OPINION

Billionaire John Fisher, owner of the A’s, has things to do before he can take over Oakland’s public port property to build malls and housing for the rich. 

It is such a bad idea and the costs to the public are so ridiculous that logically it shouldn’t happen.  But this right-wing, Trump-supporting Republican has a boatload of money and a few corporation-oriented politicians to help him push it through.  

So, Oaklanders need to be active, or he might get it. Here are two of the things we need to act on: 

1. Fisher won’t spend his own money.  So, he wants Alameda County to give up spending on things like the COVID-19 pandemic, so we residents can pay for his project with taxpayer money.  The vote on this will come up to the Board of Supervisors on October 26.  If you’d prefer that the County fund health care, housing and other resident necessities, ask them to vote “No.” Call your supervisor at 510-208-4949 and/or attend the meeting.
2. The Oakland City Council will make the ultimate decision about Fisher’s project and there are a zillion reasons they should say “No.”  Among them: a) Fisher’s project requires that thousands of people run across the tracks of a busy railroad, which killed a number of people even before there were big crowds needing to get to their condos or a stadium.   b) And  Fisher’s project would wreck Oakland’s Port.  The “Seaport Compatibility Measures” necessary to keep the Port alive would cost hundreds of millions of dollars which would not be needed if it were not for Fisher’s project.  So, Fisher, not taxpayers, should pay for them. c)  And then there are all the other ways it will hurt the waterfront, the environment, and Port workers.

You can get contact information to reach your Council member here – https://www.oaklandca.gov/officials

Personally, any public official who votes for Fisher’s project will never get my vote again.   Call me hard-headed, but the harm to  Oakland as a working-class, multi-racial city, the harm to the ILWU (the union of Port workers, perhaps the most progressive union in America)  and the opposition of the people of East Oakland are enough to make my hard head think that’s what solidarity requires.

Elaine Brown, former Black Panther Party leader and CEO of Oakland & the World Enterprises (OAW), has teamed up with master developer McCormack Baron Salazar (MBS), to create The Coliseum Dream development project.

Highlights of the Dream project are: readiness to purchase the city’s 50% interest; positive discussions with the Oakland A’s; installation of Black Panther Studios as development anchor, which will be the first Black-owned film studio on the West Coast; ability to finance the entire development, estimated at $5 billion; building of hundreds of affordable housing units; development of a luxury hotel and department store; creating and supporting youth tech, arts and business training centers; construction of a supermarket in a food desert; making Oakland a tourist destination.

Vince Bennett, president and CEO of MBS, a multi-billion-dollar housing developer based in St. Louis, said: “MBS is ready to immediately enter into a purchase and sale agreement with the City of Oakland and become the master developer of the entire site.”

The Coliseum Dream Development Group (CDDG) recognizes the impossibility of developing the Coliseum site solely by purchasing the city’s 50% interest. Partnership with the other 50% interest owner, the Oakland A’s, is necessary.  

Brown says she has discussed the site with Dave Kaval, A’s president, over the last few years, and said, “Dave has stated he loves the idea of Black Panther Studios as the anchor of CDDG’s development vision.”

The problem CDDG faces is not readiness on its part but the City Council’s unwillingness to entertain proposals other than those two they hand-picked in a recent closed session.

In a closed session scheduled for Thursday, October 7, the Council considered the merits of its two preferred proposals, based on reports from the City Administrator.  This closed session meeting arose from a vote of the Council’s Rules Committee on Thursday, September 30.  

In lieu of allowing Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan’s request to push through a resolution at the Council’s October 19 meeting to enter into an agreement with the group she is promoting, the Council decided to consider the two proposals.  

It’s unclear what happens next.

Brown said, “There is no process regarding the sale of the city’s interest in the Coliseum, certainly not one that is transparent.”

In a statement to the Oakland Post, Brown submitted the following questions and answers:

Q:  Everybody talks about jobs and housing.  Will your group be able to deliver on the promise in your Coliseum Dream proposal to create jobs and build affordable housing for the community?

A (Elaine Brown): “Oakland & the World Enterprises (OAW), of which I am CEO, is presently co-developing a $72 Million, 79-unit, 100% affordable housing project in West Oakland with master housing developer McCormack Baron Salazar (MBS), headed by CEO and President Vince Bennett. 

“This reflects my ongoing commitment to the ideal of the Black Panther Party, of which I was a leading member, of Black self-determination.  The track record of MBS for building affordable housing is without parallel.  Not only has MBS built thousands of affordable housing units throughout the U.S., as well as, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, MBS is currently building a $1 billion development in Dayton, Ohio, the Dayton Arcade, which includes hundreds of affordable housing units and is bringing residents, jobs, and visitors back to downtown Dayton.  

“Our Coliseum Dream anchor project, Black Panther Studios, alone, will create thousands of new, high-tech jobs, and we will build an affiliated tech training center to create a new generation of Black, tech-savvy “digital carpenters” to make films and enter the tech economy at a high end.

Q:  Even if you are willing and able to purchase the City’s 50% interest in the Coliseum site, how can you develop the site without either purchasing the A’s 50% or partnering with the A’s?

A, (Elaine Brown): “Our team is prepared to purchase the City’s 50% interest outright, today.  We have not discussed purchasing the A’s 50% interest with the A’s, but, if that were an option, we would take it.  We have been in discussions with Dave Kaval, A’s president, over the last two years about our Coliseum Dream, and Dave has unequivocally stated that if we were to acquire the City’s 50%, he would work with us.  And, we have told Dave, we are willing to partner with the A’s.”

The Dream Proposal is available here: https://bit.ly/thecoliseumdream

The Oakland Post’s coverage of local news in Alameda County is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support community newspapers across California.

Two newly renovated homes on Manila Avenue in Oakland will provide families with more affordable housing options and help transform the surrounding neighborhood near the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center, the health organization announced on October 1.

Kiet Dang and his family will be moving into one of the two homes later this year. The family of three is now living with seven other people in a single-family home with one bathroom. The family sleeps in one bedroom, takes turns in the kitchen, and has little privacy. They are looking forward to finally having a home to call their own and a separate bedroom for their 12-year-old son to study and draw.
“This is very exciting for us,” Dang said. “With this house, our family can have more time together. That’s very important to me.”

In 2005, Kaiser Permanente purchased four single-family homes on Manila Avenue while constructing the Oakland Medical Offices on Broadway. The homes were later donated to Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley and Oakland Community Land Trust as part of Kaiser Permanente’s commitment to provide more stable, affordable housing in the communities it serves. Since 2019, Kaiser Permanente Northern California has invested $41 million to build and preserve affordable housing for low-income residents.

“Kaiser Permanente recognizes that it’s impossible to maintain good health without a safe and stable place to live,” said Carrie Owen Plietz, FACHE, president of Kaiser Permanente Northern California’s region. “We are excited to be a part of this effort, and to help residents find permanent housing where they can raise their families. We know the places where we live, learn, work and play have the greatest influence on our physical, mental and social well-being.”

Kaiser Permanente partnered with Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley and Oakland Community Land Trust because of their commitment to establishing permanent affordable housing for communities that have been disproportionately excluded from home ownership as a result of income, unfair lending practices, and housing discrimination. The two non-profit organizations have been making significant improvements to two of the four homes for several months. Volunteers have worked to renovate the homes while maintaining the quality and character of the neighborhood. Those who purchase the Habitat homes must also put in hundreds of hours of sweat equity work into the construction and rehabilitation.

“It’s incredible to see, firsthand, the stability achieved, and opportunities gained by families who are able to own their own homes,” said Janice Jensen, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley. “Homeownership has been this family’s dream for many years. We’re so grateful for this generous donation from Kaiser Permanente, and to be a part of this family’s dream.”

The homes are sold through stable, affordable mortgages to families typically priced out of the market. Families earning low and moderate incomes are eligible to purchase the homes. Renovations on the remaining two homes will begin in the coming months, with families moving in early next year.

“We are excited to be nearing the completion of the rehabilitation of the first of our two homes,” said Steve King, executive director of the Oakland Community Land Trust. “This partnership has enabled us to provide deeply affordable ownership for low-income families in a high opportunity neighborhood – something that is increasingly difficult to do as home prices in Oakland continue to exceed what is affordable for most households.”