Bay Area

As They Head to Runoff, District 18 Candidates Tout Policies Housing, Wages

Assembly District 18 includes most of Oakland, San Leandro and Alameda. About 65% of voters there are Democrat, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. It is one of the largest bases of liberal voters in the state. Bonta and Ramachandran are both Democrats.

Published

5 years ago

July 8, 2021

Isabelle Price

Photo Courtesy Tiffany Tertipes via Unsplash

From a pool of nine candidates, Mia Bonta and Janani Ramachandran emerged as the two frontrunners in a special election held June 29 for the seat representing California’s 18th Assembly District.

A run-off election has been set for August 31.

Bonta, an Alameda Unified School District School Board member, and social justice attorney Ramachandran will vie against each other to fill the seat vacated by Bonta’s husband, Rob Bonta when Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed him the state’s 34th Attorney General in March.
In last week’s poll, neither candidate reached the 50%-plus majority threshold to stave-off a runoff. As of July 3, Bonta had 22,551 votes (38.2%) while Ramachandran, in a distant second-place position had 14, 030 votes (23.7%).

“I’m honored and humbled by the outpouring of support from the diverse coalition we built over the course of this primary campaign,” Bonta said after preliminary results showed that she was leading Ramachandran by 40%.

“While we did not reach the 50% threshold tonight, momentum is on our side and I know we are ready to continue reaching out to earn every single vote to win in August,” she added.

Ramachandran also expressed her gratitude to supporters.

“Thank you for believing that our grassroots movement for justice is winnable, because fearless, progressive change is what our district wants and deserves,” said Ramachandran. “You helped us stun the political experts who didn’t see our grassroots surge coming. Naysayers who didn’t believe in the strength of people-powered movements.”

California Secretary of State Dr. Shirley Weber’s office will certify special election results for Assembly District 18 on July 8.
Malia Vella is currently in third place with 10,049 votes (17.0%), the last candidate in the double-digit range.

Depending on the results August 31, Bonta, who is Afro-Latina, could join the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) as the group’s 11th member.

Bonta would also be the CLBC’s first member from the Bay Area since Sandré Swanson served in the Assembly. Swanson, who represented the 16th Assembly District from 2006 to 2012, was also former Deputy Mayor of Oakland and served as chief of staff to U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA-13).

Bonta was elected to the Alameda Unified School District School Board in 2018 and currently serves as board president. She has been endorsed by Lee; California’s junior U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla; California Treasurer Fiona Ma; Secretary of State Shirley Weber; the California Teachers Association; Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California; and Equality California.

Bonta’s campaign message rests on three key pillars: housing, education, and addressing homelessness.

“I will work to secure funding for local homelessness programs in the East Bay and push for the wraparound services it takes to lift our unhoused neighbors out of poverty,” Bonta stated.

Ramachandran’s political platform includes providing affordable housing, addressing “extreme climate events,” and raising California’s wages to $22 per hour, she said.

According to Minimum-wage.org, a website that tracks minimum hourly rates around the country, California’s state minimum wage is $13.00 per hour, which is greater than the federal minimum wage of $7.25.

The California minimum wage was last changed in 2008, when it was raised $5.00 from $8.00 to $13.00.

The current minimum per-hour wage for employers in California with 26 or more employees is $14.00, Minimum-wage.org reported.

“I will fight to raise the minimum wage in California to $22 per hour by 2022 – with a dedicated plan to support small businesses. Living wages will lift millions of California families out of poverty while strengthening our economy,” Ramachandran said.

Isabelle Price

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.