News

Peralta Colleges’ Board of Trustees Halt Oakland A’s Ballpark Plan

Published

6 years ago

December 8, 2017

Recent meetings of the Peralta Colleges’ Board of Trustees were packed with supporters and opponents of the proposed A’s stadium near Laney College. Photo courtesy of the Laney Tower.

The Peralta Colleges’ Board of Trustees this week directed Chancellor Jowel Laguerre to stop plans with the team to build a new ballpark, near Laney College campus and Oakland Chinatown.

The trustees, acting at a closed-session meeting Tuesday, told the chancellor to halt “community engagement” talks with the team and to focus instead on the needs of the colleges and students and faculty.

“This is a victory for all of us who have been working to make Laney and Oakland places where working class people color can thrive,” said Alvina Wong of the Stay the Right Way coalition, which opposed building the downtown stadium.

“The Peralta Board of Trustees did the right thing by putting the interests of Laney students and the surrounding communities first,” she said. “We need to know that the chancellor is committed to doing the same, and that he won’t try to revive this stadium plan again next year.”

The team had sent a letter to Peralta in September and announced publically it wanted build on the site of the community college district’s headquarters, but no discussions with the board had begun, according to the board.

“We are shocked by Peralta’s decision to not move forward,” said the A’s in a statement Wednesday. “All we wanted to do was enter into a conversation about how to make this work for all of Oakland, Laney, and the Peralta Community College District. We are disappointed that we will not have that opportunity.”

Trustee Nicky Gonzalez Yuen said the trustees “unambiguously” told the chancellor to end the conversation with the A’s, according to the SF Chronicle.

“I came to the conclusion that … as a district it was really out of our scope,” he said, speaking as an individual. “We didn’t have the capacity to study this carefully… There were so many outstanding questions about the impacts on the local community.”

In a statement, Laguerre said, “The district will work with its students, faculty, staff, administrators and community to reimagine the District’s needs and assess the resources to meet them…The Board of Trustees will continue due diligence in determining the costs and benefits of potential development.”

In a statement released Wednesday, Mayor Libby Schaaf said, “Oakland remains fiercely determined to keep the A’s in Oakland.

“It is unfortunate the discussion with Peralta ended so abruptly, yet we are committed, more than ever, to working with the A’s and our community to find the right spot in Oakland for a privately-financed ballpar,” she said.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

17 hours ago

April 19, 2024

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California Black Media

Yahushua’s Law: Senate Advances Bill to Protect Students from Extreme Weather

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3. The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Yahushua Nyerere Robinson (Courtesy Photo)

By California Black Media

In a significant move towards student safety, the California Senate Education Committee passed Senate Bill (SB) 1248, also known as Yahushua’s Law, on April 3.

The bill is named in memory of Yahushua Robinson, a 12-year-old student from Lake Elsinore, who tragically died due to a heat-related illness during a physical education class in 2023. It is a pioneering effort to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) and co-authored by Assemblymember Akilah Weber, M.D. (D-La Mesa), SB 1248 directs the California Department of Education to develop comprehensive guidelines for schools regarding student activity during all extreme weather conditions.

“No student should ever lose their life on campus to extreme weather when we can take steps to protect them by preparing statewide plans to minimize exposure to the most harmful elements of exposure,” Hurtado said after introducing SB 1248.

The bill stipulates that schools must implement safety measures which include monitoring weather forecasts, postponing or relocating outdoor activities during hazardous conditions, and ensuring students have proper hydration and access to shade. It also requires schools to establish clear communication plans to keep parents, teachers, and students informed about potential weather hazards.

Supporters of the bill include the Robinson family, advocate Christina Laster, Bold Enterprises LLC, California Black Women’s Collective Empowerment Institute, Familias Empoderadas del Valle Central National Action Network, The Black Student Advocate, and the Ventura County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Thanking Hurtado for introducing this crucial legislation, Weber said, “The story of Yahushua Robinson last year was heartbreaking. We have protections for farm workers and other industries in the case of extreme weather, now climate change is forcing us to also extend similar protections to students at school.”

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

3 days ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.