City Government

“Rebecca Kaplan Will Advocate for All the People,” Say Community Leaders

Published

12 years ago

October 24, 2014

Education leaders and local small business owners announced their support this week for Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan as their choice for Mayor of Oakland in the Nov. 4 election.

Kaplan, the frontrunner in Oakland’s mayoral election according to recent polls, has been dedicated herself to creating more jobs for Oaklanders, putting more Oakland residents on the police force and sponsoring city initiatives to strengthen the public school system.

< p>Community leaders, speaking at a press conference Wednesday, said they see Kaplan as an ideal candidate because she has a proven record working for housing rights, supporting local businesses and putting Oakland first.

“She has the courage and backbone to do it,” said Geoffrey Pete, owner of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle nightclub in Oakand. “Finally we can have a mayor who will advocate for all the people in Rebecca Kaplan.”

Dorothy King, owner of Everett & Jones BBQ restaurant in Jack London Square, said the city needs a mayor who will work to retain older businesses such as and attract new ones.

“I know she will not only work for small businesses, but she will work for people as far as retaining employment. She will provide help to retain housing and welcome new people to Oakland,” said King, whose business has been in Oakland for over 40 years.

Kaplan’s commitment to averting the displacement of Oakland residents resonated with educator and housing activist Lynette Neidhardt, a 30-year resident who almost lost her home during the recent foreclosure crisis.

“I want to vote for someone who was a previous housing rights attorney and knows the terrible ordeal this has put so many Oaklanders through,” said Neidhardt. “On the City Council, she’s fought to crack down on unjust foreclosures. And as mayor, she’ll expand affordable housing and fight displacement.”

Henry Hitz, executive director of Oakland Parents Together, added, “People are tired of being displaced; so many families are being pushed out of Oakland, and the school system is losing students all the time.”

Supporting Measure BB in her campaign, Kaplan also fought to include free bus passes for youth.

Chair of the Holy Names University Education Department Dr. Kimberly Mayfield-Lynch said Kaplan is the leader this community needs.

“What Rebecca knows about the parents of Oakland public schools is that they need to be gainfully employed,” she said, adding that Kaplan “is the only candidate willing to call for racial disparity studies so that she can directly address the underrepresentation of African Americans working in city-funded jobs.”

“Oakland doesn’t want to be San Francisco light,” said education and urban studies professor Dr. Kitty Kelly Epstein.

“We’re happy with who we are, our diversity and our accomplishments. We want to build on that. And that’s what I think Rebecca stands for.

Kaplan thanked the speakers for their support. “Do not underestimate the power of people speaking up about what it is that we need and what it is that we can do,” she said.

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Oakland Post: Week of July 22 – 28, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 22 – 28, 2026

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July 27, 2026

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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

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July 18, 2026

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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.

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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.