Bay Area

Gov. Newsom’s “Water Supply Strategy”

Employing more efficient water conservation the state will free up 500,000 acre-feet of water to make up for water lost because of climate change. Additionally, new water captured by stormwater and desalinating ocean water and salty water in groundwater basins will be available for use.

Published

3 years ago

September 10, 2022

Oakland Post

Caption: Assemblymember and Black Caucus Member Lori Wilson (D-Suisun) speaks at a press conference August 12 at the Antioch Brackish Desalination Project. She is flanked by (from left) Gov. Newsom; former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa who is the new infrastructure advisor; Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe; Karla Nemeth, director of the California of Water Resources and Wade Crowfoot, CA Natural Resources Secretary.

Geared to Battle Drought, Climate Change

By McKenzie Jackson, California Black Media

The Golden State is doing more than just praying for rain amid the historic drought that is battering the California and the Western United States.

Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a plan that would increase California’s water supply and combat the extreme weather patterns caused by climate change. The initiative, its scope captured in the 19-page document called “California’s Water Supply Strategy, Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future,” will invest $8 billion in water recycling, storage, and desalination.

The plan, Newsom said, is in response to a deeper understanding of how dire California’s water crisis is.

“The hydrology in the state has begun to change pretty significantly,” he said. “The aridification that we are experiencing leads us now, the science and data leads us now, to understand we will lose 10% of our water supply by 2040.”

The governor made his remarks at an August 11 press conference held in front of the $110 million Antioch Brackish Desalination Project facility, currently under construction at the city of Antioch’s wastewater treatment plant.

When completed within the next two years, the first surface-water desalination plant in the Bay Area will use large reverse-osmosis filters to create 6 million gallons of fresh water per day.

Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe said the facility is one of the innovative solutions Californians need to embrace in response to climate change and the current drought, which began in 2020.

Assemblymember Lori Wison (D-Suisun) said, “We are experiencing the worst drought the Western United States has seen in 1,200 years. We must find innovative solutions to climate challenges like this if we are to move forward successfully… Under the Governor’s leadership, California is investing in technology, solutions, and people, even as California leads the charge to combat climate change.”

Newsom said constructions like the Antioch project are part of the plan.

“We are focused on creating more supply. We are focused on creating more water,” he said. “We need to be more creative and more aggressive in not just promoting this technology but delivering on its promise and more over its potential.”

The “Water Supply Strategy” includes creating storage space for up to 4 million acre-feet of water, so that rain water from big storms can be captured and stored for dry periods and recycling and reusing a minimum of 800,000 acre-feet of water per year by 2030, reducing wastewater discharged to the ocean.

Officials across the state applauded plan.

San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl said the “Water Supply Strategy” is an important step to protect California’s economy and quality of life.

“The governor’s approach aligns closely with the Water Authority’s 30-year strategy that combines new supplies, infrastructure upgrades, and conservation,” she said.

There were some who disagreed with some of Newsom’s plan.

Kate Poole, senior director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s nature program, told the L.A. Times that some of the initiative was good.

Poole said, “It’s really the things that aren’t in there that are most concerning,” she said. “Agriculture obviously uses 80% of our developed water supply in California. So, you can’t really deal effectively with water use without dealing with Big Ag. And Newsom does not seem very willing to do that.”

California is experiencing its second drought in the last decade. The sense of urgency is real, said Newsom.

“The hots are getting a lot hotter and the dries are getting a lot drier,” he said. “We have to adapt.”

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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

2 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

1 week 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.