Bay Area

Council Members Propose Amendments to Oakland’s Proposed Budget

Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, joined by members of the Oakland Council’s Budget Team, this week released amendments to the city’s 2023-2025 Proposed Budget. At its June 14 meeting this week, the council was scheduled to begin consideration of amendments to the budget proposed by Mayor Sheng Thao on May 1. “In the face of the worst deficit in Oakland’s history, we are standing together as One Oakland, focused on addressing the challenges we face,” said Council President Bas.

Published

3 years ago

June 22, 2023

Oakland Post

Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Rebecca Kaplan, Kevin Jenkins, Carroll Fife. File photo.

Amendments will increase funds for public safety, fire services, housing, cultural affairs, and park upkeep

By Post Staff

Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, joined by members of the Oakland Council’s Budget Team, this week released amendments to the city’s 2023-2025 Proposed Budget.

At its June 14 meeting this week, the council was scheduled to begin consideration of amendments to the budget proposed by Mayor Sheng Thao on May 1.

“In the face of the worst deficit in Oakland’s history, we are standing together as One Oakland, focused on addressing the challenges we face,” said Council President Bas.

“Thanks to revenue and expenditure adjustments, we are now able to build upon Mayor Thao’s thoughtful and creative budget proposal to provide more support for the vital services residents rely on, including fire services, public safety, violence prevention, housing and economic development,” she said.

The Council Budget Team is comprised of Bas, councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan (At-Large), Carroll Fife (District 3) and Kevin Jenkins (District 6). Their amendments are based on weeks of public hearings and community meetings where members of the community weighed in on the proposed budget.

The Amendments include:

Strengthening fire safetyby designating FEMA SAFER grant funds to reverse a proposed rolling Fire Station brown-out, allowing the City to maintain fire service in all communities.
Supporting public safetyby adding funding for 24/7 crisis response, community ambassadors in business corridors, two civilian police investigators, and dedicating resources to allow MACRO to fill vacant positions more quickly.
Working to reduce violenceby investing $2.1 million in violence prevention programs, including $600,000 focused on sex trafficking.
Housing homeless residentsby creating a Rapid Response Homeless Housing Acquisition Fund with $8.8 million to create housing more rapidly for unhoused residents.
Supporting the economyby increasing Cultural Affairs grants by $300,000 each year, adding funding for the activation of Frank Ogawa Plaza, providing business support by continuing the Facade Improvement Program and staffing for multilingual business assistance.
Promoting clean and healthy neighborhoodsby increasing funding for park maintenance and traffic safety improvements

“Over the last month, we have received a tremendous amount of feedback from Oakland residents and these amendments will allow us to better address community priorities,” said Kaplan. “By bolstering resources for violence prevention, homelessness, and economic and cultural development, we can support thriving and healthy communities.”

“Despite this tough budget year, I am excited and encouraged by Mayor Thao’s leadership and the progress we are seeing under her administration,” said Fife

“We are standing together to close the gap while preserving critical services and investing in our future,” she said.

“Our residents are asking for safer, cleaner and healthier communities, and we are going to deliver,” said Jenkins. “While we still had to make hard choices, we were able to find the resources to do more so we can be stronger tomorrow.”

The Council began consideration of these and other amendments at its June 14 meeting. A subsequent budget meeting is scheduled for June 26 at 4 p.m. The final budget must be approved by June 30.

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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.