Bay Area
North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church Property Saved! THANK YOU!
The Community of Faith throughout the state of California came to the rescue of the 118-year-old North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church (NOMBC) under the pastoral leadership of Dr. Sylvester Rutledge! The historic Church’s property was scheduled to be sold due to delinquent property taxes, in the amount of $43,000.00, by the County of Alameda on March 17, 2023.

By Michael Wallace
The Community of Faith throughout the state of California came to the rescue of the 118-year-old North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church (NOMBC) under the pastoral leadership of Dr. Sylvester Rutledge!
The historic Church’s property was scheduled to be sold due to delinquent property taxes, in the amount of $43,000.00, by the County of Alameda on March 17, 2023.
Faith and community leaders joined forces in providing leadership in organizing this great effort!
Pastor Michael Wallace said, “God be praised! This past week we have witnessed the profound power of prayer and unity [when] pastors, faith leaders, and the community of faith from various traditions, denominations and cultures came together in a collaborative effort to save the property of the historic North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church from a Tax Sale.”
Contributions in various amounts poured in the save NOMBC from so many, but these leaders were instrumental in this effort: Dr. Fleetwood Irving, moderator of the St. John Missionary Baptist District Association; President E. Wayne Gaddis of the California Missionary Baptist State Convention, Chaplains of Oakland Police Department, Bay Cities; Dr. Joe Smith, Antioch Missionary Baptist Church and Baptist Minister’s Union; Dr. Todd Wheelock, Mount Zion District Association; Dr. Anthony Braxton moderator, ICAC, Impact Oakland Now; Dr. Willie Estes, New Strangers Home SF; Bishop Gregory Payton – Greater Saint John MBC; Dr. Lawrence Van Hook, Community Christian Church; Pastor Ken Chambers, West Side MBC; Dr. Henry Perkins, First Baptist MBC; Dr. Leon McDaniels, Paradise Baptist Church; Dr. Maurice Bates, Mt. Zion Baptist Church; Bishop Kevin D. Barnes, Abyssinian MBC; Dr. Jim Hopkins, Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church; Pastor Darnell C. Hammock, New Life Community Church; Bishop Keith L. Clark, Word Assembly Church and Pastor Michael W. Wallace, Mount Zion MBC of Oakland.
As a result, North Oakland Missionary Baptist Church paid its delinquent and current tax bill on Wednesday, March 7 and saved its property!
Caption 1: (l-r) Dr. Sylvester Rutledge and Pastor Michael Wallace with receipts at the Alameda County Tax Assessor’s Office on March 7, 2023.
Caption 2: (l-r) Bishop G. Payton, Dr. V.K. Jones, Pastor M. Wallace, President Dr. E. Wayne Gaddis and Dr. Rutledge at the Alameda County Tax Assessor’s Office on March 7, 2023.
Caption 3: (l-r) Bishop G. Payton, Dr. Sylvester Rutledge and Dr. E. Wayne Gaddis at the Alameda County Tax Assessor’s Office on March 7, 2023.
Caption 4: (l-r) Pastors Chauncey Mathews, Michael Wallace, Anthony Braxton, Gregory Payton, V. K, Jones, E. Wayne Gaddis, Lawrence VanHook and Dr. Willie Estes at I-Hop restaurant in Emeryville on March 7, 2023.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

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Activism
Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces
It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans
Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.
It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.
At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.
Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.
Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.
Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.
This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.
Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.
Activism
OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark
Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook
As a pastor and East Bay resident, I see firsthand how my community struggles with the rising cost of everyday living. A fellow pastor in Oakland recently told me he cuts his pills in half to make them last longer because of the crushing costs of drugs.
Meanwhile, community members are contending with skyrocketing grocery prices and a lack of affordable healthcare options, while businesses are being forced to close their doors.
Our community is hurting. Things have to change.
The most pressing issue that demands our leaders’ attention is rising healthcare costs, and particularly the rising cost of medications. Annual prescription drug costs in California have spiked by nearly 50% since 2018, from $9.1 billion to $13.6 billion.
Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.
Some lawmakers, however, have advanced legislation that would drive up healthcare costs and set communities like mine back further.
I’m particularly concerned with Senate Bill (SB) 41, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a carbon copy of a 2024 bill that I strongly opposed and Gov. Newsom rightly vetoed. This bill would impose significant healthcare costs on patients, small businesses, and working families, while allowing big drug companies to increase their profits.
SB 41 would impose a new $10.05 pharmacy fee for every prescription filled in California. This new fee, which would apply to millions of Californians, is roughly five times higher than the current average of $2.
For example, a Bay Area family with five monthly prescriptions would be forced to shoulder about $500 more in annual health costs. If a small business covers 25 employees, each with four prescription fills per month (the national average), that would add nearly $10,000 per year in health care costs.
This bill would also restrict how health plan sponsors — like employers, unions, state plans, Medicare, and Medicaid — partner with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to negotiate against big drug companies and deliver the lowest possible costs for employees and members. By mandating a flat fee for pharmacy benefit services, this misguided legislation would undercut your health plan’s ability to drive down costs while handing more profits to pharmaceutical manufacturers.
This bill would also endanger patients by eliminating safety requirements for pharmacies that dispense complex and costly specialty medications. Additionally, it would restrict home delivery for prescriptions, a convenient and affordable service that many families rely on.
Instead of repeating the same tired plan laid out in the big pharma-backed playbook, lawmakers should embrace Newsom’s transparency-first approach and prioritize our communities.
Let’s urge our state legislators to reject policies like SB 41 that would make a difficult situation even worse for communities like ours.
About the Author
Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.
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