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Council Approves Funds for Job Services to Crisis Impacted  Workers

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Councilmembers voted unanimously near midnight at this week’s City Council meeting to give federal CARES funding to local job training agencies in light of the devastating impact of the COVID-19 virus on workers’ jobs in Oakland.

Oakland residents are dealing with a double-digit unemployment rate that is much higher than the national rate.

Councilmember Larry Reid made the motion at Tuesday’s meeting, seconded by City Council Pres. Rebecca Kaplan to provide $200,000 to support extended job services at the Oakland Private Industry Council (PIC), which is the city’s one-stop career center operation and $100,000 to Lao Family Community Development.

According to the federal government, the  CARES Act provides fast and direct economic assistance for American workers and families, small businesses, and preserves jobs for American industries.

So far, the city administration has not provided information on how much money has been spent to date. Under federal guidelines, all the funds must be expended by Dec. 31, 2020.

“One of the big negative impacts of COVID is job loss, which is disproportionately impacting African Americans,” said Kaplan in an interview with the Oakland Post.

“Therefore, there is an urgent need for an increase in jobs programs and assistance for people facing these needs. This is why I worked for and passed direction to prioritize funding for vitally needed jobs programs in the use of available CARES Act funds in Oakland.”

Added Councilmember Loren Taylor, “We have a number of people who have been out of work or underemployed for a while, and in this crisis they have limited job prospects in the industries where they used to work. The city has to provide the services that will help them become productive for themselves and their families.”

Michelle Snider

Associate Editor for The Post News Group. Writer, Photographer, Videographer, Copy Editor, and website editor documenting local events in the Oakland-Bay Area California area.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 26 – March 4, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of February 26 – March 4, 2025

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Oakland Post: Week of February 19 – 25, 2025

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

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Alameda County

After Years of Working Remotely, Oakland Requires All City Employees to Return to Office by April 7

City Administrator Jestin Johnson recently told city unions that he is ending Oakland’s telecommuting program. The new policy will require employees to come to work at least four days a week. These new regulations go into effect on Feb. 18 for non-union department heads, assistant and deputy directors, managers, and supervisors. All other employees must be back at work by April 7.

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Oakland City Hall. File photo.
Oakland City Hall. File photo.

By Post Staff

The City Oakland is requiring all employees to return to the office, thereby ending the telecommuting policy established during the pandemic that has left some City Hall departments understaffed.

City Administrator Jestin Johnson recently told city unions that he is ending Oakland’s telecommuting program. The new policy will require employees to come to work at least four days a week.

These new regulations go into effect on Feb. 18 for non-union department heads, assistant and deputy directors, managers, and supervisors. All other employees must be back at work by April 7.

The administration may still grant the right to work remotely on a case-by-case basis.

In his memo to city unions, Johnson said former President Joe Biden had declared an end to the pandemic in September 2022, and that since then, “We have collectively moved into newer, safer health conditions.”

Johnson said “multiple departments” already have all their staff back in the office or workplace.

The City’s COVID-era policy, enacted in September 2021, was designed to reduce the spread of the debilitating and potentially fatal virus.

Many cities and companies across the country are now ending their pandemic-related remote work policies. Locally, mayoral candidate Loren Taylor in a press conference made the policy a central issue in his campaign for mayor.

City Hall reopened for in-person meetings two years ago, and the city’s decision to end remote work occurred before Taylor’s press conference.

At an endorsement meeting last Saturday of the John George Democratic Club, mayoral candidate Barbara Lee said she agreed that city workers should return to the job.

At the same time, she said, the city should allow employees time to readjust their lives, which were disrupted by the pandemic, and should recognize individual needs, taking care to maintain staff morale.

The John George club endorsed Lee for Mayor and Charlene Wang for City Council representative for District 2. The club also voted to take no position on the sales tax measure that will be on the April 15 ballot.

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