City Government
OP-ED: Oakland billboards–five on the way, more to come?
By Sierra Club Yodeler
How many huge, bright LED-illuminated electronic billboards does Oakland need (see February Yodeler, page 8)?
Currently, three billboards stand close to the Bay Bridge, west of the toll plaza, and five more are planned on the Oakland Army Base property (all along the I-80 corridor). The light pollution affects residents, drivers and wildlife.
We understand Oakland’s need for revenue, and the temptation of the offers of the billboard companys. The process of gathering input for the reuse plan for the Oakland Army Base was long and complicated, involving community stakeholders (primarily social-justice advocates and organized labor) and developers. The five approved billboards were sold to the public as a funding mechanism for youth job training.
The billboards are on a 66-year lease to Foster Media, with little oversight over revenue streams and income. Some of the advertising revenues will go to Prologis, the development corporation headed by Phil Tagami, who then is expected to allocate a certain amount each year to the job training center.
Unfortunately, the environmental community did not participate in the process. While we all agree on the importance of youth job training, we do not believe that billboards are the way to fund it. It is too late to pursue a legal challenge at the city level against the already-approved billboards, even though there is an Oakland ordinance which bans freeway billboards and Caltrans has oversight.
We are now working to prevent any more billboards from being approved by the City Planning and Zoning Department (and the City Council). Scenic East Bay, a loose coalition of local activists, is trying to organize public opposition, to let the City Council know that selling billboards is not the way for Oakland to pay for needed public services.
We have heard that 7 to 14 additional billboards are in the works, though we don’t have official confirmation or details. The Sierra Club has written a letter opposing billboards near the proposed new park at the Bay Bridge Toll Plaza, and will continue to advocate against light-polluting billboards that are harmful to wildlife and pedestrians.
What You Can Do
For more information see www.makeoaklandbeautiful.org. In particular, sign the petition there to let your elected leaders know that you oppose light-polluting billboards as a way to pay for needed public services.
Kent Lewandowski, Executive Committee, Sierra Club Northern Alameda County Group
This article is republished from the Yodeler, the newspaper of the Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter.
**Cross posting from Oakland Local**
Editor’s Note: This piece reflects an individual opinion and is not a reported story from the Oakland Post or Oakland Local. Both news sites invites community residents to share their views about events and issues in Oakland.
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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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