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Blacks Employed by City File Bias Complaint:  ‘San Francisco Should be Ashamed,’ They Say

San Francisco’s city employee workforce is 36,000 and Black people make up 12% of that, approximately 4,320 Black city employees. 

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Jessica Brown, Black Employees Alliance photo courtesy LinkedIn

On March 15, 2021, the Black Employees Alliance and the Coalition Against Anti-Blackness filed a complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) based on public records data from 2012 to 2020 and alleged disparities in discipline, pay and raises.

The groups also alerted the City of San Francisco’s Ethics Commission.

San Francisco’s city employee workforce is 36,000 and Black people make up 12% of that, approximately 4,320 Black city employees.

The Black Employees Alliance has 410 members.

Based on the data, the complaint also alleged that there were pay and bonus disparities between white and Asian managers and Black managers data showed that Black city employees were the subject of 21% of the discipline and corrective actions.

Based on the allegations, the groups also wrote a letter to San Francisco Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and other city department heads stating that “San Francisco should be ashamed.”

Jessica Brown, a Black Employees Alliance leader told the San Francisco Chronicle:  “[i]t’s an injustice.  We really want the city to move into action.”

The city has acknowledged the racial gaps in discipline and pay,  but says those are in the past and are being addressed.  A March of 2020 report published by the San Francisco Chronicle said “that Black employees held lower-paying jobs, were less likely to be promoted, and were more frequently disciplined and fired.”

The city denies the disparities in raises that the Black Employees Alliance alleges in their complaint.

Next steps are a meeting in May with the Alliance and the state to determine whether DFEH will accept the complaint for investigation.

“We have a lot of work to do, but it is very valid that Black employees are paid less in certain roles, and not promoted proportionally and that they are the subject of disproportionate disciplinary action by city departments.  This has to change. . . . “  Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton said in a statement in response to the complaint.

The San Francisco Chronicle, thegrio.com, and missionlocal.org were sources for this report. 

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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025

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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

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William "Bill" Patterson, 94. Photo courtesy of the Patterson family.

William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.

Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.

He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.

Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.

In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.

Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.

Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.

He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.

A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.

His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.

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