Bay Area

Recognizing Peralta Colleges as Black-Serving Institutions: A Call to Action for SB 1348

As Chancellor of the Peralta Community College District, I am excited to endorse California Senate Bill SB 1348, which proposes a state-level designation for Black-Serving Institutions of Higher Education. This bill is a critical step toward recognizing and supporting the significant role that institutions like ours play in serving Black students and fostering their success.

Published

9 months ago

September 12, 2024

Oakland Post

Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson

Our incredibly diverse district in the East Bay includes Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College. Over 30% of our students identify as Latinx, and all four colleges are either designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) or are on the path to that designation. 20.8% identify as Asian American or Pacific Islander, again with our colleges designated as Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) or on that path. The HSI and AANAPISI designations and resulting grants allow our colleges to support these historically marginalized communities with programs tailored specifically for these student cohorts.

Frustratingly, there is no such designation for Black-Serving Institutions. And there should be. Research shows Black students face unique challenges in their educational journey. They are more likely to delay attending college after high school, more likely to attend college part-time, less likely to earn a degree, and more likely to take on a more significant amount of student debt than other student groups. Collectively, 19.1% of students at the Peralta Colleges identify as Black, surpassing the 10% enrollment threshold required by SB 1348. This statistic is not just a number; it reflects our ongoing need for creating and sustaining educational environments where Black students can excel.

Merritt College, in particular, holds a significant place in this narrative. It was here, nearly 60 years ago, that the Black Panther Party was founded, a pivotal moment in the history of social justice and equity movements. Our commitment to these values continues to be a cornerstone of our mission. Our specialized programs, such as Umoja and Sankofa, are a testament to this commitment. They are designed to provide tailored resources and a nurturing academic environment for Black students, echoing the spirit of the Black Panther Party’s founding.

SB 1348 is more than a legislative measure; it acknowledges the vital contributions of institutions that serve Black students with excellence. By recognizing the Peralta Colleges as Black-Serving Institutions, we can better align state resources with our efforts to support and uplift our students. This designation will validate our colleges’ hard work and enhance our ability to provide targeted support and opportunities. Our community has a rich history from the founding of the Black Panther Party to the appointment of California’s first Black chancellor in a multi-college district (Dr. Donald Godbold, hired in 1980). However, there is more work to be done to fulfill our mission of advancing social and economic transformation for Black students in the Bay Area. We encourage policymakers and stakeholders to take an active role in supporting SB 1348. This bill is not just a legislative measure; it’s a beacon of hope. It is an opportunity for each of us to reaffirm our commitment to Black excellence and equity in education and to ensure that institutions like Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College continue to flourish and support the Black students who are integral to our communities and our future.

Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson

Chancellor, Peralta Community College District

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

Published

4 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.

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Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.