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“Disparity Study” Examines Patterns of Discrimination, Seeks Remedies for City Practices of Selecting Contractors  in Construction, Goods and Services

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Councilmember Loren Taylor, District 6

Facing a “public outcry,” the City of Oakland administration has released a race and gender study of the city’s contracting practices conducted by an outside consulting firm and submitted to the city back in February 2020.

The administration released the report officially at the Dec. 9, 2020, City Council meeting after ongoing pressure from the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce and a press conference on Nov. 24, 2020, demanding that the report be made public. Businesses and community leaders are also demanding immediate remedies to the disparities.

Within less than an hour of the conclusion of the press conference, City Administrator Ed Reiskin in partnership with City Attorney Barbara Parker, and Mayor Libby Schaaf, posted the study on the city’s website, according to the website Oakland News Now.

“The public outcry for releasing the Race and Gender Disparities Study was heard loud and clear,” stated Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor, declaring that the delay in publicly releasing the study was unacceptable and the city “must act quickly to release the completed study and not allow bureaucratic delay and tone-deaf excuses to stand in the way of racial justice.”

He also stated that, “Now more than ever in recent history the voices of so many diverse communities are calling in unison for an end to the institutional racism that has perpetuated the disparities facing Black individuals and businesses.”

Taylor cited Oakland’s 2018 Equity Indicators Report, which found, “White contractors (in Oakland) receiving an average of $1,059,209 per contract which was 11.87 times the average of African American contractors which was $89,191 per contract.”

The study examines where “there were disparities between the availability and utilization of minority- and women-owned businesses in four industries: construction, architecture and engineering, professional services, and goods and services,” seeking to design remedies to existing disparities that are in accord with existing federal and state laws that limit the legality of race-based policies for reducing discriminatory practices, according to a Dec. 9, 2020, report on the City Council agenda.

The city had hired Mason Tillman Associates in 2017 for a total cost of $590,036.25 to complete the study. Required by the City Charter, this is the first study since 2008, examining all prime contracts between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2016. The consulting firm contacted all companies the city hired during this period to learn about the subcontracts they used, to determine if they were awarded to minority-owned businesses.  The 302-page study also examined the practices impacting who gets contracts and makes recommendations for the future.

Chapter 3 of the study, “Prime Contractor Utilization,” examined 7,780 contracts issued between 2011 and 2016 for $566 million. These included 530 contracts for construction, totaling $271,864,842; 1,509 contracts for professional services, totaling $121,529, 429; 1,454 contracts for services, totaling $61,379.771; 4,287 contracts for Goods and Commodities, totaling $111,511,222.

In construction, the city awarded 530 contracts during the study period.  Prime contracts were awarded to 91 different businesses. Eight of the 91 businesses received a little over $192 million or 71% of the total construction prime contract dollars.

“The findings illustrate that a small group of prime contractors received the majority of the construction prime contact dollars awarded by the city,” according to the study.

African American contractors won 17 or 3.21% of the construction contracts during the study period for a total of 0.32% of the money or $873,374. The top earners, “Non-minority Males,” won 366 or 69.06% of the contracts, totaling  $211,485,354 or 77.79% of the money.

In the category of professional services prime contacts, 45 of the total number of 439 businesses received $85,127,088 or 70% of the prime contract dollars.

“The findings illustrate that a small group of prime contractors received the majority of the professional services prime contract dollars spent by the city,” according to the study.

African American firms received 44 or 2.92% of the professional services prime contracts, totaling $1,06,002 or 0.91% of the money.  “Non-minority Males” received 1,069 or 70.84% of the contracts., totaling $105,623,162 or 86.91% of the money.

For a copy of the disparity study go to https://cao-94612.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/City-of-Oakland-Draft-Disparity-Study.pdf

Part II of coverage of the disparity study and how city leaders plan to address its findings will be published in next week’s Oakland Post.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024

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Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024

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Who are the Alameda County District 4 Supervisor Candidates’ Top Campaign Contributors?

Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.

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Jennifer Esteen. (Campaign photo) and Supervisor Nate Miley. (Official photo).
Jennifer Esteen. (Campaign photo) and Supervisor Nate Miley. (Official photo).

By Zack Haber

Nate Miley, who has served on Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors since 2000, is running for reelection to the District 4 supervisor seat.

Jennifer Esteen, a nurse and activist, is seeking to unseat him and become one of the five members of the powerful board that sets the county’s budget, governs its unincorporated areas, and oversees the sheriff, Alameda Health System, and mental health system.

District 4 includes most of East Oakland’s hills and flatlands beyond Fruitvale, part of Pleasanton and unincorporated areas south of San Leandro like Ashland and Castro Valley.

Voting is open and will remain open until March 5.

In California, campaign donations of $100 or more are public record. The records show that Miley has received about $550,000 in total campaign donations since he won the previous District 4 election in March 2020. Esteen has raised about $255,000 in total campaign donations since she started collecting them last July. All figures are accurate through Feb. 20.

While Miley has raised more money, Esteen has received donations from more sources. Miley received donations of $100 or more from 439 different sources. Esteen received such donations from 507 different sources.

Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.

Nate Miley’s top campaign contributors:

The California Apartment Association, a trade group representing landlords and investors in California’s rental housing business, has spent about $129,500 supporting Miley’s election bid through about $59,500 in ads against Esteen$55,000 in ads supporting Miley, and $15,000 in campaign donations.

The independent expenditure committee Preserve Agriculture in Alameda County has spent about $46,025 supporting Miley through about $27,200 in their own ads, and $18,825 in donations to his campaign. Preserve Agriculture has supported reelection efforts for former Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley, and Sheriff Greg Ahern, a republican. It’s received funding from ChevronPG&E, and a the California Apartment Association.

Organizations associated with the Laborers’ International Union of North America, or LiUNA, have donated about $35,000 in total. Construction and General Laborers Local 304, a local chapter of the union representing which represents over 4,000 workers, donated $20,000.

Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition, which represents 70,000 LiUNA members in Arizona, California, Hawaii and New Mexico, donated $15,000.

William ‘Bill’ Crotinger and the East Oakland-based company Argent Materials have donated $26,000. Crotinger is the president and founder of Argent, a concrete and asphalt recycling yard. Argent’s website says it is an eco-friendly company that diverts materials from landfills. In 2018, Argent paid the EPA $27,000 under a settlement for committing Clean Water Act violations.

Michael Morgan of Hayward, owner of We Are Hemp, a marijuana dispensary in Ashland, has donated $21,500.

Alameda County District 1 Supervisor David Haubert has donated $21,250 from his 2024 reelection campaign. He’s running unopposed for the District 1 seat.

SEIU 1021which represents over 60,000 workers in local governments, non-profit agencies, healthcare programs, and schools in Northern California, has donated $20,000.

UA Local 342, which represents around 4,000 pipe trades industry workers in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, donated $20,000.

The union representing the county’s deputy sheriffs, Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Alameda County, has donated $17,000.

Becton Healthcare Resources and its managers have donated $14,625. Becton’s mission statement says it provides “behavioral health management services to organizations and groups that serve the serious and persistent mentally ill population.”

Jennifer Esteen’s top campaign contributors:

Mary Quinn Delaney of Piedmont, founder of Akonadi Foundation, has donated $20,000. Akonadi Foundation gives grants to nonprofit organizations, especially focusing on racial justice organizing,

Bridget Galli of Castro Valley has donated $7,000. Galli is a yoga instructor and a co-owner of Castro Valley Yoga.

Rachel Gelman of Oakland has donated $5,000. Gelman is an activist who has vowed to redistribute her inherited wealth to working class, Indigenous and Black communities.

California Worker Families Party has donated $5,000. The organization’s website describes itself as a “grassroots party for the multiracial working class.”

David Stern of Albany has donated $5,000. Stern is a retired UC Berkeley Professor of Education.

Oakland Rising Committee—a collaborative of racial, economic, and environmental justice organizations—has donated about $3,050.

Fredeke Von Bothmer-Goodyear, an unemployed resident of San Francisco, has donated $2,600.

Robert Britton of Castro Valley has donated $2,500. Britton is retired and worked in the labor movement for decades.

Progressive Era PAC has donated about $2,400. Its mission statement says it “exists to elect governing majorities of leaders in California committed to building a progressive era for people of color.”

East Bay Stonewall Democrats Club has donated $2,250. The club was founded in 1982 to give voice to the East Bay LGBTQIA+ communities.

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