Business

California Waste Solutions To Move To Army Base

Published

7 years ago

April 26, 2019

California Waste Solutions (CWS), a major recycling company that serves Oakland residents, has been working with the city to relocate its operations to the Oakland Army Base, shuttering its current facilities at 10th and Pine and 33rd and Wood streets.

“When CWS first opened its doors in 1992, West Oakland was underutilized and predominantly industrial. Now, it has become an attractive community to live, work, and do business,” explained Tasion Kwamilele, director of community Engagement at CWS.

The project has been in the works for the past eight years. CWS and the city of Oakland have entered into new Exclusive Negotiation Agreement, taking CWS one-step closer to making the new facility a reality.

CWS has until October to finalize city requirements to purchase the land and begin the design phase of the project.

Building a project of the magnitude of the new CWS facility is a complicated process. A lot of planning and documentation is required long before a shovel ever touches the ground.

Meanwhile, West Oakland residents have eagerly waited in anticipation for CWS to leave their neighborhood and grow a world class recycling center at the Army Base

“I understand the community’s frustration with how long it is taking to vacate our current facility. We are doing everything in our power to make sure our proposed state-of-the-art, 171,000- square-foot facility becomes a reality,” Kwamilele said.

“This means negotiating many regulatory issues to ensure that moving to the new location is economically feasible. No one can reasonably expect CWS to invest hundreds of millions of dollars to build a new facility and make the move f they are not allowed to increase services to the City of Oakland,” Kwamilele added.

Last week, West Oakland residents and community leaders Margaret Gordon and Bri

an Beveridge of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project published an open letter supporting CWS’ move to the new location.

“We support the sale of land in the North Gateway to CWS and their investment in a clean, modern facility,” wrote Gordon and Beveridge.

CWS was founded by the Duong family, providing commercial and residential recycling services.

The Duong family were Vietnam refugees who moved to the Bay Area after the Vietnam war with nothing but a few personal belongings. They have built a successful recycling business and are committed to creating and maintaining union-based, good-paying jobs for Oakland residents.

The Duong’s own the land on which their current site sits. If all goes well in the negotiations, the company plans to repurpose the site for a use that is more compatible with the neighborhood that now exists.

“CWS has yet to agree on any development plans for its current site, but the Duong Family owns the land, and once they successfully relocate, I am certain the site will not be used for another recycling or industrial operation,” Kwamilele said.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 18 – 24, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

March 22, 2026

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Advice

Financial Wellness and Mental Health: Managing Money Stress in College 

While everyone’s financial situation is unique, several common sources of stress have the potential to strain your financial health. These include financial and economic uncertainty, existing debts, unexpected expenses, and mental or physical health changes. Financial stress may differ from situation to situation, but understanding the factors contributing to yours may help you begin to craft a plan for your unique circumstances.

Published

2 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

Oakland Post

Sponsored by JPMorganChase

As a college student, managing financial responsibilities can be stressful.

If you’ve found yourself staying up late thinking about your finances or just feeling anxious overall about your financial future, you’re not alone. In one survey, 78% of college students who reported financial stress had negative impacts on their mental health, and 59% considered dropping out. While finances can impact overall stress, taking steps to manage your finances can support your mental, emotional and physical well-being.

When it comes to money, the sources of stress may look different for each student, but identifying the underlying causes and setting goals accordingly may help you feel more confident about your financial future.

Consider these strategies to help improve your financial wellness and reduce stress.

Understand what causes financial stress

2. Determine your financial priorities

Start by reflecting on your financial priorities. For students this often includes paying for school or paying off student loans, studying abroad, saving for spring break, building an emergency fund, paying down credit card debt or buying a car. Name the milestones that are most important to you, and plan accordingly.

3. Create a plan and stick to it

While setting actionable goals starts you on the journey to better financial health, it’s essential to craft a plan to follow through. Identifying and committing to a savings plan may give you a greater sense of control over your finances, which may help reduce your stress. Creating and sticking to a budget allows you to better track where your money is going so you may spend less and save more.

4. Pay down debt

Many students have some form of debt and want to make progress toward reducing their debt obligations. One option is the debt avalanche method, which focuses on paying off your debt with the highest interest rate first, then moving on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. Another is the debt snowball method, which builds momentum by paying off your smallest debt balance, and then working your way up to the largest amounts.

5. Build your financial resilience

Some financial stress may be inevitable, but building financial resilience may allow you to overcome obstacles more easily. The more you learn about managing your money, for instance, the more prepared you’ll feel if the unexpected happens. Growing your emergency savings also may increase resilience since you’ll be more financially prepared to cover unexpected expenses or pay your living expenses.

6. Seek help and support

Many colleges have resources to help students experiencing financial stress, like financial literacy courses or funds that provide some assistance for students in need. Talk to your admissions counselor or advisor about your concerns, and they can direct you to sources of support. Your school’s counseling center can also be a great resource for mental health assistance if you’re struggling with financial stress.

The bottom line

Financial stress can affect college students’ health and wellbeing, but it doesn’t have to derail your dreams. Setting smart financial goals and developing simple plans to achieve them may help ease your stress. Revisit and adjust your plan as needed to ensure it continues to work for you, and seek additional support on campus as needed to help keep you on track.

 JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC