Employment

EPA Settles with City and Port of Oakland Over Claims of Civil Rights Violations

Published

5 years ago

August 2, 2019

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this week that it has entered into a final voluntary resolution with the City and Port of Oakland in response to a civil rights complaint filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project.

The complaint stated that the City and Port of Oakland have been engaging in a pattern of conduct for decades that expanded freight activity at the expense of increased pollution in predominantly Black communities in West Oakland Wednesday, after more than two years of negotiations, the final resolution acknowledges the problem, but lacks the meaningful requirements and real commitments by the City and Port of Oakland that are necessary to finally address the freight pollution crisis in the surrounding community, according to community advocates.

Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, recipients of federal funds, like the Port of Oakland, have an obligation to avoid actions that result in unjustified unequal impacts on the basis of race, and to consider the risk of unequal impacts before approving projects.

Brian Beveridge

“The EPA has concluded that the Port of Oakland is violating our civil rights in West Oakland with the pollution they’re pumping into our air, but the agency hasn’t given us a plan with real teeth to make the Port do something about it,” said Brian Beveridge with the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP). “The complaint brought us a lot more process, and several new plans, but we’re still waiting for the clear targets and measurable actions that will quell the toll on human health in West Oakland. It’s time for Mayor Schaff to do something about it.”

According to Margaret Gordon, also with W.O.E.I.P., “The City of Oakland has yet to form a budget or add the necessary staff to make policy decisions and provide public health protections for this community.”

Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Transportation agreed to initiate an investigation of the complaint after it was filed in 2017, effectively agreeing, along with virtually every state and regional public health agency, that the City and Port of Oakland cannot continue to ignore the impacts their decisions are having on this community. The final resolution represents a missed opportunity to reduce deadly diesel emissions in West Oakland, say the W.O.E.I.P. leaders.

W.O.E.I.P., together with Earthjustice, say they will continue to push for greater protection and fairer treatment of the community surrounding the Port of Oakland and look forward to working with the city to achieve a forward-looking, zero-emissions port.

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Business

G.O.P. Lawmakers: Repeal AB 5 and Resist Nationalization of “Disastrous” Contractor Law

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

File Photo: Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City)

By California Black Media

Republican lawmakers gathered outside of the Employee Development Department in Sacramento on Jan. 23 to call for the repeal of AB5, the five-year old California law that reclassified gig workers and other independent contractors as W-2 employees under the state’s labor code.
Organizers said they also held the rally to push back against current efforts in Washington to pass a similar federal law.

“We are here to talk about this very important issue – a battle we have fought for many years – to stop this disastrous AB 5 policy,” said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R-Yuba City).
Now, that threat has gone national as we have seen this new rule being pushed out of the Biden administration,” Gallagher continued.

On Jan. 10, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a new rule providing guidance on “on how to analyze who is an employee or independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).”
“This final rule rescinds the Independent Contractor Status Under the Fair Labor Standards Act rule (2021 IC Rule), that was published on January 7, 2021, and replaces it with an analysis for determining employee or independent contractor status that is more consistent with the FLSA as interpreted by longstanding judicial precedent,” a Department of Labor statement reads.
U.S. Congressmember Kevin Kiley (R-CA-3), who is a former California Assemblymember, spoke at the rally.

“We are here today to warn against the nationalization of one of the worst laws that has ever been passed in California, which has devastated the livelihoods of folks in over 600 professions,” said Kiley, adding that the law has led to a 10.5% decline in self-employment in California.

Kiley blamed U.S Acting Secretary of Labor, July Su, who was the former secretary of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, for leading the effort to redefine “contract workers” at the federal level.
Kiley said two separate lawsuits have been filed against Su’s Rule – its constitutionality and the way it was enacted, respectively. He said he is also working on legislation in Congress that puts restrictions on the creation and implementation of executive branch decisions like Su’s.
Assemblymember Kate Sanchez (R-Rancho Santa Margarita) announced that she plans to introduce legislation to repeal AB 5 during the current legislative session.

“So many working moms like myself, who are also raising kids, managing households, were devastated by the effects of AB 5 because they lost access to hundreds of flexible professions,” Sanchez continued. “I’ve been told by many of these women that they have lost their livelihoods as bookkeepers, artists, family caregivers, designers, and hairstylists because of this destructive law.”

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Activism

PRESS ROOM: Oakland Pic Hosts New Year’s Career & Resource Expo

OPIC CEO Pastor Raymond Lankford expressed his enthusiasm for the event, stating: “This Career Fair is not merely a gathering of employers and prospective employees; it’s a platform for opportunity, growth, and community collaboration. We are thrilled to bridge the gap between Oakland’s talented residents and the employers who recognize their potential. Together, we are building a stronger Oakland.”

Published

2 months ago

February 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Connecting Employers and Talent in Oakland and Beyond

OAKLAND, CA – Oakland Private Industry Council, Inc., is hosting the New Year’s Career & resource Expo on Thursday, February 8, 2024, at 12 noon at the Oakland Coliseum – Eastside Club – 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland CA 94621.

This exciting event brings together over 70 employers, all seeking to hire Oakland residents with various skill levels to fill a wide range of employment opportunities. Additionally, a collaborative of resource agencies will be in attendance, providing further assistance to job seekers.

For more information or to request media access, please contact Yawo Tekpa at yawot@oaklandpic.org.

OAKLAND PIC HOSTS NEW YEAR’S CAREER & RESOURCE EXPO

Who: All job seekers, with all ages and experiences welcome
What: Connecting Employers and Talent in the Community
When: Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 12 noon
Where: Oakland Coliseum – Eastside Club – 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland CA 94621.

OPIC INVITES YOUR ORGANIZATION TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR UPCOMING NEW YEAR’S CAREER & RESOURCE EXPO!!!

Dear Esteemed Employer & Community Organization Partner,

Oakland Private Industry Council, Inc. (OPIC) is excited to wish you a warm welcome into 2024! A new year, a new HOPE!!!

We enthusiastically invite your organization to participate in our NEW YEAR CAREER & RESOURCE EXPO at the OAKLAND COLISEUM!!!

DATE: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2024

TIME: 12:00 NOON – 3:00 P.M.

LOCATION: OAKLAND COLISEUM – EAST SIDE CLUB

ADDRESS: 7000 COLISEUM WAY, OAKLAND CA 94621

Participating Employer & and Community Resource Partners will receive one six-foot table and two (2) chairs for this event. Additional information, including event details and logistics, will be forwarded after you sign-up.

Please confirm your attendance by completing the online registration link below by JANUARY 31, 2024 at the latest.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1bfv0LXBexc26AeE_cosSoQrpYrx2HXOIwn1bG47chwU/edit

Thanks to our invaluable network and partnership, we are giving HOPE to many community members through quality employment opportunities and supportive resources.

If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact Yawo Tekpa, Assistant One-Stop Operator/Events Coordinator, at (510) 419-0392 office/ (510) 499-6657 cell.

Sincerely,

Raymond Lankford Yawo S. Tekpa,

CEO Assistant One-Stop Operator/Events Coordinator

raymondl@oaklandpic.org yawot@oaklandpic.org

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Bay Area

Mayor Thao Rejects List of Candidates for Police Chief

One of the candidates was former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong, who the mayor fired in February over mishandling and minimizing the importance of Internal Affairs investigations of individual officers. The other two candidates, according to KTVU2, were San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen, who was placed on leave in September during an investigation into departmental policy violations that the city did not reveal, and Kevin Hall, currently the assistant police chief in Tucson, Arizona.

Published

4 months ago

January 2, 2024

Oakland Post

The three candidates for Oakland chief of police, rejected by Mayor Sheng Thao, are (left to right): former Oakland Police Chief LaRonne Armstrong, San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen and Kevin Hall, the Assistant Police Chief in Tucson, Arizona.

By Post Staff

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has rejected all three police chief candidates that had been forwarded to her by the police commission.

The other two candidates, according to KTVU2, were San Leandro Police Chief Abdul Pridgen, who was placed on leave in September during an investigation into departmental policy violations that the city did not reveal, and Kevin Hall, currently the assistant police chief in Tucson, Arizona.

Mayor Thao released a statement saying she is requesting a new list of candidates from the Oakland Police Commission.

Former police chief LeRonne Armstrong released a statement through his publicist objecting to the decision not to rehire him.

“It is unfair that I am unable to continue to serve and protect the people of Oakland,” he said. “As a native of Oakland, nothing gave me greater pleasure and pride than to work in my community and fight to improve it.”