Activism
Oakland School District Accused of Firing Teacher Activists
The teachers’ union pledged to continue the fight against school closures and to take legal action to defend teachers who have been fired or threatened for their activism: “We stand in absolute solidarity with the demands of the Parker community and all school communities targeted for closure,” said the union statement.

District had promised not to retaliate against employees protesting school closures
By Ken Epstein
The Oakland teachers’ union has accused the Oakland Unified School District of retaliating against teacher activists, including firing two substitute teachers, who have protested school closings. The union is planning litigation against the district.
“The Oakland Education Association (OEA) demands an immediate halt to retaliatory actions undertaken by the Oakland Unified School District against activists working to keep Parker School and other neighborhood schools open,” according to a statement sent to the Oakland Post by teachers’ union President Keith Brown.
“Specifically, OUSD must immediately rescind the termination of substitute teachers June Nelson and Craig Gordon, rescind the reprimand of teacher Denise Huffstutler, and renew the contract-for-services of Paloma Collier,” the O.E.A. statement said.
While the district does not discuss individual personnel matters, the Post asked for a response from OUSD on the issue of retaliation against employees for opposing school closings.
“OUSD does not comment on personnel matters,” replied OUSD spokesperson John Sasaki.
The district appears to be taking actions against teacher activists despite a letter sent to several school employees on Feb. 11 by OUSD Chief Governance Officer Joshua Daniels pledging not to “not retaliate against any OUSD employee involved in protesting school closures … or supporting those who are involved in such protests.”
Nelson, one of the affected teachers, taught special education at Lockwood Elementary last year and was hired as a substitute teacher in Oakland for the current school year. On her second day of teaching, she received an email saying, “We onboarded you mistakenly. You are not eligible for future employment with OUSD.”
Nelson had coordinated the educational program at Parker Community School last summer, which was run by parents, OUSD educators and others occupying Parker to provide services in the East Oakland neighborhood, according to a press statement from teacher activists.
Gordon, an OUSD teacher for 24 years and a substitute teacher for eight years, discovered at the beginning of the school year that he was unable to access the online substitute system to apply for work.
“I emailed the head of Human Resources and asked if something had changed with my employment,” he said in an interview with Oakland Voices. “I was told a letter had been sent notifying me that my employment was hereby terminated and that I was also precluded from ever being employed in OUSD again and, perhaps ironically, thanking me for my service.”
He said he believes he was fired due to his public activities and outspokenness. He recently had supported those who had protested the closure of Parker School.
Substitutes are considered “at will employees,” who can be fired without reason.
Educator Pamela Collier, an opponent of school closings, had been a garden educator for five years. She learned in July that her contract would not be honored for the 2022-23 school year as she was about to start her sixth year in the garden at Markham Elementary in East Oakland.
Teacher activist Denise Huffstutler was an instructional coach at Parker with over 20 years in education. During the summer, she received a letter of reprimand for failing to return her keys at the end of the year “even though she had reported her keys as missing,” according to a press statement.
“Huffstutler is still part of an ongoing case to clear her record and could face possible termination despite her tenure status,” the press statement said.
The teachers’ union pledged to continue the fight against school closures and to take legal action to defend teachers who have been fired or threatened for their activism: “We stand in absolute solidarity with the demands of the Parker community and all school communities targeted for closure,” said the union statement.
“The decision to abruptly close schools like Parker which serve majority Black and Brown students has thrown Oakland Unified into unnecessary disarray, caused tremendous trauma for students, families, and staff, and resulted in an ever-expanding universe of litigation … we are planning litigation to challenge these illegal actions.”
Activism
OP-ED: Like Physicians, U.S. Health Institutions Must ‘First, Do No Harm’
Coupled with their lack of government and healthcare-related experience, we are concerned these nominees will significantly undermine public health, increase the number of uninsured people, worsen health outcomes, and exacerbate health disparities. Physicians observe Hippocrates’ maxim to “First Do No Harm,”, and we urge Trump administration officials to do the same. It is critical that the leadership of HHS and its agencies make decisions based on facts, evidence, and science. Misinformation and disinformation must not guide policymaking decisions and undermine evidence-based public health strategies. Spreading these falsehoods also erodes trust in our public institutions.

By Albert L. Brooks MD
Special to The Post
Presidential administrations significantly impact the health and wellbeing of our patients and communities.
Through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the agencies within it, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Institutes of Health, this new administration will decide how financial resources are allocated, dictate the focus of federal research, and determine how our public health care insurance systems are managed, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Vaccines for Children program, Medicare, and Medicaid.
The decisions made over the next four years will impact all Americans but will be felt more acutely by those most underserved and vulnerable.
As physicians, we are greatly concerned by the nominations announced by President Trump to critical healthcare related positions. Many of their previous statements and positions are rooted in misinformation.
Coupled with their lack of government and healthcare-related experience, we are concerned these nominees will significantly undermine public health, increase the number of uninsured people, worsen health outcomes, and exacerbate health disparities. Physicians observe Hippocrates’ maxim to “First Do No Harm,”, and we urge Trump administration officials to do the same.
It is critical that the leadership of HHS and its agencies make decisions based on facts, evidence, and science. Misinformation and disinformation must not guide policymaking decisions and undermine evidence-based public health strategies. Spreading these falsehoods also erodes trust in our public institutions.
Vaccines, in particular, have been a target of disinformation by some HHS nominees. In fact, research continues to confirm that vaccines are safe and effective. Vaccines go through multiple rounds of clinical trials prior to being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for administration to the public.
Vaccines protect against life-threateningdiseasessuch as measles, polio, tetanus, and meningococcal disease and, when used effectively, have beenshowntoeliminateorsubstantiallyreducediseaseprevalenceand/orseverity.
Because of vaccine mis- and disinformation, there has been a resurgence in vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and whooping cough, endangering those who are too young or unable to be vaccinated.
Several nominees have spread disinformation alleging that fluoride in public drinking water is harmful. In fact, fluoride in drinking water at the recommended level of 0.7 parts per million, like we have in our EBMUD water, is safe and keeps teeth strong. Because of public health interventions dating back to the 1960s that have resulted in 72.3% of the U.S. population now having access to fluoridated water, there has been a reduction in cavities by about 25% in both children and adults.
We also encourage the next administration to invest in our public health infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role of public health agencies in preventing and responding to health crises in our communities.
Health departments at the state and local levels rely on federal funding support and technical assistance to develop public health response plans, implement public health strategies, and work with on the ground organizations to serve hard to reach communities. Public health agencies are critical for protecting everyone in our communities, regardless of income-level, insurance status, or housing status.
Health officials should also work to protect the significant improvements in insurance coverage that have occurred since the passage of theACAin 2010.According to HHS, the numberofuninsuredAmericansfellfrom48millionin2010to25.6millionin2023.
California has led the way by investing in Medi-Cal and expanding eligibility for enrollment. In fact, it reached its lowest uninsured rate ever in 2022 at 6.2%. Voters affirmed this commitment to expanding and protecting access to care in November by passing Proposition 35, which significantly expanded funding for California’s Medi-Cal program. The administration should advance policies that strengthen the ACA, Medicaid, and Medicare and improve access to affordable health care.
Regardless of the president in power, physicians will always put the best interests of our patients and communities at the forefront. We will continue to be a resource to our patients, providing evidence-based and scientifically proven information and striving to better their lives and our community’s health. We urge the new Trump administration to do the same.
Albert L. Brooks MD is the immediate past president of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association, which represents 6,000 East Bay physicians.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of January 29 – February 4, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 29 – February 4, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Oakland Poll: Tell Us What You Think About the Cost of Groceries in Oakland
Food banks and grocery giveaways are a large part of the resources nonprofits in Oakland prioritize, particularly in areas like East and West Oakland where low-income families of color tend to reside. These neighborhoods are often labeled as “food deserts” or communities that have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.

By Magaly Muñoz
In 2023, the average spending on groceries increased by nearly $30 each month from the year before;people are spending over $500 a month to put food on the table.
Through previous reporting by the Post, we’ve learned that families in Oakland are depending more and more on free or low cost groceries from food banks because they can no longer afford the rising costs of food at the store.
Food banks and grocery giveaways are a large part of the resources nonprofits in Oakland prioritize, particularly in areas like East and West Oakland where low-income families of color tend to reside. These neighborhoods are often labeled as “food deserts” or communities that have limited access to affordable and nutritious foods.
We’ve recently spoken to families across these two areas of Oakland and have heard several stories that all point to one problem: food is expensive. Some individuals are spending upwards of $150 a week for themselves or double if they have teens or small children in the family.
We’ve also heard stories of people with chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure struggling to maintain their diets because they’re having a hard time affording the food that helps them stay healthy.
Do these experiences sound similar to what you or your family are dealing with every month? Are you struggling to afford your basic groceries every week? Do you depend on food banks to help you get by? Are there any chronic illnesses in your household that need to be managed by a special diet?
We want to hear about your experiences and ideas for solutions!
The Oakland Post is investigating food access in Oakland and how residents are surviving as the cost of living continues to increase. Your experiences will help shape our reporting and show local leaders the need to invest in our communities.
In order to get as much feedback as possible, we ask that you click this link to fill out a brief questionnaire or visit tinyurl.com/Oakland-Post-food-survey. You can also scan the QR code above to reach the survey. After you fill it out, please consider sharing the link with your friends and family in Oakland.
If you have questions, please reach out to our Oakland reporter Magaly Muñoz at mmunoz@postnewsgroup or text/call her at (510) 905-5286.
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