City Government

Former Foster Youth Sokhom Mao Is Making a Difference

Published

12 years ago

July 26, 2014

Sokhom Mao shows me the 11th floor of Oakland City Hall, where he chairs meetings for the Citizen’s Police Review Board, an entity that works between community members and police officers to ensure police accountability and improve police services.

“For me, being raised on the lower end of the economic ladder, and now being the chairman of the Citizen’s Police Review Board on the 11th floor, really tells a tale,” said Mao.

Onlyabout 15 years ago, Mao was in the foster care system, jumping from group homes to transitional housing. Now, at 27, he is running for Oakland City Council, and hoping to use his years of policy and advocacy experience to take lead of the same area he was raised in.

Mao is the child of two Cambodian refugees who made their way to Oakland, Calif. His mother passed away when he was nine and his father, who was physically abusive to his mother and struggled with alcoholism, was left as the sole guardian for Mao and his five other siblings.

“My father would leave us alone at home with no food. Sometimes, there wasn’t even hot water or electricity,” said Mao of living under his father’s care. “That’s when social services were called.”

That all changed after Mao told his middle school counselor about the issues he was dealing with at home. For a couple of months, Mao and the rest of his siblings were split apart. After some time, four of Mao’s siblings were placed into kinship care with his aunt. Mao and his brother Sokha were forced to stay in a group home because of delayed paperwork.

After bouncing around between group homes, his father and his aunt, who also became abusive, Mao moved into the Bay Area Youth Center’s Real Alternatives for Adolescents (RAFA) while his younger siblings remained with his aunt.

“It was there they taught me how to be independent,” he said. “And it was there where I got the guidance I needed to apply for colleges.”

Mao applied to a handful of California State University schools, but eventually landed at San Francisco State University to pursue a degree in criminal justice. At the time of his acceptance in 2005, the university was just starting their Guardian Scholars Program, which helps former foster youth navigate higher education through support and resources.

This marked the beginning of his work in advocacy.

“I went to one of the focus groups they had and met with the executive director at the time,” said Mao. “There we had the chance to structure, design and really shape the program.”

Through the Guardian Scholars Program, Mao was able to effectively navigate higher education which, he notes, is a difficult task for anyone, and especially foster youth.

Mao moved back to Oakland during in his third year at San Francisco State University. Upon doing so, he got an apartment and took in his two younger siblings who were still living with his aunt.

“I was going to school full time, working part time, and had to worry about registering my little brother who was in eighth grade for school,” said Mao. “I met with his teachers, made sure he did his homework and everything.”

It wasn’t long until Mao was able to get his other, older siblings into the same apartment complex, and until most of the family was reunited.

Mao was also a member of the California Youth Connection from high school through his graduation from San Francisco State University and afterward. He got a job at The Stuart Foundation after college, where he worked on initiatives looking to improve higher education access for foster youth. He also worked for the California Social Work Education Center, where he developed curriculum and training for social workers all across California.

“I like to say I made a full 360 within the system,” he said. “I was a client of the system, I was an advocate, and then I became the person who developed the same curriculum I was going through just a couple of years before.”

In 2010, Mao was called upon by Daniel Heimpel, executive director of Fostering Media Connections, to go to the state capitol where he met with President Pro Tempore of the California Senate, Darrell Steinberg and Speaker of the California State Assembly, Assemblyman John Perez to urge support of Assembly Bill 12 (AB12), a 2010 bill that extended foster care services from 18 to 21. And then, in 2012, Mao became vice president for the California Youth Connection board of directors.

Now Mao is moving beyond topics that relate just to foster care, and looking to grapple with citywide issues in District 2 of Oakland’s City Council.

“The foster care system is not a silo to the foster care community, it is the root cause of many problems we encounter as a community,” said Mao. “I started advocating for foster care issues, and that leads into things such as education and juvenile justice.”

Five other candidates are running for the area that covers parts of Grand Lake, Ivy Hill, Highland Terrace, and other parts of Oakland.

“For a child to have been raised in public housing, in the public welfare system, in public education both K-12 and then after, no one can say they are more a product of the public system,” Mao said. “I’m a public child. I know this city, and I know how to serve it.”

The Chronicle of Social Change (CSC) is an online periodical covering juvenile justice, child welfare and other industries that should be strengthening youth and families. The CSC is run by Fostering Media Connections, a San Francisco-based organization that uses journalism and media to drive public and political will behind policy and practice to improve the well being of children experiencing foster care.

For more information, visit www.fosteringmediaconnections.org.

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Bay Area

Oakland Mayor Pushes Charter Overhaul to Clarify Roles in City Government, Increase Accountability and Improve Service Delivery

Under the proposal, the mayor would serve as Oakland’s chief executive, overseeing city departments, implementing policy, proposing the annual budget, and managing day-to-day operations. The measure would also give the mayor veto power over legislation and the budget, though the City Council could override a veto with a two-thirds vote.

Published

21 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Oakland Post Staff

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is backing a sweeping proposal to restructure Oakland’s government, arguing the changes would make City Hall more accountable and improve the delivery of basic services like public safety, homelessness response, and infrastructure repairs.

The charter reform measure, introduced April 7 and co-sponsored by Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins, would ask voters in November to approve a “strong mayor, strong council” system designed to create clearer lines of authority inside city government.

The City Council, meanwhile, would maintain legislative authority by adopting ordinances, approving budgets, conducting oversight hearings, and confirming key mayoral appointments. The proposal would also create an Independent Budget and Legislative Analyst Office to provide nonpartisan fiscal and policy analysis for councilmembers.

“I’ve spent months listening to Oaklanders across every neighborhood about what they expect from their city government,” Lee said. “The Charter Reform Working Group’s engagement made clear that residents want a system where there are no questions about who is responsible for delivering results on public safety, homelessness, infrastructure, and basic services.”

Jenkins said the proposal would strengthen both executive leadership and council oversight.

“I’ve long believed Oakland works best when residents have clear lines of accountability and a government structure that aligns responsibility with results,” Jenkins said.

The proposal follows recommendations from the Mayor’s Charter Reform Working Group, co-facilitated by the League of Women Voters of Oakland and SPUR.

Over five months, the group conducted more than 60 interviews, held 14 public meetings across Oakland, and engaged more than 750 residents while reviewing governance models used in other cities.

“The process of engaging residents across Oakland surfaced the governance clarity Oakland needs,” said Sujata Srivastava of SPUR. “The Charter Reform Working Group has produced a thoughtful set of recommendations that if adopted could strengthen accountability and improve service delivery across city government.”

Polling cited by the mayor’s office suggests voters may be open to the changes. A February 2026 poll by the East Bay Polling Institute found 64% of voters support adopting a strong-mayor system. Separate polling conducted by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce and David Binder Research found support ranging from 61% to 63% among likely voters.

The measure is scheduled to be heard by the City Council Rules Committee on May 21. If approved by the council, it would appear on the November 2026 ballot, where Oakland voters would have the final say.

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Activism

More and More, Black Californians Are Worried About Rising Costs of Housing, Energy, Food and Gas

According to an April 2024 report by the Greenlining Institute, low-income Black Californians are struggling with affordability due to a combination of historical systemic barriers and modern economic pressures. The Greenlining Institute is a California-based policy, research, and advocacy nonprofit founded in 1993 to fight systemic racism and economic injustice.

Published

22 hours ago

May 17, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌, California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

Housing, energy, food and gas are four essential household expenses, and their rising costs are forcing residents—especially lower-income households—to make difficult trade-offs, Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-Stockton) said at a conference on affordability last week in Sacramento.

Ransom, a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), noted a shift in consumer behavior, stating, “Before people used to choose between things that they wanted and things that they needed.”

“Now, what we’re hearing from constituents is they are prioritizing their needs differently,” she said. “Because of the affordability crisis, it’s no longer about choosing between other needs. Our constituents are now saying ‘what needs to be prioritized?’ Gas and food are at the top of the list.”

Ransom made the comments about affordability at Capitol Weekly’s informational conference titled “Affordability: The Cost of Living in California,” which was held on April 30 at the University of California’s Student and Policy Center.

Co-hosted with the University of California Student and Policy Center, the political conversations focused on identifying policy solutions to the state’s extremely high prices for energy, food, and essentials.

The keynote speakers at the conference were former Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, and Mike Madrid, a political strategist, author, and senior fellow at UC Irvine.

Conversations about affordability are taking on greater urgency as the election season kicks in, speakers said.

According to an April 2024 report by the Greenlining Institute, low-income Black Californians are struggling with affordability due to a combination of historical systemic barriers and modern economic pressures. The Greenlining Institute is a California-based policy, research, and advocacy nonprofit founded in 1993 to fight systemic racism and economic injustice.

Black households in California experience the highest levels of rent burden; approximately 65% of Black renters, according to the Greenlining report. Historical “redlining” and ongoing discrimination have restricted homeownership. Black families also pay 43% more for energy than White households, partly because they are more likely to live in older, less energy-efficient rentals.

In addition, roughly 1 in 3 Black adults (36.5%) reported household food insecurity in late 2025, more than double the rate for White adults. This is often exacerbated by “food deserts” in predominantly Black neighborhoods.

In March, Assembly Minority Leader Heath Flora (R-Ripon) expressed concerns about affordability in California, describing it as a crisis where families are being “pushed to the edge.”

“Californians should not have to choose between putting food on the table or filling up their car,” Flora stated. “We need to cut costs now. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month. Now.”

Cuts to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funding are being driven by the Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), which is reducing federal spending by approximately $187 billion through 2034.

Those reductions are putting more pressure on the state to help, Ransom said. According to the AAA Gas Prices website, as of May 8, California’s gasoline prices averaged over $6 per gallon in some areas, with various locations experiencing spikes of $7 to $8 per gallon. In California, fuel prices are driven by refinery maintenance and market volatility, while high food prices are linked to rising transportation costs, experts say.

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Alameda County

The Marin City Flea Market Is Back

The Marin City Flea Market returns on May 23, offering arts, crafts, vintage items, and collectibles. The market aims to uplift local vendors and celebrate cultural diversity.

Published

3 days ago

May 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Customers shopping in Marin City Flea Market. Photo courtesy of marincityflea.org.

By Godfrey Lee

After a long absence, Marin City will once again hold its flea market. The market will have its grand opening on Saturday, May 23, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the St. Andrew Presbyterian Church parking lot on 101 Donahue St. It will be held every fourth Saturday of the month

The market will be free to the public

There will be arts, crafts, vintage, collectibles, and other items on sale at the market. Interested vendors can contact info@marincityflea.org or text (415) 484-2984 for more information.

“The Marin City Flea Market’s mission is to uplift local vendors, celebrate cultural diversity, and provide an accessible community space where creativity, entrepreneurship, and connection can thrive,” says their website, marincityflea.org.

The flea market is sponsored and run by the Rotary Club of Marin City.

For more information, contact info@marincityflea.org. Or text to (415) 484-2984