City Government

Commission Approves West Oakland Customs Inspection Site

Published

12 years ago

April 7, 2014

The city’s Planning Commission this week rejected a zoning appeal to its decision to allow a local company to establish a U.S. Customs Central Examination Station (CES), clearing the way for containers entering the Port of Oakland to be inspected at the West Oakland site.

The Planning Commission voted 5-0 in favor of the CES operated by North America 3PL at 1700 20^th St. in Oakland, owned by entrepreneur Tom Henderson.

A second inspection site is operated by BOBAC CSF Corp. at 300 Ave. A in Alameda.

The commissioners made their ruling narrowly on issues of whether the CES met existing industrial zoning regulations that cover the site.

< p>< p>They did not rule on or examine the opposing arguments that divide the community. Most of those who attended the meeting supported the speakers who emphasized the importance of the hundreds of jobs that the CES and Henderson are bringing to a community that desperately wants to work.

Others, including the longtime environmental activists who filed the appeal, argued that the inspection site means more trucks in West Oakland, impacting a community already suffering from high levels of respiratory disease.

They also say the site potentially opens the community to exposure to unknown health hazards arriving in cargo from ports throughout the world.

The zoning appeal “ is essentially based on wrong information, based on opinion not on facts – it is based on suspicion,” said Rena Rickles, a local attorney who represents Henderson and his company, speaking at the meeting.

The CES is a secondary inspection site that examines goods, with an assurance that they are not hazardous, said Rickles, adding that a U.S. Customs director said he does not recall there ever being an incident anywhere in the United States.

“Tom Henderson – he’s a gem. We’re lucky to have him in Oakland. He wants to do the right thing,” she said.

Rickles said site would use the latest trucks, which are less toxic, and there will be no fumigation conducted at the CES.

Henderson explained his goal is create a business that is clean and green and good for Oakland and its residents.

“I am interested in creating jobs in Oakland,” he said. “Over the last few months, I created 400 jobs in Oakland, good jobs with benefits, including 140 new jobs at the CES.”

“I am going to be putting in three grocer stores” in the community, he said. “I would appreciate a yes vote tonight. There’s a lot more to come. “

Supporting the business, Pastor Gerald Agee said, “I am very satisfied that every issue has been addressed. Public safety is not the issue. Right now, we have an opportunity to employ people, and people want to work.”

“This man right here is going to create jobs,” said community member Gavin Butler. “How can you deny a thirsty man a glass of water? So many people in West Oakland are in need of jobs – they are on the corners.

Among those opposed to the CES was Margaret Gordon of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP).

“I’m not anti jobs,” said Gordon “But this is the wrong place” for a CES. “A lot of work has been done to keep trucks out of the neighborhood.”

The root of the problem, she said, goes back to when inspections were done fwhere they were supposed to occur – at the Army Base. But then the city evicted PCC Logistics to start its development project, and the port refused to give the company a long-term lease.

About 50 local workers lost their jobs at PCC Logistics.

“That work was already at the army base,” Gordon said. “There was no need to be evicting anybody. They have plenty of land, and they have plenty of space out there. Let’s talk about that.”

Timothy, one of the dedicated soccer players who uses Raimondi Park, was concerned about the CES being across the street from where he and many others play.

“Soccer players run an average of seven miles a game,” he said.” We breathe the pollutants and the particulates. The air is at Raimondi Park is already bad enough.

“We want to play the game we love without getting sick,” he said “But they they can’t control which way the wind blows.”

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Related Topics:Army Base CES Port commissioners Port of Oakland Raimondi Park U.S. Customs U.S. Customs Central Examination Station west oakland

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Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

Published

1 week ago

July 18, 2026

Oakland Post

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From Disparity Study to Solutions: Oakland Coalition and Mayor Barbara Lee Renew Commitment to Reform City Contracting

She committed to ensuring the coalition has direct access to City leadership by designating Assistant Deputy City Administrator Chuck Baker the primary liaison. Working alongside Deputy City Administrator Sofia Navarro, DWES Director Emylene Aspilla, Race and Equity Director Darlene Flynn, and other City departments, the coalition will continue advancing these priorities while maintaining regular communication with City leadership.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Present at the recent meeting on implementing recommendations on Oakland’s Disparity Study on city work contracts were (first row, l. to r.): Chuck Baker, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Darlene Flynn. Second row, l. to r.) Samuel Adams, Erica Astrella, Chadwick Spell, Cathy Adams, Stanley Cooper, Maria Wagner, Len Turner, Derek Barnes, Paul Cobb. Photo courtesy of Oakland Mayor’s Office.

Special to The Post

On June 30, a coalition of minority business leaders, contractors and others met with Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee to discuss the City’s commitment to implement recommendations outlined in Oakland’s Disparity Study and eliminate barriers that have historically prevented Black and minority-owned businesses from fully participating in public contracting opportunities.

Representatives of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC), National Association of Minority Contractors Northern California (NAMC NorCal), Construction Resource Center (CRC), and the East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA) said the meeting represented an important milestone in a process that has been underway for several months.

On April 21, the Oakland City Council’s Life Enrichment Committee received a progress report from the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES), where Director Emylene Aspilla presented the coalition’s working document and outlined a collaborative implementation plan between the coalition and the City. That report established 30-, 60-, and 90-day objectives focused on five key priorities:

Reforming Local and Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) waiver practices
Strengthening prompt payment compliance
Improving procurement forecasting and transparency
Expanding contractor capacity building and business development
Increasing oversight, accountability, and public reporting

A series of working sessions was scheduled between coalition representatives, DWES, and the City Administrator’s Office to begin implementing those priorities but were temporarily delayed by the resignation of former City Administrator Jestin Johnson.

Rather than allowing that momentum to stall, OAACC President and CEO Cathy Adams requested a meeting with Lee to gain clarity on the City’s direction and reaffirm its commitment to implementing the recommendations contained within the Disparity Study.

Coalition leaders described the meeting as productive, candid, collaborative, and encouraging.

During the meeting, Lee spoke not only from her role as mayor but also from her experience as an 8(a) contractor and business owner, sharing that she understands firsthand what it takes to build and grow a successful company, employ a substantial workforce, compete for public work, and navigate the complexities of municipal contracting.

Mayor Lee also expressed her commitment to personally participate in future working meetings with the coalition.

“This meeting represents a renewed commitment to partnership,” said Adams. “Mayor Lee listened, engaged, and demonstrated that she wants to move beyond conversation and into implementation.”

CRC’s Len Turner said the roadmap is already in place. ““The City already has the evidence. What’s been missing is execution. …Now it’s time to deliver results.”

Mario Wagner, president of NAMC NorCal agreed that the next phase must focus on implementation, funding, and accountability.

“The coalition is ready to get to work. …The next step is ensuring these initiatives receive meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle. Just as important, the City must establish transparent reporting mechanisms that keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and accountability.”

Coalition leaders also acknowledged that while City leadership has indicated it is reviewing Local and Small Local Business Enterprise waiver practices, the community continues to seek a formal response regarding existing long-term waivers, including waivers extending 10 and 25 years. The coalition believes those waivers should be comprehensively reviewed and, where appropriate, rolled back as part of the City’s broader contracting reforms.

The coalition is also calling on the City to include meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle to support implementation of the Disparity Study recommendations and establish better methods and mechanisms to keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and transparent accountability.

The coalition’s immediate next step is to schedule a working meeting with Baker, Aspilla, Lee, and the appropriate City staff to review what has already been accomplished under the implementation framework.