City Government

Rainbow Teen Center, a “Hidden Jewel,” was built in 45 days

Published

12 years ago

July 24, 2013

The East Oakland Rainbow Teen Center is located in a beautifully renovated site that was built in 45 days at a cost to the public of only $157,000 and offers professional level training to young people who live in an area that has a reputation as one of most neglected and violent parts of the city.

The center at the corner of 58^th Avenue and International Boulevard is a unique accomplishment for the City of Oakland.

The center’s program, which only has sufficient funding to be open part time, hires instructors, who are accomplished in their fields, to train young people in state-of-the-art skills in the areas of digital audio production, digital video production, culinary arts and urban agriculture.

< p>Open for almost three years, the center offers students more than training in marketable skills. Instructors get to know the young people, jointly eat dinner with them daily at the end of class and keep in touch with them after they leave the program.

“You grow the food, you harvest it and then you prepare it and eat it together,” said Timothy Quick, instructor and coordinator of the urban agriculture program, whose expertise is especially in mini-gardens and trellises.

He works with young people to plant and maintain the garden beds outside the center. Usually, young gardeners who enter the program are mostly interested in growing flowers or fruit, he said.

Claytoven Richardson, who grew up in Sobrante Park in East Oakland, is co-director of the center and part of the music production program. An award-wining producer, he says he is excited to see young people learn the skills and then find work in the field.

“This is really incredible for me,” said Richardson, “to see them take it and use it and then begin a career with what they learn. This is an exciting opportunity to do something positive for these kids and this community.”

Andrea President, the other co-director of the program and guitar instructor, is also enthusiastic over Rainbow’s accomplishments in a short time.

“This is a hidden jewel,” she said. “It looks beautiful on the outside, and on the inside it is even prettier. People are surprised to see it on International Boulevard.

“It has a homey feel. I tell the kids who participate here that this is your home away from home.”

Elizabeth Bagot, a senior at Coliseum Prep Academy, an Oakland public school, spoke to the Post while on the way to a field trip with the program to Tilden Park in Berkeley.

Bagot, who is studying digital video production, said the Rainbow center is special to her because it gives her the tools to make her “vision a reality.”

“It has been very helpful,” she said. “You can’t work in an actual video environment anywhere else, where you can go out into the streets (to shoot video) and then edit your own films. You learn all the parts that go into making a film.”

The teachers are good, she said, “because they support you in what you’re trying to do.”

Building the Rainbow Center in 45 days at the cost of only $157,000 was the brainchild of District 6 City Councilmember Desley Brooks. She worked with the nonprofit Rebuilding Oakland Together, which provided volunteers, and the nationally known builder, Pulte Homes.

In comparison, all other council members were allocated $500,00 to build teen centers, except Larry Reid, who was building a sports center.

Besides Brooks, the only council member to build a teen center was Nancy Nadel, whose project took three years at the cost of over $3 million. That center still has not opened, though Lynette McElhaney has secured some funds for it in the new city budget.

While many allegations have been raised about Councilmember Brooks’ involvement in the building of the center, she says she worked on the project with city staff and successive City Administrators.

She said the city’s personnel department hired all the employees.

Contrary to press reports, instructors at the center said that nobody at the site worked directly with young people until after fulfilling legally required fingerprints and background checks.

The reason there were no competitive bids, Brooks said, was because city staff originally had told Pulte that it was eligible for a grant. It was only after Pulte completed the work and submitted its invoices that staff said they could not pay the company.

Ultimately, staff figured out a way to make the payment, which was approved by the full council.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

5 days ago

December 25, 2025

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Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.

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Black Arts Movement Business District Named New Cultural District in California

Located in the heart of District 3, the BAMBD is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most important centers of Black cultural production — a space where artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and cultural workers have shaped generations of local and national identity. The state’s recognition affirms the district’s historic importance and its future promise.

Published

1 week ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Carroll Fife celebrates major milestone for Black arts, culture, and economic power in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) has been selected as one of California’s 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, a distinction awarded by the California Arts Council (CAC), according to a media statement released by Councilmember Carroll Fife.

The BAMBD now joins 23 other districts across the state recognized for their deep cultural legacy, artistic excellence, and contributions to California’s creative economy.

“This designation is a testament to what Black Oakland has built — and what we continue to build when we insist on investing in our own cultural and economic power,” said Fife.

“For years, our community has fought for meaningful recognition and resources for the Black Arts Movement Business District,” she said. “This announcement validates that work and ensures that BAMBD receives the support it needs to grow, thrive, and continue shaping the cultural fabric of California.”

Since taking office, Fife has led and supported multiple initiatives that strengthened the groundwork for this achievement, including:

Restoring and protecting arts and cultural staffing within the City of Oakland.
Creating the West Oakland Community Fund to reinvest in historically excluded communities
Advancing a Black New Deal study to expand economic opportunity for Black Oakland
Ensuring racial equity impact analyses for development proposals, improving access for Black businesses and Black contractors
Introduced legislation and budget amendments that formalized, protected, and expanded the BAMBD

“These efforts weren’t abstract,” Fife said. “They were intentional, coordinated, and rooted in a belief that Black arts and Black businesses deserve deep, sustained public investment.”

As part of the Cultural District designation, BAMBD will receive:

$10,000 over two years
Dedicated technical assistance
Statewide marketing and branding support
Official designation from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030

This support will elevate the visibility of BAMBD’s artists, cultural organizations, small businesses, and legacy institutions, while helping attract new investment to the district.

“The BAMBD has always been more than a district,” Fife continued. “This recognition by the State of California gives us another tool in the fight to preserve Black culture, build Black economic power, and protect the families and institutions that make Oakland strong.”

For questions, contact Councilmember Carroll Fife at CFife@oaklandca.gov.