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COMMENTARY: City Councilmember Thao Announces $2 Million Investment to Revitalize Parks in East Oakland

This is about getting Oakland back to basics. This is about clean and functional parks for our children, youth, and families to enjoy. This is about building stronger communities through activating safe public spaces we can all be proud of. This is about a cleaner, greener Oakland that is dedicated to healing communities impacted by environmental racism.

Published

3 years ago

September 26, 2022

Oakland Post

Oakland City Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao joins California Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Pastor Billy Dixon Jr., Louie Butler, Jr. President, Oakland Babe Ruth Cal Ripken Baseball League, and other community members who were invited to hear the announcement. Photo by Brandon Harami Policy Director for Councilmember Sheng Thao.

By Sheng Thao, Oakland City Council President Pro Tempore

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of joining Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Pastor Billy Dixon Jr., and community and faith leaders gathered at Arroyo Viejo Park to announce a $2 million investment into East Oakland parks that I secured in recent state budget allocations signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

This $2 million investment will help revitalize and celebrate parks serving some of Oakland’s most marginalized communities, including Arroyo Viejo Park, Tassafaronga Park, and Verdese Carter Park.

I know that East Oakland has experienced decades of systemic and environmental racism, and it is important that we invest equitably into our neighborhoods including our parks. As someone who lived in public housing and apartments my entire life, I know that parks are our front yard and backyard and a place for us to build community and find time in nature.

For years the city has promised renovations and investments into these parks, including several unfunded capital improvement projects, so I did what Oakland leaders are expected to do: find the money we need to fulfill these promises to East Oakland.

I know that many East Oakland residents have felt that their voices have not been heard, as if they have not been seen, but I am here to tell you that I see you and I hear you and this is just the beginning.

I am determined to bring more investments into parks, open space, clean air and water, good schools, job programs, affordable housing, safe streets and more to our communities most impacted by decades of underinvestment. This is about providing basic services to every Oakland neighborhood.

These investments will go toward many unfunded projects and needs in these parks and I look forward to working with the community to identify key areas of investment once the City accepts the grant awards. I am very thankful for the partnership of so many East Oaklanders who helped identify these needs with me and for Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Buffy Wicks for being such strong partners in these efforts.

We can and will build an Oakland that works for everyone and this is just the beginning of that work.

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Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

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4 days ago

March 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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1 week ago

March 1, 2026

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.