Bay Area

Speaking at New Hope Baptist, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Promotes Community Initiatives

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, speaking recently at New Hope Baptist Church at 5717 Foothill Blvd. in East Oakland, pledged to bring new investments to the community to improve the quality of life and educational opportunities for Oakland residents.

Published

2 years ago

October 5, 2023

Oakland Post

(l-r) Pastor Ray Lankford, Mayor Sheng Thao, Rev. Joe Smith and Rev. Lawrence Van Hook gathered in Smith’s office prior to her speech at new Hope Baptist Church to pray for peace and solutions for Oakland's citizens. Photo by jonathanfitnessjones@gmail.com

By Ken Epstein

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, speaking recently at New Hope Baptist Church at 5717 Foothill Blvd. in East Oakland, pledged to bring new investments to the community to improve the quality of life and educational opportunities for Oakland residents.

One initiative is Rise East – which is already funded with a $50 million matching grant that “will be invested in Deep East Oakland, bringing together communities,” she said.

Privately funded, Rise East will focus on an East Oakland community known as “40×40,” – 40 blocks by 40 blocks, which run from Seminary Avenue to the Oakland-San Leandro border and from MacArthur Boulevard to the Bay. This area is home to the largest concentration of Black residents (over 30,000) who remain in Oakland’s flatland neighborhoods.

“Fifty million dollar is a lot of money, but I believe that’s a drop in bucket for many generations that have been left out,” said Thao. This is the beginning of what we call ‘community safety.’”

She said that much more money is needed and will be raised to deliver on these promises. “Many foundations have said they want to support Oakland, and I say, ‘Put your money where your mouth is,” she said.

Part of this project will be to assure that residents have adequate housing, she said. “If you don’t have housing, you’re going to be unsafe; I know this because I have been unhoused.”

Mayor Thao also pledged to deliver on an initiative to provide educational opportunities for young people, introducing what she called her “legacy project,” the Transitional Age Youth Hub, or TAY-Hub.

The goal of the project is “to invest in young people so in the future they are able to have good-paying jobs so they can continue … being here for generations.”

“Imagine a college campus with housing, technical training, counselors, facilities with childcare, so you don’t have to worry about daily needs so you can be successful,” she said.

The idea for this campus was developed by people at Camp Sweeney, “an institution for young people that many institutions have given up on,” said the mayor.

While the plan for the youth hub did not start with her, she said, “I’m going to lead the way to make sure it happens.”

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.