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Councilmember Carroll Fife: Let Voters Decide If They Want to Spend Public Money for New Ballpark and Real Estate Project

Councilmember Carroll Fife said that putting the Oakland A’s $12-billion real estate development project on the ballot would ensure that the public has a voice in the project and to discuss whether public funds should be used to pay for it. “What I find to be lacking in some of the decisions that are made by people who have a position of power is the lack of input from the community,” she said. At present, she said, “Nobody is talking to District 3 residents or businesses about what they want to see in the area.”

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Councilmember Carroll Fife
Councilmember Carroll Fife

By Ken Epstein

Councilmember Carroll Fife is considering a proposal to let Oakland voters decide in November whether to approve the Oakland A’s $12-billion real estate development on public land at the Port of Oakland, which would take the final decision on the project out of the hands of City Council members, who are under intense, behind-the-scenes pressure from the project’s powerful backers.

“I’m working on spelling out the details this week. The voters should decide,” Fife said in an interview with the Oakland Post. Fife, who first announced the proposal at a town hall meeting last weekend, represents District 3 where the new A’s stadium and real estate complex would be built.

According to observers, the City Council is under pressure from A’s owner, billionaire John Fisher, as well as powerful state Democratic politicians and the building trades unions to settle the deal in the next few months, even before all the evaluations of the site, potential costs and community benefits are discussed and approved.

The amount of public funds the A’s is seeking is estimated at more than $1 billion, including onsite infrastructure, offsite infrastructure, community benefits and other expenses.

Fife said that putting the project on the ballot would ensure that the public has a voice in the project and to discuss whether public funds should be used to pay for it. “What I find to be lacking in some of the decisions that are made by people who have a position of power is the lack of input from the community,” she said. At present, she said, “Nobody is talking to District 3 residents or businesses about what they want to see in the area.”

“This is about responding to what I’m hearing from my constituents. I have to do what I think is right,” she said. “It’s interesting to hear some people speaking in opposition to a democratic process.”

A measure could be placed on the November ballot either by a vote of the City Council or community members if they collect sufficient signatures.

Opposing the proposed ballot measure, Mayor Libby Schaaf quickly published a video statement Tuesday on Twitter, based on an interview she gave to ABC7.

An outspoken backer of the real estate deal, Schaaf said the ballot proposal came as a surprise to her.

“It is not a good idea,” she said. “It is the responsibility of the council members, who are paid to work full time, who have full-time expert staff, who have access to expert consultants, to make these very complicated, technical and long lasting decisions.”

Besides implying that the decision was too complicated for local voters to understand, she emphasized that a ballot measure would be too costly, though she is already putting together almost $500 million in public funds to build infrastructure to support the Port real estate project.

“To put this on the ballot would be a waste of taxpayer dollars. It costs more than $1 million to place any item on the ballot…to ask a question, (though) polling has already shown there is wide support for keeping the A’s in Oakland (and) for a waterfront ballpark…I don’t need to put that on a ballot measure.”

Though she says a vote is not necessary, the City of Oakland has a history of taking large, long-term funding measures to voters. Since 2010, Oakland voters have voted on more than a dozen ballot measures that direct hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds for a variety of projects.

In her statements, Schaaf also tends to minimize results of polls that show deep community concerns about the costs to the public and negative impacts of the development on the Port and the city. In addition, the mayor ignores the voices of the ILWU, the longshore union that fears the project would eliminate waterfront workers’ jobs, as well as Port of Oakland businesses that say the project would jeopardize global transportation.

Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval, who still holds a possible team move to Las Vegas over Oakland’s head, is against the November ballot measure.

“We were very surprised and, quite frankly, concerned,” to learn about the proposal, he said. “This is a project we want to do but we need decisions now,” Kaval said in an interview with KPIX5.

Bay Area

Attorney General’s Office Denies Helping Holy Names University Sell Campus, Contrary to HNU’s Claims

In a recent letter to City of Oakland officials, Jeanine Hawk, HNU’s vice president for finance and administration, claimed that the university has been working closely with Bonta’s office and that the university’s decision to sell the property to the highest bidder is based on and guided by discussions with the Attorney General’s Office.

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California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“Our office has not provided HNU with direction, approval or guidance,” said AG’s office”

By Ken Epstein

Holy Names University in Oakland continues to be not transparent or truthful with the public and Oakland officials in its claims that HNU is acting with the approval and guidance of the office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta to sell the 60-acre campus in the Oakland hills for high-end residential development when the campus permanently closes, currently scheduled for the end of the current semester in May.

Jeanine Hawk, HNU’s vice president for finance.

Jeanine Hawk, HNU’s vice president for finance.

In a recent letter to City of Oakland officials, Jeanine Hawk, HNU’s vice president for finance and administration, claimed that the university has been working closely with Bonta’s office and that the university’s decision to sell the property to the highest bidder is based on and guided by discussions with the Attorney General’s Office.

“HNU has been in constant communication with the California Attorney General’s office regarding the manner of ensuring that any transfer of its property satisfies the requirements of California law,” Hawk said.

Further, she alleged that “discussions with the Attorney General’s office have resulted in an effort to market the property both through a real estate broker (Mike Taquino at CBRE) and through our continued communications with potential successor universities.”

Hawk also dismissed the City of Oakland’s offer to help maintain HNU as a center of higher education. “At this point it is unclear to HNU how the City of Oakland can assist with the process of achieving the objectives of obtaining the highest and best use of the HNU property for public good, particularly when HNU’s efforts to date have been in cooperation with the AG’s office,” she said.

Chief Deputy Attorney General Venus D. Johnson

Chief Deputy Attorney General Venus D. Johnson

However, in a strongly worded denial, Venus D. Johnson, Chief Deputy Attorney General in AG Bonta’s office, wrote in a March 17 letter to Oakland officials, “While HNU has kept the Attorney General’s Office apprised as to its efforts to secure a successor educational institution, our office has not provided HNU with direction, approval or guidance with regard to these efforts.”

“Any assertion to the contrary is inaccurate,” Johnson wrote.

“Specifically, although HNU has reported to you that this office has told HNU that it must sell to the highest bidder and that we have provided HNU with direction related to its marketing efforts, the Attorney General’s Office has done neither of these things,” according to Johnson’s letter.

Johnson emphasized that under the law the decision whether to sell the property is up to the HNU Board of Trustees. “A nonprofit corporation only needs approval from its board of directors to sell or transfer all or substantially all of its assets under terms the board deems is in the best interests of the corporation,” she said.

Johnson added that there are no legal reasons why HNU cannot work with a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) or other educational institution to maintain the campus as a center for higher education.

She wrote: “Let me be clear: HNU absolutely may consider entering into an agreement with a successor educational institution and continue to operate with an educational purpose and mission. While my office cannot require HNU to do this, neither can we prevent them from doing so: The decision is HNU’s and HNU’s alone.”

Several HNU students and an Oakland City Councilmember spoke this week about the potential for maintaining HNU as an institution of higher education on the “Education Today” program aired on radio station KPFA FM94.1.”

“There are a lot of unanswered questions: how did we get to this place?” Asked Aniya Bankston, chair of the HNU Black Student Union (BSU) and a pre-nursing student.

“There’s a very confusing time on campus, (and) anxiety is super high” among the students, she said.

Kiara Evans, a member of HNU student government and the also a BSU member, said she and other student leaders met with the HNU Board of Trustees, which she was disappointed to see was all white.

“They were very nonchalant,” said Evans. “Whatever we said, they just brushed us off. They didn’t really want to hear from us, and it’s pretty sad and disappointing that these people are in charge of our education. They’ve never even gotten to know us.”

Oakland District 4 Councilwoman Janani Ramachandran

Oakland District 4 Councilwoman Janani Ramachandran

City Councilmember Janani Ramashandran, who represents the area that includes the HNU campus, said she is working with other city leaders “to see this site used for higher education … not to follow the path of building luxury housing.”

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” she said. “It comes down to the will of the Holy Names board (to negotiate)” and some of the proposals for educational uses for the property.

In response to questions from the Oakland Post, HNU Vice President Hawk wrote:

“The AG wanted to emphasize that it does not direct organizations in these matters. The letter confirmed that HNU has been apprising the AG’s office of the current situation to share HNU’s proposed path forward and to make sure that HNU’s interpretation of applicable laws regarding the sale or transfer of property of a non-profit corporation will properly inform decision making by our Board of Trustees.”

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How the Crack Cocaine Epidemic Led to Mass Sex Exploitation of Black People PART 3: The Case Against SB357: Black, Vulnerable and Trafficked

Although California Senate Bill 357 was intended to alleviate arrests of willing sex workers under anti-loitering laws, it opened up a Pandora’s box loophole that hinders the ability of law enforcement to halt human trafficking, especially of young Black and Brown girls. This segment continues to explore the history that led to this latest form of exploitation in Oakland.

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Sable tied up.
Sable tied up.

By Tanya Dennis and Vanessa Russell
Although California Senate Bill 357 was intended to alleviate arrests of willing sex workers under anti-loitering laws, it opened up a Pandora’s box loophole that hinders the ability of law enforcement to halt human trafficking, especially of young Black and Brown girls. This segment continues to explore the history that led to this latest form of exploitation in Oakland.
It was 1980: The beginning of the end for the Black family and Black community as we knew it.
Crack cocaine was introduced to the United States that year and it rendered unparalleled devastation on Black folks. Crack is a solid smokable form of cocaine made by boiling baking soda, cocaine, and water into a rock that crackles when smoked.
The tremendous high — especially when first smoked — and the low cost brought temporary relief to the repeatedly and relentlessly traumatized members of the Black community.
What was unknown at the time was how highly addictive this form of cocaine would be and how harmful the ensuing impact on the Black family when the addicted Black mother was no longer a haven of safety for her children.
The form made it easy to mass produce and distribute, opening the market to anyone and everyone, including many Black men who viewed selling crack as their way out of poverty.
These two factors — addicted Black women and drug-dealing Black men — would lead to the street exploitation for sex as we know it today.
Encouraged to try it free initially, most poor, Black women in the 1980s used crack cocaine in a social setting with friends. When the free samples disappeared the drug dealer offered to supply the women crack in exchange for allowing him to sell their bodies to sex buyers.
The increase in the supply of women willing to exchange sex for crack — a.k.a. the “sex for crack barter system” — caused the price of sex to decrease and at the same time increased the demand for sex because more buyers could afford it.
The desperation of the women to get their hit of crack made them willing to endure any form of abuse and treatment from buyers during sex, including unprotected and violent sex.
It also pushed desperate Black women onto the street to pursue sex buyers, flagging down cars and willing to have sex anywhere actively and desperately. Street prostitution grew and buyers were able to buy oral sex for as little as $5.
This sex-for-crack barter system resulted in a dramatic increase in sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and AIDS, both of which are disproportionately represented among Black people.
It also resulted in unplanned pregnancies by unknown fathers, which then resulted in children born addicted to crack who were immediately placed in the foster care system where they were often abused and/or neglected.
For his part, the Black man who engaged in the mass production and distribution of crack was often killed by gun violence while fighting over drug territory or incarcerated for long periods of time as use and sales and distribution of crack carried longer sentences than powdered cocaine.
Crack unleashed an entire chain of new trauma upon the Black family which then all but collapsed under this latest social attack that had started with chattel slavery, followed by Jim Crow, redlining, school segregation, food deserts, et. al.
Exploitation was and is at the root of the crack cocaine epidemic. It is the latest weapon used to prey upon Black people since the beginning of our time in the United States.
The sex industry and legislation like SB357 have only increased harm to Black people who have been historically oppressed with racist laws and epidemics including crack. More must be done to restore the Black community.
Tanya Dennis serves on the Board of Oakland Frontline Healers (OFH) and series co-author Vanessa Russell of “Love Never Fails Us” and member of OFH.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tanya-Leblanc/publication/236121038_Behind_the_Eight_Ball_Sex_for_Crack_Cocaine_Exchange_and_Poor_Black_Women/links/0c9605162c8f362553000000/Behind-the-Eight-Ball-Sex-for-Crack-Cocaine-Exchange-and-Poor-Black-Women.pdf?origin=publication_detail

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Oakland Post: Week of March 22 – 28, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March March 22 – 38, 2023

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 22 - 38, 2023

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