City Government

Proposed City Jobs Policy Could Shut Out Black Construction Workers

Published

8 years ago

January 13, 2018

City staff, along with Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan (front left) and Abel Guillén, hosted a meeting Monday evening at City Hall to hear community feedback on proposed changes for a new labor agreement for development on city-owned lands. Photo by Ken Epstein.

City of Oakland staff held a meeting this week to discuss a proposed public lands policy, which would include a labor agreement with the Alameda County Building Trades Council that some critics fear would undermine the few jobs that exist for African-American construction workers on city-connected projects.

The proposal, as written by Councilmember Abel Guillén, would expand the coverage of the city’s current Local Employment Policy, which at present only applies to subsidized, non-market deals.

If adopted, the policy would apply to all projects involving sale or lease of city-owned land.

The Project Labor Agreement (PLA) between the city and the building trades unions would cover all projects of 80 or more housing units or with an estimated construction cost of $40 million or more.

The proposal would require the Building Trades Council to submit a report to the city within six months after the agreement is signed containing the race, ethnicity, gender and percentage of Oakland residents of each union affiliated with the labor council.
Councilmembers Guillén and Rebecca Kaplan co-sponsored the meeting.

Guillén, who chaired the discussion, explained that he has been working on the public lands policy for over a year. He said the city should strike a balance between selling property for top dollar and requiring public benefits, which would limit the amount of money the city can earn.

“Selling property gets the most money,” he said. “If we want too much, we don’t get the money. [We must] balance a public lands policy with a jobs policy.”

Under the current jobs policy, 88 percent of work on city-connected projects go to union workers, and the balance goes to nonunion or mixed nonunion and union.

Guillén said his proposal would be finalized and sent to the council for discussion and revision. He is suggesting the city pass a policy and then evaluate it after five projects in a few years “to see how we did on local hiring,” he said.

Kaplan emphasized that a new jobs policy should guarantee equity—jobs for Black construction workers and black-owned construction firms, minority workers and for women—and keep money in the local community.

“I appreciate the opportunity to participate in the jobs policy input meeting, and the thoughtful comments and suggestions made by attendees,” Kaplan said in an interview with the Oakland Post.

“I believe we can, and should, work to bring forward jobs policies for public lands that incorporate all of our community, including other issues like ‘ban the box’ as well,” she said. “We also need to continue to work to expand opportunity to get into good-paying jobs in growing construction, including apprenticeship opportunities for Oaklanders.”

Community speakers at the meeting—including representatives of small construction firms—questioned the city’s commitment to equity, based on its past track record.

“How do minority contractors in Oakland get access to contracts, especially on public land? We’re not included. We’re [always] after the fact, and it’s too late,” said Pete Varma, president of the Northern California Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors.

“Every time they try out something, Black contractors are left out,” said Louis Summerhill.

“How many Black contractors were involved in putting this [proposal] together?” He asked.

“This isn’t a new conversation. We are the last hired and the first fired, and it hasn’t changed,” said Eddie Dillard.

Several speakers questioned whether a new policy would make a difference if it is not enforced.

The problem with a project labor agreement, according to critics, is that contractors hire workers through hiring halls run by the building trades unions for their members, which are predominately white and have always been segregated.

As a result, African-American construction workers – no matter how experienced – tend not to be union members and have little access to union jobs. Black workers tend to work for non-union, Black-owned small construction firms.

Those job opportunities could be eliminated by a PLA.

The language of Guillén’s proposal allows non-union firms to work on city-associated projects, but “non-union contractors must make first hires from the union hall.”

The firms can then hire a “maximum of five core employees” of their firms, and after that, “All future hires are from the hiring hall.”

As a result, the PLA could mean that almost no Black workers would be able to work on city projects.

Statistics released by the city several years ago show that five percent of construction jobs on city projects went to Black workers. The Oakland Post in October requested current data from the city but has not yet received it.
According to Robyn Hodges, a member of OaklandWorks attended the meeting.

“Oakland is never going to realize equity as along as the Building Trades are writing the rules,” she said. “This plan needs to be tossed out and rewritten, the same way we did with the Army Base Project.

“This needs to become a more open process. If we keep going to the same meetings with the same people, we will be getting the same results.”

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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

4 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

6 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

2 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