City Government

Rebuilding Together Solano County Provides Food, Shelter to People in Need

In partnership with Vallejo Costco and the Solano Contra Costa Food Bank (as part of Feeding America), RTSC’s food pantry opens at 12:00 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Vallejo Community Presbyterian Church (2800 Georgia St.) for low-income veterans, seniors, and disabled homeowners. If there is still food at 12:30 p.m., other community members may get food, too.

Published

5 years ago

August 6, 2021

Isabelle Price

Rebuilding Together Solano County logo. Photo courtesy of organization’s website.

Low-income individuals and families, veterans, seniors and disabled persons dominate Vallejo’s population, making them disproportionately vulnerable to food and housing/shelter insecurity, both of which have only increased since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Responding to those needs is a nonprofit called Rebuilding Together Solano County, which opened their pantry doors in April of 2018. They offer food to low-income residents every week and twice a year they rebuild and rehabilitate homes for disabled homeowners, fulfilling their mission of repairing homes, revitalizing communities, and rebuilding lives.

RTSC also provides free home repair and rehabilitation services for low-income homeowners, as well as community facilities. According to their website; “In the past 25 years, more than 2.5 million Rebuilding Together volunteers rehabilitated more than 150,000 homes and several hundred community facilities.” While Rebuilding Together is not currently offering their Home Rehab Program for 2021 due to COVID-19 concerns, they are hoping to have the program back up and running in 2022.

For more information on programs and services, ways to donate, or get involved, contact Executive Director Elizabeth Hoffman at 707-580-9360, by email atehoffman.rtsc@gmail.com or visit their website. You can also contact Hoffman at ehoffman.rtsc@gmail.com for additional details on volunteer opportunities at the supply warehouse.

All information directly sourced from https://rebuildingtogethersolanocounty.org/

Isabelle Price

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Activism

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 days 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.