Bay Area

Dave Stewart + Lonnie Murray Team Officially Joins with Elaine Brown’s Dream Team to Purchase City’s Interest in Oakland Coliseum

“Better Together! We are ready and have the money to purchase the City’s interest now,” Brown said. “And we have the will and the history and the legacy to co-develop the property with the A’s, who own the other 50% interest, having purchased it from the County in 2019. A’s president Dave Kaval has expressed his support of this powerful joint venture.”

Published

3 years ago

November 4, 2021

Oakland Post

Oakland & the World Enterprises (OAW)’s proposal was meant to influence the Oakland City Council to Vote on Proposals, Thursday, Nov. 4, in Its Closed Session and during future council deliberations. (Pictured from let: Elaine Brown, CEO of Oakland & the World Enterprises (OAW); Dave Stewart, retired Oakland A's pitcher and All Star; and Lonnie Murray, CEO of Sports Management Partners)

Editor’s note: Below is the text of a media statement from Oakland & the World Enterprises (OAW), Elaine Brown’s group. The content was edited by Post staff.

This Dream Team’s Proposal is supported by a stellar lineup of the likes of Damien Lillard and Brian Shaw, 100 Black Men of America and Moms 4 Housing, according to the media statement.

The proposal was meant to influence the Oakland City Council to Vote on Proposals, Thursday, Nov. 4, in Its Closed Session and during future council deliberations.

“We found common ground in our vision of lifting up the Black and Brown communities of East Oakland through development of the abandoned Coliseum with Elaine Brown and her team,” Lonnie Murray stated on Tuesday.

Responding, Brown said, “Dave Stewart is committed to the same ideals to which I’ve pledged my whole life since heading the Black Panther Party, and that is why I reached out to him and Lonnie for partnership in purchasing and developing the Coliseum site.”

Dave Stewart

Dave Stewart is a Black man born and raised in East Oakland, a Black man celebrated all over the world as one of MLB’s greatest pitchers, who led the Oakland A’s to its last World Series championship, the statement said.

More, though, Dave is a proud Black man who brought himself up from the streets of East Oakland to a starring role in a game that remains white dominated. He had to be better than the best in the game, and he was, in the tradition of Satchel Paige. And he is ready to put all his resources on the line for his beloved community according to the statement.

Black Girl Power!

Lonnie Murray, CEO of Sports Management Partners, is the only Black woman certified as a player agent by the MLB Players Association. In addition to the constant struggle she wages to bring more Blacks into baseball and create more opportunities for women, she represents, among others, Bruce Maxwell, the first MLB player to kneel during the National Anthem; Bianca Smith, the first Black woman hired by MLB as a baseball coach, and Marly Rivera, the first and only Latina MLB writer, the statement said.

Like Lonnie Murray, Elaine Brown is a strong Black woman who has navigated male-dominated spaces with aplomb. As the only woman who led the Black Panther Party, Elaine’s commitment to Black people, particularly in Oakland, goes back 55 years, according to the press statement.

Presently, Elaine Brown, as CEO of Oakland & the World Enterprises (OAW), is driving its mission to launch and sustain businesses for ownership by Black and other socioeconomically marginalized people, particularly formerly incarcerated people. With co-developer McCormack Baron Salazar, OAW is currently co-developing a 79-unit, 100% affordable housing complex at 7th and Campbell Streets in West Oakland, set to break ground in December, the press statement said.

“Show Me the Money”

“Incredibly, Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan,” according to the media statement, “is working against the Stewart-Brown union to support a proposal from a group that does not offer to pay the full purchase price on signing an agreement, does not have the experience to develop the site, but more, does not have the support of the Oakland A’s as a necessary partner.”

“The Stewart-Brown team is urging the Council not to be swayed by the smoke and mirrors of an ambitious politico who has no real commitment to the Black community,” the statement said.

“In a few days, the people of Oakland will know whether or not its Council is committed to a real community benefit that the Stewart-Brown team offers or will surrender to the personal ambition of one Council member,” the media statement concluded.

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Activism

Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless College Students Sleeping in Cars

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), is the author of AB 90, which would require community colleges and California State University campuses to create overnight parking programs where students can sleep safely in their vehicles. With one in four community college students in California experiencing homelessness in the past year, Jackson says the state must act urgently.

Published

8 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Corey Jackson. File photo.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

As California’s housing crisis continues to impact students, new legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 90, promises to allow college students without stable housing to sleep in their cars on campus, offering a stark but practical solution aimed at immediate relief.

“This just deals with the harsh realities that we find ourselves in,” he said at a recent hearing.

The bill passed its first committee vote and is gaining attention as housing affordability remains a top concern across the state. California rents are more than 30% above the national average, and long waitlists for student housing have left thousands in limbo. CSU reported more than 4,000 students on its housing waitlist last year.

Supporters stress that the bill is not a long-term solution, but a humane step toward helping students who have no other place to go. A successful pilot program at Long Beach City College has already shown that safe, supervised overnight parking can work, giving students access to restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a secure environment.

However, the CSU and community college systems oppose the bill, citing funding concerns. Critics also worry about safety and oversight. But Jackson and student advocates argue the crisis demands bold action.

“If we know students are already sleeping in their cars, why not help them do it safely?” said Ivan Hernandez, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

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Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

Published

11 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

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Barbara Lee Accepts Victory With “Responsibility, Humility and Love”

“I accept your choice with a deep sense of responsibility, humility, and love. Oakland is a deeply divided City,” Lee said in an April 19 statement. “I answered the call to run to unite our community, so that I can represent every voter, and we can all work together as One Oakland to solve our most pressing problems.”

Published

11 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌,
California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

As a candidate for mayor, former U.S. Representative Barbara Lee released a “10-point plan” last week to reassure residents that she will tackle Oakland’s most pressing challenges.

Now that she has edged out her competitors in the ranked-choice special election with 50% or more of the vote, the former Congresswoman, who represented parts of the Bay Area in the U.S. House of Representatives, can put her vision in motion as the city’s first Black woman mayor.

On Saturday evening, Taylor conceded to Lee. There are still about 300 Vote-by-Mail ballots left to be verified, according to county election officials. The ballots will be processed on April 21 and April 22.

“This morning, I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor said in a statement.

“I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic, results-driven leadership.”

The influential Oakland Post endorsed Lee’s campaign, commending her leadership on the local, state, and federal levels.

Paul Cobb, The Post’s publisher, told California Black Media that Lee will bring back “respect and accountability” to the mayor’s office.

“She is going to be a collegial leader drawing on the advice of community nonprofit organizations and those who have experience in dealing with various issues,” Cobb said. “She’s going to try to do a consensus-building thing among those who know the present problems that face the city.”

Born in El Paso, Texas, Lee’s family moved to California while she was in high school. At 20 years old, Lee divorced her husband after the birth of her first child. After the split, Lee went through a tough period, becoming homeless and having to apply for public assistance to make ends meet.

But destitution did not deter the young woman.

Lee groomed herself to become an activist and advocate in Oakland and committed to standing up for the most vulnerable citizens in her community.

Lee traveled to Washington, D.C. to work for then U.S. Congressman Ron Dellums after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College in Oakland in 1973. Lee later won a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fellowship to attend the School of Social Welfare, and she earned a Master of Social Work from the University of California-Berkeley in 1975.

Lee later served in the California State Assembly and State Senate before she was elected to Congress in 1998.

After serving in the U.S. Congress for more than 25 years, Lee ran unsuccessfully for California’s U.S. Senate in the 2024 primary election.

Lee joins current Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and former San Francisco Mayor London Breed as Black women serving as chief executives of major cities in California over the last few years.