Bay Area

Oakland Parents Join Statewide Coalition to Protest State-Imposed School Closings

NNPA NEWSWIRE — The Oakland Unified School District has remained under FCMAT’s domination since the state took over in 2003. Already, under FCMAT’s leadership, more than 30 Oakland schools have been closed. Now, in the 2021-2023 school years, 13 additional Oakland schools have either been closed or are expected to close at the end of this school year.

Published

3 years ago

September 25, 2022

Oakland Post

Protesters from Oakland and the Inglewood school district in Southern California protest against school closings and budget cuts Wednesday, Sept. 21 at the annual meeting of the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) in Los Angeles County. They were demanding that FCMAT and their respective county offices of education relinquish control of their districts.

Protesters shut down meeting of Gov. Newsom’s state-funded nonprofit agency

By Ken Epstein

Parent Voices Oakland and other Oakland community groups this week joined with parents and community leaders from Inglewood in Southern California to demand an end to state-imposed school closings and decades of budget cutbacks at the annual board meeting of the state-financed nonprofit, Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT).

At the meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 21, held at the Los Angeles County Office of Education in Downey, the community coalition demanded “that FCMAT change its racist policy course or, if they refuse, (we) demand that Governor Newsom hold this state agency accountable for their decades of racist public school closures and colonization of Black and Brown communities,” according to a press statement that was released prior to the protest.

The protesters shut down the meeting. They scheduled a meeting with FCMAT’s Chief Executive Officer Michael Fine.

The coalition is “demanding that the Governor recognize progress and new funding wins and that he holds this state agency accountable for their decades of racist public-school closures that continue to disproportionately impact schools and communities of color.”

Specific parent demands are:

FCMAT reimburse local districts for costs incurred during state takeovers of school districts including Oakland and Inglewood, among others;
Newsom should create stable funding for majority student-of-color districts in his next budget;
Newsom and state education leaders commit to a multi-year approach to early and K-12 education to guarantee stability to the state’s classrooms;
Restore local sovereignty to districts of color currently under FCMAT’s domination.

According to the parent coalition, up to now, FCMAT has received minimal public attention, and as a result, has not been held accountable for targeting working-class districts of color in California for decades with state takeover and receiverships.

Reporting directly to the governor, FCMAT has forced districts into debt, utilizing audits to require unnecessary loans, exorbitant fees, and unachievable financial outcomes, according to the coalition press statement.

The Oakland Unified School District has remained under FCMAT’s domination since the state took over in 2003. Already, under FCMAT’s leadership, more than 30 Oakland schools have been closed. Now, in the 2021-2023 school years, 13 additional Oakland schools have either been closed or are expected to close at the end of this school year.

The state has forced Oakland and Inglewood, majority Black and Brown school districts, to take loans far more than what the community needed, wanted, or agreed to, and then has given authority to FCMAT to exercise complete control over these districts because of debts the district did not create, the press statement said.

FCMAT often requires school districts to close schools even when these actions do not save funds and overrules attempts by these districts, and parents to find alternatives to save funds apart from closing schools, the press statement said.

In a September 21 letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, coalition members wrote:

“Beyond Oakland and Inglewood, a much longer list of school, early education and community college districts, almost entirely majority Black and Brown districts, have been under the thumb of FCMAT for decades, forced into austerity measures by an entirely unaccountable entity led by an overwhelmingly white leadership team (comprised of 22 people that include 20 white and 2 Latinx individuals). FCMAT itself says there are a ‘historic’ number of districts on its list this year – all majority Black and Brown districts. FCMAT does not exert this level of control over any white majority school districts in California.”

Among the signers of the letter were Inglewood parents and community leaders, including members of Inglewood Rising and Law 4 Black Lives Inglewood, as well as representatives from Oakland, including Zach Norris of Oakland Not For Sale, Dr. Frankie Free Ramos of Oakland Progressive Alliance and Dr. Kitty Kelly Epstein, an Oakland education professor.

At press time, FCMAT has not responded to a request for comment from the Oakland Post.

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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.