City Government

Oakland Exceeds Performance Expectations for Job Placements

Published

9 years ago

February 2, 2017

The State of California recently released the 2015-2016 performance report for the state’s federally funded local workforce development services, which found that the city’s employment training providers performed well beyond state mandated goals for both its youth and adult programs.

Evaluating Oakland and other areas, this report compares actual performance for placements, job retention, and average wages to state-mandated goals set at the beginning of each program year.

These particular statistics are of vital importance for our local job seekers. The state’s report shows that the network of employment training providers for the City of Oakland performed well beyond state-mandated goals with both its youth and adult programs.

“In a challenging environment for job seekers, these results are a testament to the hard work of staff and the great partnerships with local employers,” said Gay Plair Cobb, CEO of Oakland PIC.

“We serve those that are most in need, having faced challenges such as lack of job training, incarceration, lack of housing and education, and computer literacy. It is our duty as workforce service providers to open doors of opportunity for our customers and help them achieve employment sustainability,” Cobb said.

Chris Iglesias, CEO, Unity Council

Chris Iglesias, CEO of The Unity Council, said, “This is a testament to the strengths of Oakland’s workforce provider network. We are proud to see our clients reaching employment success, many of whom face numerous barriers to employment including lack of formal education and limited English proficiency.”

“The Oakland workforce network has come together to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to find a career path and reach self-sufficiency,” he said.

“This year was the best performance of the City of Oakland’s local workforce system in the past three years, demonstrating continued improvement in how the city and its contracted service providers meet the needs of Oakland residents,” said Erica Derryck, Director of Communications for Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.

The adult service provider network includes the Oakland Private Industry Council, the Unity Council, and ASSETS Senior Services. This performance report reflects the work of staff at these three organizations in providing job training and workforce services to adult job seekers in Oakland, including recently laid off workers.

For unemployed adults, who often have significant barriers to successful employment, the City of Oakland achieved more than 100 percent of the state-mandated goals for job placement, job retention, and average wage.

The report shows that the rate of successful placement of long term unemployed job seekers was 67 percent, (110 percent of the state’s expected placement rate of 60.5 percent). These job seekers had a starting average wage of $13 an hour, and 82 percent were retained in employment for more than six months, well in excess of the state’s goal.

The employment placement rate for laid off workers was even higher at 76 percent with a starting average wage of $19 an hour. Over 85 percent of laid off workers retained employment for more than six months.

All of these results were significantly higher than the goals set by the state.

Similarly, for the youth providers of Oakland, the 2015-2016 performance report indicates that more than 100 percent of state-mandated goals were achieved in two out of the three performance standards.

In particular, job placement for youth reported a success rate of 75 percent, which was 136 percent of the state mandated goal. Oakland’s youth service providers include: Youth Employment Partnership, Lao Family Community Development, Civicorps, Youth Radio and Youth Uprising.

Oakland Post

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Related Topics:Chris Iglesias City of Oakland Gaye Cobb Libby Schaaf Oakland PIC Private Industry Council the Unity Council

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Activism

Post Newspaper Invites NNPA to Join Nationwide Probate Reform Initiative

The Post’s Probate Reform Group meets the first Thursday of every month via Zoom and invites the public to attend. The Post is making the initiative national and will submit information from its monthly meeting to the NNPA to educate, advocate, and inform its readers.

Published

1 day ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the Black press with over 200 newspapers nationwide.

Last night the Post announced that it is actively recruiting the Black press to inform the public that there is a probate “five-alarm fire” occurring in Black communities and invited every Black newspaper starting from the Birmingham Times in Alabama to the Milwaukee Times Weekly in Wisconsin, to join the Post in our “Year of Action” for probate reform.

Reporter Tanya Dennis says, “The adage that ‘When America catches a cold, Black folks catch the flu” is too true in practice; that’s why we’re engaging the Black Press to not only warn, but educate the Black community regarding the criminal actions we see in probate court: Thousands are losing generational wealth to strangers. It’s a travesty that happens daily.”

Venus Gist, a co-host of the reform group, states, “ Unfortunately, people are their own worst enemy when it comes to speaking with loved ones regarding their demise. It’s an uncomfortable subject that most avoid, but they do so at their peril. The courts rely on dissention between family members, so I encourage not only a will and trust [be created] but also videotape the reading of your documents so you can show you’re of sound mind.”

In better times, drafting a will was enough; then a trust was an added requirement to ‘iron-clad’ documents and to assure easy transference of wealth.

No longer.

As the courts became underfunded in the last 20 years, predatory behavior emerged to the extent that criminality is now occurring at alarming rates with no oversight, with courts isolating the conserved, and, I’ve heard, many times killing conservatees for profit. Plundering the assets of estates until beneficiaries are penniless is also common.”

Post Newspaper Publisher Paul Cobb says, “The simple solution is to avoid probate at all costs. If beneficiaries can’t agree, hire a private mediator and attorney to work things out. The moment you walk into court, you are vulnerable to the whims of the court. Your will and trust mean nothing.”

Zakiya Jendayi, a co-host of the Probate Reform Group and a victim herself, says, “In my case, the will and trust were clear that I am the beneficiary of the estate, but the opposing attorney said I used undue influence to make myself beneficiary. He said that without proof, and the judge upheld the attorney’s baseless assertion. In court, the will and trust is easily discounted.”

The Black press reaches out to 47 million Black Americans with one voice. The power of the press has never been so important as it is now in this national movement to save Black generational wealth from predatory attorneys, guardians and judges.

The next probate reform meeting is on March 5, from 7 – 9 p.m. PST. Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 825 0367 1750
Passcode: 475480

All are welcome.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Community Celebrates Turner Group Construction Company as Collins Drive Becomes Turner Group Drive

The event drew family, friends, and longtime supporters of Turner Group Construction, along with a host of dignitaries. The mood was joyful and warm, filled with hugs, handshakes and belated New Year’s greetings. Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and a festive display of gourmet cupcakes as they conversed about the street sign reveal.

Published

1 day ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

The Turner Construction group members.

By Carla Thomas

It was a family affair on Friday, Jan. 23, at the corner of Hegenberger Road and Collins Drive in East Oakland as community members, local leaders, and elected officials gathered to celebrate the renaming of Collins Drive to Turner Group Drive. The renaming saluted the Turner Group’s 45-plus years of economic development and community investment.

Special guests included former Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, veteran broadcaster Valerie Coleman-Morris, Chevron Senior Public Affairs Representative Andrea Bailey, community leaders Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson and Beatrice “Aunt Bea” Johnson of the Oscar Grant Foundation, and Oakland City Councilmembers Ken Houston, Carroll Fife, and Kevin Jenkins. Members of WEBCORE, the Nor Cal Carpenters Union, the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC), Swinerton and Alten construction companies, activists Elaine Brown and David Newton, and many others joined the celebration.

Inside the event tent, an emotional Oakland City Councilmember Ken Houston spoke of his deep connection to the Turner family.

“I grew up on the same street with the Turners,” he said. “When my father passed away, their parents and siblings embraced me like family. This is our city, and it’s an honor to name this street Turner Group Drive because of the love and effort this company and family have given. Many dreams came out of this building. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the Turners.”

Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, whose father once taught the Turner brothers, added, “Len Turner is an amazing person. He’ll help anyone.”

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee praised the company’s legacy, noting its creation of the Construction Resource Center, which trains and mentors the next generation of builders and developers through partnerships across the region. “This is a great day for Oakland and a profound acknowledgment of the Turner Group’s contribution to our community,” she said.

Fife echoed that sentiment: “This is a day for celebrating Black excellence. The Turner Group has poured into people and the community, showing us what’s possible.”

Among the many family members in attendance was the Turners’ 92-year-old patriarch, whose presence underscored the strength of the family’s legacy.

A touching highlight of the event came when Coleman-Morris was honored for her lasting mentorship of LaTanya Hawkins, now program manager of the Construction Resource Center. In 1979, Hawkins, then a fourth-grader, wrote Coleman-Morris a letter seeking advice. Coleman responded with words of encouragement that inspired Hawkins to pursue her dreams. The two stayed in touch for decades. On stage, they embraced as Coleman reflected on “the power of small acts of kindness to change a life.”

Coleman-Morris also shared reflections on leadership and community spirit, saying, “If we change the way we look at things, the things we see will change.” She then recited the Serenity Prayer, reminding the crowd, “We are a powerful community, we just need to believe it.”

Company leaders Len and Lance Turner closed the ceremony with words of gratitude and humor. Len thanked his mother, wife, family, legal team, and longtime supporters including Carson, Geoffrey Pete, and the late Dorothy King of Everett & Jones Barbecue. He also acknowledged the challenges the company had overcome, saying, “Without all of this support, I wouldn’t be here today.”

Through Turner Group Construction and the Construction Resource Center, the Turners have created new opportunities for underrepresented groups in the construction industry and continue to inspire the next generation of builders.