Faith & Clergy
Pastors, Black Panther Co-Founder, Residents React to Outside Money Pouring into D-6 Council Race
![](https://www.postnewsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/rally-for-desley.-1.jpg)
A community coalition comprised of Pastors, former Black Panther Co-Founder, Bobby Seale, Civil Rights attorneys and residents held a press conference this week calling out “money in politics” in the race for Oakland’s District 6 Council seat.
The group is responding to Mayor Libby Schaaf, her big money donors and Building Trade Unions tied to powerful, luxury real estate developers, who are now pouring outside money into the race to unseat District 6 Councilmember Desley Brooks.
Brooks has been a staunch critic of Schaaf and the lack of African American workers employed at construction sites throughout the city.
The community coalition is calling upon Mayor Schaaf and her supporters to immediately cease the outside money they are pumping into the local race and maintain what they deem a “fair and clean” election, free of distortions and attacks.
Mayor Schaaf has a history of mobilizing her base of wealthy donors to target councilmembers who have opposed her policies, including Councilmembers Noel Gallo and Rebecca Kaplan in 2016.
Over one-third of the Independent expenditure aimed at unseating Schaaf’s most vocal critic, Desley Brooks, has come from wealthy donors who have contributed tens of thousands of dollars over the years to the Mayor’s campaign efforts.
Speakers at the press conference, including Black Panther Party Co-Founder Bobby Seale, highlighted what they see as coordinated retaliation against Brooks for the many, community-based positions she has taken in City Hall
Earning powerful enemies, Brooks has advocated for more inclusivity of the hiring of African-Americans in the powerful, Building and Construction Trades Unions and fought to to establish a Department of Race and Equity, which was initially opposed by the Mayor.
Arts and Culture
Oakland Architect William ‘Bill’ Coburn, 80
William (“Bill”) Pierce Coburn, longtime Oakland architect who helped Oakland and Berkeley preserve its architectural heritage, passed away on July 24. He was 80 years old.
![William “Bill” Coburn. Courtesy photo.](https://www.postnewsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/bill-coburn-featured-web.jpg)
By Michele Lamont
Special to The Post
William (“Bill”) Pierce Coburn, longtime Oakland architect who helped Oakland and Berkeley preserve its architectural heritage, passed away on July 24. He was 80 years old.
Coburn was born on May 10, 1944, in Melrose, Massachusetts, to Frank and Rachel Coburn. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Massachusetts College of Arts in 1966, and a master’s in architecture from Harvard School of Design in 1971.
In 1978, Coburn opened his own firm in Berkeley and eventually moved to West Oakland. He was passionate about the City of Oakland and found his calling in preserving Oakland’s architectural heritage. He spent many years as a professor of Architecture and Design at UC Berkeley as well as instructing at international universities in India and Hong Kong. Bill mentored many young architects from India, helping them to jump-start careers in the US.
Coburn’s process and design became a rare craft in the industry as he drafted entire home designs by hand without using any digital software. Many of his clients felt the drawings were more a work of art than just a blueprint. Many of his drawings are recorded in the UC Berkeley Architectural Archives.
Bill’s love for his community seeps through every crack in the sidewalk, where he planted flowers to beautify the land. It spans generations, where he worked as an architect to keep the historic beauty of Oakland and Berkeley alive through his dedication to restoration projects.
Bill was an integral member of the Oakland Heritage Alliance as a subject matter expert on the history of many significant historical buildings and sites.
He was an instrumental contributor to the City of Berkeley by selecting buildings to be moved and placed in the Delaware Street Historic District in West Berkeley.
Recognized by the City of Oakland for his work in the reconstruction of West Oakland after the massive, tragic destruction caused by the devastating 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, Bill volunteered countless hours of his time and skills as an architect to residents needing to rebuild their homes and their lives. He was a visionary designer contributing to the modern-day Mandela Parkway development, which is now a verdant artery of the community.
Bill’s dedication to community improvement is evident in nearly every Oakland neighborhood. Driving through the city, you will see trees he planted, houses and buildings he designed with his hands, and a community which is a little better than when he found it.
After becoming a newly graduated architect, Bill loaded his VW Minivan with his dog and a sleeping bag setting out on a journey to the West Coast. Little did he know he would find his calling in the City of Oakland where he saw the potential to build a better world.
The love he had for all of the people in his community was omnipresent, sharing all that he had to those who needed it. Bill and his wife, Subhashini (Sue), have led the First Presbyterian Church of Oakland’s Food Ministry program for over 20 years, guiding a team of 50 volunteers to deliver 15,000 meals a year to encampments, host special holiday events for the unhoused, and provide those in need with hot meals at the church each week.
He was a gracious father, husband and a very humble soft-spoken man. William Pierce Coburn passed away at 7:55 P.M. July 26 after a four-year battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Subhashini, and sons Rahul, Rajiv, and granddaughter Arjuna Rose.
A memorial service for Bill will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, 2619 Broadway, Sept. 7 at 11 a.m.
Arts and Culture
Join a Choir to Benefit the Hope Housing Community Land Trust
Come be a part of “United in Jubilation” Community Choir (UIJCC) to sing in a concert to benefit the Hope Housing Community Land Trust. The concert will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3 p.m. at the First Missionary Baptist Church, 501 Drake Ave., Marin City, CA 94965.
![Courtesy of Hope Housing of Marin.](https://www.postnewsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/hope-hosing-community-land-trust-featured-web.jpg)
By Godfrey Lee
Come be a part of “United in Jubilation” Community Choir (UIJCC) to sing in a concert to benefit the Hope Housing Community Land Trust. The concert will take place on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 3 p.m. at the First Missionary Baptist Church, 501 Drake Ave., Marin City, CA 94965.
The UIJCC Choir, directed by Kevan Peabody, will be performing Negro Spirituals. Two selections will be sung in November for FMBC host church members. Local leaders have also expressed interest in having the choir sing two selections for the MLK 2025 celebration, and possibly during Black History Month. The Choir may also be invited to perform in other venues throughout Marin County.
Please attend a meeting at the FMBC, on Monday, Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. to meet each other, sing, and get rehearsal dates. Rehearsals will be held at FMBC on Mondays at 7 p.m.
No audition or dues will be required.
For information, call (415) 949-4908 or email: hopehousingofmarin.com
Community
Mother Mary Smith Celebrates 103rd Birthday
On May 19, the New Gethsemane C.O.G.I.C Pastor Archie Lee Levias Sr. in Richmond celebrated Mother Mary Smith’s 103rd birthday.
![Mother Mary Smith](https://www.postnewsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/mother-mary-smith-featured-web.jpg)
On May 19, the New Gethsemane C.O.G.I.C Pastor Archie Lee Levias Sr. in Richmond celebrated Mother Mary Smith’s 103rd birthday. She was born in 1921 in Louisiana. Mother Mary Smith worked in many people’s homes. She was so small she had to use a stepstool to wash the dishes and cook. She was called ‘Little Sister’ because she was tiny. Mother Smith supported her community by working at her church and making soup for the soup kitchen to distribute to the needy. She is a mother of seven children, 57 grandchildren and 87 great-grandchildren. She had together all six generations at her celebration.
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