City Government

City Puts Big Rigs Back on Streets

Published

12 years ago

September 20, 2013

As big rig trucks begin to park more and more on city streets, the need remains high for the parking spaces formerly provided by Oakland Maritime Support Services (OMSS) and its owner Bill Aboudi, who is working hard to get his new, cramped 5-acre space on the Port of Oakland’s portion of the old Army Base property ready to resume business.

After being locked out of his location on Maritime Street last Friday by the Alameda County Sheriffs Department, acting under orders from the city, Aboudi has been working seven days a week to get his new site on Wake Avenue up and running.

< p>While the site lacked electricity and water when the move began, the port has stepped in to install utilities, which was expected to be completed by Friday.

While Aboudi had no control over when or where he would be able to move, he says he is happy that at least he has a home.

However, downsizing has placed some of his 18 tenants – which include a mini-mart and truck scale and a graphic designer – tied up in the confusing transition as they try to find a space to relocate their businesses.

The move has also delayed some business operations as container parking is already reaching capacity, and tenants such as Horizon Freight owner Miguel Silva try to manage their workload in the reduced space.

Silva says the work has become more difficult in the process.

“The second we lift these off the ground, I hope no one occupies this space,” said Silva as he secured a load on one of his flat racks. “It’s the layout situation that affects us. It’s better than nothing, but it’s definitely not adequate.”

Silva has already received and transported his first shipment of German-made glass, to be used in the construction of Apple, Inc.’s new headquarters in Cupertino. He expects an increased volume of cargo in coming weeks.

“Anything that disrupts the process of the port results in increased volume for parking. But the people making the decisions don’t know about the trucking industry. All they do is make assumptions,” Silva said.

Truck mechanics also have been forced to postpone their daily operations until electricity and space is available for them at the new OMSS property. For truckers who travel up to 3 hours or more a day, they could pay an extra $600 to receive service at a dealership rather than with the small business mechanics at OMSS.

“Do you want mechanics on the street dropping oil in the drains and leaving parts in the streets?” Asked Independent trucker Carlos Jordan, who has been working with Aboudi for 23 years.

“We need the mechanics [here]. We can’t go to San Jose [to a mechanic], hook up a trailer here to deliver, and then go to Sacramento,” he said. “It’s a waste of money for us. We’re independent, trying to survive, trying to make a living.”

With the 24-hour mini-mart and truck scale currently shut down, truckers also say they have waited an hour or more in line to receive service at Port Scales Inc.

The scale company has been experiencing higher volumes of trucks with the OMSS move but is only open until 6 p.m., turning some truckers away each day.

“Most of the time we miss a load almost every day now. The biggest problem right now is the scales,” said owner operator Inder Singh.

CCIG, owned by developer Phil Tagami, is occupying Aboudi’s old property, and the city have notified truckers of the transition and suggested parking locations at OMSS’ new site as well as the AMPCO Trucking Lot – both locations that are full to capacity for truck parking.

The city has repeatedly said that alternative options for truck parking are currently being developed.

Aboudi said, “The demand is here. The city said, we’ll figure it out. I haven’t seen them figure it out yet.”

In an interview with ABC 7 News, Project Developer Phil Tagami said, “We’re under agreement to move forward with the (Army Base development) project and we plan to do just that.”

The project must start Dec. 31 to claim the $250 million grant from the state. As the developer moves forward, the city’s current timeline in addressing the problems created by lack of approved truck parking remains unclear and may extend into winter months.

Mayor Jean Quan did not respond to The Post when asked how the city plans to address the issue of overflow truck parking.

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Activism

Richmond Community Leaders Advocate for Accountability and Equity in Chevron Settlement Funds

“Now is the time for our community to have funding to solve the many problems that have been created over time,” said community advocate Antwon Cloird. “We now have no time to see politicians and the system get paid, while our community, year after year gets played.”

Published

4 days ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

25 Long Term Residents of Richmond Form Coalition led by Community Advocate Antwon Cloird at CoBiz in Richmond. Photo Courtesy of Antwon Cloird.

By Carla Thomas

Richmond’s historic $550 million settlement with Chevron is considered a major victory by local officials, environmental justice advocates, and union representatives to remedy the harm caused by the refinery’s long-term air pollution in the city.

However, still unresolved is how the money will be allocated to reach community members who need the most support.

Cloird says he has formed a new coalition of 25 long-term residents who are all professionals and contributors to the community. Along with his newly formed group, which held a meeting at CoBiz, he demands transparency, equity, and fairness in the distribution of the settlement funds.

Cloird says the city wants to hire a consultant for $1.5 million to assess the Black community’s needs.

But Cloird says Black communities in Richmond have undergone so many rounds of gentrification abuse that an assessment is wasted money and time on reparations that can be more clearly defined by community members.

Cloird is outraged by the City of Richmond’s history of harm toward its Black community. Since the 1980s, the community has suffered from racism, redlining, gentrification, and marginalization, he said, arguing that the manipulation of the city’s finances has sidelined the Black community for too long.

Cloird’s career and life experiences have led him to share how the Crack Epidemic, the prison to pipeline syndrome, and the many ways systemic racism has forced an outmigration of the City’s Black community to the more northern suburbs of Pittsburgh and Antioch, which are connected to the mismanagement of city funds and the marginalization of several Black neighborhoods in Richmond.

Mayor Eduardo Martinez has proposed plans to rectify city finances and expand public services. He says the money will be placed into the city’s general fund and be allocated through open budget meetings, with public participation.

Council members Claudia Jimenez, Doria Robinson, and Sue Wilson support using the settlement to transform the city’s finances and redirect millions in annual pension payments toward services like safety, road repairs, and staffing.

Local advocacy groups, including the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) and Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), had rallied for the now-rescinded “Make Polluters Pay” measure, but are now focusing on environmental justice and investment in community-led programs.

At present, residents and organizers remain cautious, wanting to ensure the funds are fairly allocated while Richmond faces a delicate balance of supporting those who have suffered most from the impacts of refinery pollution.

Cloird says he does not trust the proposed plans to direct the money into the general fund.

“There has been a pattern of money not reaching the communities that have suffered the most when money goes into the general fund. Our coalition will fight for our community, and I want ensure we will have a viable community moving forward.”

The $550 million settlement with Chevron Corporation ended a high-profile campaign to impose new taxes on the oil giant’s local refinery. Approved by the Richmond City Council in August 2024, the agreement provides the city with a decade of financial installments, starting in July 2025.

The settlement emerged after a grassroots campaign demanded stronger accountability from Chevron for decades of air pollution linked to increased health risks in Richmond. The 2900-acre Chevron refinery, which processes approximately 240,000 barrels of crude oil daily, has long faced criticism from residents for contributing to elevated rates of respiratory illnesses and cardiovascular disease.

In response, local advocates and city leaders moved forward with a proposed “Make Polluters Pay” ballot measure that would have set a new tax of $1 per barrel of oil refined in the facility. The measure aimed to raise funds directly from Chevron to address public health, infrastructure, and environmental concerns.

To avoid the proposed tax, Chevron agreed to a $550 million payout over the next decade. Chevron will deliver $50 million annually from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030, and $60 million annually from July 1, 2030, through June 30, 2035.