Bay Area

Parents and Youth Host Candidate Forum for District 5 OUSD Board Representative

Oakland families gathered at Lazear Charter Academy last Thursday night to meet the candidates running to represent District 5 on the Oakland Unified School District’s school board. The seat became vacant in March when board president Mike Hutchinson transitioned to represent District 4 after previously serving as a D5 representative. Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez and Jorge Lerma were announced as the final candidates for the position in August.

Published

2 years ago

October 11, 2023

Magaly Muñoz

The candidates will continue to campaign for the vacant school board seat until the special election on Nov. 7. All Oakland District 5 voters will be sent ballots to cast their votes by mail.

Stephisha Ycoy-Walton, a parent leader with Families In Action speaks as District 5 School Board candidate Jorge Lerma stands nearby. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz

Post Staff

Oakland families gathered at Lazear Charter Academy last Thursday night to meet the candidates running to represent District 5 on the Oakland Unified School District’s school board.

The seat became vacant in March when board president Mike Hutchinson transitioned to represent District 4 after previously serving as a D5 representative. Sasha Ritzie-Hernandez and Jorge Lerma were announced as the final candidates for the position in August.

The forum, at 824 29^th Ave., was sponsored by Families in Action, an organization that supports parents and students in their fight for quality education in Oakland.

The event was well-attended, with every seat in the room filled to hear what each candidate had to say about issues concerning the parents and teachers. However, Lerma was the only candidate present at the forum, leading to disappointment among some organizers about Ritzie-Hernandez’s absence.

“When someone who is running doesn’t have time for the people in the community, it’s very disappointing, it’s like putting our children last versus putting them first,” stated Tunisia Harris, a mother with several family members in D5 schools and a parent leader with Families in Action.

In a follow-up with The Oakland Post, Ritzie-Hernandez explained that her home had been vandalized during the week and she was dealing with the post-traumatic effects of the incident. Despite not being in the best mindset to attend the forum, she mentioned that she had talked to many of the families and organizers and was open to continuing the dialogue.

In lieu of being there in person, Ritzie-Hernandez opted to audio record her responses to the questions, which covered a range of topics from safety to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on education.

When asked about test scores affected by the pandemic, Ritzie-Hernandez said the low scores for kids in Oakland comes from systemic racism and the often limited resources that are available to students of color. She said more attention needs to be put into culturally competent teachings.

Lerma, conversely, stressed that teachings should reflect “the real world.” He argued against blaming the children who are often labeled “defiant or hard to teach” and advocated for providing them with an environment that allows them to grow.

“We always make it seem that kids that are of color or immigrants, are broken. Let’s change that narrative,” Lerma said.

Both candidates shared similar viewpoints in almost all the categories of questions, except for one: charter schools.

Charter schools have been a contentious issue in Oakland for years, as many say that they take away attendance and, consequently, funding from the schools under OUSD.

Ritzie-Hernandez said in her follow-up interview with The Post that while she doesn’t oppose charters in the district, she is against their expansion because it becomes harder to regulate what each individual school is teaching if they aren’t under the district.

“My goal, if I become a board member, is to ensure that we create a robust public education system here in Oakland,” Ritzie-Hernandez said.

In a follow-up conversation, Lerma stated that charters are neither bad nor good, they’re simply options available to parents for their child’s education.

He suggested that instead of framing the conversation on charters as bad vs. good, OUSD should focus on improving schools that are failing to keep kids in the classroom and provide them ample resources to achieve.

“It’s not the charters that are the biggest threat to [OUSD] — it’s failing schools because failing schools then add to truancy,” Lerma said. “The kids start thinking, ‘well, there’s nothing there for me.’ It’s the same old thing. Education is like a mass production assembly line, one size fits all, and that’s exactly what I’m fighting against.”

The candidates will continue to campaign for the vacant school board seat until the special election on Nov. 7. All Oakland District 5 voters will be sent ballots to cast their votes by mail.

Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper.

Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities.

The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper. Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities. The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Activism

Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless College Students Sleeping in Cars

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), is the author of AB 90, which would require community colleges and California State University campuses to create overnight parking programs where students can sleep safely in their vehicles. With one in four community college students in California experiencing homelessness in the past year, Jackson says the state must act urgently.

Published

1 hour ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Corey Jackson. File photo.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

As California’s housing crisis continues to impact students, new legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 90, promises to allow college students without stable housing to sleep in their cars on campus, offering a stark but practical solution aimed at immediate relief.

“This just deals with the harsh realities that we find ourselves in,” he said at a recent hearing.

The bill passed its first committee vote and is gaining attention as housing affordability remains a top concern across the state. California rents are more than 30% above the national average, and long waitlists for student housing have left thousands in limbo. CSU reported more than 4,000 students on its housing waitlist last year.

Supporters stress that the bill is not a long-term solution, but a humane step toward helping students who have no other place to go. A successful pilot program at Long Beach City College has already shown that safe, supervised overnight parking can work, giving students access to restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a secure environment.

However, the CSU and community college systems oppose the bill, citing funding concerns. Critics also worry about safety and oversight. But Jackson and student advocates argue the crisis demands bold action.

“If we know students are already sleeping in their cars, why not help them do it safely?” said Ivan Hernandez, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

Published

5 hours ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

Oakland Post

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Activism

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

5 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.