Economics

OP-ED: Vote on Cannabis Equity Program Set for March 7

Published

9 years ago

February 23, 2017

By Carroll Fife, Oakland Justice Coalition

March 7 could be a record day for Oaklanders. That is the day that the Oakland Council will vote on the Equity Permit program, a program introduced by Councilmember Desley Brooks to level the playing field in Oakland’s growing cannabis industry.

The cannabis industry has historically consisted of white male ownership. This includes dispensaries, cultivation centers and marijuana infused product markets. It is also quite expensive to enter the industry with high application fees and proof of funds.

Yet, disproportionately, people of color continue to be incarcerated for the same product that other demographics are getting rich from.

The Equity Permit program will require that at least half of all marijuana permits go to applicants who have at least one member who has been an Oakland resident for at least two years, reside in Oakland police beats, or individuals who, within the last ten years, have been previously incarcerated for marijuana-related offenses as a result of a conviction arising out of Oakland.

The program will require that those mentioned above will maintain not less than 50 percent ownership in the applicant. This is an incredible opportunity to protect Oakland constituents who may have a harder time gaining equity in the cannabis industry.

Recently, Brittany Moore, a Colorado resident, and manager of The Dab Marijuana Dispensary in Denver, visited Oakland and participated in the Equity Permit program discussions with Councilmember Brooks.

“The State of Colorado literally made so much money from marijuana tax revenue, they had to give money back to their residents. Oaklanders will benefit greatly from getting a piece of this multi-billion-dollar pie,” Moore said.

“The trouble is that people of color are typically employed as security guards or occasionally as “budtenders.” I believe the Equity Permit program is a win-win for Oakland and its citizens.”

Councilmember Brooks is working to ensure that people who have been the primary targets of marijuana criminalization are able to benefit from recent law changes.

Her “Do The Right Thing” campaign will help many Oaklanders who want to be in the cannabis industry but otherwise could not.

“Brooks doesn’t want to see wealthy businessmen from out of town come in and make millions while the people of Oakland become victims of gentrification. She wants the members of the community take ownership in the businesses in their neighborhood so they can create jobs and afford to continue to live in the place they call home,” Moore says.

Please call your councilmember, repeatedly, and let them know that you expect them to vote yes for the Equity Permit program.

Please support this effort and attend the Council meeting on March 7 at 5:30 p.m. to demand that Oakland do the right thing in the cannabis industry.

Oakland Post

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Activism

At the event, 16 entities signed the EIP pledge, vowing to take steps to increase public contracting opportunities in their spheres for small and historically underutilized businesses. The pledge signees included Hub International, the Port of San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, California High-Speed Rail Authority, the Port of Oakland, Robert Graham of Webcor Builders, Holder Construction, the Weitz Company, Sky Blue Builders, Hornblower, Swinerton, Luster National, Talson Solutions, Center for Community Wealth Building, and the Construction Contractors Alliance.

Published

1 week ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Toks Omishakin, secretary of the California State Transportation Agency, was one of the speakers at the event. Photo by Shellee Fisher Photography and Design.

By Calvin Naito, Special to The Post

On June 4, a national nonprofit named the Equity in Infrastructure Project (EIP) – which aims to increase public construction contracting opportunities for small and historically underutilized businesses – held a day-long event in downtown San Francisco to rally supporters and build momentum to its cause.

It was attended by more than 100 individuals from public agencies, private firms, and other organizations committed to increasing contracting opportunities with governmental agencies, thereby creating more competition and lowering public costs.

The EIP event was held the Hyatt Regency San Francisco in conjunction with BuildIT, which aims to increase contracting opportunities for LGBT-owned businesses.

At the event, 16 entities signed the EIP pledge, vowing to take steps to increase public contracting opportunities in their spheres for small and historically underutilized businesses.

The pledge signees included Hub International, the Port of San Francisco, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, California High-Speed Rail Authority, the Port of Oakland, Robert Graham of Webcor Builders, Holder Construction, the Weitz Company, Sky Blue Builders, Hornblower, Swinerton, Luster National, Talson Solutions, Center for Community Wealth Building, and the Construction Contractors Alliance.

Following the workshop, BuildIT hosted a VIP evening reception honoring EIP, whose principals – Phil Washington, John Procari, and Rick Jacobs – accepted the award.

The event also set in motion the coalition’s efforts to implement recommendations from EIP’s “Procurement for Prosperity: A Playbook.”

The Playbook is a practical guide for public agency leaders and procurement and contracting practitioners to grow the capacity of small and first-time contractors, strengthen competition, and deliver better value for taxpayers.

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), a long-time EIP supporter, also told attendees, “This is about commitment. This has been a life’s work. This is a tailwind moment.”

The event’s presenting sponsor was Hub International, one of the largest insurance brokerages in the nation, which was joined by partners Travelers Insurance and the State Compensation Insurance Fund.

After the pledge-signing ceremony, attendees participated in a workshop in which they examined the policies, practices, and programs needed to meet EIP goals, learned from practitioners, and identified next steps toward utilizing the Playbook.

Ingrid Meriwether, formerly of Merriwether & Williams Insurance Services (MWIS) and current president of Hub International’s Aligned Risk Management, MWIS, described the hard-fought lessons she and her MWIS team have learned over the last three decades administering contractor development programs (CDPs) for the City and County of San Francisco, Alameda County, City of Los Angeles, LA Metro, and other municipalities.

The CDPs help small and local construction firms win public infrastructure contracts with these government agencies. The program provides bonding assistance, contract financing, technical support, training, and other services to underrepresented businesses funded by public agencies who seek greater contracting participation with these firms.

Merriwether said programs like these “break down systemic barriers, create greater fairness, and save taxpayers money by enabling more competition. The contractor development programs have, cumulatively, over two decades, helped contractors access over $1 billion in bonding, supporting over $380 million in awarded contracts, and maintaining a loss ratio 250 times lower than the industry average – while saving participating municipalities more than $27 million in contracting costs as a result of enabling more competition.”

Rick Jacobs, EIP co-founder and co-chair urged attendees make plans to meet again in the near future “to continue building on this work, share progress on organizational commitments, and discuss how we can collectively advance the goals of the EIP pledge.”

For more information on the EIP and to access a copy of the Playbook, go online to https://equityininfrastructure.org/

Calvin Naito is communications manager for Equity in Infrastructure Project.