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Help Save North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church, the 2nd oldest Black Church in Oakland

North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church (NOMBC) located at 1060 32nd St. is the second oldest Black church in Oakland, at 118 years. Having served the community for nearly 32 years, Reverend Sylvester Rutledge leads the church as its 5th pastor. For Rutledge, it has been an honor to lead a congregation, share his faith and be a resource for the community.

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While paying annual city taxes, church administrators believed all taxes were current, until the County advised the church they were in arrears by 5 years. Rutledge says church administrators worked with the county to get the bill reduced but COVID interrupted some of the communications and processes.
While paying annual city taxes, church administrators believed all taxes were current, until the County advised the church they were in arrears by 5 years. Rutledge says church administrators worked with the county to get the bill reduced but COVID interrupted some of the communications and processes.

By Carla Thomas

North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church (NOMBC) located at 1060 32nd St. is the second oldest Black church in Oakland, at 118 years. Having served the community for nearly 32 years, Reverend Sylvester Rutledge leads the church as its 5th pastor.

For Rutledge, it has been an honor to lead a congregation, share his faith and be a resource for the community. The church shepherds 65 units of senior housing, feeds the homeless three times a week and has assisted some of the most vulnerable citizens of the city. Now, Rutledge is in need of the community’s help to save the church from a forced courthouse sale on March 17.

Currently the church owes $43,000 in back taxes owed on the parking lot on an adjacent property bought by the church. The church has been unable to make the payments. With a two-week deadline, the situation has placed a high level of stress on church members and its leadership.

Rutledge, age 86, explained that prior to becoming pastor, houses on the property were removed to create a parking lot, with taxes exempted. While paying annual city taxes, church administrators believed all taxes were current, until the County advised the church they were in arrears by 5 years. Rutledge says church administrators worked with the county to get the bill reduced but COVID interrupted some of the communications and processes. “With offices closed and no continuity during the pandemic, it created more barriers than solutions,” said Rutledge.

With no alternatives, the church is hoping to raise the funds needed to keep the church. Without a church home, dozens of congregants would be displaced.

For Dr. Wayne E. Gaddis, president of the California Missionary Baptist Church State Conference, the matter is both urgent and personal. “Last August, our California Missionary Baptist Church Conference anniversary celebration was held at North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church because our conference was birthed there,” said Gaddis who just found out about NOMBC’s crisis last week.

“We cannot afford to lose another Black church. We’ve set up donation accounts through Givlify and CashApp. My executive board and I plan to use the donations to issue a check and present to the Office of the Alameda County Assessor’s Office next week.” Gaddis says through his organization, funds collected can not only help save (NOMBC), but other organizations that may have a similar need if donations exceed the initial need. Donation vehicles include CashApp: $CMBSC for North Oakland Release Fund and Givelify: California Missionary Baptist State Convention. Cash or in-person donations can be sent to CMBSC Headquarters, 8704 N. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, California 90003.

Reverend Rutledge says he will be grateful for any and all donations to save the church.

Oakland Post Publisher Paul Cobb immediately visited Pastor Rutledge and offered a $1,000 challenge donation that would be paid directly to the county. Cobb called several pastors and immediately received commitments from Rev. Gerald Agee, Rev. Lawrence Van Hook, Rev. Ray Williams, Rev. Raymond Lankford and several other ministers.

He expects to raise the remaining $25,000 on or before March 10.

“Ironically, several ministers and the Post had just completed a planning session to create a faith-based city-wide one-hundred-million-dollar trust fund for the purposes of saving church properties, building affordable housing for their seniors and other members, renovating, upgrading and making energy efficient “green sanctuaries.”

Cobb also announced that he and five ministers would ask several Asian community leaders to petition the mayor and the governor to provide a continual racial healing help grant of one million dollars to the 12 Oakland churches that provide food up to three times weekly to all visitors.

“Because North Oakland Baptist is a beacon of light for hope and cooperation, because it is located between the “Ghost-town” and “Dog-Town” neighborhoods and it is heart-warming to see the early-bird Asian neighbors patiently and fearlessly waiting in line alongside their young Black neighbors,” Cobb said.

Rev. Van Hook and Rev. Agee are encouraging donors to make checks to the County Assessor’s Office to prevent the foreclosure of historic North Oakland Baptist.

NOMBC has a long-standing history. Prior to becoming North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church in 1922, the first congregation was organized in 1904-1905 as Richard Clark Memorial Church. 

The church body had first met in the homes of members until the church made its home at 843 29th Street near San Pablo Avenue.

By 1921, the church expanded to include the building at 32nd and Linden which had been home to St. Paul’s English Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1930, the church building burned, but the congregation soon rebuilt.

The old building on 29th is now home to the True Gospel Missionary Baptist Church.

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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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