Activism

OPINION: LA’s Fires, Trump’s Felonies, and our Nation’s Burning Divide

Race and class are part of the climate change tragedy. But here’s the thing about fire and smoke: They don’t discriminate. The Santa Ana winds, clocking in at times at speeds in excess of 80 mph, have turned all of L.A. into a powder keg, where one spark can ignite unimaginable chaos.

Published

1 year ago

January 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock photo.

By Emil Guillermo

The inauguration of Donald J. Trump, convicted felon, takes place on Jan. 20. He’s promised to not to be a dictator “except for Day One.” Don’t let that mar your MLK Day.

I will be thinking about Dr. King, but also Rodney Nickerson, the first person reported dead last week in Altadena. More names will come out as the fire’s death toll rises.

It’s already tested our descriptive powers. Let’s stop using words like “apocalypse” or “war zone” or say the scene looks “like a bomb hit L.A.”

Call it what it is. The fires were a disaster borne of climate change.

The unimaginable devastation forces us all to confront what can no longer be denied.

Climate change is real, and the catastrophe is personal, claiming the lives of people like the 82-year-old Nickerson, who moved to Altadena in the L.A. area, when it was the only place in that area where Blacks and others could buy a home.

His daughter found him in his bed last week. He died holding a garden hose.

Watching from afar, I’ve been transfixed by the crisis in LA. As a San Francisco native, I’m supposed to have a bit of smug superiority when it comes to Southern California. But not this week.

Instead, I’ve found myself filled with love and empathy for L.A. I even found myself thinking: Take our Northern California water, L.A. For now. You need it more than we do.

These fires are an unnatural tragedy that’s not supposed to happen in winter. Last year, L.A. faced mudslides and floods. This winter, LA has seen a paltry 0.02 inches of rain, compared to an average of 3.46 inches.

Combine that with intense, unrelenting winds and dry conditions, and California now has a year-round fire season fueled by climate change.

Hotter summers, drier winters, and decades of poor decisions around land use and water management have turned the Golden State into a tinderbox. It’s also a preview of what’s coming for the rest of America as global temperatures rise and devastating extreme weather events become routine.

For a country where ‘wokeness’ has become a dirty word. Pay attention to all the fires — the ones in L.A. and the ones set by Trump.

Let’s continue to stand together for the America of our dreams and reassured by Dr. King’s belief: that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is an award-winning journalist, commentator, and storyteller. He hosts “Emil Amok’s Takeout” on YouTube and on patreon.com.

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Activism

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.