Bay Area

On the Road to the Senate, Barbara Lee Celebrates Her Birthday with Sandré Swanson

With beautiful views of the skyline in the background Congresswoman Barbara Lee, U.S. Senate candidate, celebrated her birthday earlier this week at a fundraising reception hosted by Keith Uriarte and Linda Dittes in the Oakland hills.

Published

3 years ago

July 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Congresswoman and U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Lee joins Sandré Swanson, her former chief of staff in Washington and California State Senate candidate on her birthday at a fundraiser for both of their campaigns in the Oakland hills last weekend. Photo by A. Swanson.

By Post Staff

Joining Lee was her former chief of staff and California State Senate candidate, Sandré R. Swanson. Swanson said, “I am actively and enthusiastically supporting Congresswoman Lee for her historic run to represent California as our Senator in our United States Capitol.”

Lee and former Assemblymember Swanson have a very long history. As young activists, Lee and Swanson met while working on the California presidential campaign of Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm. They both worked for Congressman Ronald V. Dellums for many years serving the Bay Area communities.

Lee’s distinguished and successful legislative career included her election to the California Assembly and the California State Senate before serving in the U.S. Congress.

After serving as Lee’s chief of staff in Washington, Swanson was elected to the California Assembly. There, Swanson represented Oakland, Alameda and Piedmont and served as the celebrated chair of the Assembly Labor and Employment Committee.

Now, these lifelong friends are both running in campaigns to make a mark in history for their community. Lee is running to become the only African American woman in the U.S. Senate and would be only the third in history to accomplish that if she wins.

If elected, Swanson would become the only African American in the California State Senate from Northern California.

Both will appear on the March 5, 2024, presidential primary ballot next year. If elected, Lee would serve in Washington, D.C., and Swanson would serve in the California State Capitol in Sacramento.

More information about these historic campaigns can be found at www.barbaraleeforca.com and www.sandreswanson.net.

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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.