Bay Area

Sandré Swanson Runs for State Senate, “Putting Kids and Families First”

Veteran progressive leader Sandré Swanson, who is running for office to “put kids and families first,” spoke at a fundraiser over Labor Day weekend emphasizing his commitment to serving Oakland and the East Bay as his campaign gathers endorsements and supporters for the November 2024 race for the State Senate, 7th District.

Published

2 years ago

October 11, 2023

Oakland Post

Sandré Swanson is a former state assemblymember. File photo.

By Ken Epstein

The current issues facing local communities are clearly visible all around us, Swanson said: the unhoused who struggle to survive, the piled waste and neglect on city streets, empty storefronts in commercial districts, people who tell him they are “afraid to go out at night,” and the frequent news reports of older residents who are knocked down and robbed.

“I’m running to address these issues,” he said. “I have the experience, and I am qualified, and I can make a difference – to solve the homeless problem and eliminate this crime wave.”

Already, his campaign has been endorsed by the California School Employees Association, the State Treasurer Fiona Ma, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

As a former member of the state Assembly, Swanson has left an impressive legacy. He played a major role in bringing back local control to the Oakland Unified School District after six years under state receivership that had disempowered the Board of Education and disenfranchised voters.

He also led the effort in the State Legislature to jail human traffickers and decriminalize their young victims.

He said, “I went to the police department and said, ‘you guys are arresting 12-year-olds and 14-year-olds, and you treat them like criminals.’ They said, ‘what choice do we have? We need a law.’ We wrote a law, so they have a diversion program, and the children are not treated like criminals but victims.”

Besides serving in the Assembly, Swanson worked for five years as Chief of Staff for Congresswoman Barbara Lee after serving as legislative aide, district director and senior policy advisor for 25 years for Ron Dellums, a human rights leader and the first African American man in Northern California to be elected to Congress.

Swanson also chaired the Alameda County Retirement Board protecting seniors’ pensions and was chair of the Oakland Civil Service Commission, making sure people got a fair break on public jobs.

Swanson began his career as a young activist, meeting and working with Lee during Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s Democratic presidential campaign in California in 1972, and he chaired Lionel Wilson’s successful campaign for Oakland mayor in 1977.

He said he is a strong candidate because he has a considerable base of support in the East Bay district because, while he was in office, he helped retirees receive their Social Security and worked to help homeowners who were in danger of losing their homes because of predatory loans. “My legislative office saved hundreds of homes,” he said.

Swanson pointed out that currently there are no African Americans representing Northern California in the State Senate.

Swanson said one of his most exciting memories was coordinating Nelson Mandela’s historic visit to Oakland in 1990. Swanson organized the celebration that brought 60,000 people to the Oakland Coliseum to hear Mandela speak following his release from prison South Africa.

Swanson and his wife have four adult children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

For more information about Swanson and his campaign, go to www.sandreswanson.net

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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.