Oakland

Opinion: East Oakland Major Housing Development Coming

Published

7 years ago

May 4, 2017

For 10 years, residents of East Oakland have been hearing promises about how the former Oak Knoll Naval Hospital site will be redeveloped by Irvine California based developer SunCal.

The Post will examine SunCal’s projected economic impact and benefits to the East Oakland community. East Oakland residents want to know if SunCal will commit to African American jobs, construction sub contracts and business opportunities in the commercial and housing phases of the development.

Twenty years ago, the Navy closed this hospital that had served many veterans who had fought for the equal rights of all to get jobs and build businesses. Now we want to know if SunCal’s plan will eviscerate the vicious cycle that has kept able-bodied Black men from being hired in this city.

Council President Larry Reid, who recently teamed up with councilmembers Desley Brooks and Rebecca Kaplan to spearhead an East Oakland resident-based cannabis initiative, will be asked where he stands on jobs and affordable housing opportunities that will flow to Oaklanders, like the former creek that ran through Oak Knoll.

Several other developers have also proposed commercial and residential mixed-use projects downtown and throughout the city with promises of major community benefits and jobs for Oakland residents.

Uber’s much ballyhooed community benefits plan needs a lift since it fell flat after making promises it didn’t keep. But Reid predicts this much needed commercial and housing project is going to be a major victory for his East Oakland constituents. SunCal held some community meetings with the neighboring residents to gather their ideas and suggestions for the plan that was submitted to the City of Oakland.

The Oak Knoll community plan covers 187 acres with 935 homes. According to David Soyka, SunCal’s senior vice president of public affairs, “The project will create thousands of construction jobs, with a strong emphasis on local hire and job training for Oakland residents.”

Soyka said SunCal’s monumental plan calls for restoring the creek, creating walkways, bike and running paths and open public spaces that include a four-mile trail that hooks up to the regional trail system.

They even plan to build Monument Park, which will be dedicated to the Oak Knoll veterans. Before the project is scheduled to be formally presented to the City Council for a vote this summer we will continue to solicit reviews from community-based groups, the faith-based community and minority veterans.

As Oakland is now experiencing fires from damaged and abandoned buildings, Oak Knoll, too, was once the site of vandalized buildings and evidence of homeless encampments. Soyka says they have since “added full time security to prevent further damage to the property,” and he said SunCal will “ensure public safety and protect the surrounding communities.”

If the City Council approves SunCal’s plan, they expect to begin construction in 2018 with homes available in 2019. Larry Reid is also a veteran who has championed Hire Oakland policies, low-income affordable housing and minority business opportunities through the years.

Will SunCal follow his lead and build a monument to his policies by letting the economic benefits, like the former creek, flow to the East Oakland residents?

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Bay Area

Faces Around the Bay: Sidney Carey

Sidney Carey was born in Dallas, Texas. He moved with his family to West Oakland as a baby. His sister is deceased; one brother lives in Oakland. Carey was the Choir Director at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church for 18 years.

Published

3 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Courtesy of Sidney Lane.

By Barbara Fluhrer

Sidney Carey was born in Dallas, Texas. He moved with his family to West Oakland as a baby. His sister is deceased; one brother lives in Oakland.

Carey was the Choir Director at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church for 18 years.

He graduated from McClymonds High with a scholarship in cosmetology and was the first African American to complete a nine-month course at the first Black Beauty School in Oakland: Charm Beauty College.

He earned his License, and then attended U.C., earning a secondary teaching credential. With his Instructors License, he went on to teach at Laney College, San Mateo College, Skyline and Universal Beauty College in Pinole, among others.

Carey was the first African American hair stylist at Joseph and I. Magnin department store in Oakland and in San Francisco, where he managed the hair stylist department, Shear Heaven.

In 2009, he quit teaching and was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. He was 60 and “too old for a heart transplant”. His doctors at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) went to court and fought successfully for his right to receive a transplant. One day, he received a call from CPMC, “Be here in one hour.” He underwent a transplant with a heart from a 25-year- old man in Vienna, Austria

Two years later, Carey resumed teaching at Laney College, finally retiring in 2012.

Now, he’s slowed down and comfortable in a Senior Residence in Berkeley, but still manages to fit his 6/4” frame in his 2002 Toyota and drive to family gatherings in Oakland and San Leandro and an occasional Four Seasons Arts concert.

He does his own shopping and cooking and uses Para Transit to keep constant doctor appointments while keeping up with anti-rejection meds. He often travels with doctors as a model of a successful heart-transplant plant recipient: 14 years.

Carey says, “I’m blessed” and, to the youth, “Don’t give up on your dreams!”

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Bay Area

Emiliano Zapata Street Academy Celebrates 40 Years Serving Oakland Families

The Oakland Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, a public alternative high school, celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with a community party and festival last Saturday with live music, good food, vendors’ booths, and activities for adults and children.

Published

3 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Live music was part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, a public alternative high school, on April 27, at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church on Telegraph Avenue and 29th Street. Photo by Ken Epstein.

By Ken Epstein

The Oakland Emiliano Zapata Street Academy, a public alternative high school, celebrated its 50^th anniversary this year with a community party and festival last Saturday with live music, good food, vendors’ booths, and activities for adults and children.

Attending the Saturday, April 27 celebration were current and past students, families, faculty, and supporters of the school. The school is located at 417 29^th St., and the celebration was held nearby at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church on Telegraph Avenue in Oakland.

For more information, go to www.streetacademy.online or call 510) 874-3630 or (510) 879-2313.

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Activism

Oakland Ambassadors Strengthen Ties and Aid Efforts in Ghana

Oakland natives and esteemed members of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG), Jonathan P. Jones and Dr. Maritony Efua Jones, recently embarked on a significant journey to Ghana as guests of the World Martial Authority Ghana. This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.

Published

3 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Elder Jorg Klebingat, Flint Mensah, Richard Burton, H.E. Dr. Maritony Jones, Amb. Jonathan Jones, Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, Elder Alfred Kyungu. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.

Upon their arrival at Katota Airport in Accra, Ghana, the Joneses were warmly received by His Royal Majesty Okatakyie Asafo Boakye III, the distinguished king of Sanzule Kingdom in the Eastern Nzema, and Etse Nyamedi of World Martial Authority, Ghana.

Nyamedi accompanied the Joneses to the city of Mepe, which had recently experienced flooding, to assess damages and engage with local leaders, elders, and youth regarding the city’s urgent needs after major floods last fall.

Key concerns and priorities identified by the community include comprehensive flood mitigation measures, agricultural support, housing initiatives, educational enhancements, improved healthcare access, and the development of communal recreational spaces.

The Joneses were also graciously invited to meet with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at their headquarters in Accra. This meeting provided insights into ongoing humanitarian efforts in Ghana and explored avenues for collaboration to further assist Ghanaian communities.

The LDS leaders shared their prompt response to the recent flood, demonstrating their commitment to humanitarian aid by dispatching substantial supplies including medical provisions, sanitation items, blankets, and food to assist flood victims just four days after the disaster.

Additionally, Boakye extended a special invitation to the Joneses to his palace, where they were pleasantly surprised with a heartfelt recognition ceremony. Maritony Jones was honored as the Queen Mother of the Sanzule Kingdom in acknowledgment of her dedicated work, while Jonathan Jones was lauded and welcomed as the ambassador of the Sanzule Kingdom, symbolizing a meaningful homecoming to their ancestral land.

The visit not only strengthens ties between Oakland and Ghana but also underscores the collaborative spirit and commitment to meaningful progress and humanitarian endeavors shared by all involved parties.