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City and Community Work Together to Build New Mosswood Recreation Center

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Since Mosswood Recreation Center burned down three years ago, neighbors have been organizing and working with the city to build a new center that serves the needs of families and community members at the city park across the street from Kaiser Hospital in North Oakland.

The recreation center at Mosswood Park, builtin 1953, was destroyed by fire in November 2016. Since then, a temporary center has been serving the local community at the park.

The city recently held the fifth of a series of community workshops for the public to give input on what facilities they want to see built.  Phase one of the project, which is the only part of the plan that has funding so far, will be to build the new community center, according to Sean Maher, public information officer for the City’s Public Works and Transportation departments.

The new center will contain a multipurpose room, computer labor, spaces for classrooms, meeting and rental, an innovation lab/maker space and a commercial kitchen, as well as a parking lot to serve visitors.

The ultimate vision for the project, which would comprise the center, landscaping, and other park uses, would create “a vibrant destination for civic, cultural, social, educational, and recreational activities…inclusive of a diverse community of users, universally accessible, flexible in use, and thoughtfully designed,” according to the City of Oakland website.

The city already has on hand $10.2 million to build the center — $4 million from Measure KK, the California Natural Resources Agency and insurance settlement funds. “Fundraising will continue over the coming year to fully fund the first phase,” said Maher.

Staff are saying that the construction could begin as early as March 2022,  he said.

Future phases will require additional fundraising to pay for the construction of a pool and gym. The full proposal also includes the meadow and creek, baseball field and continuing the existing tennis courts at the park.

The final design plan will be based on input from community members and groups, as well as city leadership, the local Recreation Advisory Council (RAC), Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation and others, said Maher.

“The design process places an emphasis on consensus-building among the stakeholders, while balancing maintenance, operations and budgetary needs for the project,” he said.

Alongside the center, plans for the park also feature as a separate project, the renovation of the old mansion —  the Mosswood House. The J. Mora Moss House was built in the 1860s by J. Mora Moss and his wife Julia Wood Moss. The city purchased the building and the park land in the early 1900s.

According to Maher, the city has applied for $5 million in grant funding to renovate the house and is “optimistic about securing that funding.  The renovated building will be used for conferences and seminars.

Community outreach for the project is managed by the city and carried out by the design team: building architects, landscape architects and a community engagement consultant.

Feedback and input can be emailed to mosswood@oaklandca.gov. For project information and updates, go to www.oaklandca.gov/projects/mosswood-community-center

The next community workshop will be  Saturday, March 7, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mosswood Recreation Center, 3612 Webster St. in Oakland.

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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

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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.

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District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones
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.

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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.
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

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.

“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.”

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