Bay Area

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Delivers State of the City Address Weeks Before Recall Election

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao delivered her State of the City address at a City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, laying out her administration’s accomplishments over the last year and outlining how she intends to continue the progress during the rest of her term. Thao boasted about where the city has improved in the last year since her previous city address, saying that the change is “nothing short of inspiring.”

Published

1 year ago

October 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Mayor Sheng Thao delivered her State of the City address at a City Council meeting Tuesday evening where she celebrated all her accomplishments and improvements since her last city address. Photo courtesy of the mayor’s office.

By Magaly Muñoz

Thao boasted about where the city has improved in the last year since her previous city address, saying that the change is “nothing short of inspiring.”

Her 2023 city address was filled with acknowledgments of her administration’s failures, including not securing funding for retail crime prevention, loss of businesses, risk to public welfare and much more, but this year’s speech focused on her accomplishments.

There was also no mention of the recall she is facing in a few short weeks or the FBI raid on her home in June.

Thao dedicated the majority of her 2023 speech talking about her priority on public safety. She had fired the former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong eight months prior. She then became the face of the rising crime the city was struggling to manage.

But at her speech Tuesday night, she celebrated the hiring of current chief Floyd Mitchell, who joined the department this spring, and the reinvestment into the Ceasefire program to prevent violent crimes.

“I can tell you today that crime is down,” Thao said.

Homicides in particular are down nearly 30% from 2023. One hundred and twenty people were killed last year, but OPD data shows that there have only been 66 homicides to date.

Robberies and burglaries are also seeing a significant decrease by 24% and 54% respectively this year. In 2023, robberies were up 38% and burglaries up by 23%, a statistic that many did not let Thao forget.

Now, Thao said that business owners are seeing fewer break-ins and “less broken glass on the streets.”

The mayor also mentioned the substantial investments into public safety technology, such as the 290 Flock cameras installed all around the city to catch offenders. According to the Flock Safety portal, there have been over 55,000 hits to date for wanted vehicles.

Thao announced that the city is working with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission, and the Police Commission to facilitate a “first-responder droning program” that will allow for faster response time for Priority One calls. The drones would send live feed information to first responders to assist in their aid.

The mayor also mentioned the efforts to clean up the streets by clearing 250 homeless encampments, cleaning illegal dumping and parked vehicles, and adding new infrastructure to keep streets safe for everyone.

Aside from public safety, Thao celebrated the recent sale of the Oakland Coliseum, which is set to bring in $125 million for the city, $110 million available in this fiscal year.

But this deal is anything but smooth sailing. In recent weeks, questions have risen about the legitimacy of the sale and whether the funds will come in on time so that the city does not have to cut funding to essential public safety departments. The mayor’s team and the buyers have assured the public that all payments will be made when promised and no cuts will be made.

Acknowledgements to the various sports investments did not stop at the Coliseum. The Oakland Ballers moving into Raimondi Park and the Oakland Roots playing at the stadium next season were also points of economic progress for Thao.

The Bay Area will also be home to a new WNBA team, the Valkyries, and will see events from NBA All Stars to the 2026 Super Bowl, and the Men’s Fifa World Cup in the next few years. Thao said she will make sure that Oakland is involved in these key events in order to secure revenue from visiting tourists.

“Our challenges are great, but our people are greater,” Thao said.

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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

4 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

2 weeks 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.