Activism

Schaaf Seeks to Start $500 Million in Construction to Back Howard Terminal Real Estate Deal

How this spending was prioritized remains unclear, since community input was promised but bypassed. The name itself is somewhat misleading. The word “TOWN” in Town for All” stands for “Transforming Oakland’s Waterfront Neighborhoods,” but City staff makes no mention of it in its reports of Howard Terminal or the stadium.

Published

4 years ago

February 28, 2022

Oakland Post

City illustration of where the $450 million in Town for All construction would be spent.

‘The federal and state money they are using are tax dollars, and that money should be spent on our neighborhoods,’ says Councilmember Noel Gallo

By Ken Epstein

Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration is seeking to create a nearly $450 million fund, called “TOWN for All,” to pour public resources into upgrading areas around the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal, transforming what is now an industrial landscape into one that would be suitable and safe for affluent residents, retail customers and baseball fans who are expected to come to billionaire John Fisher’s stadium, high-end condominiums and retail complex.

By comparison with the almost $450 million, the entire budget of the Oakland Unified School District last year was $705 million.

To begin implementing the infrastructure project, a resolution is on next Tuesday’s (March 1) City Council agenda to spend $11 million in city funds to hire as many as 16 new city staffers. The resolution includes a proposal to enter a Sole Source contract with Diablo Engineering Group for $5.5 million.

Annual salaries of the new staff would range from $253,030 to $412,375. The employees would be hired as funding becomes available.

The City officially describes the fund as “a comprehensive package of infrastructure improvements that will provide safer, more sustainable and more equitable access to the waterfront for all Oaklanders,” according to the city webpage: www.oaklandca.gov/projects/town-for-all.

But Mayor Schaaf was more blunt in a statement to KPIX-5 on Nov. 19, 2021:

“(This funding) supports a new waterfront ballpark for our beloved Oakland A’s. As part of our early deal with the A’s the city agreed to raise funds to pay for offsite infrastructure — today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward that commitment,” she said.

Mayor Schaaf did not respond to questions from the Oakland Post.

Projects that are part of the $450 million TOWN for All fund would be built over the next six years. By comparison, the funds for current transportation-related development for the entire city equals only $174 million for two years.

TOWN for All would build 1.4 miles of new transit-only lanes and 10 miles of new sidewalks, bike lanes and trails connecting Downtown, Chinatown, and West Oakland to the waterfront. Rail corridor and roadway construction would improve truck and cargo transport in and out of the Port of Oakland, designed to reduce traffic congestion and truck idling and improve safety.

In addition, OakPARK would create a “comprehensive suite of parking system upgrades and intersection improvements to manage on- and off-street parking and traffic,” according to a Feb. 17 agenda report by City staff.

The entire project currently totals $431.3 million, much from federal and state grants. The city anticipates that it has already raised $288 million, meaning that there is still a $104 million “funding gap,” according to the staff report.

The report also confirms that the City has not sought input from maritime and community stakeholders. “Staff has not engaged the public on these staff and contracting resolutions,” the staff report said. “A significant effort was made to engage the public in the development of the TOWN for All projects through on the ground surveys.”

Several City Council members are expressing concerns about this proposal that is going to council next week.

Councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents District 5 in East Oakland, was straightforward about his objections to TOWN for All, reiterating his position that the A’s should stay at the Coliseum rather than move to Howard Terminal.

Instead of spending funds for developing the waterfront for Fisher’s real estate deal, the money should go to the parts of Oakland that are languishing for lack for city resources, he said.

“East Oakland and West Oakland are in an (ongoing) state of emergency setting,” he said. “The priority should be taking care of children and the families in the neighborhoods and the schools. The federal and state money they are using are tax dollars, and that money should be spent on our neighborhoods, providing for the future of our kids and families.”

The Port should not be undermined by the city, Gallo said. “They hire people like my neighbors, who earn good salaries,” he said.

He emphasized that the Port is built on public land. “That land belongs to the public; that land is not for me to give. It is not the property of eight City Council members,” he said.

This is a “business transaction,” Gallo said. “(However), the A’s expect us to lay out everything, but they’re not saying what they’re giving,” he said, adding that they will not even say how they will use the half of the Coliseum they already own.

Councilmember-at-Large Rebecca Kaplan was asked by the Oakland Post whether the passage of the resolution to begin working on the infrastructure project would effectively bypass the City Council’s responsibility to approve or reject the Fisher real estate deal.

“I am not accepting what staff is recommending,” said Kaplan. “I am working to change it.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

COMMENTARY: Do Rappers Know What Is Best For Us?

Don't Miss

Chase Bank Executive Reveals Ways Bank Supports Black Community

Oakland Post

Click to comment

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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of July 8 – 14, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 8 – 14, 2026

Published

5 days ago

July 12, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Kamala Harris Says State and Local Leadership Matters as Much as Washington

The discussion was moderated by Daniel Squadron, co-founder of The States Project and author of The Fourth Branch: How State Government Can Save Our Union. The organization supports state legislative candidates in competitive states and advocates for greater investment in state legislative races. 

Published

2 weeks ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy photo States Project.

By Joe W. Bowers Jr., California Black Media 

Former Vice President Kamala Harris said that traveling the country since the 2024 Presidential election, during her book tour, gave her an opportunity to hear directly from Americans about the challenges they face every day, reinforcing her belief that many people feel unheard by Washington and increasingly look to state elected officials for solutions.

Speaking at UCLA on June 23 during a discussion hosted by The States Project, Harris said she deliberately used her travels to spend time listening to people rather than simply talking to them.

“After the election I needed to take a minute, but when that minute was over, I needed to listen,” said Harris.

One conversation that stayed with her was with a single mother of three in Jackson, Mississippi, who was attending cosmetology school while raising her children on a $150 weekly grocery budget. Harris said the woman also told her the tap water was sometimes too contaminated to bathe her children.

When Harris asked what she wanted others to understand about families like hers, the woman replied, “Don’t they see me?”

“There are a lot of people who feel that they are not interested, and that their everyday fears and worries and hopes aren’t being heard,” Harris said.

“People are done with the status quo,” Harris added. “They’re done. It’s not working for them.”

She said political leaders must focus on solving everyday problems while presenting a broader vision for the country’s future.

“It’s about having affordable housing, affordable healthcare. It is about having a tax code that works for working people,” Harris said.

Harris said those conversations reinforced her belief that state elected officials are often better positioned than Washington to understand the everyday challenges facing their constituents.

“I support The States Project because the folks here and the folks we are supporting — state elected officials — are on the ground seeing and hearing these stories every day,” Harris said.

The discussion was moderated by Daniel Squadron, co-founder of The States Project and author of The Fourth Branch: How State Government Can Save Our Union. The organization supports state legislative candidates in competitive states and advocates for greater investment in state legislative races.

Harris said protecting voting rights remains central to the broader civil rights movement.

“The fight for civil rights in America, born out of the struggle of Black Americans, has benefited so many groups,” she said. “But when we look at what’s happening across the country, the fight for justice, for equality, lives on.”

Looking beyond the current administration, Harris said Democrats must present voters with more than opposition to President Donald Trump.

“We’ve got to have a mindset and a purpose that is about the day after this administration leaves the White House,” Harris said. “The question is going to be, what are you going to do with the power if you get it?”

Harris closed by encouraging Americans to remain engaged in their communities and state government.

“I strongly believe nobody should be made to fight alone,” Harris said. “Especially at this moment in time.”