Alameda County

Oakland Youth May Be Able to Vote in the Upcoming November School Board Elections

Four years after passing Measure QQ, which advocated for youth voting in school board elections, Alameda County is progressing towards granting 16 and 17 year olds the opportunity to vote for their district directors in the upcoming November election.

Published

9 months ago

July 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland Youth First students and volunteers at the Oakland City Council meeting where members passed an ordinance that allows 16- and 17-year old teens to vote in the upcoming school board election. Photo courtesy of Oakland Youth First.

By Magaly Muñoz

The process for this outcome has been frustrating and somewhat slow for those who advocated for the measure. Two school board elections came and went since the measure was passed by 67% of the vote in 2020- one in 2022 and a special election in 2023- with many saying that would’ve been the perfect opportunity to test out the voting process.

At the time of the fall special election, the county Registrar of Voters (ROV) missed the deadline to introduce new voting systems, which were required in order to register the eligible teens for the election.

Sources told the Post that there had been considerable back and forth between the ROV and the city council, who needed to pass an ordinance to authorize teen voting, about when they would see tangible plans to make this happen. The ROV had allegedly not been very communicative with the city.

Now, the council has passed a first reading of the ordinance, and should everything run smoothly, eligible students could vote for one of the four school board seats in the fall.

Sam Davis, Oakland Unified District 1 director and board president, represented the students who participated in the voting initiative at the city council’s meeting. He told the Post he’s advocated for this measure since the beginning and is excited to see their years of efforts come to fruition.

“There’s been some different hoops to jump through, but it makes it all the more rewarding that this actually happened,” Davis said.

Davis explained that lowering the age to 16 and 17 will allow teens to get a sense of how the democratic process works before they get to vote in larger elections once they turn 18. He said with the current political climate, it’s important that teens know how to make informed decisions about their representatives.

Lukas Brekke-Miesner, Executive Director of Oakland Kids First (OKF), the group that assisted in pushing the 2020 measure forward, told the Post that he won’t feel real victory until everything is set in stone and students are standing in the voting line.

He said the teen voting was vital because it allows students to hold the board accountable when making decisions that directly affect them. Students have shared with him that they often have felt like their words were going through one ear and out the other when addressing the board, but this new voting changes how their voices are heard.

In 2022, Measure S for noncitizen parent voting, passed by 66% of the votes, but as of today, no word has been given on when that will see implementation in the city.

In 2016, San Francisco passed a similar measure for non-citizen school board voting but was quickly met with a lawsuit by the United States Justice Foundation and the California Public Policy Foundation, that is still ongoing. Results of that case will help determine what will happen in Oakland school board elections.

Domenichi Morris, lead organizer with OKF, said they try to involve undocumented parents’ voices as often as possible through community forums because they value the care and input parents have in their child’s lives.

With the ordinance now approved, Oakland will enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the city of Berkeley, who also passed youth voting in 2016. The MOU states that the city of Oakland and Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) will take on the primary costs of youth voting.

While costs may vary depending on how many voters are registered or by type of election, standalone or special, the November election could cost Oakland $20,672 – $22,848, based on current pre-registered voters. This number is expected to fluctuate now that youth voting is beginning its implementation in the city.

The MOU also states that Oakland and BUSD would be responsible to pay any litigation costs Alameda County might incur if sued for anything related to youth voting. The county would in turn compensate both parties due to Alameda’s negligence or willful misconduct performing its duties.

A second reading of the ordinance in order to solidify teen voting in Oakland is scheduled for July 16.

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Barbara Lee Accepts Victory With “Responsibility, Humility and Love”

“I accept your choice with a deep sense of responsibility, humility, and love. Oakland is a deeply divided City,” Lee said in an April 19 statement. “I answered the call to run to unite our community, so that I can represent every voter, and we can all work together as One Oakland to solve our most pressing problems.”

Published

6 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌,
California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

As a candidate for mayor, former U.S. Representative Barbara Lee released a “10-point plan” last week to reassure residents that she will tackle Oakland’s most pressing challenges.

Now that she has edged out her competitors in the ranked-choice special election with 50% or more of the vote, the former Congresswoman, who represented parts of the Bay Area in the U.S. House of Representatives, can put her vision in motion as the city’s first Black woman mayor.

On Saturday evening, Taylor conceded to Lee. There are still about 300 Vote-by-Mail ballots left to be verified, according to county election officials. The ballots will be processed on April 21 and April 22.

“This morning, I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor said in a statement.

“I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic, results-driven leadership.”

The influential Oakland Post endorsed Lee’s campaign, commending her leadership on the local, state, and federal levels.

Paul Cobb, The Post’s publisher, told California Black Media that Lee will bring back “respect and accountability” to the mayor’s office.

“She is going to be a collegial leader drawing on the advice of community nonprofit organizations and those who have experience in dealing with various issues,” Cobb said. “She’s going to try to do a consensus-building thing among those who know the present problems that face the city.”

Born in El Paso, Texas, Lee’s family moved to California while she was in high school. At 20 years old, Lee divorced her husband after the birth of her first child. After the split, Lee went through a tough period, becoming homeless and having to apply for public assistance to make ends meet.

But destitution did not deter the young woman.

Lee groomed herself to become an activist and advocate in Oakland and committed to standing up for the most vulnerable citizens in her community.

Lee traveled to Washington, D.C. to work for then U.S. Congressman Ron Dellums after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College in Oakland in 1973. Lee later won a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fellowship to attend the School of Social Welfare, and she earned a Master of Social Work from the University of California-Berkeley in 1975.

Lee later served in the California State Assembly and State Senate before she was elected to Congress in 1998.

After serving in the U.S. Congress for more than 25 years, Lee ran unsuccessfully for California’s U.S. Senate in the 2024 primary election.

Lee joins current Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and former San Francisco Mayor London Breed as Black women serving as chief executives of major cities in California over the last few years.

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Activism

S.F. Businesswomen Honor Trailblazers at 44th Annual Sojourner Truth Awards and Scholarship Luncheon

This year’s well-deserved award recipients were women who graciously and continuously have served and empowered the Bayview community and beyond.

Published

13 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Oakland Post

Carletta Jackson-Lane, 21st Western District governor of the National Association of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, Inc. sits with honoree Carol E. Tatum the 2025 Sojourner Truth Award recipient of the NAB&PW, Inc. Photo courtesy of Sheryl Smith.

By Rev. Dr. Rochelle Frazier
Special to The Post

On Saturday, April 19, the San Francisco Business and Professional Women’s Club (SFBPWC) held its sold-out 44th Annual Sojourner Truth Awards and Scholarship Luncheon at the Southeast Community Center at 1550 Evans Ave. in San Francisco.

The luncheon’s theme was “Moving Forward with a Purpose: From Trailblazers to Game Changers.”

This year’s well-deserved award recipients were women who graciously and continuously have served and empowered the Bayview community and beyond.

Carol Evora Tatum received the National Sojourner Truth Meritorious Service Award for her decades of leadership and dedicated community service.

Brittany Doyle, founder and CEO of WISE Health SF, was honored as the Businesswoman of the Year because of her insightful and innovative business acumen regarding community-centered health programs.

La Shon A. Walker was recognized as the Professional Woman of the Year for her community empowerment and leadership work as the vice president of Community Affairs at FivePoint.

The luncheon also provides an opportunity to present scholarships to well-deserving students. The scholarship awardees were Jayana Harbor and Zari Moore, both graduating from Immaculate Conception Academy, and London Robinson, who is graduating from Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School.

Harbor plans to attend Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland; Moore will attend Loyola University in New Orleans, and Robinson will attend Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“The 44th Annual Sojourner Truth Awards and Scholarship Luncheon is more than a celebration,” said Cheryl Smith, president of SFBPWC. “It’s a tribute to the legacy of Black women who have paved the way and made a commitment to uplifting future generations. We are proud to honor extraordinary leaders in our community and invest in the bright minds who will carry us into the future.”

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Teachers’ Union Thanks Supt. Johnson-Trammell for Service to Schools and Community

“I speak for our Oakland community and the families OEA serves in thanking Supt. Johnson-Trammell for her service. With public schools and immigrant families under attack nationally from Trump and with budget challenges affecting many California school districts, these are tough times demanding the best of what we all have to offer,” said OEA President Kampala Taiz-Rancifer in a statement released Thursday.

Published

13 hours ago

April 27, 2025

Oakland Post

OEA President Kampala Taiz-Rancifer. Courtesy photo.

The union calls for a community-involvement in search for new superintendent

By Post Staff

While pointing out that Supt. Kayla Johnson-Trammell has been planning to resign for a while, the Oakland Education Association (OEA) thanked her for years of service to the schools and called for community involvement in the search for a new superintendent.

“While we disagreed strongly on a number of issues,” said Taiz-Rancifer, “Dr. Johnson-Trammell is a daughter of Oakland and a product of our public schools. We thank her for her service and wish her the best moving forward.”

She said the schools’ community was aware that the superintendent had been planning to leave well before this week’s announcement.

“The superintendent has spoken publicly throughout the year about her planned departure. In August 2024, the previous school board approved a renewed contract raising her compensation to over $600,000 per year and allowing her to step back from daily responsibilities beginning in the 2025-2026 school year,” said Taiz-Rancifer.

She said the teachers’ union has been raising concerns about the need for stability and financial transparency in the district. “For three of the last four years, the district projected major deficits, only to end with millions in reserve.” This year, she said, the district added $90 million to central office overhead expenses.

“Just last month, a majority of school board directors took action to cap expensive consultant costs and develop alternative budget proposals that align spending with community priorities to keep funding in classrooms,” she said.

Taiz-Rancifer said the union stands behind the leadership of Board President Jennifer Brouhard and Boardmembers Valarie Bachelor, Rachel Latta, and VanCedric Williams.