City Government

Opinion: City Must Mitigate Bus Rapid Transit impacts

Published

7 years ago

April 26, 2019

AC Transit’s East Bay Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is going to permanently and drastically change International Boulevard from a four-lane boulevard with ample parking to a two-lane street with 300 fewer parking spaces

As these plans became clear, businesses along its 9.5-mile route organized in 2016 to pressure the City of Oakland to establish the Business Assistance Sustainability Fund (BASF) to mitigate permanent BRT impacts.

While this is an important and necessary program, it is far from sufficient to protect this Black, Brown and Asian businesses from displacement. We must do better.

The BRT Mitigation Fund provides $2,165,000 within the City of Oakland ($255K for San Leandro) to “address direct temporary construction impacts to businesses and make referrals and provide technical support as needed for technical mitigation during construction.”

This fund was capped at a maximum of $100K for each applicant.

The funding for the BRT Technical Assistance and Business Assistance Fund programs was set up to assist merchants in a technical capacity that includes assistance with marketing and addressing changes as a result of the reconfiguration along the International corridor.

Numerous businesses began to exhibit “going out of business” signs, including the Perry Furniture store that has been located on 72nd Avenue for decades.

After canvassing the area on different dates and times to factor in various shifts, it was discovered that not only were the merchants unaware – many were losing customers, and their businesses were being adversely impacted by the delayed construction, even during times where not a single construction worker was visible.

But parking spaces were blocked off, including even access to the entrance of some of these businesses.

After listening to a number of merchants, and the consequent BRT Informational update that was provided during the Council’s Public Works Committee meeting on April 9, it became abundantly clear that changes are needed to the program to ensure assistance, including:

• Provide an additional $5 million;

• Allow funds to address permanent impacts or temporary construction impacts;

• Streamline the permanent impacts application;

• Create separate eligibility criteria and disbursement guidelines for staff and consultants for temporary construction impacts’ funding;

• When construction continues, either consecutively of concurrently, for more than 30 calendar days, businesses will be paid their mortgage and utilities bills on a pro rata basis for every day beyond 30 days upon presentation of their most recent mortgage statement and past 3 months of utility bills.

There will be a Merchant Town Hall taking place Friday May 3, 2:30 p.m., at East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC) at 2025 East 12th St. It is important to understand why few businesses have received funding and to center the voices of those directly impacted.

A majority of Oakland businesses of businesses are d “Mom and Pop” stores. Opposing displacement includes fighting for East Oakland residents and preserving small businesses as well.

During the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s, storefronts in my neighborhood were not only open but thriving. At a time when prosperity and development is being proclaimed from City Hall, the benefits are clearly not getting extended to East Oakland.

The city needs to prioritize the health and well-being of these merchants who, like East Oakland residents, are impacted by decisions that not only were they not present to provide input on but required to suffer from what is proclaimed as the “good for the community,” which typically occurs at the expense of African Americans and other communities of color.

For more information, go to https://brt.actransit.org/construction/business-support-services/

John Jones III is an East Oakland resident.

John Jones III

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Oakland Post: Week of July 22 – 28, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 22 – 28, 2026

Published

21 hours ago

July 27, 2026

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Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

Published

1 week ago

July 18, 2026

Oakland Post

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From Disparity Study to Solutions: Oakland Coalition and Mayor Barbara Lee Renew Commitment to Reform City Contracting

She committed to ensuring the coalition has direct access to City leadership by designating Assistant Deputy City Administrator Chuck Baker the primary liaison. Working alongside Deputy City Administrator Sofia Navarro, DWES Director Emylene Aspilla, Race and Equity Director Darlene Flynn, and other City departments, the coalition will continue advancing these priorities while maintaining regular communication with City leadership.

Published

2 weeks ago

July 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Present at the recent meeting on implementing recommendations on Oakland’s Disparity Study on city work contracts were (first row, l. to r.): Chuck Baker, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Darlene Flynn. Second row, l. to r.) Samuel Adams, Erica Astrella, Chadwick Spell, Cathy Adams, Stanley Cooper, Maria Wagner, Len Turner, Derek Barnes, Paul Cobb. Photo courtesy of Oakland Mayor’s Office.

Special to The Post

On June 30, a coalition of minority business leaders, contractors and others met with Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee to discuss the City’s commitment to implement recommendations outlined in Oakland’s Disparity Study and eliminate barriers that have historically prevented Black and minority-owned businesses from fully participating in public contracting opportunities.

Representatives of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC), National Association of Minority Contractors Northern California (NAMC NorCal), Construction Resource Center (CRC), and the East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA) said the meeting represented an important milestone in a process that has been underway for several months.

On April 21, the Oakland City Council’s Life Enrichment Committee received a progress report from the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES), where Director Emylene Aspilla presented the coalition’s working document and outlined a collaborative implementation plan between the coalition and the City. That report established 30-, 60-, and 90-day objectives focused on five key priorities:

Reforming Local and Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) waiver practices
Strengthening prompt payment compliance
Improving procurement forecasting and transparency
Expanding contractor capacity building and business development
Increasing oversight, accountability, and public reporting

A series of working sessions was scheduled between coalition representatives, DWES, and the City Administrator’s Office to begin implementing those priorities but were temporarily delayed by the resignation of former City Administrator Jestin Johnson.

Rather than allowing that momentum to stall, OAACC President and CEO Cathy Adams requested a meeting with Lee to gain clarity on the City’s direction and reaffirm its commitment to implementing the recommendations contained within the Disparity Study.

Coalition leaders described the meeting as productive, candid, collaborative, and encouraging.

During the meeting, Lee spoke not only from her role as mayor but also from her experience as an 8(a) contractor and business owner, sharing that she understands firsthand what it takes to build and grow a successful company, employ a substantial workforce, compete for public work, and navigate the complexities of municipal contracting.

Mayor Lee also expressed her commitment to personally participate in future working meetings with the coalition.

“This meeting represents a renewed commitment to partnership,” said Adams. “Mayor Lee listened, engaged, and demonstrated that she wants to move beyond conversation and into implementation.”

CRC’s Len Turner said the roadmap is already in place. ““The City already has the evidence. What’s been missing is execution. …Now it’s time to deliver results.”

Mario Wagner, president of NAMC NorCal agreed that the next phase must focus on implementation, funding, and accountability.

“The coalition is ready to get to work. …The next step is ensuring these initiatives receive meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle. Just as important, the City must establish transparent reporting mechanisms that keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and accountability.”

Coalition leaders also acknowledged that while City leadership has indicated it is reviewing Local and Small Local Business Enterprise waiver practices, the community continues to seek a formal response regarding existing long-term waivers, including waivers extending 10 and 25 years. The coalition believes those waivers should be comprehensively reviewed and, where appropriate, rolled back as part of the City’s broader contracting reforms.

The coalition is also calling on the City to include meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle to support implementation of the Disparity Study recommendations and establish better methods and mechanisms to keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and transparent accountability.

The coalition’s immediate next step is to schedule a working meeting with Baker, Aspilla, Lee, and the appropriate City staff to review what has already been accomplished under the implementation framework.