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Richmond Considers Allowing More Cannabis Retailers

Currently, the city allows a maximum of three cannabis retail permits, and an unlimited number of permits for cultivation operations. Earlier this year, the city was awarded a $1.3 million state Cannabis Equity Grant that requires the Council to decide the maximum numbers of retailer licenses it will allow in the city. The Council last year expressed a desire to increase the number of dispensaries and delivery systems in part to address equity issues that plagued former permitting processes.

Published

3 years ago

January 3, 2023

Oakland Post

The city allows a maximum of three cannabis retail permits, and an unlimited number of permits for cultivation operations. Photo by Shadia Amen on Scopio.

The Richmond Standard

Richmond is exploring expanding the number of cannabis dispensary and delivery services permitted to operate in the city and incorporating equity in the permitting process.

In addition, the city is being asked to reinstate a former retail cannabis license held by Richmond Compassionate Care Collective (RCCC). In an anti-trust case last year, RCCC won a $5 million jury judgement against the city’s current cannabis dispensaries Green Remedy, 7 Stars, and Holistic Healing.

The case contended that those dispensaries, along with members of City Council and others, conspired to monopolize the local medical marijuana market by preventing RCCC from finding a code-compliant location to do business.

The City Council appeared open to creating new conditions that would enable RCCC to reapply for a permit. The Council also appeared amenable to recommendations of a Richmond Economic Development Cannabis Subcommitee to expand the number of retail cannabis permits even further with a program focused on equity.

The equity program would prioritize the issuance of any new retailer licenses (either storefront or non-storefront) to equity candidates, including those who were negatively impacted by the criminal system prior to cannabis legalization.

Councilmember Melvin Willis also expressed hope that small, local cannabis businesses are prioritized over large, out-of-town companies.

On December 22, Richmond City Council voted unanimously to request that staff work with the cannabis subcommittee to provide options that would increase the number of dispensaries and deliveries based on best practices, and to determine how to incorporate a cannabis equity program in the permitting process.

The subcommittee has been also asked to determine how to best use the cannabis social equity fund.

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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

2 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

1 week 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.