Featured

Assemblymember Rob Bonta Hosts 18th District Awards

Published

7 years ago

October 10, 2019

Two hundred civic and community members gathered in Alameda at the Almanac Brewery on Oct. 8 for the State of the 18th Assembly District address and awards.

The event was hosted by Assemblymember Rob Bonta, who had successfully drafted a housing bill and rent control package with colleagues that kicked off Governor Gavin Newsom’s housing tour in Oakland just hours before.

Bonta was both grateful and honored to give awards to some of the hardest-working people in the district he represents. “Tonight is a night to celebrate the great work in our district and the people who make it all possible,” he said.

Honorees included former Oakland Private Industry Council Executive Director Gay Plair Cobb, who received the Lifetime of Public Service Award for her 35 plus years of employment justice.

“It has been a privilege to serve the community and give people the opportunity to become self sufficient through our employment programming at the OPIC,” said Gay Cobb.

Cobb was supported by her husband, Oakland Post Publisher Paul Cobb who proudly orchestrated photos of her with other honorees — which included the Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC).

Representing the ICAC, Pastor Ken Chambers of West Side Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland accepted the Coalition of Excellence Award.

Chambers explained how the ICAC took an out-of-the box approach to the housing crisis with a temporary solution for Oaklanders living in their cars.

“We’ve identified three categories of people living in their cars that need a safe space to sleep overnight and so one of our churches allows men to park overnight, another is for students, and families are in another parking lot,” said Chambers who shared the award with his wife, Michelle Myles Chambers, Pastor Chauncey Mathews of Corinthian Baptist Church and Thomas Harris of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

“We hope to expand the program as a bridge for people waiting for affordable housing,” said Mathews.

Alameda County Superior Court Judge Vicky Kolakowski was presented the Woman of the Year Award and the George Mark Children’s House received the Non-profit of the Year Award. Oakland resident Douglas Wong, a highly decorated army veteran, received the Veteran of the Year Award.

Jahmese Myres, deputy director of the East Bay Alliance for Sustainable Economy, received the Social Justice Warrior Award with Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code for America. Margaret Gordon, co-founder of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, was also recognized for her decades of fighting for the environment and protecting the health of vulnerable West Oakland residents. Gordon was excited to attend with her granddaughter, De’Jeanne Maunder.

Small Business of the Year Awards were given to Everett and Jones BBQ of Oakland, the BAL Theater of San Leandro and Alameda’s Little House Café’.

The Lao Family Community Development organization, the Boys and Girls Club of San Leandro and the Alameda Point Collaborative all received the Outstanding Organization Award. Equity Champions Awards were presented to Janny Castillo of St. Mary’s Center of Hope and Justice Program, Carl Chan, (the ‘mayor’ of Oakland’Chinatown), and change agent Sherry M. Horota of Asian Health Services.

Local Heroes Awards were presented to Joanna Kim-Selby of the East Bay Korean-American Senior Services Center, Arthur Renowtizky of Life Goes On Foundation, and Elaine de Coligny of the Countywide Continuum of Care Council.

The Impact in Education Awards were presented to Pilot City, the Oakland Education Association and the Alameda Education Foundation.

Carla Thomas

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Community

Four Candidates, Including Incumbent Barbara Lee, Qualify for Oakland Mayor’s Race

POST NEWS GROUP — Four candidates, including incumbent Mayor Barbara Lee, filed their papers to run for office by last Friday’s deadline, and the City Clerk issued a list this week of those who are qualified to run.

Published

22 hours ago

August 15, 2026

bpusa-syndication

View of downtown Oakland, California and City Hall. iStock photo.

By Post Staff

The four mayoral candidates who will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot are:

Brenda Grisham. A business owner in East Oakland and public safety advocate, Grisham led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. As part of her platform, she pledges to work with local, state, and federal partners to secure stricter gun control measures and investments in community violence intervention programs.

Barbara Lee. A former congressional representative and state Assembly member, Lee was elected by voters in a special election last year for a two-year term. Now running for a four-year term, she points out that her administration achieved major successes in addressing some of the city’s major challenges, including balancing the city budget, dramatically reducing crime, and making significant inroads into homelessness and illegal dumping.

Mindy Pechenuk. An educator and activist, Pechenuk is a registered Republican and supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, who has been described by observers as a conspiracy theorist and cult leader. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor in last year’s special election and for the at-large council seat in 2024. She seeks to end Oakland’s police commission and MACRO and invest in more police while launching a new local war on drugs.

Julius Robinson. While little information is available so far about Robinson, he was quoted in a KTVU story about Thao’s recall, stating that people in Oakland want to come together as a community but lack infrastructure and leadership.

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Black History

Oakland Observes Black August with Block Parties, Film Showings, Workshops

POST NEWS GROUP — Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

Published

24 hours ago

August 15, 2026

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George Jackson wrote two books: “Soledad Brother,” and “Blood in My Eye” before her was killed in an attempt to escape prison on Aug. 21, 1971.

By Jana Lang, Propel Youth Reporter

Study. Train. Fast. Fight.

These are the four tenets of Black August, a month dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of political prisoners and Black revolutionaries in the struggle for Black liberation.

Observers are urged to study the history of the Black struggle for freedom, train their bodies for health and self-defense, fast to cleanse the mind, body, and spirit, and fight ongoing oppression alongside their communities and local political organizations.

Beginning in 1979 in San Quentin State Prison, the Black Guerrilla Family called for the remembrance of political prisoner George Jackson and his brother Jonathan Jackson who were assassinated in the early 1970s. George Jackson was considered a political prisoner in that it was the anti-Black justice system that led to his incarceration for armed robbery with a sentence of one year-to-life in 1960.

While in prison, George befriended fellow prisoner W.L. Nolen, who introduced him to the works of Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, and Frantz Fanon. This radicalization coupled with his experiences of violence while imprisoned led to him writing and publishing two books, “Soledad Brother” (1970), and “Blood in my Eye” (1972). In January of 1970, George and two other prisoners were charged with murdering a corrections officer at Soledad State Prison in Monterey County.

On Aug. 7, 1970, Jonathan Jackson burst into a Marin County courtroom armed with a shotgun to demand the freedom of the Soledad Brothers. He, along with the inmates he freed, was shot and killed while driving away. This involved one of the Black Panther Party’s most notable associates, Angela Davis, because the shotgun was registered in her name. She was later acquitted of charges of conspiracy, kidnapping, and murder in 1972.

On Aug. 21, 1971, George Jackson was assassinated by a corrections officer after attempting to escape and free other inmates. As a result, there were uprisings and protests within prisons all over the country that year, calling forth resistance against racial oppression and mass incarceration.

Since its outset, Black August has evolved across the country, taking many forms to honor this history and embody the four tenets.

In Oakland, the upcoming Black August Experience, hosted by Youth Alive! and the East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA), is a free, family-friendly event celebrating the legacy of Black August. Activities include free food and drinks, a kids’ activity zone, interactive workshops, live cooking and boxing demonstrations, and more.

Happening on Aug. 21 from 4-8 p.m. at the EOBA Patio, Carolyn Flynn, director of administration at EOBA, said the event, in its second year, will be an opportunity to engage with people in person through food, shared space, and education.

“We do regular classes in education, and those are ongoing programs that we offer, but we wanted to have [an opportunity] for our neighbors to utilize this space.” Combined with Youth Alive’s work in community violence prevention and youth leadership, this event surely aims to bring the Oakland community together to capture what Black August means today.

Here are additional Black August events happening in Oakland:

Forum and Community Discussion hosted by the Oakland Liberation Center, 1499 Fruitvale Ave., Aug. 14, 7 p.m.

“George Jackson/San Quentin” Screening hosted by Nostalgic for Nothing Cinema at Moments Co-Op, 410 13th St., Aug. 16, doors at 6 p.m., show at 6:30 p.m. (Masks required and scent-free)

Commemorating the Struggle, Building the Altar for Liberation: Black August at Bandung Books, 2269 International Blvd., Aug. 23rd, 1-5 p.m.

Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.