City Government

Mayor London Breed Responds to Gov. Newsom Signing of State Budget Agreement

The State budget makes historic investments in homelessness programs, education, and the state’s long-term financial health. It prioritizes the health and safety of Californians by committing to programs that will assist families and businesses most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published

5 years ago

July 16, 2021

Isabelle Price

The United States Capitol Rotunda courtesy of Joshua Sukoff via unsplash

Mayor London N. Breed issued the following statement on Tuesday following Governor Newsom signing the Fiscal Year 2021-22 California state budget. The State budget makes historic investments in homelessness programs, education, and the state’s long-term financial health. It prioritizes the health and safety of Californians by committing to programs that will assist families and businesses most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“San Francisco and the State are emerging from a once-in-a-lifetime health pandemic and are building a stronger, more resilient economy that will address today’s biggest challenges and prepare us for whatever challenges lie ahead.

“This budget prioritizes homelessness, housing affordability, behavioral and mental health, education, closing the digital divide, and fighting climate change by making our communities more resilient.

“We faced challenges before this pandemic that still exist today, but we’ve shown throughout the past year that we’re capable of making the government work for our residents, and we’re ready to approach those challenges with the same determination, now with more resources.

“I want to thank Governor Newsom for his work to lead the state through one of the most challenging years in our history and moving forward a budget that takes on the biggest issues facing California.

“I also want to thank our San Francisco state leaders – Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting, Senator Scott Wiener, and Assembly member David Chiu – for securing funding for San Francisco that will help guide our recovery.

“With their leadership, we now have additional funding for everything from our parks to public safety, to supporting our AAPI community, to creating more affordable housing and addressing homelessness, to tackling the drug crisis in our city.

“We’re ready to continue working with our state partners to put this funding to work for the people of San Francisco.”

This statement comes from the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Communications.

Isabelle Price

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

Published

5 days ago

July 18, 2026

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post

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From Disparity Study to Solutions: Oakland Coalition and Mayor Barbara Lee Renew Commitment to Reform City Contracting

She committed to ensuring the coalition has direct access to City leadership by designating Assistant Deputy City Administrator Chuck Baker the primary liaison. Working alongside Deputy City Administrator Sofia Navarro, DWES Director Emylene Aspilla, Race and Equity Director Darlene Flynn, and other City departments, the coalition will continue advancing these priorities while maintaining regular communication with City leadership.

Published

1 week ago

July 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Present at the recent meeting on implementing recommendations on Oakland’s Disparity Study on city work contracts were (first row, l. to r.): Chuck Baker, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Darlene Flynn. Second row, l. to r.) Samuel Adams, Erica Astrella, Chadwick Spell, Cathy Adams, Stanley Cooper, Maria Wagner, Len Turner, Derek Barnes, Paul Cobb. Photo courtesy of Oakland Mayor’s Office.

Special to The Post

On June 30, a coalition of minority business leaders, contractors and others met with Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee to discuss the City’s commitment to implement recommendations outlined in Oakland’s Disparity Study and eliminate barriers that have historically prevented Black and minority-owned businesses from fully participating in public contracting opportunities.

Representatives of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC), National Association of Minority Contractors Northern California (NAMC NorCal), Construction Resource Center (CRC), and the East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA) said the meeting represented an important milestone in a process that has been underway for several months.

On April 21, the Oakland City Council’s Life Enrichment Committee received a progress report from the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES), where Director Emylene Aspilla presented the coalition’s working document and outlined a collaborative implementation plan between the coalition and the City. That report established 30-, 60-, and 90-day objectives focused on five key priorities:

Reforming Local and Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) waiver practices
Strengthening prompt payment compliance
Improving procurement forecasting and transparency
Expanding contractor capacity building and business development
Increasing oversight, accountability, and public reporting

A series of working sessions was scheduled between coalition representatives, DWES, and the City Administrator’s Office to begin implementing those priorities but were temporarily delayed by the resignation of former City Administrator Jestin Johnson.

Rather than allowing that momentum to stall, OAACC President and CEO Cathy Adams requested a meeting with Lee to gain clarity on the City’s direction and reaffirm its commitment to implementing the recommendations contained within the Disparity Study.

Coalition leaders described the meeting as productive, candid, collaborative, and encouraging.

During the meeting, Lee spoke not only from her role as mayor but also from her experience as an 8(a) contractor and business owner, sharing that she understands firsthand what it takes to build and grow a successful company, employ a substantial workforce, compete for public work, and navigate the complexities of municipal contracting.

Mayor Lee also expressed her commitment to personally participate in future working meetings with the coalition.

“This meeting represents a renewed commitment to partnership,” said Adams. “Mayor Lee listened, engaged, and demonstrated that she wants to move beyond conversation and into implementation.”

CRC’s Len Turner said the roadmap is already in place. ““The City already has the evidence. What’s been missing is execution. …Now it’s time to deliver results.”

Mario Wagner, president of NAMC NorCal agreed that the next phase must focus on implementation, funding, and accountability.

“The coalition is ready to get to work. …The next step is ensuring these initiatives receive meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle. Just as important, the City must establish transparent reporting mechanisms that keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and accountability.”

Coalition leaders also acknowledged that while City leadership has indicated it is reviewing Local and Small Local Business Enterprise waiver practices, the community continues to seek a formal response regarding existing long-term waivers, including waivers extending 10 and 25 years. The coalition believes those waivers should be comprehensively reviewed and, where appropriate, rolled back as part of the City’s broader contracting reforms.

The coalition is also calling on the City to include meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle to support implementation of the Disparity Study recommendations and establish better methods and mechanisms to keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and transparent accountability.

The coalition’s immediate next step is to schedule a working meeting with Baker, Aspilla, Lee, and the appropriate City staff to review what has already been accomplished under the implementation framework.