Economics

Port of Oakland Gives Old Army Base New Life, Work Starts 2018

Published

6 years ago

December 8, 2017

A big chunk of this city’s decommissioned Army Base just got new life as Port of Oakland Commissioners approved a plan that re-invents the site as a Seaport Logistics Complex. Port officials called it a game-changer for global trade and transportation.

“There’s not anything like it on the U.S. West Coast,” said John Driscoll, the Port’s Maritime Director. “This Complex will make it faster and cheaper to import and export containerized goods internationally than ever before.”

The plan calls for Oak Brook, IL-based CenterPoint Properties to build a 440,000-square foot distribution center adjacent to the Port’s $100 million rail yard. It will be located across the street from marine terminals where container ships berth in Oakland. The new building and railyard are part of a plan to develop a 180-acre logistics campus on Port land. CenterPoint said work could begin in the first quarter of 2018.
CenterPoint officials said the project would distinguish Oakland on two counts: The distribution center would be the largest warehouse-style building at any U.S. West Coast port; and, it would be one of few nationally where cargo could be transloaded within a port’s footprint for transport by ship, truck or train. That’s how international shippers can expect to cut transportation costs while reducing shipment time.

John Driscolli

“This is a unique opportunity,” said CenterPoint Chief Development Officer Michael Murphy. “There are very few places in North America where we can develop a logistics facility of this size which will effectively accommodate the efficient movement and delivery of goods that are critical to the economic health of a city and provide meaningful jobs for area residents.”

The Port will lease property to CenterPoint, which will manage the facility. The land is the site of a former Army supply depot shuttered in 1999. The Port and City of Oakland each received 240-acre parcels from the closure.

The Port’s agreement with CenterPoint includes a jobs policy giving hiring priority to residents from the neighboring community.

Disadvantaged residents would receive special employment consideration. Community activists have hailed the agreement as a national model for equitable development and job creation that strengthens local communities.

Long-range planning for future developments at the Seaport Logistics Complex is still underway, the Port said. It gave no timetable for additional projects.

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Business

Black Business Summit Focuses on Equity, Access and Data

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship. Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Published

5 days ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA), answers questions from concerned entrepreneurs frustrated with a lack of follow-up from the state. January 24, 2024 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, Lost Angeles, Calif. Photo by Solomon O. Smith

By Solomon O. Smith, California Black Media

The California African American Chamber of Commerce hosted its second annual “State of the California African American Economy Summit,” with the aim of bolstering Black economic influence through education and fellowship.

Held Jan. 24 to Jan. 25 at the Westin Los Angeles Airport Hotel, the convention brought together some of the most influential Black business leaders, policy makers and economic thinkers in the state. The discussions focused on a wide range of economic topics pertinent to California’s African American business community, including policy, government contracts, and equity, and more.

Toks Omishakin, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CALSTA) was a guest at the event. He told attendees about his department’s efforts to increase access for Black business owners.

“One thing I’m taking away from this for sure is we’re going to have to do a better job of connecting through your chambers of all these opportunities of billions of dollars that are coming down the pike. I’m honestly disappointed that people don’t know, so we’ll do better,” said Omishakin.

Lueathel Seawood, the president of the African American Chamber of Commerce of San Joaquin County, expressed frustration with obtaining federal contracts for small businesses, and completing the process. She observed that once a small business was certified as DBE, a Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, there was little help getting to the next step.

Omishakin admitted there is more work to be done to help them complete the process and include them in upcoming projects. However, the high-speed rail system expansion by the California High-Speed Rail Authority has set a goal of 30% participation from small businesses — only 10 percent is set aside for DBE.

The importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in economics was reinforced during the “State of the California Economy” talk led by author and economist Julianne Malveaux, and Anthony Asadullah Samad, Executive Director of the Mervyn Dymally African American Political and Economic Institute (MDAAPEI) at California State University, Dominguez Hills.

Assaults on DEI disproportionately affect women of color and Black women, according to Malveaux. When asked what role the loss of DEI might serve in economics, she suggested a more sinister purpose.

“The genesis of all this is anti-blackness. So, your question about how this fits into the economy is economic exclusion, that essentially has been promoted as public policy,” said Malveaux.

The most anticipated speaker at the event was Janice Bryant Howroyd known affectionately to her peers as “JBH.” She is one of the first Black women to run and own a multi-billion-dollar company. Her company ActOne Group, is one of the largest, and most recognized, hiring, staffing and human resources firms in the world. She is the author of “Acting Up” and has a profile on Forbes.

Chairman of the board of directors of the California African American Chamber of Commerce, Timothy Alan Simon, a lawyer and the first Black Appointments Secretary in the Office of the Governor of California, moderated. They discussed the state of Black entrepreneurship in the country and Howroyd gave advice to other business owners.

“We look to inspire and educate,” said Howroyd. “Inspiration is great but when I’ve got people’s attention, I want to teach them something.”