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OP-ED: Why Our City Leaders are at the Climate Negotiations in Paris

Published

11 years ago

December 19, 2015

By Nancy Skinner

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has joined 10 US Mayors at the 2015 U.N. Climate Change Summit, which is currently underway in Paris. An organization called ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability (which is located in Downtown Oakland) has developed the “Local Climate Leaders Circle,” which is made up of Mayor Schaaf and the mayors of 9 cities throughout the United States. In addition to its presence in Oakland, ICLEI has 10 international offices, working with over 2000 cities worldwide to support local leaders focused on community development that is healthy for people, the environment, and the economy.

You might be wondering why should Mayors be at the Paris talks, what do cities have to do with climate change? Interestingly cities have a lot to do with climate change. Cities are where the majority of our planet’s residents live so as the planet heats up and sea levels rise cities will be especially stressed. Cities are also the economic engines with most of that economic activity powered from burning fossil fuels which in turn is the source of most of the carbon emissions causing climate change. In fact cities are responsible for about 70% of global carbon emissions.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf spoke at a panel discussion at the Convention on Climate Change in Paris lat week.

Here on the eastside of the San Francisco Bay, some of Oakland’s most important economic activity is located right at sea level. Think of the impact that sea level rise can have on the Port which loads and discharges more than 99 percent of the containerized goods moving through Northern California, or on the Oakland Airport with its runways skirting the Bay.

And what about impacts to our West Oakland neighborhoods that sit right along the Bay, or the residences that surround Lake Merritt. According to West Oakland activist Margaret Gordon, who has long been at the forefront of advocating for air quality improvements and environmental justice, “the Oakland neighborhoods most at risk from climate change are low income, and have poor and crumbling infrastructure like for our sewage systems and the wooden poles that hold up our powerlines, and we don’t have an evacuation plan if there is major flooding.”

Mayor Schaaf and the other Mayors are telling world leaders that the time for action is now, and that communities like Oakland and Richmond are depending on them. The Mayors are also sharing their own experience, each of them represent cities that having taken action to do their share to stop the threat of disastrous climate change.

“Oakland is especially vulnerable to climate change; it will impact the Port of Oakland, our key economic generator, and many neighborhoods,” said Mayor Libby Schaaf. “It was an honor to represent Oakland at the Summit in Paris – representing the biggest global response to climate change to date – to promote what we are doing locally and because it’s important for world leaders to hear the real concerns of communities that will be profoundly impacted.”

The Oakland City Council first adopted a commitment to address climate change in 2001, approving a citywide Energy and Climate Action Plan in 2012 detailing policies to improve energy efficiency in buildings, promote solar and renewable energy and increase transit. With climate protection and air quality in mind Oakland now uses renewable diesel fuel for many of its vehicle and has electrified the Port so ships don’t have to rely on belching gas engines while they are docked. The City of Richmond also has a climate action plan with a target and timeline for greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

As climate leaders the Mayors of Oakland and Richmond are in good company. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is now the United Nations Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, “These 10 cities deserve great credit for acting quickly to confront climate change,” said former Mayor Bloomberg, “By drawing attention to the work cities around the world are doing – and helping them speed their progress – the Leaders Circle can help set the stage for a successful climate change summit here in Paris.”

Let’s hope world leaders are listening so that Oakland, Richmond and our local communities don’t have to do it alone.

Author note: former Assemblymember Nancy Skinner co-founded ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability in 1990. She served as Executive Director of the US Office from 1994 to 2004 and international director of ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection program, She attended and brought Mayors to 10 of the past climate negotiations. The cities of Oakland and Richmond have both been ICLEI members. Nancy served in the California Assembly from 2008-2014, representing Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, Kensington, Richmond, Pinole, and San Pablo.

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Not Just a Southern Issue: Advocates Say SCOTUS Voting Rights Decision Has Already Started to Reshape Black Political Power

OAKLAND POST — Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, constitutional amendments expanded Black citizenship and voting rights across the South, leading to dramatic increases in Black political representation. But those gains were quickly met with violent backlash and the rise of Jim Crow laws designed to suppress Black voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and other “race-neutral” restrictions.

Published

1 week ago

June 17, 2026

bpusa-syndication

By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) whose district spans parts of Los Angeles County, joined fellow CBC member U.S. Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA-2) for a May 21 briefing with Black media outlets in California.

The lawmakers highlighted what they describe as a mounting threat to Black political representation resulting from an April 29 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened key protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Kamlager-Dove and Carter warned that the decision, which narrowed the role of race in redistricting, is already reshaping congressional districts across the South and undermining Black voters’ ability to elect candidates of their choice.

“While we are a super blue state, we have far to go when it comes to Black representation; we tend to take that for granted,” Kamlager-Dove said of California, noting that the Golden State has the fifth largest Black population in the country and only has three Black members of Congress.

“While I support building coalitions, we have to make sure that as a Black community we are not yielding our power,” she added.

Calling the fight “not unique to the South,” Carter urged Black communities nationwide to recognize the broader implications of the legal and political battles unfolding in Southern legislatures and courtrooms.

The Supreme Court ruling centers on Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the portion of the law that prohibits voting systems or district maps that dilute the voting strength of racial minorities. For decades, Section 2 allowed civil rights groups to challenge district maps that weakened Black political representation even when lawmakers did not openly state discriminatory intent.

Now, advocates fear that standard has fundamentally changed.

“You have to have smoking gun evidence,” said Mitchell Brown, senior voting rights counsel at the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, during a recent media briefing hosted by American Community Media on May 15. “Legislators are not going to say the quiet part out loud.”

The implications could stretch far beyond congressional elections, Brown said.

Section 2 protections have historically applied not only to U.S. House districts, but also to state legislatures, school boards, county commissions, judgeships, and local governing bodies. Voting rights advocates warn that weakening those protections could reshape political representation throughout the South, particularly in states with large Black populations.

“This is not just a Southern issue,” said Amir Badat, manager of Black Voters on the Rise and voting special counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

Badat described the current moment as part of a much longer historical pattern.

Following the Civil War and Reconstruction, constitutional amendments expanded Black citizenship and voting rights across the South, leading to dramatic increases in Black political representation. But those gains were quickly met with violent backlash and the rise of Jim Crow laws designed to suppress Black voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and other “race-neutral” restrictions.

“This is the same move,” Badat said.

Advocates also emphasized that the consequences of weakened voting protections extend into everyday life.

Local elected offices such as school boards, city councils, county commissions, and judgeships often determine funding priorities, public safety policy, education standards, and infrastructure investments.

“These are not abstract numbers,” Badat said. “These have real political consequences and policy consequences on people’s day-to-day lives.”

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Rest in Peace: A.M.E. Pastor and L.A Civil Rights Icon Cecil “Chip” Murray Passes

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94. “Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Published

5 months ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The Rev. Dr. Cecil L. “Chip” Murray, former pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME) in Los Angeles, died of natural causes April 6 at his Windsor Hills Home. He was 94.

“Today, we lost a giant. Reverend Dr. Cecil Murray dedicated his life to service, community, and putting God first in all things. I had the absolute honor of working with him, worshiping with him, and seeking his counsel,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of the dynamic religious leader whose ministry inspired and attracted millionaires as well as former gang bangers and people dealing with substance use disorder (SUD).

Murray oversaw the growth of FAME’s congregation from 250 members to 18,000.

“My heart is with the First AME congregation and community today as we reflect on a legacy that changed this city forever,” Bass continued.

Murray served as Senior Minister at FAME, the oldest Black congregation in the city, for 27 years. During that time, various dignitaries visited and he built strong relationships with political and civic leaders in the city and across the state, as well as a number of Hollywood figures. Several national political leaders also visited with Murray and his congregation at FAME, including Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Murray, a Florida native and U.S. Air Force vet, attended Florida A&M University, where he majored in history, worked on the school newspaper and pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He later attended Claremont School of Theology in Los Angeles County, where he earned his doctorate in Divinity.

Murray is survived by his son Drew. His wife Bernadine, who was a committed member of the A.M.E. church and the daughter of his childhood pastor, died in 2013.

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Court Throws Out Law That Allowed Californians to Build Duplexes, Triplexes and RDUs on Their Properties

Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional. Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.

Published

5 months ago

February 3, 2026

Oakland Post

Charter cities in California won a lawsuit last week against the state that declared Senate Bill (SB) 9, a pro-housing bill, unconstitutional.

Passed in 2021, SB 9 is also known as the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency Act (HOME). That law permits up to four residential units — counting individual units of duplexes, triplexes and residential dwelling units (RDUs) – to be built on properties in neighborhoods that were previously zoned for only single-family homes.

A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge ruled in favor of the cities, pointing out that SB 9 discredited charter cities that were granted jurisdiction to create new governance systems and enact policy reforms. The court ruling affects 121 charter cities that have local constitutions.

Attorney Pam Lee represented five Southern California cities in the lawsuit against the state and Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“This is a monumental victory for all charter cities in California,” Lee said.

However, general law cities are excluded from the court ruling as state housing laws still apply in residential areas.

Attorney General Bonta and his team are working to review the decision and consider all options that will protect SB 9 as a state law. Bonta said the law has helped provide affordable housing for residents in California.

“Our statewide housing shortage and affordability crisis requires collaboration, innovation, and a good faith effort by local governments to increase the housing supply,” Bonta said.

“SB9 is an important tool in this effort, and we’re going to make sure homeowners have the opportunity to utilize it,” he said.

Charter cities remain adamant that the state should refrain from making land-use decisions on their behalf. In the lawsuit, city representatives argued that SB 9 eliminates local authority to create single-family zoning districts and approve housing developments.