Bay Area

Opinion: April 10 is Property Tax Day

Published

6 years ago

April 9, 2020

Greg McConnell

Greg McConnell

As the Coronavirus pandemic grinds on, state and local jurisdictions have enacted legislation aimed at softening the economic blow to workers, renters, and families. Measures include shoring up pay for workers, eviction moratoriums, limitations on rent increases, debt reduction, deferment or elimination, and more. Given the harsh economic consequences brought on by COVID-19, we believe these measures are necessary and appropriate.

However, while some relief is provided to tenants and small businesses, there is a group that suffers without significant help from their county governments. Homeowners, and small and large businesses have made major concessions, and in the process have incurred substantial losses, yet they get very little relief from the government when it comes to taxes.

At a recent meeting called to discuss rent limitations and eviction moratoriums, I asked a city council member, “we support protections for tenants, but can you ask the county to delay property taxes while the rent limitations are in effect?” The response was predictable. “No, we cannot delay taxes,” said the Council Member. “We need that money so the city can operate.” I responded, “everyone needs money so they can operate. How can the city ask everyone else to sacrifice, but refuse to make sacrifices itself?”

I would call this cavalier attitude shocking, but it is what I have come to expect from local government. Our leaders talk in great passionate language about everyone else sacrificing, but they do not. Former Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, called me the other night and asked, “if everyone else is suffering, why don’t our elected officials agree to donate half their salaries to COVID-19 relief programs? They should help the laid-off restaurant workers, help the nurses and other low to mid-income workers,” he said. Half their salaries won’t go too far, but why not share the misery as examples of leadership?

Back to taxes. Most of the counties have declined to delay taxes. They hide behind the excuse that only the state can delay Tax Day. However, San Francisco, under the steady leadership of Mayor London Breed, has ruled that the county is closed and therefore taxpayers need not pay property taxes until May 3. Why cannot Alameda, Contra Costa and other jurisdictions follow San Francisco’s leadership and creatively find ways to delay Tax Day.

If it is true that the state has the ultimate authority, why are not the Governor and our legislature passing laws and regulations to delay Tax Day? While counties could delay taxes under the closure rationale until May, the state could use the time to pass laws to delay Tax Day.

Recently, the California Judicial Council issued an emergency rule that prevents residential evictions, no matter the reason, for 90 days after the state-of-emergency has been lifted. If 90 days is good reprieve time for tenants, then give taxpayers 90 days delay on their taxes.

Requiring tax payments while tenants and small businesses are not paying rent is especially problematic for small property owners who have little, or no, cash reserves, and even for larger property owners that may exhaust their reserves during the pandemic. We are greatly concerned that these people may be forced out of business, with the result that even when the virus has dissipated, there will be significantly fewer places for people to work and live.

To his credit, Alameda County Treasurer-Tax Collector, Henry Levy has indicated a preference to liberally apply relief from late fees and interest for Alameda County residents who cannot pay their taxes on April 10. But that is not good enough, we need clear rules that say that taxes are not due.

If everyone else must tighten their belts, so too must cities, counties and the state. April 10 should not be Tax Day!

Greg McConnell is the President and CEO ofThe McConnell Group.

Greg McConnell

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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

1 week 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.