Bay Area

2024 Primary Election Candidates for Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 5 Seat

Nine candidates have filed to run for the Alameda County District 5 Board of Supervisors seat in the March 2024 primary election race to replace current chair Keith Carson who announced his retirement in December. Carson has held the Board position for over 30 years and initially intended to run for re-election but later expressed in a statement that it was time for him to move on from the job.

Published

2 years ago

January 23, 2024

Oakland Post

It didn’t take long for candidates to announce their interest in the D5 seat representing Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont, and West Oakland, North Oakland, Rockridge, Grand Lake, and portions of the Fruitvale, Manzanita and Dimond District neighborhoods.

By Magaly Muñoz

Carson has held the Board position for over 30 years and initially intended to run for re-election but later expressed in a statement that it was time for him to move on from the job.

Here are the candidates for Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 5:

Ben Bartlett is a current member of the Berkeley City Council representing District 3, which mainly includes South Berkeley. He was first elected in 2016 and won a second term in 2020. Bartlett states on his campaign website that his priorities will be leading the way on affordable housing, compassionate solutions for homelessness, mental healthcare, gun violence reduction, climate action, and community investment.

Nikki Fortunato-Bas is the current Oakland City Council President representing District 2, which includes Eastlake, Grand Lake, San Antonio, Chinatown and Jack London. She was first elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. While serving on the council, Fortunato-Bas passed the state’s strongest city-level COVID-19 eviction moratorium in March 2020, passed legislation to help formerly incarcerated residents access rental housing, and led a task force to reimagine public safety in Oakland. As supervisor, she will prioritize the “three H’s”: homelessness, housing, healthcare.

John J. Bauters is a current member of the Emeryville City Council and former mayor of the city. He was first elected in 2016. He previously served as a legal aid attorney who represented victims of domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness, and handled evictions. On the council, he sits on the budget and governance committee, marketplace redevelopment project negotiating ad hoc committee, and the transportation committee. Bauters priorities for the Board will be “health, safety and opportunity for everyone.”

Ken Berrick is a current trustee for Alameda County Board of Education, representing Area 3. He was first appointed in 2008. Berrick is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Just Advocates, a nonprofit organization based in Oakland and he is founder and CEO Emeritus of Seneca Family of Agencies. He is a Governor’s Appointee on the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission and the California Child Welfare Council. His priorities on the Board will be education, children’s services, healthcare, and mental health.

Omar Farmer is a current member of the city of Oakland’s Safety and Services Oversight Commission and has also served as an advisory board member of Oakland’s Reimagining Public Safety Task Force. He is also on the Alameda County Veteran Affairs Commission.

Gregory Hodge is the Executive Director of the Executives Alliance for Boys and Men of Color and owns Khepera Consulting. He previously served eight years on the Oakland Unified School District board from 2001 to 2009 and ran for Oakland mayor in 2022. Hodge’s priorities on the Board will be equitable economic opportunity, thriving neighborhood schools, community safety, housing and shelter, and arts, culture, and healing.

Chris Moore is the former president of CGM Ventures Inc., an investment and consulting firm that assists technology startup founders and executives. He is a campaign leader for the recall efforts against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. Moore’s priorities on the Board will be safety and services to clean up the county for residents that “deserve an improved and safer environment.”

Gerald Pechenuk was a volunteer election observer in 2022 and is currently among a group of plaintiffs suing the county of Alameda, including current members of the Board of Supervisors and Secretary of State Shirley Weber for preventing them from verifying the 2022 election results.

Lorrel Plimier is a former patent law attorney and co-founder of Step Forward Tech, an organization advising progressive organizations in using data and technology to advance their operations. Her priorities on the Board will include public health services, public safety, making steps toward 100% renewable energy, and supporting small businesses and workers in the county.

The Primary Election is scheduled for March 5, 2024.

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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

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.

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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.