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Rance Allen to Headline Charles Reid Gospel Festival

Published

13 years ago

February 1, 2013

Oakland Post

Rance Allen Group: Rance, Steve and Tom.

By Lee
Hildebrand

Ever since he began touring the Midwest at age 5 as “Little Rance Allen, the Boy Preacher,” the Monroe, Michigan-born vocalist has kept quite busy.
Today, at age 64 and no longer “little,” the hefty musician is more active than ever – recording and performing with his brothers Steve and Tom in the Rance Allen Group, serving as pastor of the 200-member New Bethel Church of God in Christ in Toledo, Ohio, and, for the past 14 months, presiding as the bishop of 15 churches in Michigan and Ohio.
The Allen brothers and their six-piece band will headline a concert, billed as the second annual Charles Reid Gospel Festival, on Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Richmond Memorial Auditorium, 403 Civic Center Plaza in Richmond. Also appearing on the 6 p.m. program will be the Mighty Clouds of Joy, African-American gospel music’s preeminent quartet. Tickets are available at Reid’s Records in Berkeley.
The Rance Allen Group’s portion of the concert will be recorded by Tyscot Records. Produced by Chris Byrd — the group’s longtime keyboardist and musical director and a gospel recording artist in his own right – it will be the group’s third live CD for the Indianapolis company.
Bishop Allen will fly back to Toledo immediately after the concert in order to make it to Sunday service. He may not, however, preach the sermon himself.
“I will probably have my assistant ready to go for Sunday morning in case I’m tired,” Bishop Allen says by phone from Toledo. “I have a very capable staff. First of all, my wife is an evangelist. She’s very capable of bringing the message. And I have an assistant pastor who’s also very capable. Between the two of them, I won’t have to worry.”
Along with Andrae Crouch and Edwin Hawkins, Bishop Allen was a pioneer of the progressive gospel movement of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. While recording for the Gospel Truth label, a division of Stax Records in Memphis, he and his brothers revamped secular hits such as the Temptations’ “Just My Imagination” and Archie Bell and the Drells’ “There’s Gonna Be a Showdown” by changing the lyrics to reflect their Christian beliefs. Their current Tyscot CD, “Amazing Grace,” includes a version of the Impressions’ “People Get Ready,” but there was no need to alter Curtis Mayfield’s gospel-inspired song.
Bishop Allen played guitar on that track and keyboards on other selections from the disc, but he doesn’t play either instrument at concerts. And Steve and Tom also no longer play bass and drums, respectively, as they once did, but instead supply backup vocals and choreographed steps for their remarkably limber brother.
“These young musicians today are playing like never before,” Bishop Allen says. “It was such a relief to be able to sing a song and not have to worry about playing at the same time.”
“I do what I do,” he adds, “because I feel like I’ve been called upon by God to do it.”

Oakland Post

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Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

6 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

10 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

11 months ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.