City Government

City Council Challenges WIB Dysfunction, Awards Additional Funding to Oakland PIC

Published

10 years ago

June 5, 2015

Responding to the city’s long-term failure to meet the needs of the unemployed in Oakland, the City Council voted this week to award the Oakland Private Industry Council (PIC) a $250,000 grant to help support the agency’s jobs and training programs that are a primary local resource for youth and adults, veterans and the formerly incarcerated.

On a number of occasions, PIC has pointed out the failure of the city to comply with applicable regulations governing the setting of funding levels for RFPs that are issued by the city for federal workforce dollars. The City Council appears to agree that service providers, such as PIC, are underfunded.

The city receives federal funding to support jobs and training programs, and unlike many other cities, Oakland contributes no direct funding to support the programs, despite diminishing federal revenues.

However, the city takes more than 30 percent of the annual allotment of federal funds off the top for administration, resulting in a lack of sufficient funds for the service providers that work directly with unemployed youth and adults in the community.

PIC provides employment services through its One-Stop Comprehensive Career Center, which keeps the city in compliance with federal regulations for WIA funding.

It provides direct services in response to 35,000 to 44,000 visits per year from job seekers, in addition to workshops and classes, one-on-one career counseling and job placement services, as well as assistance to employers facing downsizing or closure.

As federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funding has decreased over the past five years, the amount of money dedicated to city administration has increased, while nonprofits and service providers have suffered the cost.

And, PIC has been one of the organizations carrying that burden.

Since 2010, PIC’s WIA funding has been cut by $150,000, while contracted service levels have increased by 300% over prior levels. This has created a significant funding gap, according to PIC’s memo to the city council.

At Tuesday’s council meeting, Annie He, coordinator at PIC, speaking in both English and Cantonese, said, “We have a very diverse population of clients that walk through our doors who may speak many different languages or may be monolingual, and we’re always prepared to translate.”

More than 40 percent of PIC staff at the career center is multilingual.

“Regardless of what language our clients may speak, we have the ability to assist them with their job search, obtaining employment or entering training. At Oakland PIC, we try to be as culturally competent as we can,” said He.

“Clients are in big need of our services,” said Mayra Ramirez, who manages the career center and WIA program at the PIC. “Fourteen years ago, I was a WIA client myself and an Oakland PIC client, and the services that I once received are the reason for my success now.” Ramirez addressed the meeting in both English and Spanish.

She said this year alone, PIC has placed over 500 clients in jobs. “It feels great to learn that clients are getting into training, getting jobs, and getting services,” said Ramirez.

The underlying issue at the council meeting was how did the city get itself into this position?

According to the memo from PIC, the WIB has not conducted a “competent cost analysis” that is required for federal WIA funding and would provide guidance on fair pricing for services that the city requires.

Speaking at the Tuesday meeting, Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan asked why no one has ever asked for the city to “audit the internal component of this funding, in terms of how it is that the city’s own overhead is higher than previously, and there’s less money going to service providers.”

After calling for a motion to award the additional funding to the PIC, Kaplan also asked the city administrator to “continue to look into the big picture, long-term issues so by next year we have a more thorough plan for the long term.”

Councilmember Desley Brooks said, “I think all of this council understands the dysfunction of the WIB board, a board that routinely did not complete its budgets on time.”

“It is shameful when you look at what other WIBs are doing around the country, and ours is so mired in mess that they can’t do their work,” Brooks continued.

“PIC isn’t the only organization that was impacted by the dysfunction that we all know exists within the WIB process. PIC has been ostracized because they have spoken up,” she said.

“We never looked at a process that spends $1.46 million for 7 city staff to not provide direct services…I hope that this council looks closely at the facts of this case and we will begin to move forward in how we can correct the dysfunction,” Brooks added.

Councilmember Noel Gallo praised the Private Industry Council for its work and said he looked forward to seeing the city work more closely with PIC in the future to work on job development programs.

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Activism

Barbara Lee Accepts Victory With “Responsibility, Humility and Love”

“I accept your choice with a deep sense of responsibility, humility, and love. Oakland is a deeply divided City,” Lee said in an April 19 statement. “I answered the call to run to unite our community, so that I can represent every voter, and we can all work together as One Oakland to solve our most pressing problems.”

Published

21 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌,
California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

As a candidate for mayor, former U.S. Representative Barbara Lee released a “10-point plan” last week to reassure residents that she will tackle Oakland’s most pressing challenges.

Now that she has edged out her competitors in the ranked-choice special election with 50% or more of the vote, the former Congresswoman, who represented parts of the Bay Area in the U.S. House of Representatives, can put her vision in motion as the city’s first Black woman mayor.

On Saturday evening, Taylor conceded to Lee. There are still about 300 Vote-by-Mail ballots left to be verified, according to county election officials. The ballots will be processed on April 21 and April 22.

“This morning, I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor said in a statement.

“I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic, results-driven leadership.”

The influential Oakland Post endorsed Lee’s campaign, commending her leadership on the local, state, and federal levels.

Paul Cobb, The Post’s publisher, told California Black Media that Lee will bring back “respect and accountability” to the mayor’s office.

“She is going to be a collegial leader drawing on the advice of community nonprofit organizations and those who have experience in dealing with various issues,” Cobb said. “She’s going to try to do a consensus-building thing among those who know the present problems that face the city.”

Born in El Paso, Texas, Lee’s family moved to California while she was in high school. At 20 years old, Lee divorced her husband after the birth of her first child. After the split, Lee went through a tough period, becoming homeless and having to apply for public assistance to make ends meet.

But destitution did not deter the young woman.

Lee groomed herself to become an activist and advocate in Oakland and committed to standing up for the most vulnerable citizens in her community.

Lee traveled to Washington, D.C. to work for then U.S. Congressman Ron Dellums after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College in Oakland in 1973. Lee later won a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fellowship to attend the School of Social Welfare, and she earned a Master of Social Work from the University of California-Berkeley in 1975.

Lee later served in the California State Assembly and State Senate before she was elected to Congress in 1998.

After serving in the U.S. Congress for more than 25 years, Lee ran unsuccessfully for California’s U.S. Senate in the 2024 primary election.

Lee joins current Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and former San Francisco Mayor London Breed as Black women serving as chief executives of major cities in California over the last few years.

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Activism

Teachers’ Union Thanks Supt. Johnson-Trammell for Service to Schools and Community

“I speak for our Oakland community and the families OEA serves in thanking Supt. Johnson-Trammell for her service. With public schools and immigrant families under attack nationally from Trump and with budget challenges affecting many California school districts, these are tough times demanding the best of what we all have to offer,” said OEA President Kampala Taiz-Rancifer in a statement released Thursday.

Published

1 day ago

April 27, 2025

Oakland Post

OEA President Kampala Taiz-Rancifer. Courtesy photo.

The union calls for a community-involvement in search for new superintendent

By Post Staff

While pointing out that Supt. Kayla Johnson-Trammell has been planning to resign for a while, the Oakland Education Association (OEA) thanked her for years of service to the schools and called for community involvement in the search for a new superintendent.

“While we disagreed strongly on a number of issues,” said Taiz-Rancifer, “Dr. Johnson-Trammell is a daughter of Oakland and a product of our public schools. We thank her for her service and wish her the best moving forward.”

She said the schools’ community was aware that the superintendent had been planning to leave well before this week’s announcement.

“The superintendent has spoken publicly throughout the year about her planned departure. In August 2024, the previous school board approved a renewed contract raising her compensation to over $600,000 per year and allowing her to step back from daily responsibilities beginning in the 2025-2026 school year,” said Taiz-Rancifer.

She said the teachers’ union has been raising concerns about the need for stability and financial transparency in the district. “For three of the last four years, the district projected major deficits, only to end with millions in reserve.” This year, she said, the district added $90 million to central office overhead expenses.

“Just last month, a majority of school board directors took action to cap expensive consultant costs and develop alternative budget proposals that align spending with community priorities to keep funding in classrooms,” she said.

Taiz-Rancifer said the union stands behind the leadership of Board President Jennifer Brouhard and Boardmembers Valarie Bachelor, Rachel Latta, and VanCedric Williams.

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Alameda County

OUSD Supt. Chief Kyla Johnson-Trammell to Step Down on July 1

The district’s progress under Johnson-Trammell’s leadership “provides a strong foundation for the transition and work ahead,” according to the joint statement. “The plan has always prioritized a smooth and thoughtful transition. A formal search for a permanent superintendent was (originally) scheduled to begin in fall 2025,” but now the board is “initiating this process focusing on transparency and deep community involvement.”

Published

1 day ago

April 27, 2025

Oakland Post

Kyla Johnson-Trammell. File photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland Unified School District announced this week that Supt. Kyla Johnson-Trammell will leave her position on July 1 after serving for eight years.

In closed session on Wednesday evening, the school board approved a voluntary separation agreement by a 4-3 vote, said Board President Jennifer Brouhard.

The board will begin searching immediately for an interim superintendent who will start on July 1. Johnson-Trammell will continue as superintendent emeritus from July 1 to Jan. 15, 2026, to help with the transition, according to a joint statement released by Johnson-Trammell and the Board.

In a personal statement to the community, Johnson-Trammell said:

“As I prepare to step away from my role as your superintendent on June 30, I do so with immense pride in what we’ve accomplished together. The last eight years have brought some of the most challenging — and most defining — moments in our district’s history. Through it all, Oakland has shown what’s possible when we stay grounded in our mission and vision and work in partnership for our students.”

The joint statement from Johnson-Trammell and the Board modifies her existing contract. According to the joint statement: “in August 2024, the OUSD Board of Education approved a three-year transitional contract for Superintendent Johnson-Trammell, with the next school year (2025-2026) allowing for a shift in responsibilities to support the transition to a permanent superintendent at the start of the 2026-2027 school year.”

Praising Johnson-Trammell’s accomplishments, the joint statement said, “(She) has done an extraordinary job over the past eight years, a historic tenure marked by stability, strong fiscal oversight, and improvements in student achievement.”

According to the statement, her achievements include:

increased graduation rates
improved literacy
increased student attendance rates,
“exemplary” COVID pandemic leadership,
“historic” pay raises to educators,
Improvement in OUSD’s facilities bond program,
ensuring strong fiscal systems and budgeting

As Johnson-Trammell’s years of service are coming to an end, there remain significant unresolved challenges facing the district, including a $95 million budget deficit and the threat of school closings and employee layoffs, as well as contract negotiations with the Oakland Education Association (OEA), the teachers’ union.

Another ongoing controversy has been the superintendent’s extremely high salary, which was negotiated less than a year ago under the leadership of Boardmember Mike Hutchinson and former Boardmember Sam Davis.

Johnson-Trammell is one of the highest-paid superintendents in California and the country, earning a total compensation package of $637,036.42 a year.

The contract had granted her a pay raise and a final three-year contract extension through the 2027 school year.

Under that contract, she would only continue as superintendent during the current school year, and then for two additional years she would work on research projects and prepare the district for a new superintendent, at the same rate of pay she now earns, plus raises.

During those two years, a temporary superintendent would be hired to handle the responsibilities of running the school district.