City Government

OP-ED: As 49ers Move, SF Black Community Gets Short End of Stick

Published

11 years ago

July 16, 2013

Members of the struggling Black community of San Francisco’s BayView Hunters Point have plenty reasons to feel as though they got the “short end of the stick,” when it comes to economic deals that have paved the way for the 49ers to leave the city.

NFL owners loaned the San Francisco 49ers $200 million to leave Candlestick Park, which has been the 49ers official stadium since 1970. Their new home, “LEVI”S Stadium” currently being constructed in Santa Clara, is 35 miles south of the San Francisco.

Then, 49er’s CEO Jed York offered a host city role for Sam Francisco in the team’s bid, to host a Super Bowl contingent, based on San Francisco allowing the team to opt out of its 2015 lease agreement.

Last year, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an option that included an upfront fee of $1 million. The agreement released the team of its 2015 $6 million rent obligation, despite Supervisor Sean Elsbernd claim the team “abandoned” the city.

City officials never consulted with the community about the impact this move would have.

On May, the NFL announced that San Francisco will host the 2016 Super Bowl.

Efforts to improve the blighted area closest to Candlestick Park resulted in decades of broken promises and delays by the 49ers. A general contractor in the area commented, “The team blocked any attempt by the city to do construction.” Allegedly, the team feared the work would interfere with its season activities.

Now that the team has all but left the city, work to improve the area has begun, but who is benefiting?

In a protest at the Candlestick, picketers from Aboriginal Blackman United (ABU) were contained by SFPD at the bottom of the hill during the afternoon’s proceedings. Black town cars chauffeured officials to the event site, as protesters’ cries were drowned out by the music of Miles Davis playing from stage speakers.”

This was the third such recent protest by ABU, a Black community group that claims community Blacks are not being hired as promised. This first phase of a projected 20-year, $8 billion housing and retail project is not funded.

Meanwhile, 49er’s Jed York enthusiastically proclaimed, “25 percent” of the profits from hosting Super Bowl L will go towards the “Fight against poverty.”

But according to one San Francisco resident Terrance Barnes, who isn’t a football fan, “The team took a billion dollar project out of the city and now that it gets to host a Super Bowl, [but] they are concerned about poverty.”

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Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 6 – 12, 2024

Published

1 week ago

November 9, 2024

Oakland Post

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City Government

San Pablo Appoints New Economic Development and Housing Manager

Kieron Slaughter has been appointed as the economic development & housing manager for the City of San Pablo. Since 2017, Slaughter has served as chief strategic officer for economic innovation in the City of Berkeley’s Office of Economic Development. Previously, he served in a 2.5-year appointment in the Pacific West Region as one of 10 Urban Fellows in the United States National Park Service.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Kieron Slaughter. Photo courtesy of the City of San Pablo

The Richmond Standard

Kieron Slaughter has been appointed as the economic development & housing manager for the City of San Pablo.

Since 2017, Slaughter has served as chief strategic officer for economic innovation in the City of Berkeley’s Office of Economic Development. Previously, he served in a 2.5-year appointment in the Pacific West Region as one of 10 Urban Fellows in the United States National Park Service.

Before that he was an associate planner in the City of Richmond’s Planning and Building Services Department from 2007-2015.

San Pablo City Manager Matt Rodriguez lauded Slaughter’s extensive experience in economic development, housing and planning, saying he will add a “valuable perspective to the City Manager’s Office.”

Slaughter, a Berkeley resident, will start in his new role on Nov. 12, with a base annual salary of $164,928, according to the City of San Pablo.

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City Government

Aaron Osorio Rises Up Ranks to Become Richmond’s Fire Chief

For Aaron Osorio, it started with a ride along on a firetruck at age 10. “I thought it was the coolest job,” he said, adding, “I knew being in fire service would make a big difference in the community.” Now a 27-year fire service veteran, Osorio appears to approach his work with the same youthful exuberance. And that’s good for the city as Osorio was recently named chief of the historic Richmond Fire Department.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Richmond Fire Department Chief Aaron Osorio. Courtesy photo

By Mike Kinney

The Richmond Standard

For Aaron Osorio, it started with a ride along on a firetruck at age 10.

“I thought it was the coolest job,” he said, adding, “I knew being in fire service would make a big difference in the community.”

Now a 27-year fire service veteran, Osorio appears to approach his work with the same youthful exuberance. And that’s good for the city as Osorio was recently named chief of the historic Richmond Fire Department.

Osorio is a San Francisco native who rose up the ranks in the Richmond Fire Department over the last 21 years before being elevated to chief.

He joined the department in 2002 and has served in multiple roles including firefighters, engineer, captain, battalion chief, training director and deputy fire chief. He said he truly loves working in this community.

While it isn’t common for a fire department to hire a chief that came up through its ranks, Osorio was credited by the city for serving Richmond well during uncommon times.

The city lauded him for developing internal policies and vaccination clinics during the initial COVID response, for supporting activation of the emergency operations center in response to a potential mudslide disaster in Seacliff last year, helping to draft mutual aid agreements and working to increase fire response capabilities for industrial incidents.

He’s also led departmental hiring and recruitment since 2018.

Osorio said it is an honor to be hired as chief and has big plans for the department moving forward. He said he wants to continue hiring and promoting for vacant positions, and also completing a strategic plan guiding the direction of the organization.

He also aims to replace and renovate a number of fire department facilities placed on the Capital Improvement Plan and create new ways to recruit that will enhance the diversity of the department.

Osorio said his experience within, and love for, the city of Richmond puts him in a good position to lead the department. He says he knows what is needed and also the challenges that are unique to the city.

“I look forward to utilizing that institutional knowledge to move the fire department forward in a positive direction and enhance the services we provide to the community,” the chief said.

Osorio holds a bachelor of science degree in Fire Administration and is also a California State Fire Marshal-certified chief officer, company officer, and state instructor.

He also holds numerous certifications in fire, rescue, hazardous material, and incident command.

The chief has been married to his wife, Maria, for 26 years and they have two sons, Roman and Mateo.