Victory for Oakland

Photo credit: City of Oakland On Tuesday June 9, 2020, the City Council voted to adopt two resolutions: one establishing the Department of Workplace and Enforcement Standards (DWES) and the other authorizing the hiring of the Chief Officer of the new Department.  The council meeting and vote can be viewed HERE . This represents a milestone in a years' long campaign for stronger worker protections and enforcement led by the Lift Up Oakland coalition.  The coalition helped to pass Measure FF in 2015 establishing Oakland's minimum wage ordinances.  In 2018, a similar coalition helped to pass Measure Z which established protections for hotel workers and mandated that the City would establish DWES by July 1, 2020 to enforce all employment laws in effect in the City.  The same coalition requested full funding in the 2018 budget cycle but only received partial funding for staffing in the final approved budget.  Budget allocations to accompany the resolution for...

The City of Oakland's budget is adopted for a 2-year cycle but goes through a mid-cycle revision.  The Mayor proposes the budget and the council must vote to approve it. Photo credit: City of Oakland  On May 22, 2020 Mayor Libby Schaaf released her mid-cycle proposed budget .  The Mayor claims that the City is facing a $122 Million deficit that must be closed by reducing some City services and cutting and/or freezing personnel.  The City Council must vote to adopt a budget by June 30.  The budget discussion will begin at the June 16, 2020 council meeting. To view to June 16, 2020 city council meeting agenda items : CLICK To submit e-comment before the council meeting: CLICK (note you will be required to create a login and verify your email address before submitting your first e-comment) To participate in the City Council meeting on June 16:  VIDEO LINK .  To comment by Zoom video conference, click the “Raise Your Hand” button to reques...

On June 8, 2020, the Oakland Post, a locally-owned and Black led news organization, published an OpEd by Allyssa Victor y. Full text of the published OpEd below. --- The city of Oakland must do right by Oakland voters and address racial and economic inequality by ensuring the creation of a strong and effective Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES). The Department was created by Oakland voters through Measure Z, which passed overwhelmingly with 76% of the vote in November 2018. The law mandates that the City of Oakland establish this department by July 1, 2020, yet the city has been slow on implementation over the last 18 months. Oakland has been a leader in establishing strong labor standards — with overwhelming voter support. But workers continue to experience violations of their rights due to the lack of robust enforcement. California’s Department of Labor Standards Enforcement estimated that its Oakland-based office has a backlog of 2-2.5 years ...

The City's failure to provide basic road infrastructure after series of plans to do so ( 5 year plan ) ( 3 year plan ) is devastating to the community and to any vehicles attempting to access the area. Oakland is on an decades-old struggle to repave its streets and address the crumbling infrastructure.  Deep East Oakland continues to suffer from the longest neglect on seemingly every single street.  Streets become de facto one-ways or no-ways because of the severity of potholes, crumbling roads, and other hazards coupled with speed bumps.  Several corridors near the alphabet streets and San Leandro Blvd. are worn from freight trucks and lack clear sidewalks. This spells disaster when coupled with rain.  The rain fills potholes exacerbating possible damage to include water damage to vehicles but can also obstruct drivers from seeing potholes or how deep they are.  Several streets have inadequate gutter and draining systems or severe trash pileups blocking t...

Elizabeth Warren is running for President and opening campaign offices across California including in Oakland, CA. The Oakland office launch will take place this Saturday November 6, 2019 at 1:00pm and is located at 900 Alice Street in downtown. This is not the first time Warren's campaign will come to Oakland.  Warren held a rally at Laney College in Oakland on May 31, 2019 that received such a large turnout it had to be moved to an outdoor field to accommodate the crowd. Photo credit: Rolling Stone Photo credit: Mercury News  Senator Warren has been a powerhouse on the ground and on the national stage seemingly energized by any questions and comments directed towards her.  She has laid out comprehensive policy positions on most major issues so much that " I have a plan for that" is becoming her catch phrase. She shows no signs of slowing down or being slowed. Warren must still defend her record and policies to communities most marginalized and under ...

Non-profit healthcare provider Blue Shield of California was founded 80 years ago and has done business from its headquarters in San Francisco, CA. As of November 2019, Blue Shield has moved its headquarters to downtown Oakland but its Foundation will remain in San Francisco.  Blue Shield is now housed on 12th Street and Broadway along with its existing 1,200 employee and an additional 100 expected by 2020 .  The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Mayor Libby Schaaf and District 3 Councilmember Lynette Gibson-McElheney. Photo Credit: Schaaf Twitter Account Blue Shield ran an #80forOakland campaign over the course of the year contributing to community service and health projects around the City. Blue Shield also announced that it will donate $1 Million to Oakland Promise.  Oakland Promise champions itself as aiming to provide college readiness and funding for Oakland's Youth.  It started as an initiative under Mayor Schaaf and has since morphed into an...