City Government

Oakland Bans Coal Shipments

Published

10 years ago

July 1, 2016

In an historic victory for environmental activists and local communities, the City Council voted unanimously at a heated council meeting this week to ban large amounts of coal from being stored and handled in Oakland.

The prohibition halts a deal with the Oakland Army Base development that would have seen megatons of coal transported through Oakland’s most vulnerable communities and shipped out of West Oakland.

The council determined after months of listening to community stakeholders and independent analyses that storing and handling large amounts of coal in Oakland would pose significant health and safety problems for city residents and workers.

As a result, the council voted to adopt a new ordinance that prohibits bulk amounts of coal from ever being stored in Oakland.

According to Assistant City Administrator Claudia Cappio, the risks that come with a city storing tons of coal include “fugitive dust, emissions that could exacerbate air quality conditions, poor worker health, the health of adjacent neighbors further exposed to pollution, fires, coal dust explosions and global warming from combusting coal overseas.”

Among local and state officials who showed their support for banning coal in Oakland were the mayors of cities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, Senator Loni Hancock, County Supervisor Keith Carson and Assemblymember Tony Thurmond.

The decision to ban coal means that the Oakland Bulk and Oversize Terminal (OBOT) will need to specialize in other commodities that it could ship out of West Oakland.

Over the past year, the debate over coal in Oakland had become split between its environmental and health dangers and the potential jobs it could create for the city’s unemployed.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, supporters of both sides of the issue yelled and interrupted speakers throughout the evening. Eventually, several people were escorted from the council chambers by security.

But council members were resolute about passing the ordinance banning coal in Oakland.

“We do need jobs in the city of Oakland, I hear people crying out for help,” said Councilmember Noel Gallo. “We need to continue to create jobs.”

“But every study tells us about coal, its impact on lungs and families and communities,” Gallo said. “I come from farmworker families who used to work in fields where chemicals and pesticides were dropped onto them and that used to be okay.”

Pastor Ken Chambers of West Side Baptist Church, who is a cancer survivor and spearheaded an interfaith group of religious leaders that opposed coal, reminded the council that their decision would not only affect local communities but would have global implications, as well.

“I have talked to Bishop Kevin Barnes, Bishop Joseph Simmons and Rev. Gerald Agee, and we have all agreed to come together after this vote tonight for the healing of this community,” Chambers said.

Pastor Kevin Barnes of the Abyssinian Missionary Baptist Church said that banning coal would kill hundreds of jobs and would not protect the image of Oakland.

Dr. Geoffrey Watson of the James A. Watson Wellness Center said that unemployment in Oakland was a health problem, probably worse than exporting coal from Oakland would be.

Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, who has been firmly opposed to shipping the fossil fuel out of Oakland since the debate began, asked for clarification from Claudia Cappio on some of the proponents’ claims.

“The OBOT would permanently employ between 100 and 200 people and a little more temporarily during construction,” said Cappio.

“It is sad and inappropriate to go to people desperate for employment and to give them false information about jobs available,” said Kaplan.

“The rest of the army base project is unrelated to coal shipping and all the jobs in warehousing, shipping and construction are going to go ahead whether or not coal is shipped,” she said.

The council will make its second vote on the ordinance to ban coal on July 15.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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March 1, 2026

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February 20, 2026

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CITY OF SAN LEANDRO STATE OF CALIFORNIA PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ENGINEERING DIVISION NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III

WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Oakland Post

PROJECT NO. 2020.0050

BID NO. 25-26.011

BID OPENING: The bidder shall complete the “Proposal to the City of San Leandro” form contained in the Contract Book. The proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. Incomplete proposals will be considered non-responsive. Sealed bids containing the completed Proposal Section subject to the conditions named herein and in the specifications for ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III/PROJECT NO. 2020.0050 addressed to the City of San Leandro will be received at City Hall, 835 East 14^th Street, 2^nd Floor San Leandro at the office of the City Clerk up to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at which time they will be publicly opened and read.
WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.
OBTAINING THE PROJECT PLANS AND CONTRACT BOOK: The project plans and Contract Book may be obtained free of charge from the City’s website at:https://www.sanleandro.org/Bids.aspx Bidders who download the plans are encouraged to contact the City of San Leandro Public Works Department Engineering division at 510-577-3428 to be placed on the project planholder’s list to receive courtesy notifications of addenda and other project information. Project addenda, if any, will be posted on the website. A bidder who fails to address all project addenda in its proposal may be deemed non-responsive.Bidders may also purchase the Project Plans and Contract Book from East Bay Blueprint & Supply Co., at 1745 14^th Street, Oakland, CA 94606; Phone Number: (510) 261-2990 or email: ebbp@eastbayblueprint.com.
PRE-BID CONFERENCE: A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM and on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM as follows:
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM
Zoom Meeting ID: 883 8752 6074
Passcode: 502955
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/88387526074?pwd=hZ5rjB8AWdLAUem3CtByFiZxqKarHj.1
And
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM
Zoom Meeting ID: 898 2672 0472
Passcode: 091848
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/89826720472?pwd=JgZX2nXMpLSRM5xDPr7EJUxl7QIznr.1The information presented at the conferences will be identical, all bidders must attend one of the pre-bid conference and sign the attendance sheet. A firm that didn’t attend the pre-bid conference isn’t qualified to bid on the project.Questions regarding the plans and specifications may be submitted in writing to the project engineer until 5:00 p.m. five (5) days before, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, bids must be received by the City. The City will not respond to oral questions outside of the pre-bid conference. The response, if any, will be by written addendum only. Oral responses do not constitute a revision to these plans or specifications.
VALUE OF WORK: The Engineer has estimated that the value of work is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000.
SAN LEANDRO BUSINESS PREFERENCE AND PARTICIPATION GOALS: The work performed under this contract is subject to Section 1-6-225 of the San Leandro Municipal Code regarding local business preference and participation. A list of companies that hold a San Leandro business license is located on the City webpage under the finance department, here: https://www.sanleandro.org/340/Business-License
SAN LEANDRO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENT: The work performed under this contract is subject to the Community Workforce Agreement adopted by City Council Resolution 2015-104. Contractors attention is directed to Section 10.