Bay Area

After Geoffrey’s Challenges, Fight to Save Historic Venue Still Mired in City Council Conflict

The fight to save Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a longtime entertainment venue and cultural institution at 410 14th St. and an anchor of the Black Arts Movement and Business District in downtown Oakland, has finally reached the Oakland City Council after working its way through the city’s planning process for several years.

Published

1 year ago

December 27, 2023

Oakland Post

Some of the speakers at the hearing on Geoffrey's appeals to the Planning Commission's rulings at Oakland City Council, Tuesday, Dec. 19.

Council rejects one development proposal, while another remains undecided.

By Ken Epstein

The fight to save Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a longtime entertainment venue and cultural institution at 410 14^th St. and an anchor of the Black Arts Movement and Business District in downtown Oakland, has finally reached the Oakland City Council after working its way through the city’s planning process for several years.

The Planning Commission had approved two alternative development proposals submitted for the same site by San Francisco-based developer Tidewater Corporation, one for an apartment tower and another for a residential tower.

At the Council meeting Tuesday, following hours of debate and many speakers — most of whom were strongly in favor of Geoffrey’s and its owner Geoffrey Pete and opposed Tidewater’s proposals — council members voted unanimously to uphold Geoffrey’s first challenge, rejecting the proposal to allow the developer to build an office tower at the site of a parking lot next to Geoffrey’s historic club.

Ultimately, the vote to deny Tidewater’s application won 6-0, with two council members absent. Voting against the company’s proposal were Dan Kalb, Nikki Bas, Rebecca Kaplan, Carroll Fife, Noel Gallo, and Kevin Jenkins. Janani Ramachandran and Treva Reid were excused.

However, the second vote, whether to approve the proposal to build a residential tower, was a more contentious decision for council members. It was argued that state law requires them to pass nearly all residential construction or face severe penalties that include loss of funding for affordable housing.

A motion proposed by Councilmember Fife to approve the Tidewater development, along with many amendments designed to safeguard Geoffrey’s building and business, failed to pass. Voting in favor were Kalb, Kaplan, Bas and Fife. Voting against was Councilmember Gallo, while Councilmember Jenkins abstained.

The city attorney’s office ruled that there was in effect a tie vote, four who voted in favor and four opposed, which included the “no” vote, the abstention, plus the two absences. Therefore, according to the attorney, Mayor Sheng Thao was eligible but not required to break the tie at the next council meeting.

Tina Muriel, speaking on behalf of Geoffrey’s, presented a series of flaws in Tidewater’s proposal for the development. She explained that Geoffrey’s is identified as a national historic resource, with a designation similar to Coit Tower and the Painted Ladies in San Francisco. The city is supposed to protect and preserve such historic resources, which Oakland has not done. She also demonstrated that part of Tidewater’s proposal would require making alterations to Geoffrey’s building, which he has not agreed to do.

Speaking to the council, Nina Moore, a third-generation owner of Everett and Jones Barbecue, emphasized that Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, with 30 years in Oakland, and Everett & Jones, with 50 years, are part of the historic legacy of African American institutions that are still holding on in the city.

“When Geoffrey got that area (in downtown Oakland), nobody wanted to be over there. And now it’s up and its popping, the gentrification wants to come. They always want to be there and take from us, rather than supporting us.”

Based on her experiences as a businesswoman, she said she can foresee problems with the affluent neighbors who would move next to Geoffrey’s, and their complaints would not be limited to noise issues.

Neighbors would be “discriminating (against) the way patrons look, writing letters to the City Council,” she said. “It is so hard for Black people to build up something.”

Kenneth Session of Session Real Estate, in business for 29 years and past president of the California Association of Real Estate Brokers, said that based on his decades of real estate experience, “I oppose this building. I know that is not good for our community.”

Prominent Oakland businessman Ray Bobbitt said, “In 2020, (people) talked a lot about economic equality and social justice, (but) that narrative is gone; now we’re back to business as usual.”

He said that Geoffrey has been an economic mainstay in the community. He has provided countless college scholarships and opened his doors to hold wedding receptions, so low-income African American families, as well as Latinos and other people of color, can host their celebrations free of charge.

“(However), gentrification is about more than economics. This is about preservation of culture and heritage,” Bobbitt added, pointing out that Geoffrey has always given back to the community.

“Oakland’s new generation of African American businessmen were all mentored by Geoffrey Pete, every single one of us,” Bobbitt said.

Kitty Kelly Epstein, professor of education and urban studies, called for dramatic reforms in the city’s planning department and Planning Commission. “They have treated Geoffrey and his business in a deplorable fashion.”

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Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless College Students Sleeping in Cars

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), is the author of AB 90, which would require community colleges and California State University campuses to create overnight parking programs where students can sleep safely in their vehicles. With one in four community college students in California experiencing homelessness in the past year, Jackson says the state must act urgently.

Published

4 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Corey Jackson. File photo.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

As California’s housing crisis continues to impact students, new legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 90, promises to allow college students without stable housing to sleep in their cars on campus, offering a stark but practical solution aimed at immediate relief.

“This just deals with the harsh realities that we find ourselves in,” he said at a recent hearing.

The bill passed its first committee vote and is gaining attention as housing affordability remains a top concern across the state. California rents are more than 30% above the national average, and long waitlists for student housing have left thousands in limbo. CSU reported more than 4,000 students on its housing waitlist last year.

Supporters stress that the bill is not a long-term solution, but a humane step toward helping students who have no other place to go. A successful pilot program at Long Beach City College has already shown that safe, supervised overnight parking can work, giving students access to restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a secure environment.

However, the CSU and community college systems oppose the bill, citing funding concerns. Critics also worry about safety and oversight. But Jackson and student advocates argue the crisis demands bold action.

“If we know students are already sleeping in their cars, why not help them do it safely?” said Ivan Hernandez, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

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Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

Published

8 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

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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

8 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.