Bay Area
Councilmember Carroll Fife’s Resolution OK’d to Study Feasibility of Housing 1,000 at North Gateway Parcel
The City Administration has previously suggested an estimate of two to four years before development could realistically begin. The report is intended to resolve these discrepancies and put on record a clear construction timeline. This development would still allow most of the site to be used ahead of CASS’s development plans which are expected to be shared in the June report.
Special to The Post
At the May 3 special meeting of the Oakland City Council, members approved a resolution introduced by Councilmember Carroll Fife directing the City Administrator to study the feasibility of establishing an emergency homeless intervention site to house 1,000 individuals at the North Gateway Parcel located at the former Oakland Army Base.
According to the resolution, the findings must be returned to the Council no later than the first Council meeting of June.
Over 40 constituents emailed the City Council in support of the resolution. Many shared being appalled at the state of homelessness in the City and urged the City Administrator to treat it as the emergency crisis that it is.
Several constituents called into the meeting including residents currently living near Custom Alloy Scrap Sales (CASS) and California Waste Solutions (CWS) who support the temporary use of the North Gateway Parcel until CASS and CWS is ready to begin development.
The City Administration went on record for the first time saying that it has been reviewing CWS’s development plans and expects permits to be approved by the beginning of 2023.
The City Administration has previously suggested an estimate of two to four years before development could realistically begin. The report is intended to resolve these discrepancies and put on record a clear construction timeline. This development would still allow most of the site to be used ahead of CASS’s development plans which are expected to be shared in the June report.
In response, District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife said, “It adds insult to injury that this parcel has been vacant for over a decade and it is only now that the public is being told that CWS will soon begin development.
“I look forward to reviewing the findings of the report, resolving some of the discrepancies that have been shared, and addressing how the site could still accommodate temporary housing ahead of and concurrent to this development. We need accommodations now.”
The June report is expected to be returned by the mid-cycle budget allocation, which will be a revealing moment indicating City of Oakland’s commitment to finding effective solutions to the homelessness crisis.
This report comes from the media relations office of Oakland City Councilwoman Carroll Fife.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
Bay Area
State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
By Carla Thomas
California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco.
The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.
“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.
ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.
“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.
More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.
Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.
“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.
“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.
“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.
By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”
Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”
Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.
“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”
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