City Government

Councilmember Abel Guillén Proposes Regulations to Block Downtown A’s Stadium

Published

8 years ago

November 17, 2017

Speaking at Tuesday’s Community and Economic Development(CED) Committee meeting, Councilmember Abel Guillén urged his colleagues to pass stronger regulations that would restrict development in the area surrounding the proposed Oakland A’s ballpark. Photo by Sarah Carpenter.

By Sarah Carpenter

Councilmember Abel Guillén is urging City Council members to pass temporary regulations that would restrict or block development near the proposed site of the Oakland A’s new ballpark – to protect residents and businesses from displacement.
Although members of the City Council’s Community and Economic Development (CED) Committee expressed sympathy for Guillén’s proposal at this week’s meeting, they decided to hold the resolution in committee, requesting that more information be gathered.
The proposal will be discussed again on Dec. 5, the final committee meeting of the year.

But Guillén–whose district includes the site of the proposed stadium–requested that the proposals be treated with urgency, saying that “the mere announcement of this preferred ballpark location by the team has the potential for immediate impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods.”

The Peralta Board of Trustees is set to make a decision regarding the ballpark on Dec. 12.
The city has labeled the area surrounding the potential stadium site, Chinatown and Eastlake, as the “S-5 Zone.”

Guillén’s proposal would place limitations on development in the S-5 Zone, such as prohibiting new parking facilities, increasing standards for demolition notifications and adding special regulations for hotels and large-scale developments.

Guillén said he has heard concerns from his constituents that speculative development alone could drive them from the area. He held office hours in both Chinatown and Eastlake, hosted three community meetings with community stakeholder groups and organizations and conducted an informal online community survey, which yielded 275 responses.

The proposal was first heard Nov. 1 by the City Planning Commission in a public hearing. The commission recommended amendments that should be added before it could be approved, including a “pro/con analysis” of the proposed controls and that buildings with at least 15 percent affordable housing be exempted from the controls.

The pro/con analysis was not completed by the Nov. 14 meeting but was promised by the Dec. 5 meeting.

Jeff Levin of East Bay Housing Organizations (EBHO) argued that the 15 percent minimum of affordable housing was too small an exemption and recommended that only buildings that are “primarily affordable housing” be exempt from the interim controls.
Other speakers also wanted to strengthen the resolution. A representative from the Fifth Avenue Community requested that the S-5 Zone be re-drawn to include their neighborhood.

There were also concerns that the meetings held by Guillén did not include enough community outreach.

Opposing the proposed regulations was Aly Bonde, public policy manager of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.

“These actions will actually hurt the very community that they are intended to protect,” because they would block small businesses in the area from developing, Bonde said.
The proposed actions would “send a message to the market that there is a moratorium on building and investment in this entire area,” added Bonde.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

5 days ago

December 25, 2025

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Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.

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Black Arts Movement Business District Named New Cultural District in California

Located in the heart of District 3, the BAMBD is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most important centers of Black cultural production — a space where artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and cultural workers have shaped generations of local and national identity. The state’s recognition affirms the district’s historic importance and its future promise.

Published

1 week ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Carroll Fife celebrates major milestone for Black arts, culture, and economic power in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) has been selected as one of California’s 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, a distinction awarded by the California Arts Council (CAC), according to a media statement released by Councilmember Carroll Fife.

The BAMBD now joins 23 other districts across the state recognized for their deep cultural legacy, artistic excellence, and contributions to California’s creative economy.

“This designation is a testament to what Black Oakland has built — and what we continue to build when we insist on investing in our own cultural and economic power,” said Fife.

“For years, our community has fought for meaningful recognition and resources for the Black Arts Movement Business District,” she said. “This announcement validates that work and ensures that BAMBD receives the support it needs to grow, thrive, and continue shaping the cultural fabric of California.”

Since taking office, Fife has led and supported multiple initiatives that strengthened the groundwork for this achievement, including:

Restoring and protecting arts and cultural staffing within the City of Oakland.
Creating the West Oakland Community Fund to reinvest in historically excluded communities
Advancing a Black New Deal study to expand economic opportunity for Black Oakland
Ensuring racial equity impact analyses for development proposals, improving access for Black businesses and Black contractors
Introduced legislation and budget amendments that formalized, protected, and expanded the BAMBD

“These efforts weren’t abstract,” Fife said. “They were intentional, coordinated, and rooted in a belief that Black arts and Black businesses deserve deep, sustained public investment.”

As part of the Cultural District designation, BAMBD will receive:

$10,000 over two years
Dedicated technical assistance
Statewide marketing and branding support
Official designation from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030

This support will elevate the visibility of BAMBD’s artists, cultural organizations, small businesses, and legacy institutions, while helping attract new investment to the district.

“The BAMBD has always been more than a district,” Fife continued. “This recognition by the State of California gives us another tool in the fight to preserve Black culture, build Black economic power, and protect the families and institutions that make Oakland strong.”

For questions, contact Councilmember Carroll Fife at CFife@oaklandca.gov.