call (415) 473-4204.

Ben Jealous

A Celebration of Life for Autris Paige will take place Friday, Feb. 3 at 11 a.m. at Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, 1399 McAllister Street, San Francisco.

By Edward Henderson California Black Media

Assemblymembers Corey Jackson (D-Riverside) and Ash Kalra (D- San Jose) have introduced a resolution to alter the dress code on the floor of the lower chamber of the State Legislature.

House Resolution 9 (HR9) would make it appropriate for individuals visiting the chamber floor to wear attire considered professional dress based on various cultural standards.

According to Assembly Rule 118.1, “Members of the Legislature, officers or employees of the Legislature, accredited members of the press, or any other persons may be restricted from admission to the Floor of the Assembly if they are inappropriately attired.”

As the current rule stands, there is room for discrimination against attire that does not meet Eurocentric standards, proponents of HR 9 say.

“Eurocentrism, which refers to a bias on the vantage point of European and Western cultures,

Assemblymembers Jackson and Kalra Call for Broader Definition of ‘Professional Attire’

children in America; that is Eurocentric hair, skin tones and dress is superior to anything else.”

In his own form of protest, Jackson rarely abides by the traditional expectations of dress on the chamber floor by not wearing suits and ties. At least once a week, he wears a dashiki.

“I am just sending a message that if California is going to call itself a state that is proud of its diversity — that it is anti-racism, anti-hate, anti-xenophobia, antidiscrimination, we need to start with the State Capitol itself.”

has played a role in establishing what is considered ‘appropriate’ fashion, often forcing individuals to adopt various forms of professional attire that conflict with their ethnic or religious backgrounds,” Kalra and Jackson stated in a press release.

“With increased emphasis on anti-racism and inclusion, it is im-

perative that the Legislature and its members adopt this House Resolution to welcome professional attire of all cultures, ethnicities, and nationalities, so we are able to serve the people in the State of California,” the lawmakers added.

Jackson, who received his doctorate in social work, says he is aware of the microaggressions

that perpetuate racism within professional spaces.

“I’m using HR9 to educate people about how sinister racism is in our society. To make sure that people understand that it’s not just the big things like hate crimes and mass shootings due to race. But, also, it’s the little things we’ve been taught since we were

While there hasn’t been a specific incident where an Assemblymember was denied entry to the chamber floor because of their cultural garb, Jackson has received complaints about not wearing a suit and tie.

The spirit behind HR9 has drawn comparisons to the “CROWN Act.”

The CROWN Act (Senate Bill 188) was drafted and sponsored by State Senator Holly Mitchell. It passed unanimously in both chambers of the Legislature and

CITY OF SAN LEANDRO, STATE OF CALIFORNIA ENGINEERING AND TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT

NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR WASHINGTON AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT PROJECT NO. 2018.4020

FEDERAL PROJECT NO. STPL-5041 (048) BID NO. 22-23.002

was signed into law on July 3, 2019.

Mitchell is currently a Los Angeles County Supervisor representing the 2nd District.

The act ensures protection against discrimination based on race-based hairstyles by extending statutory protection to hair texture and protective styles such as braids, locs, twists and knots in the workplace and public schools.

So far, Jackson and Kalra have received support from Democrats and Republicans on the resolution as they have pointed out that their legislation is not calling for a removal of professional attire standards, but for the inclusion of cultural equivalents of professional attire.

The resolution is currently going through the legislative process. If approved by relevant committees, it will move to the chamber floor where it will be heard and voted on by members of the Assembly.

1. BID OPENING: The bidder shall complete the “Proposal to the City of San Leandro” form contained in the Contract Book. The proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. Incomplete proposals will be considered non-responsive. Sealed bids containing the completed Proposal Section subject to the conditions named herein and in the specifications for Washington Avenue Reconstruction Project, Project No. 2018.4020, Federal Aid Project NO. STPL-5041 (048) addressed to the City of San Leandro will be received at City Hall, 835 East 14th Street, 2nd Floor San Leandro at the office of the City Clerk up to 3:00pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, at which time they will be publicly opened and read.

2. WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of pavement rehabilitation, curb and gutter, sidewalk, driveways, curb ramps, drainage improvements and traffic signal modifications; and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.

3. This project has a goal of 24% percent disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) participation. Information to be submitted no later than five (5) days from bid opening.

4. OBTAINING THE PROJECT PLANS AND CONTRACT BOOK: The project plans and complete Contract Book may be obtained free of charge from the City’s website at: http://www.sanleandro.org/depts/finance/purchasing/bids. Bidders who download the plans are encouraged to contact the City of San Leandro Engineering and Transportation Department at 510-577-3428 to be placed on the project planholder’s list to receive courtesy notifications of addenda and other project information. Project addenda, if any, will be posted on the website. A bidder who fails to address all project addenda in its proposal may be deemed non-responsive.

Bidders may also purchase the Project Plans and Contract Book at the East Bay Blueprint and Supply Co. Contact: (510) 261-2990; https://www. eastbayblueprint.com. Search the public projects planroom to find the subject project.

5. PRE-BID CONFERENCE: All bidders are strongly encouraged to attend two non-mandatory virtual pre-bid conference and sign the attendance sheet. Pre-bid conferences will be held as follows:

Pre-bid meetings will be held in person with available remote simulcast attendance via zoom. Pre-bid conferences will be held for this project as follows:

• February 7, 2023, at 10:00 am. Held in the Sister Cities Gallery on the first floor of San Leandro City Hall located at 835 East 14th Street, San Leandro, CA. This meeting will also be simulcast on Zoom: the virtual meeting can be accessed by internet as follows:

Tuesday, February 7, 2023, at 10:00 am

Zoom Meeting ID: 816 7477 4899

Passcode: 232957

Zoomlink:https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/81674774899?pwd=UEVkVjd6Sitjai9XeDlid3BPS3poQT09

• February 8, 2023, at 3:00 pm. Held in the Sister Cities Gallery on the first floor of San Leandro City Hall located at 835 East 14th Street, San Leandro, CA. This meeting will also be simulcast on Zoom: the virtual meeting can be accessed by internet as follows:

Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at 3:00 pm

Zoom Meeting ID: 856 1076 4984

Passcode: 829064

Zoomlink:https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/85610764984?pwd=SEU2dzFGcHZWTkVpT2NrOFFhT1BOQT09

A bidder who fails to attend a pre-bid conference will be held responsible for any information that could have been reasonably deduced from said attendance.

Questions regarding the plans and specifications may be submitted in writing to the project engineer until 5:00 p.m. five (5) days before, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, bids must be received by the City. The City will not respond to oral questions outside of the pre-bid conference. The response, if any, will be by written addendum only. Oral responses do not constitute a revision to these plans or specifications.

Dated: January 11, 2023 | Kelly B. Clancy, City Clerk

Asm. Corey Jackson and Asm. Ash Karla

What Rising Interest Rates Mean for Your Wallet

of what you earn, presenting an opportunity to earn more on checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit (CDs), and other deposit accounts.

• Paying off Debt: The prime rate, which determines most credit card variable annual percentage rates (APRs), is impacted by federal rates, so you can expect your consumer credit to be impacted by rising interest rates — whether that’s your personal loans, lines of credit or credit cards. By keeping up with paying off your credit card balance on time monthly, an APR increase won’t have a major impact for you.

Sponsored content from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Interest rates have a bigger impact on your wallet than you may realize. With rates forecasted to continue rising in 2023, you can expect to pay more on things like credit card debt, mortgages, car loans and other everyday purchases. That’s why it’s important to take steps now to save and pay down debt so you don’t end up paying more for borrowing in the long run.

Although interest rates are projected to rise to as high as 5.1% this year, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve, there’s a bit of good news for consumers. Higher rates by the Federal Reserve mean consumers will see a higher return on their savings, and ultimately, more money back in their pocket.

What is the role of the Federal Reserve?

There’s a bank that you use to save and manage your money — and then there’s the bank.

The Federal Reserve, or “The Fed,” is the central banking system of the U.S., providing a safe and stable financial system by overseeing the nation’s banks and

influencing interest rates. While it doesn’t interact directly with consumers, the policies it sets ultimately affect the way you make financial decisions for things like savings, consumer credit and home loans.

How do rising interest rates affect your wallet?

The intent of raising interest rates is to lower inflation and moderate economic activity by reducing the supply of money in circulation. Higher rates mean more expensive loans for consumers and businesses, not to mention a higher cost of credit. Here’s how rising interest rates could have an impact on your wallet:

• Opportunities to Save: Higher interest rates might not be good news for consumers looking to borrow funds, however they can present savings opportunities if you have a deposit account. Rate increases impact deposit annual percentage yields (APYs), the percentage of interest earned on a deposit account or investment, which are determined by the current interest rate. As rates increase, banks increase the amount

• Buying a Home: Since 90% of new mortgages have fixed rates, the actual cost of borrowing for many households has not changed, even as interest rates have risen. However, for new homebuyers, higher interest rates could mean a higher mortgage rate, or if you have an adjustable rate mortgage loan, your monthly payment could increase. How do rising rates affect your financial plan?

The Fed has been raising interest rates for an extended period and is expected to continue doing so. As a result, you may feel pressure to act now to lock in lower rates and make a big financial decision. Making choices under pressure is when you’re most likely to think (too) fast.

Now is a good time to review your savings, investment and budget plans, and identify your financial goals for 2023. Then, connect with a dedicated advisor to work one-on-one with someone who’s committed to understanding your needs and helping you achieve those financial goals. Visit Chase. com/advisor for more information.

by Chris Palmer

By Terri Schlichenmeyer

You turned the TV on and look...

Nine hundred and forty-eight channels and there’s still nothing you want to watch. Seen that, seen that, watched that twice, but it wasn’t always the case. Once, your Monday nights were spent with a show you never missed, featuring a young guy who made you laugh. And in the new book “The Fresh Prince Project” by Chris Palmer, he made America laugh, too.

Born to solidly middle-class parents in West Philadelphia, young Will Smith gained a reputation early for being something of a class clown. Though he tried, he was not athletic; instead, his talents lay in helping people have fun. When he met Jeff Townes, it was a perfect match: DJ Jazzy Jeff spun the tunes, “Fresh Prince” Smith made the raps.

Everybody wanted to be at their party. They made records and went on tour. Weeks before high school graduation, months before he turned 18, Smith was a rich kid with a nice car and lots of friends.

But “bubblegum” hip hop was on its way out, “hard-driving” rap was in, and Smith’s money dried up as fast as it had arrived. Seeking Fame and Fortune Part II, Smith headed for California.

Writer Andy Borowitz was already there, cutting his teeth on Normal Lear projects and other television productions in Hollywood. When Brandon Tartikoff, who seemed to have a golden touch when it came to TV, asked Borowitz to work for him, the answer was yes and Borowitz’s wife even joined the team. Tartikoff knew a lot of industry people, including Quincy Jones and music mogul Benny Medina, who was considering a step into the TV industry.

At this same time, Will Smith was hanging around The Arsenio Hall Show backstage, hoping that fame might rub off on him.

On the afternoon that Smith met Medina, the young rapper had no idea who the elder man was. Medina, conversely, was well aware of Smith’s early career. And when he asked Smith if he could act, Smith bluffed his answer, as he had so many times before...

From the outset, “The Fresh Prince Project” tries too hard. Its earliest chapters are filled with thirty-year-old language that feels forced, and allusions to some issues with Smith’s father that are never completely, satisfyingly explained. This unevenness doesn’t ever get much better as the book progresses: there’s a lot of backtracking, and the words “fish out of water” show up a ridiculous number of times.

And yet, if you can separate style from substance, author Chris Palmer does the job: his book shows how one TV comedy and the people who made it, shaped Monday nights and everyday viewpoints. It’s also a great profile of a star with one foot in a job he loved, and the other foot firmly in film.

Overall, fans who can withstand the ups and downs of this book and don’t mind a little whiplash sometimes will want to hop on “The Fresh Prince Project.” If you like things freshly polished, though, this book might turn you off.

“The Fresh Prince Project: How the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Remixed America”

c.2022, 2023, various publishers $17.99-$18.99 various page counts

André Leon Talley, From

Impoverished Childhood to an Eminence of Haute Couture

By Y’Anad Burrell

On Jan. 26, 2023, BART director John McPartland was censured for using the phrase “cotton-picking” at a board of directors meeting.

Last week was not McPartland’s first time using racially insensitive language during a public BART directors’ meeting. On June 25, 2020, he also commented, again during a BART directors’ public meeting, that the Confederate Army

BART Director Censured for ‘Cotton-Picking’ Phrase in Public

leader, Robert E. Lee, was an “exemplary general.”

There was no adverse action taken against McPartland because of that comment, nor when other irresponsible and racially insensitive language was used in meetings.

However, the most recent comment from McPartland, the final straw behavior that led to his censure, occurred on Jan. 12, 2023. During a BART directors’ public meeting again, he commented that the presentation given by three Black staff members was so “cottonpicking inspirational.” The presentation was of BART’s

racial equity plan, presented by Maceo Wiggins, the director of BART’s Office of Civil Rights, and other Black staff members in the department.

On Jan. 26, 2023, Board President Janice Li introduced the measure seeking censure, saying that while she did not believe the remark was made with ill intent, McPartland has a history of insensitive comments that warranted the board taking formal action.

BART directors’ meetings are publicly recorded, and as a result, McPartland’s behavior is a part of a record that tens of thousands will hear.

The censure vote was 6-2, with directors Debora Allen and Liz Ames voting no.

By Tamara Shiloh

The transmittance of sexual diseThe New Yorker dubbed him “the only one,” referencing the fact that he was “the rare Black editor at the top of a field that was notoriously white and notoriously elitist.” He was a “fixture” at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, known to invite celebrities as his guests. Despite these relationships, he was “known for his serious faith,” according to Calvin Butts III, the church’s pastor.

Born in Washington, D.C., André Leon Talley (1948–2022) was a creative force in fashion who shattered the industry’s glass ceiling, making way for other Black creatives who viewed international success as an untouchable dream. A pioneering fashion journalist, he was American Vogue’s first Black creative director.

Talley’s father was a taxi driver, and his mother, a homemaker. He spent his childhood in Durham, N.C., where he was raised by his grandmother, Bennie Frances Davis, who worked as a maid

on the men’s campus of Duke University. About Davis, Talley wrote: “I, who could see her soul, could also see her secret: that even while she wore a hairnet and work clothes to scrub toilets and floors, she wore an invisible diadem.”

As a teen, Talley would travel to Durham’s White neighborhood to visit the public library. There, he discovered Vogue and would return to read every new issue. It was in that town, according to the New York Times, that “college students sometimes stoned him when he crossed campus to buy Vogue — and where, he said, he was sexually abused as a child.”

But none of this stopped him from departing the South and making it to the front rows of Paris couture. Throughout this journey, he would also become an author, public speaker, television personality and curator.

Talley attended North Carolina Central University, where he majored in French studies, and later received his masters from Brown University. His thesis topic was the influence of Black women in the writing of Baude-

laire and Flaubert, and the paintings of Delacroix. After moving to New York, he volunteered at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. And that was the beginning of Talley’s rise.

Talley was the receptionist at Interview magazine and creative director and editor-at-large of Vogue. He designed for Michelle Obama, was an adviser to designer Oscar de la Renta, and became a mentor to the supermodel Naomi Campbell. He also served as a judge on “America’s Next Top Model.”

In his memoir Talley wrote: “To my 12-year-old self, raised in the segregated South, the idea of a Black man playing any kind of role in this world seemed an impossibility. To think of where I’ve come from, where we’ve come from, in my lifetime, and where we are today, is amazing.”

Learn more about the life of trailblazing fashion icon André Leon Talley and how he broke into an industry rife with racism and bias in his candid memoir, “The Chiffon Trenches: A Memoir.”.

110 wins

Woods; FIRST Afr. Amer. pro-golfer with

44 Approaches 45 Dig, so to speak

Down

1 **Karen ___; FIRST female Los Angeles mayor

2 Baseball stat

3 Roll over, briefly

4 Ge _ _ _ ny (nation)

5 *Derek Jeter & Reggie Jackson, informally

6 ** Sidney Poitier's FIRST musical drama, "Porgy and Bess," formally

7 _ _ _ mingham, Alabama

8 Likewise

9 **Warren ___; FIRST Afr. Amer. Hall of Fame quarterback (2022)

10 "___ cost to you!"(2 wds.)

15 502 in Rome

20 Nevada's neighbor (abbr.)

21 Bottom line

22 Maiden name label

25 ___ Paso, Texas

26 **George W. ___ ; FIRST notable Afr. Amer. scientist & inventor (invented peanut butter)

28 *Tennis great Arthur and family

29 *"Big Momma's House" actress Long

30 Atlanta-based airline

31 *The ___ Corner" (James Baldwin play, 1965)

32 Low land

33 Song for soprano Leontyne Price

36 100%

38 Stand to Reason, briefly

39 Ceiling

43 "Let my people ___!" (Exodus 5:1)

By Emil Guillerm

Did you see yourself in the Tyre Nichols’ video?

It very easily could have been me or you, no matter where you are, if that video indicates the state of policing today.

I’m an Asian American Filipino and I’ve been stopped by police for a busted tail-light more than once. I was lucky. The police weren’t mad at me. Most aren’t conditioned to go after an Asian American Filipino.

But when African Americans are, as the saying goes, “over policed,” there is an assumption made by the so-called “good guys” upon approach.

From observing the tape, the Memphis cops on that video appeared to be mad at Nichols. For erratic driving? We don’t see any of that.

We do see the police going after Nichols with a vengeance. We saw it with our own eyes.

Too bad much of what we see on the tape is left off the official police report, according to CNN.

The initial report called Nichols an aggravated assault suspect, who was irate as he exited his vehicle.

From what I saw, Nichols was pulled out of the car and looked practically serene in the video captured by the officers’ own body cams.

The report details that Nichols grabbed for an officer’s gun, pulled

on other officers’ duty belts. None of that is seen on the video. Just officers threatening to taser Nichols, who tries to stay cool while being attacked physically by the officers.

There’s no mention of the police punching or kicking Nichols in the initial police report either.

“After seeing the video, we all know that the report is falsified,” said Vickie Terry, executive director of the Memphis NAACP to CNN.

The conflicts are the most concerning thing so far in the aftermath of the Nichols video release.

Five Memphis Police officers were fired last week, then charged with serious felonies, including second degree murder, and kidnapping in connection with the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols. Since the video release, more officers and first responders are being fired or suspended.

But the discrepancies between the initial police report and the police videos show how misinformation from the field can be used to obscure the truth, and even justify violence.

If one can make the Nichols case on paper sound like cops on a routine traffic stop with an overly aggressive suspect, maybe no one even bothers to check the video. The video only gets checked when someone like Nichols winds up in the hospital and dies days after the incident.

And even then, something doesn’t sound right. Are the limits to justified police violence just short of murder?

That’s an abuse of power.

I said that after the tape was released, there will be just one civil rights story in America — the beating of Nichols.

I saw the video, but must confess, I couldn’t watch and rewatch and dissect it blow by blow.

I felt assaulted, like I was there. The body cams provided the hateful ambience and sense of urgency. Even with a blurry view at times,

the sounds of the scene were gruesome enough.

It was that camera on the pole that gave us the wider context. We saw officers’ baton swings, kicks, and punches to Nichols’ head and body. I didn’t count them all. One is too many.

I did notice no one was supervising and trying to stop the violent behavior. And that it took nearly half an hour to get aid to Nichols.

Doing nothing and offering no aid is negligence and far worse than a punch or kick.

And yet, I’ve seen the video of Rodney King, the African American man brutally beaten by the Los Angeles Police March 3, 1991. That was relentless and shocking.

One might say compared to that, the Tyre Nichols video wasn’t all that bad. But in 2023, it is.

The Nichols video showed what officers see as acceptable modern police work, a kind of self-defense.

And now we learn that the initial police report is loaded with lies when compared to the video.

The five officers charged with murder, have obtained attorneys and are all claiming their innocence.

That’s what shocks me about the Nichols case. The police are the perps and they think they’re innocent.

It means they’re operating under a strange and scary definition of police work. Maybe we all thought that might change after those rare guilty verdicts against the officers in the George Floyd case. Just a little bit? Nope.

The Nichols video and the discrepancy between it and the initial police report show the culture of Blue rages on.

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

Community Activist and Elder Robbed While Organizing Peace Vigil to Stop the Violence in Memphis

By Post Staff

On Tuesday, Jan. 17, community activist, former Miss Oakland 1968, and reporter for the Oakland Post Tanya Dennis experienced first-hand the type of violence she is committed to ending.

Dennisis the lead facilitator of Oakland Frontline Healers (OFH) and CEO of Adamika Village #StopKillingOurKidsMovement, two organizations dedicated to ending gun violence. She was meeting Oakland Parks and Recreation at Lake Merritt last Tuesday, planning a peace vigil for Feb. 18 to create a “circle of peace” in Oakland.

After her meeting with Parks and Recreation, Dennis returned to the rental car she’d left at 1200 Lakeshore. The passenger window was smashed, and the laptop she’d placed under the seat was gone. Returning the rental, Dennis stopped at the Chevron Gas Station on Hegenberger. While pumping gas, a person reached through the smashed window and stole her purse. That same day, 20 car windows were smashed in West Oakland and 17 in San Francisco.

“I was a perfect target,” says Dennis, “I’m an elderly female driving a rental. Thieves in these ‘smash and grab’ robberies target out-of-state license plates and rentals. Fortunately, nothing of value was in my purse. I urge elders to wear a fanny pack when they go out.” Dennis was not hurt nor confronted in either incident.

“This experience has made me a victim. I now understand trauma on a totally different level. Sadly, people in Oakland are being traumatized daily. I lost my sense of freedom and safety, and that’s a big loss, but Oakland in the ’60s and ’70s was a beautiful place to be — and it can be again. People don’t realize we’re finally feeling the effects of the crack epidemic

California Reparations Task Force Agrees to Extend Its Work to 2024

time, approached Andrew Wahnee Moppin-Buckskin, who had fled a traffic stop on foot in East Oakland. Within 12 seconds, they shot and killed him, later telling investigators they could not see his hands. He was unarmed.

In a review that took six years to complete, former District Attorney Thomas Orloff’s office declined to press charges against the two officers.

On July 25, 2008, Jimenez and a partner were involved in a traffic stop on Fruitvale Avenue. When 27-year-old Mack “Jody” Woodfox got out of his vehicle and fled, Jimenez shot him twice in the back and once in the arm. Woodfox was unarmed.

Antonio Ray Harvey | California Black Media

The California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans decided at the two-day meeting on the campus of San Diego State University that it would support legislation that extends the panel until July 1, 2024.

After an 8-0 vote with one abstention, the task force agreed that it would support legislation that extends the panel, so that it has ample time to satisfactorily implement an action plan based on the findings of its final report, which is due in five months.

The decision, enacted in SDSU’s Grand Ballroom of the Parma Goodall Alumni Center on Jan. 28, was made four months after Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed legislation asking for a 12-month extension.

The first day of the meeting was held on Jan. 27 at the Alumni Center.

“The task force supports, in spirit, the extension of the life of the task force, by another year, July 1, 2024, for implementation purpose only,” task force chairperson Kamilah V. Moore told California Black Media (CBM). “We do not authorize or write legislation, but all agreed as a task force the idea of continuing this work to ensure that reparations become a reality in California.”

ecutors to disclose evidence in their possession that could aid the accused, and cases reviewed under the Racial Justice Act.

“We have seen many thoughts and prayers being bandied about the police murder of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee. The people of Tennessee want accountability — and so do the people of Alameda County,” said DA Price.

“I promised accountability. This unit and its work are the start of the reckoning Alameda County has asked for holding people accountable for their misconduct,” she said.

Shortly before Price took office in January, three of the six officerinvolved shooting cases were reviewed by the office, under the direction of former District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, deciding in December 2022 to file no criminal charges.

“These reports were released at the 11th hour, just weeks before I took office,” Price continued. “As the top prosecutor, I want to give each case a thorough review to ensure justice has not been forgotten.”

“I’ve made sure that my office has attempted to reach out to each of the families of the deceased,” she said. “The healing process cannot begin until we do our due diligence.” Said Senior Assistant District Attorney Kwixuan Maloof, head of the Public Accountability Unit and lead attorney of the Civil Rights Bureau, “Madam DA has heard the voices of the community when she was elected to this office and has put her vision for police accountability into action…A reopening of these cases does not guarantee charges will be filed but will give this office and my team time for a thoughtful review and to leave no stone left unturned.”

Police killings that will be reopened include two shootings by Oakland Officer Hector Jimenez, who 15 years ago killed two men in less than a year.

On Dec. 31, 2007, Jimenez and Jessica Borello, both rookies at the

Jones-Sawyer has since “apologized” to him about not providing pertinent details about AB 2296.

DA Orloff’s office declined to press charges against Jimenez for the killing, though OPD’s internal affairs found that Jimenez violated department rules when he used deadly force. The DA’s report on the shooting was delayed for six years.

After the shooting, Jimenez was defended by the Oakland Police Officers Association. In a hearing with an arbitrator in 2011, the police department’s decision to fire Jimenez for the shooting was overturned, and he returned to work with back pay.

Jimenez still serves as a police officer in Oakland.

Said civil rights attorney Jim Chanin, who represented the Woodfox family, “There are many shootings that are outrageous, but they don’t meet the requisite criteria for criminal prosecution. But Woodfox is one that I think she [Price] should take a very hard look at. No one really ever has.”

Other cases that Price’s office will review:

Cody Chavez, shot by Pleasanton police in 2022

• Caleb Smith, shot by Hayward Police in 2021

• Joshua Gloria shot by Fremont Police in 2021

• Agustin Gonsalez shot by Hayward Police in 2019

• Mario Gonzalez, pressed to the ground during his arrest by Alameda police in 2021

• Vinetta Martin, who committed suicide in Santa Rita Jail in 2021

An analysis conducted by the East Bay Times news organization found that of the 110 police killings in the Bay Area from 2015 to 2020, no officers were criminally prosecuted. Former DA O’Malley did charge San Leandro Officer Jason Fletcher with manslaughter in 2020 for the death of Steven Taylor in a Wal-Mart. That case has not yet come to trial.

Since some of the cases are old, the statute of limitations may have run out for certain charges. For example, under the law, the prosecution only has three years to prosecute for involuntary manslaughter. However, there is no statute of limitation.

of the ’80s and ’90s that destroyed people and families.”

“We need Oakland to come together and take a stand for peace. There’s a lot of people taking back our streets block by block, person by person, but we need more help. Our Circle of Peace event will be the perfect place for people to start because it takes a village to heal a village.”

“OFH, a collaborative of Blackled organizations and medical doctors realize the cause of all this madness is multi-layered. The COVID-19 pandemic, poverty, drug addiction, homelessness, I could go down a long list. The magic of our organization is we’re attacking the cause on every level, thanks to the assistance of BOSS, the Department of Violence Prevention and the County of Alameda.”

Dennis’ experience motivated her to postpone the event for a couple of months.

“After my incident, I realized how important it is to involve more people in our work. I felt sorry for myself, but I feel more regret for the perpetrators of these crimes because they are also victims. They are victimized by ignorance and the part our social structure has played to make them that way. Trauma is real and we need to start healing each other. I hope every single person who wants peace in Oakland will support OFH and Adamika Village’s Circle of

Peace, and discover all we are doing, then get involved in some way that’s comfortable for them. After I got robbed all I could think of was getting out of Oakland, but then I thought of MLK who said for evil to prevail, all is needed is for good men to do nothing.”

For more information go to: http://www.oaklandfrontlinehealers.org and http://www.adamikavillage.org

Oakland Frontline Healers: Adamika Village; Black Leaders Coalition; Black Culture Zone; BOSS; East Bay Association of Black Psychologists; East Oakland Collective; GCEA (Global Communications, Education and Art); House of Prayer Everywhere; Love Never Fails Us; Men of Influence;; OFH Media and Communications; Owning My Own Truth; Realized Potential ROOTS; Serenity House; S.H.A.D.E; The Mercer Brotherhood; True Vine Ministries; Umoja Health; Urban Strategies; Watson Wellness Center; Word Assembly: and Vision

After a passionate debate — carried over from the first day of the meeting — clarified the need for the extension, the task force members supported the notion that more time was necessary.

The nine-member panel has until June 30 to submit a final form of recommendations to the California Legislature. The group agreed that the necessity of the action is based on having to manage the implementation of the task force recommendations and not a continuation of the study. The task force is on schedule to release its final report and recommendations by July 1, Moore said.

On Sept. 29, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) 2296 authored by Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles). AB 2296 proposed extending the Task Force’s mission until July 1, 2024. Newsom vetoed the bill at the request of California Secretary of State Shirley Weber who authored AB 3121 — the legislation establishing the task force in 2020 — while serving in the Assembly.

Task Force vice chair Rev. Dr. Amos C. Brown said at the SDSU meeting that Jones had not been transparent about his intentions for proposing the bill. Brown thought the bill was designed to remove members from the panel. He said

Jones-Sawyer was the only task force member who abstained from voting at SDSU. As stated in the language, AB 2296 would’ve removed “the specified term of office for appointees and, instead, subject the appointees to removal at the pleasure of their appointing authority.”

The action alone would authorize the Task Force, by majority vote, to elect officers and create advisory bodies and subcommittees to accomplish its duties.

Friday Jones, co-chair of the Los Angeles chapter of the National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants and co-host of Politics in Black Podcast, opposed Jones-Sawyer’s Legislation. She now agrees with the current proposed extension.

“First of all, I think the way it was brought up now in front of the commission is the way that is supposed to happen. That did not happen the first time Reggie Jones-Sawyer asserted legislation without forming this body,” Jones told CBM. “That part they did get right today.”

Jones continued, “But the part of the conversation to me that was missing is the argument that we are going to extend so we can ‘socialize’ all of these recommendations to build support from different communities and ethnicities to put marketing money on the table (to bring about awareness of California reparations).”

Overall, the meeting covered many issues, topics and recommendations for the final report. Potential remedies, remedial programs, laws and apologies attached to harms pertaining to the wealth gap, and a comprehensive presentation of tax law considerations presented by Ray Odom and Sarah Moore Johnson were featured on the first day of the meeting.

California’s AB 3121, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom into law in 2020, created the nine-member task force to investigate the history and costs of slavery in California and around the United States.

Weber spoke briefly at the meeting. She started her academic career as one of SDSU’s youngest professors and established the Africana Studies department in 1972.

San Diego’s 37th Mayor Todd Gloria also spoke at the meeting. Gloria served in the state Assembly from 2016 to 2020.

Chris Ward, Assembly Speaker pro Tempore of the California State Assembly, who serves the 78th Assembly District in central San Diego, made remarks to the panel on opening day of the meeting.

“Your work is going to be pivotal to help so many Californians that have been affected by the injustices and inequalities we have seen in our education system, in our housing system, and economic opportunities,” Ward said. “This is going to be groundbreaking, and I am grateful for the work that you are doing.”

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Y. Price

Quilt.

Photo Caption: Daryle Allums, Founder of Adamika Village and Oakland Frontline Healers, and Tanya Dennis, CEO of Adamika Village and serves as Lead Facilitator of Oakland Frontline Healers outside a BOSS office in East Oakland after a planning meeting.

Photo by Maria Allen

The fourth in-person, California Reparations Task Force meeting was held on the campus of San Diego State University on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey. Jan. 27, 2023.