Uncategorized

A Look Inside Alameda County Juvenile Hall

Published

10 years ago

April 2, 2016

When I walked inside the Alameda County Juvenile Hall, I was shocked.

I had spent time in juvenile hall as a teen in Los Angeles nearly 35 years ago. The metal and concrete structure of the inside of the building looked very similar to prison.

My immediate thought was fear for the youth who live there. Not fear for their immediate safety but fear for their future. Many of the youth are either fighting criminal cases or wrestling with the inability to cope with trauma in their lives.

And I just happen to know a little bit about both of these subjects. I also know what it’s like to be locked away from family and friends in need of someone to show they care.

In March of 2015, Marin County Supervisor Kate Sears, who made it possible for me to meet Alameda County Chief Probation Officer LaDonna Harris.

This is important to this story because I had only been home from prison for five months, and here were people in powerful positions seeing value in my experience, transformation, and willingness to contribute.

Instead of considering me a felon, ex con, or some kind of potential threat they embraced me with open arms.

Chief Harris eventually asked me to sit on her Board of Advisors and then invited me into juvenile hall.

One of her request was: “Tell me what we can do to improve.”

In juvenile hall I talked to Deputy Chief Probation Officer Ian Long and Assistant Superintendent Brian Hopson. They took me on a tour of facility.

I was informed about how children are processed into the facility how they are processed in court and reasons why they are committed into juvenile hall.

We also discussed how children are treated while they are there.

Needless to say, I do not like the thought of locking children up behind bars. So, I am looking at this institution with a very critical eye.

I know they didn’t put the kids there, but I was looking at how they are being treated while there.

I have spent over 25 years in juvenile and adult corrections facilities, so I know the game. My experience taught me that when an outside observer shows up, institutional staff are on their best behavior.

When we went to the housing units, there were children out playing Xbox, studying in a classroom and participating in a group in every module we walked into.

Fruit was laid out for them to eat at their request. And then what I saw next actually gave me hope.

As we were headed out, a child was walking down the corridor. He walked up to Mr. Hopson and gave him the bro-hug. He embraced Mr. Long and myself and then began to inform Mr. Hopson about a circumstance that was challenging for him but expressed how determined he was to deal with it in a positive way.

These are the things you can’t fake. This child felt comfortable sharing his challenges and discussing his emotions. This is something he said he could not do prior to participating in programs at juvenile hall.

My take away of the day was that too often the community blames the people in charge of taking care of our youth while in their custody, and we fail to look upstream to figure out ways of preventing them from entering these facilities in the first place.

What I found at Alameda County Juvenile Hall are decent people who care. My opinion is not based on one tour of juvenile hall.

I have been there a dozen times. My appreciation is based on spending the past year interacting with Chief Harris, numerous members of her staff, independent youth program providers, as well as the youth themselves.

I want to thank Chief LaDonna Harris and the staff I have gotten to know. Thank you for showing you care.

Post Columnist Troy Williams was released from San Quentin last year for model behavior. He spent 18 years is prison.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

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

Posts by Oakland Post

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

Posts by Oakland Post

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.