Bay Area

Council Scheduled to Decide July 5 if Voters Can Weigh in on Howard Terminal Stadium

In an interview with the Oakland Post before the meeting, Councilmember Noel Gallo said, “I still believe that the Council’s input is necessary, (but) based on letters, emails, texts, and conversations in the neighborhood, people are demanding that this item should go before the voters,” Councilmember Gallo said.

Published

4 years ago

June 17, 2022

Oakland Post

Rendering of proposed A's stadium at Howard Terminal. Image courtesy of UC Berkeley.

Gallo recently authored a resolution, which the City Council approved, calling for the city to produce a study on the full costs of the Howard Terminal proposal to Oakland, including maintenance and infrastructure.

Councilmember Gallo authors resolution to put funding of real estate project on November ballot

By Ken Epstein

The majority of the City Council’s Rules Committee voted this week to place an item on Tuesday, July 5 Council meeting agenda to decide whether voters will be able to decide whether they want to spend more than a billion dollars in public funds on billionaire John Fisher’s private Port development.

The resolution at the Thursday Rules Committee, submitted by Councilmember Noel Gallo, was supported by Councilmembers Carroll Fife, Sheng Thao, and Nikki Fortunato Bas. Councilmember Dan Kalb abstained.

In an interview with the Oakland Post before the meeting, Councilmember Gallo said, “I still believe that the Council’s input is necessary, (but) based on letters, emails, texts, and conversations in the neighborhood, people are demanding that this item should go before the voters,” Councilmember Gallo said.

“I support that effort. I am here to represent the public, not the Fisher family or the Oakland Athletics. We’re still paying for the Raiders not being here and for the Warriors not being here. I don’t want to see that continue,” he said.

Gallo continued: The billion dollars “is being requested by a private business, the Oakland Athletics. We should develop the Coliseum for professional sports teams and housing, and the Howard Terminal should be used for development opportunities and for businesses at the Army Base and the Port of Oakland.”

If the deal goes through, “the Fisher family would become the biggest developer and investor in Oakland. I want to make sure we get a return on our investment,” he said.

He said he had been having regular meetings with City staff on the progress of that study, but in the last few weeks, the meetings have been canceled.

“As of right now, I don’t have a current update,” he said.

Council members said they have received hundreds of letters, texts, and emails from members of the public saying they want a vote of the public on whether to spend public money on infrastructure for the private Howard Terminal development.

Two dozen speakers addressed this week’s Rules Committee supporting the placement of the measure on the November ballot. Three speakers opposed putting the measure on the ballot.

The East Oakland Stadium Alliance has recently run a social media campaign and delivered petitions signed by thousands of Oakland residents to City Council members supporting a public vote on the Howard Terminal Project.

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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

4 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.