Bay Area

Anti-Recall Rally Outside City Hall Supports Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao

Bearing “Defend Democracy” signs on the steps of Oakland’s City Hall, about 40 people convened Tuesday in support of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. The group responded in opposition to a growing movement to recall her. The mayor has been under considerable scrutiny after firing the city’s police chief, LeRonne Armstrong, and forfeiting millions of dollars in grant funding for the city by missing deadlines in 2023.

Published

3 months ago

January 23, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland civil rights attorney Walter Riley addresses the press at the anti-recall rally with supporters of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao outside Oakland City Hall. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

Bearing “Defend Democracy” signs on the steps of Oakland’s City Hall, about 40 people convened Tuesday in support of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.

The group responded in opposition to a growing movement to recall her.

The mayor has been under considerable scrutiny after firing the city’s police chief, LeRonne Armstrong, and forfeiting millions of dollars in grant funding for the city by missing deadlines in 2023.

Thao is also being blamed for the rise in theft and vandalism plaguing small businesses, leading many business owners to flee Oakland for safer locations or closing all together.

The recall is projected to cost the City of Oakland $4.5 million, an amount many feel would impact the city’s ability to fund much needed services.

Saabir Lockett, executive director of Pathways to Peace says $4.5 million “to recall the mayor is absurd — $4.5 million should be reinvested in our people.

“We are in a budget crisis already,” Lockett continued. “We need to continue the work that has been done; public safety support, enhancements to the 911 system, and tech investments.”

According to him, the recall efforts against Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price will cost the region $10 million. “We are going to lose money. This is ridiculous. This takes money and resources away from the people that really need it,” Lockett said.

Lockett also led rally supporters in chanting, “Stop using our pain for political gain.”

According to one Thao supporter, the mayor inherited many of the issues Oakland faces from the previous administration and she should not be held to unrealistic expectations. “A lot of these issues were here before she was elected,” said C.C. Wall Street, executive director of the Oakland community venue, Third Eye Oakland.

“The public should give her a chance to do her job,” he said. “There’s so much we can do beyond the political turmoil plaguing the city. I don’t think the mayor has been given a fair shake. No one is perfect. She is being scapegoated and not given the support she requires to do this job successfully.”

Wall Street called on everyone to step up and be solution oriented. “I’m also the new founder of FEEL Inc., Financial Empowerment Emotional Literacy. We can all make a difference.”

Kenzie Smith, who serves on Oakland’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, says he ran for City Council and understands the challenges of the city. “If we work together, we can continue the good work this administration has done. I, for one, have felt supported and know of many programs supported by this administration.”

Smith is also the sibling of local community icon, Mistah F.A.B., owner of DOPE Era Academy and Dope Era Museum at Jack London Square, and the company’s flagship Dope Era retail store on Broadway. “The mayor has been really supportive of us and our events,” he said.

Oakland civil rights attorney Walter Riley accused the movement to recall the mayor of Oakland of being disruptive and deliberately undermining the current administration.

“This action of recall is weaponizing our democracy against itself,” said Riley, a seasoned civil rights activist. “This administration is making up for decades of political savagery by fixing things. We should continue the pathway that we are on. The attacks on the City Council, the school board, and the mayor will not be tolerated.”

Other community attendees at the rally included Ray Bobbitt, the founder and managing member of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG); Joyce Gordon, founder of the Joyce Gordon Gallery at the center of Oakland’s Cultural Arts District on 14th Street, and Oakland Private Industry Council president Pastor Raymond Lankford.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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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.

Published

5 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

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.

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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.

Published

7 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

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.”