Activism

Community Unites to Oppose Hostile Takeover of Oakland Schools

In a statement read by her staffer, Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan responded to the demand for $90 million in cuts. “We see this for what it is,” she said. “It’s an obvious move to counter the district’s resistance to closing schools in Oakland. We need all of our schools open. Oakland has seen enough school closings.”

Published

4 years ago

December 23, 2021

Oakland Post

Speakers at a press conference Thursday, Dec. 16, at the school district headquarters in Oakland opposed the hostile takeover of Oakland public schools by L. Karen Monroe of Alameda County and the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT).Shown (front row, L to R) are Post publisher Paul Cobb, former school board member and civil rights attorney Dan Siegel, civil rights attorney Walter Riley, candidate for Alameda County Supt. of Schools Alysse Castro, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Holy Names University Vice President Kimberly Mayfield and Oakland Education Association (OEA) President Keith Brown. (Back row, L to R) are the representative of Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, School Boardmember Mike Hutchinson, former school board member and mayoral candidate Greg Hodge, parent and community activist John Jones III and SEIU VP for classified workers Donneva Reid.

By Post Staff

Speakers at press conference Thursday, in front of the school district headquarters in downtown Oakland demonstrated the determination of a broad coalition of community leaders to oppose the hostile takeover of the school district by L. Karen Monroe of the Alameda County Office of Education and the state-financed nonprofit, the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team (FCMAT).

The press conference was organized on short notice by the teachers’ union, the Oakland Education Association, and the Oakland Post Salon in response to a recent letter to the district from Supt. Monroe saying the school district must cut $90 million from its budget.

Monroe’s letter also threatened that the salaries of Oakland Supt. Kyla Johnson-Trammell and the school board might be withheld, and the elected school board required to follow the decisions of the unelected staff of FCMAT, which has long pushed for closing neighborhood schools.

OEA President Keith Brown called for solidarity in the face of the current threat. “We stand together today to say we will not let the schools be taken over by FCMAT and the county. We will not go backward to 2003, when we were forced into a $100 million loan and school closures.”

Assemblymember Mia Bonta said, “I stand in solidarity with the district and the children of Oakland. I want to stand with Oakland, our teachers, and our families.”

Boardmember Mike Hutchinson, who has long fought against forced school closures, said Monroe’s letter arrived two weeks after the school board voted that “We are done with school closures.”

“This is retaliation,” he said.

Kimberly Mayfield, dean of the School of Education and vice president of external relations and strategic partnerships at Holy Names University in Oakland, said “We stand in solidarity with Supt. Kyla Johnson-Trammell and the elected school board members who are against the recommendation to cut $90 million from the OUSD’s budget and the takeover of the district.”

John Jones III, parent and community activist, said, “This is an affront, an assault and an attack on our students and our democratic process here. Our students need hope, not a rope that will hold them down.”

Alysse Castro, candidate for Alameda County Supt. of Schools, said, “We cannot cut our way to social justice,” adding that the state and county must not be an obstacle but actively help fix Oakland’s problems.

In a prepared statement, Councilmember Carroll Fife said, this threat to Oakland schools is part of a pattern.

“Private interests want to own our schools, and there is no shortage of high-paid, bureaucratic leaders who would hand the schools to them. They salivate over the money to be taken from OUSD, and people in administrative positions have helped manufacture the problems that would allow takeover. We have to tell them, “HELL NO!”

Emily Filloy, speaking for Educators for Democratic Schools (EDS) said, “EDS opposes the Alameda County Office of Education’s designation of Oakland Unified School District as a Lack of Going Concern. This designation is sudden, hasty and punitive. While there may be concerns regarding the district’s budgetary processes, resorting to FCMAT is not a solution, but a punitive action.”

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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

Published

3 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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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

2 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.