Uncategorized

Flint Water Crisis Deserves Visit from President Obama

Published

10 years ago

January 21, 2016

By Bankole Thompson, Ebony and other sources

President Barack Obama was in the Motor City on Wednesday for the the 2016 North American International Auto Show where he touted his administration’s successful rescue of the auto industry and explaind how he is helping Detroit recover post-bankruptcy under mayor Mike Duggan.

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But not far away from Detroit is another troubled city, Flint, where the public health disaster of 10,000 children as young as four years old is at hand. Their lives are at risk for drinking lead-contaminated water in this majority African American city.

For almost two years, state government did nothing to alert Flint residents and instead ignored warnings from independent studies as well as civic leaders and health officials who stated the water from the Flint river was not good for human consumption. So much so, that General Motors stopped using water from the Flint river 14 months ago after it was damaging vehicles parts.

While in Detroit, Obama issued his first public statements about the Flint water crisis, saying he would be beside himself if he were a Flint parent.

“I am very proud of what I’ve done as president, but the only job that’s more important to me is the job of father. And I know that if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself that my kids’ health could be at risk,” said Obama.

Obama should have used his visit to Detroit as an opportunity to drive the hour or so it takes to get to Flint and talk to residents.

Nothing could be more of an emergency right now in Michigan than what’s happening in Flint, where the world’s attention and outrage is currently focused.

Before his Detroit visit, the White House announced earlier that the Department of Health and Human Services will be the federal government’s point of contact in the Flint crisis.

At the same time Flint mayor Karen Weaver met with President Obama at the White House Tuesday as well as with senior advisor Valerie Jarrett and director of intergovernmental affairs Jerry Abramson to brief the administration about what’s been the emergency in her city.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder whose administration failed the people of Flint by ignoring warnings from citizens and experts to intervene in the lead crisis, apologized profusely in his State of the State address Tuesday night.

Unfortunately, his speech, which was initially billed as an address that would finally lay exactly what would be done to help the people of Flint, failed to offer a bold plan. Instead the governor continued the same remarks he’s already given in previous media interviews that efforts are being made to deliver thousands of bottles of water to daycare centers and other places that need clean water to operate.

Also, to the dismay of many political watchers last night, Snyder’s attempt to detail the history of the disaster failed to even mention the name of Darnell Earley, the former appointed emergency manager in Flint, who signed off on the plan to stop Flint from using Detroit’s clean water and switch back to using the toxic Flint river water all under the guise of saving money.

Many had expected Snyder to announce Earley’s removal as the current emergency manager of the Detroit Public Schools. Instead, Snyder announced a series of commissions that will be set to look into what happened in Flint, a signal of yet another layer of state bureaucracy.

In the case of Flint, the lives of little, poor Black children are at stake. Their intellectual and psychological development has been severely threatened or hampered with lead in their bodies. Their lives do matter and that should be echoed loud and clear by the nation’s first African American president who in just a short ride, can see for himself how these bureaucratic decisions have adversely impacted an entire community.

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Uncategorized

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

7 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

12 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

1 year ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.