Bay Area

Proposed Office Tower Is ‘Direct Threat’ to Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Community Leaders Say

Supporters of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a revered downtown entertainment venue, and its owner, highly respected Oakland leader and community advocate Geoffrey Pete, want to block city approval for a 27-story office tower adjacent to Geoffrey’s and in the midst of Oakland’s Black Arts Movement and Business District (BAM). Protesters came out in force at a recent Planning Commission meeting, taking the members to task for considering the proposal by out-of-town developer Tidewater Capital.

Published

2 years ago

April 19, 2023

Oakland Post

Renderings of 1431 Franklin St. office building in downtown Oakland. The building will dwarf Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, the lowest building seen above. Courtesy of Tidewater Capital.

By Ken Epstein

Protesters came out in force at a recent Planning Commission meeting, taking the members to task for considering the proposal by out-of-town developer Tidewater Capital.

Some of the issues at stake were laid out at the meeting by Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, one of 26 speakers at the April 5 public hearing.

“The development (Tidewater) is proposing a direct threat to Geoffrey’s Inner Circle. The Black Arts Movement and Business District needs parking, galleries, a coffee shop, signage to commemorate Black Oaklanders – it needs all those things,” Miley said.

“Geoffrey’s used to be the Athenian Niles Club, where the Republican white male establishment would meet. African Americans were excluded, there was racial bias,” Miley continued. “Eventually Geoffrey purchased that place. Geoffrey’s means a lot to us who live in Oakland and have been here for a long, long time. It’s symbolic.”

Tidewater Capital has submitted two alternate development proposals – one for an office tower and another for a residential tower– to the Planning Commission to build on the parking lot at 1431 Franklin St., directly behind Geoffrey’s at 410 14^th St.

The proposed 39-story residential building was approved by the Planning Commission in February and but was held up awaiting an appeal hearing at City Council. The other proposal for the 27-story office tower was heard by commissioners on April 5, but the final decision was postponed until May 17.

During discussion, planning commissioners acknowledged they went through the entire design review process for the building without knowing that the BAM district existed. The district was created in 2016 by City Council resolution but never implemented by city staff.

Oakland filmmaker Cheryl Fabio told commissioners she made a documentary on local blues music venues. “(Geoffrey’s) is the only surviving establishment. You’re killing off the last piece of it,” she said.

“There is a conversation here about the good of Oakland, and there’s a conversation that you’re putting a man out of business.”

Kitty Epstein, professor of urban studies and education and a 30-year Oakland resident, said, “This entire proposal and discussion by the Planning Commission is so full of racism that it’s embarrassing to me as a white person to watch this happen in this city.”

Citing racial bias in this case, Epstein pointed to the composition of the Planning Commission, which is not diverse; adding that only 9% of construction work in Oakland goes to African Americans; and that the “entire process has completely ignored that there’s a Black Arts district in that area. So unimportant was it to you and the Planning Department that you didn’t even bother to notice it until a month ago. And you have not put it into your plans yet.”

Mr. Pete asked the commission to postpone its decision. “We request a continuance of this meeting due to the pending appeal on the previous residential (development) approval for this site. (I) should not be penalized by having to file a second appeal on the very same grounds, while the first appeal is pending.”

Further, he said, “The Planning Commission erroneously approved a residential project despite admittedly conducting an improper review process. They ignored their own procedures with respect to review of projects within the BAM cultural district.”

He added, “The commission should not approve any other projects within the (BAM) district until they officially map BAM’s boundaries.”

Pete said the proposed skyscraper would throw his building into shadow, threaten the fire escape behind his building, and remove the parking lot his business needs for customers. In addition, he said, the vibrations from the construction of the project could jeopardize physical stability of his building.

In his remarks, construction director of Tidewater Capital, emphasized that his 10-year-old Bay Area company, which also owns and manages Eastmont Town Center in East Oakland, has conducted extensive community engagement.

“(We) try to take a “hands-on, collaborative approach to create spaces that preserve the character of the neighborhood while boosting economic activity and generating benefits for all stakeholders,” he said.

In their discussion, planning commissioners voted to postpone the decision on the project to give Mr. Pete time to reach an agreement with Tidewater. However, they expressed little interest in considering speakers’ suggestions to reject the project or postpone a decision until the city’s BAM district in downtown Oakland was implemented and funded.

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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

3 hours 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.

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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

7 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

7 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.