Obituary
Charles ‘Charlie’ Brown, 80
Charles “Charlie” Brown died at home from lung cancer surrounded by family on Thanksgiving Day Nov. 22, 2018. He was 80 years old.
Brown was born on Oct. 4, 1938, to Mittie Brown Esters and Clarence Walker. He was the oldest of four children and attended Susan Miller High School and Pepperdine University in Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BA degree in sociology with aspirations of becoming a medical scientist.
Brown was the first African American to become a chief of staff to an Alameda County Board of Supervisor, the late Fred Cooper.
Brown worked successfully managing many political campaigns in Los Angeles, Oakland and the East Bay, including the late Congressman Ronald V. Dellums. Charlie Brown served the City of Oakland’s Office of Contract Compliance as an assistant contract compliance officer.
As an entrepreneur, he provided consulting services to local contractors, construction management companies and affordable housing developers under the umbrella of his company, C&C Enterprises.
Additionally, he was the lead staff person at Douvillier-Sloan, Inc. ensuring labor compliance for public agencies including the public/private partnerships associated with project labor agreements.
Brown will always be cherished by his faithful and devoted wife Andrea Brown, his mother Mittie Brown, daughter Christy Brown; grandchildren Yaisha White, Merril Bonner, Jemel Bonner, and Milik Bonner; great-grandson Christian White; brothers Michael Esters and William Esters, and a host of nieces and nephews, friends, political comrades and many young people whom he worked with unselfishly throughout the City of Oakland guiding them on a straight and narrow path so their lives would be more grounded thus creating an environment to ensure their success.
A celebration of life, legacy and community love for Charlie Brown will take place on Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019, at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, 410 14th St., Oakland from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The formal program will begin at 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
