City Government

Port Moves to Evict Business That Keeps Big Trucks Off West Oakland Streets

Published

9 years ago

July 29, 2016

Oakland Port Services, a locally owned small business that provides unique services for independent truck drivers at the Port of Oakland, has received an eviction notice after negotiations for relocation on port land fell through.

The business is the only company at the Port of Oakland that provides a 24-hour mini-mart, truck scales as well as restroom, shower and laundry facilities for truckers and longshoremen who often have to work late or at odd hours.

According to Oakland Port Services’ CEO Bill Aboudi, the company’s services prevent truck traffic from getting congested at the port and keep the big trucks from having to venture into the West Oakland community, both of which would drastically increase pollution for adjacent neighborhoods.

Community members are determined to defend the business, which they see as an important resource in their efforts to combat air pollution and traffic congestion in West Oakland.

“The provision of not only parking, but truck scales, food service and vehicle maintenance supplies…keeps scores of trucks out of the neighborhood every day,” wrote Brian Beveridge, co-director of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, in an email to the port.

“That is scores of respiratory health impacts and potential incidents between private automobiles and pedestrians that are avoided by assuring truckers have the goods and services they need, where they need them,” Beveridge said.

At present, Aboudi’s business is a month-to-month tenant of the Port of Oakland and was asked to vacate the property by the end of June, along with over a dozen other small businesses, to make way for the development of a seaport logistics complex.

He and several other businesses were offered the possibility of relocating on port property.

Because the projected cost of moving the company’s facilities and two truck scales will be around $300,000, Aboudi had asked if his tenancy could be extended to a location that allowed for a longer term, rather than continuing on an uncertain month-to-month agreement.

Aboudi and the Port of Oakland entered into negotiations for relocation. But after he had made his request for a longerterm tenancy known, the port closed negotiations, making it seem as though he had rejected the port’s only offer, Aboudi said.

According to Mike Zampa, communications director at the Port of Oakland, the port had found a site for Oakland Port Services but Aboudi had rejected the only possible offer, a month-to-month lease.

“We need the flexibility of short term leases so that when the time is right we can execute future planned developments,” Zampa told the Post.

“The Port of Oakland worked with the tenant with relocation and we identified a potential site, but it was not taken,” he said.

The Post has received copies of email correspondence between the Port of Oakland and Aboudi that shows on June 16 of this year, he sent an email to the port saying that the offered location option “on a month-to-month basis is not an option” because it incurs $300,000 move costs that “we are not able to recover with a short term lease.”

However, negotiations for another possible site continued for nearly a month until the port abruptly terminated the offer and decided to evict the business.

“Oakland Port Services now appears to have renewed interest in the…location. However, at this juncture, the Port will not entertain any further discussions with the (company) regarding its moving to another port location,” wrote John Driscoll, director of Maritime at the Port of Oakland, in an email dated July 13.

Regardless of what was said by the two sides in the dispute, community members want the port to work out a deal with Oakland Port Services because the company “provides a critical service to the local trucking community and continues to provide value to the West Oakland community in the form of reduced impacts from port related trucking,” according to West Oakland environmentalist Beveridge in his email to the port.

In addition, according to Aboudi and Beveridge, the port’s development plans for the current location have not yet entered the design phase and more time could be given before evicting the company, allowing the company to find a suitable location for the minimart, facilities and truck scales.

“They’ve got us (small businesses) on month-to-month leases because of their development plans. But where are small businesses planned into their long term plans?” asked Aboudi.

“They say they value what we do and use us as much as possible when they need to, but we’re never really incorporated into their longer term next steps,” he said.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

1 week ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

2 weeks ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.

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Black Arts Movement Business District Named New Cultural District in California

Located in the heart of District 3, the BAMBD is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most important centers of Black cultural production — a space where artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and cultural workers have shaped generations of local and national identity. The state’s recognition affirms the district’s historic importance and its future promise.

Published

2 weeks ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Carroll Fife celebrates major milestone for Black arts, culture, and economic power in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) has been selected as one of California’s 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, a distinction awarded by the California Arts Council (CAC), according to a media statement released by Councilmember Carroll Fife.

The BAMBD now joins 23 other districts across the state recognized for their deep cultural legacy, artistic excellence, and contributions to California’s creative economy.

“This designation is a testament to what Black Oakland has built — and what we continue to build when we insist on investing in our own cultural and economic power,” said Fife.

“For years, our community has fought for meaningful recognition and resources for the Black Arts Movement Business District,” she said. “This announcement validates that work and ensures that BAMBD receives the support it needs to grow, thrive, and continue shaping the cultural fabric of California.”

Since taking office, Fife has led and supported multiple initiatives that strengthened the groundwork for this achievement, including:

Restoring and protecting arts and cultural staffing within the City of Oakland.
Creating the West Oakland Community Fund to reinvest in historically excluded communities
Advancing a Black New Deal study to expand economic opportunity for Black Oakland
Ensuring racial equity impact analyses for development proposals, improving access for Black businesses and Black contractors
Introduced legislation and budget amendments that formalized, protected, and expanded the BAMBD

“These efforts weren’t abstract,” Fife said. “They were intentional, coordinated, and rooted in a belief that Black arts and Black businesses deserve deep, sustained public investment.”

As part of the Cultural District designation, BAMBD will receive:

$10,000 over two years
Dedicated technical assistance
Statewide marketing and branding support
Official designation from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030

This support will elevate the visibility of BAMBD’s artists, cultural organizations, small businesses, and legacy institutions, while helping attract new investment to the district.

“The BAMBD has always been more than a district,” Fife continued. “This recognition by the State of California gives us another tool in the fight to preserve Black culture, build Black economic power, and protect the families and institutions that make Oakland strong.”

For questions, contact Councilmember Carroll Fife at CFife@oaklandca.gov.