City Government

Mega Crematorium Moves Ahead Despite City Council Opposition

Published

13 years ago

September 23, 2013

After a recent ruling by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo, the construction of a new mega-crematorium in East Oakland, which could burn as many as 3,000 bodies a year, may begin as early as next year.

The Neptune Society of Northern California had obtained a permit to build the crematorium near the Oakland International Airport last year, but within days of receiving it, City Councilmember Larry Reid moved to stop the construction of the project.

The City Council then unanimously passed an ordinance, which says a special permit must be obtained for construction of such a businesses as a crematorium. However, Judge Grillo ruled that the ordinance could not be used against Neptune because the company’s permit predates the law.

“I think every community, including Oakland, has to be aware there are necessary services that have to be performed,” said Michael Miller, president of Neptune Society.

The question is not at this point whether Neptune Society followed the city’s guidelines for building the crematorium but whether the city had allowed sufficient opportunity for community questions and concerns – positive or negative.

Reid and community members want to know more about possible toxins the crematorium may emit, but Miller says, there “aren’t any dangers of having a crematorium in the community.”

However, community members remain unconvinced by testimony from scientific experts who are not independent but who were hired by the Neptune Society.

The Bay Area Quality Management District, an agency that looks at emissions, has given the company a green light and says the business will pose no threat to residents or its employees, according to Miller.

The mega crematorium will be one of the largest on the West Coast.

Miller says Oakland was identified as a potential construction zone for its industrial areas zoned for this type of use.

Despite the controversy, Miller says the economic benefits to the city include the jobs the crematorium will create for Oakland residents.

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Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

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20 hours ago

July 5, 2026

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Inaugural Juneteenth Awards Ceremony Celebrates the Fillmore’s Black History, Leadership and Resilience

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

Published

1 week ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown, Pastor Emeritus of Third Baptist Church, SF Mayor Daniel Lurie. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

By Linda Parker Pennington

The Fillmore Community Ambassadors held its first annual Juneteenth Wesley Johnson White Horse Awards ceremony on June 19 inside the newly reopened Fillmore Heritage Center.

The event featured awards for former San Francisco mayors London Breed and Willie Brown, along with Third Baptist Church Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown.

The Koret Heritage lobby at the newly reopened center at 1330 Fillmore St. held a standing-room-only, culturally diverse and multi-generational audience while the art gallery featured photos of Fillmore community members in action, red Japanese lanterns, art and calligraphy, and Chinese artwork, giving the space a multicultural feel.

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood acknowledged that “the Fillmore community has had a difficult history. Thanks to Rev. Amos Brown’s continuous focus on accountability and resistance, you hold us accountable and continue to inspire us.”

Mahmoud is referring to the Fillmore’s Japanese residents who were forced from their homes and sent to concentration camps during World War II. Black people occupied those homes until the return of their Japanese neighbors and then gave them back, while homes that had been unoccupied were lost. The presence of the Asian community on Juneteenth is a testament to that shared history.

In receiving his honor, Amos Brown elicited a powerful spontaneous call-and-response, where members of San Francisco’s many Black churches proudly shouted out the names: “Bethel AME! Providence Baptist! Jones Memorial! Glide!”

Awards program Master of Ceremonies Shawn Richards of Brothers Against Guns warmly introduced Breed, highlighting her many accomplishments, particularly on “March 16, 2020, when she became the first mayor to shut down a major U.S. city due to COVID-19, saving thousands of lives.”

The audience was captivated by Breed’s emotional speech touching on past traumas, present conditions, and future hopes for the neighborhood where she grew up.

She recalled another trauma of the neighborhood during the City’s redevelopment era in the 1960s, where Black residents were forced to move with a promise of being able to return that was largely unfulfilled.

“We remember when this land was just a field because they bulldozed hundreds of Victorian homes that Black people owned. They built the Fillmore Center, where most Black people can’t afford to live or start their own business. But we are still here.”