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Rebecca Kaplan Announces Run for Alameda County Board of Supervisors

Oakland City Councilmember-At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan has advanced important region-leading innovative projects, such as the civilian crisis responder program (known as MACRO), new zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell trucks to reduce dangerous air pollution, expanded bicycle, pedestrian, and transit access, improving access to COVID vaccination and support, improving equity and economic opportunity in development, and expanding solutions for homelessness, including use of hotels and housing on public land.

Published

4 years ago

February 21, 2022

Oakland Post

Rebecca has been representing all of Oakland and was unanimously chosen as Oakland’s Vice Mayor by her colleagues.

On Tuesday, Oakland City Councilmember-At-Large, Rebecca Kaplan announced her run for Alameda County Board of Supervisors District 3.

Rebecca has been representing all of Oakland and was unanimously chosen as Oakland’s Vice Mayor by her colleagues.

Prior to that, she represented the East Bay region as an elected AC Transit director, as a Board member on the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, as a housing rights attorney, and State legislative aide.

She has advanced important region-leading innovative projects, such as the civilian crisis responder program (known as MACRO), new zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell trucks to reduce dangerous air pollution, expanded bicycle, pedestrian, and transit access, improving access to COVID vaccination and support, improving equity and economic opportunity in development, and expanding solutions for homelessness, including use of hotels and housing on public land.

Kaplan looks to continue to build and expand on actions to improve community health, protect and strengthen our public hospitals, transportation connectivity, environmental justice, and expand affordable housing and cut homelessness, and grow economic opportunity for our community.

Serving on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors could provide a vital opportunity to build a healthier and more vibrant future for our community.

These experiences helped Kaplan make the decision to run for Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors District 3, which includes much of Oakland, along with Alameda, San Leandro and San Lorenzo. If elected, Rebecca Kaplan would become the first ever openly-LGBT Supervisor in Alameda County and would be the only woman now on the Board.

She would bring experience and dedication, working for environmental justice and clean air, housing for all and innovative homeless solutions, and community safety, along with her track record of effective regional leadership, coalition-building, and interagency coordination.

Kaplan also brings her education and training, including a bachelor’s degree from MIT, a master’s in Urban and Environmental Policy (Tufts University) and J.D. from Stanford Law School.

“The County governs major issues and controls substantial funding, including for social services, homelessness, public health and hospitals, and other vital community needs,” said a Kaplan. “The County also owns significant properties which could provide an opportunity to expand housing for all and other community revitalization.

“In addition, the County Supervisors get to serve on important regional boards controlling considerable resources, and impacting people’s lives, including the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC), the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), and more. I would be honored to serve the public in these important ways, and to work to build stronger communities together.”

Some of the important projects Kaplan initiated in Oakland could also be strengthened through countywide coordination and support, such as the innovative civilian responder program, known as MACRO, which provides trained civilians, in the fire department, to respond to non-violent 911 calls for service, such as mental health and related issues.

This program has been widely recognized as an important step to save money and save lives and has received tens of millions of dollars in State funding. She has helped usher forward important community revitalization, affordable housing, and jobs programs, including through the use of public lands which also could be expanded. Kaplan worked together with County, State and Federal leaders to provide large scale COVID vaccination projects and community sites, and other supports, and would be dedicated to making sure the County expands on these efforts, as well as supporting work to provide improved access to healthy food, clean air, quality jobs, and more.

For more information, please visit Rebecca Kaplan’s website at https://www.supervisorkaplan.org/

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.