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Howard Terminal Ballpark Discussions Continue

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The City Council passed a resolution this week to work collaboratively with the Port of Oakland to authorize a new A’s stadium at Howard Terminal on the waterfront – a decision that has little substance but gives the impression that the council is moving quickly to a final decision to build the stadium.

The resolution, which the council passed unanimously Tuesday evening, authorizes the City Administrator to sign a “non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)” between the city and the port to review the project proposed by the Oakland A’s.

The resolution was submitted by the Office of the City Administrator. Since it is well known that Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration strongly endorses the Howard Terminal project, some council members were concerned that the resolution might be committing them to more than what it appeared to say on its surface.   

Council President Rebecca Kaplan asked city staff and legal counsel why this resolution was needed.

“We are not voting tonight on whether or not to build a ballpark,” Kaplan said.

“I didn’t think we needed an MOU for the city and the port to work together,” she added, questioning why the resolution was “recommended or necessary.”

After consulting with city staff, Kaplan said the reason for the MOU is “so there will not be lack of clarity in terms of city/port duties.”

“We are not changing any duties, just restating them so the city and port will not have any confusion between each other,” she said.

Speaking at the council meeting, Ruby Ascevedo, a staff attorney with Public Advocates, criticized the resolution for lacking substance and clarity.

“There is no information on this item that could inform the public of what this MOU is actually doing, how it’s going to govern the actions taken by either the port or the city,” she said.

“I reviewed it several times. I am an attorney and cannot tell you what is in there and what the public can expect from this MOU.”

Councilmember Noel Gallo wanted to be sure that the resolution did not mean that the council was giving up its authority to make the final decision on the ballpark.

“At the end of the day, who has the final vote and say in terms of the ballpark? He asked, satisfied with the answer that it was the council and not the mayor.

“We’re all Oakland A’s fans, but I represent the best interests of the public,” Gallo said, pointing out that past deals with the Raiders and Warriors have left local taxpayers on the hooks for millions of dollars.

“This is not a rubber stamping process,” said Councilmember Lynette McElhaney. “It is important that this body send a signal that there is nothing set in stone.”

“It is fine for the mayor to be a champion,” she said, but the council process must be “deliberative (and) intentional,” weighing the impact of the project on the port and its workers, air quality for the community and transportation in the area.

Under the team’s timeline – backed by A’s fans, local businesses, developers and building trades unions – the project would break ground next year and completed in time for the 2023 season.

The A’s is also currently negotiating with the city to purchase the city’s share of the Coliseum property or become partners in a major real estate deal, turning the area in a complex of housing, offices and retail.

Opposing the deal are the International Longshore Union Local 10, East Oakland churches and local residents, who view the proposed project as leading to intensified gentrification and undermining the port as a major international shipping hub.

Another coalition, Oakland United — made up of residents, nonprofits and community groups — is willing to back the Howard Terminal ballpark if the project contains a strong community benefits agreement.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 19 – 25, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of February 19 – 25, 2025

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Activism

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Lateefah Simon to Speak at Elihu Harris Lecture Series

The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.

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U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (left) and Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) (Right).
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (left) and Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) (Right).

By Scott Horton

United States House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8) will be a speaker at the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series on Friday, Feb. 21.

The event will be held at the Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts, 10 Tenth Street in Oakland, at 7 p.m.

The popular lecture series is co-produced by the Oakland-based Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Peralta Community College District. Jeffries’ appearance marks the 32nd lecture of the Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series, which has provided thousands of individuals with accessible, free, high-quality information.

The overarching goal of the lecture series is to provide speakers from diverse backgrounds a platform to offer their answers to Dr. King’s urgent question, which is also the title of Jeffries’ latest book: “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?”

In addition to Jeffries, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) will also speak.

“Certainly, now is a time for humanity, in general, and Americans in particular to honestly and genuinely answer Dr. King’s question,” said Dr. Roy D. Wilson, Executive Director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center and Executive Producer of the lecture series.

“Dr. King teaches that time is neutral but not static. Like the water in a river, it arrives and then quickly moves on,” continued Wilson. “We must urgently create conditions for listening to many different answers to this vital question, and generate the development of unity of action among all those who struggle for a stronger democracy.”

In his book, Jeffries shares his experience of being unanimously elected by his colleagues as the first African American in history to ever hold the position of House Minority Leader.

In January 2023 in Washington, Jeffries made his first official speech as House Minority Leader. He affirmed Democratic values one letter of the alphabet at a time. His words and how he framed them as the alphabet caught the attention of Americans, and the speech was later turned into a book, The ABCs of Democracy, bringing Congressman Jeffries rousing speech to vivid, colorful life, including illustrations by Shaniya Carrington. The speech and book are inspiring and urgent as a timeless reminder of what it means to be a country with equal opportunities for all. Jeffries paints a road map for a brighter American future and warns of the perils of taking a different path.

Before his colleagues unanimously elected him Minority Leader in 2022, Jeffries previously served as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as an Impeachment Manager during the first Senate trial of the 45th President of the United States.

Jeffries was born in Brooklyn Hospital, raised in Crown Heights, grew up in the Cornerstone Baptist Church and he is a product of New York City’s public school system, graduating from Midwood High School. Jefferies went on to Binghamton University (BA), Georgetown University (master’s in public policy) and New York University (JD).

He served in the New York State Assembly from 2007 to 2012.

Admission is free for the Feb. 21 Barbara Lee and Elihu Harris Lecture Series featuring Congressman Jeffries. Please reserve seats by calling the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center at (510) 434-3988.

Signed copies of his book will be available for purchase at the event.

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Alameda County

After Years of Working Remotely, Oakland Requires All City Employees to Return to Office by April 7

City Administrator Jestin Johnson recently told city unions that he is ending Oakland’s telecommuting program. The new policy will require employees to come to work at least four days a week. These new regulations go into effect on Feb. 18 for non-union department heads, assistant and deputy directors, managers, and supervisors. All other employees must be back at work by April 7.

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Oakland City Hall. File photo.
Oakland City Hall. File photo.

By Post Staff

The City Oakland is requiring all employees to return to the office, thereby ending the telecommuting policy established during the pandemic that has left some City Hall departments understaffed.

City Administrator Jestin Johnson recently told city unions that he is ending Oakland’s telecommuting program. The new policy will require employees to come to work at least four days a week.

These new regulations go into effect on Feb. 18 for non-union department heads, assistant and deputy directors, managers, and supervisors. All other employees must be back at work by April 7.

The administration may still grant the right to work remotely on a case-by-case basis.

In his memo to city unions, Johnson said former President Joe Biden had declared an end to the pandemic in September 2022, and that since then, “We have collectively moved into newer, safer health conditions.”

Johnson said “multiple departments” already have all their staff back in the office or workplace.

The City’s COVID-era policy, enacted in September 2021, was designed to reduce the spread of the debilitating and potentially fatal virus.

Many cities and companies across the country are now ending their pandemic-related remote work policies. Locally, mayoral candidate Loren Taylor in a press conference made the policy a central issue in his campaign for mayor.

City Hall reopened for in-person meetings two years ago, and the city’s decision to end remote work occurred before Taylor’s press conference.

At an endorsement meeting last Saturday of the John George Democratic Club, mayoral candidate Barbara Lee said she agreed that city workers should return to the job.

At the same time, she said, the city should allow employees time to readjust their lives, which were disrupted by the pandemic, and should recognize individual needs, taking care to maintain staff morale.

The John George club endorsed Lee for Mayor and Charlene Wang for City Council representative for District 2. The club also voted to take no position on the sales tax measure that will be on the April 15 ballot.

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