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Schaaf Seeks to Start $500 Million in Construction to Back Howard Terminal Real Estate Deal

How this spending was prioritized remains unclear, since community input was promised but bypassed. The name itself is somewhat misleading. The word “TOWN” in Town for All” stands for “Transforming Oakland’s Waterfront Neighborhoods,” but City staff makes no mention of it in its reports of Howard Terminal or the stadium.

Published

3 years ago

February 28, 2022

Oakland Post

City illustration of where the $450 million in Town for All construction would be spent.

‘The federal and state money they are using are tax dollars, and that money should be spent on our neighborhoods,’ says Councilmember Noel Gallo

By Ken Epstein

Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration is seeking to create a nearly $450 million fund, called “TOWN for All,” to pour public resources into upgrading areas around the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal, transforming what is now an industrial landscape into one that would be suitable and safe for affluent residents, retail customers and baseball fans who are expected to come to billionaire John Fisher’s stadium, high-end condominiums and retail complex.

By comparison with the almost $450 million, the entire budget of the Oakland Unified School District last year was $705 million.

To begin implementing the infrastructure project, a resolution is on next Tuesday’s (March 1) City Council agenda to spend $11 million in city funds to hire as many as 16 new city staffers. The resolution includes a proposal to enter a Sole Source contract with Diablo Engineering Group for $5.5 million.

Annual salaries of the new staff would range from $253,030 to $412,375. The employees would be hired as funding becomes available.

The City officially describes the fund as “a comprehensive package of infrastructure improvements that will provide safer, more sustainable and more equitable access to the waterfront for all Oaklanders,” according to the city webpage: www.oaklandca.gov/projects/town-for-all.

But Mayor Schaaf was more blunt in a statement to KPIX-5 on Nov. 19, 2021:

“(This funding) supports a new waterfront ballpark for our beloved Oakland A’s. As part of our early deal with the A’s the city agreed to raise funds to pay for offsite infrastructure — today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward that commitment,” she said.

Mayor Schaaf did not respond to questions from the Oakland Post.

Projects that are part of the $450 million TOWN for All fund would be built over the next six years. By comparison, the funds for current transportation-related development for the entire city equals only $174 million for two years.

TOWN for All would build 1.4 miles of new transit-only lanes and 10 miles of new sidewalks, bike lanes and trails connecting Downtown, Chinatown, and West Oakland to the waterfront. Rail corridor and roadway construction would improve truck and cargo transport in and out of the Port of Oakland, designed to reduce traffic congestion and truck idling and improve safety.

In addition, OakPARK would create a “comprehensive suite of parking system upgrades and intersection improvements to manage on- and off-street parking and traffic,” according to a Feb. 17 agenda report by City staff.

The entire project currently totals $431.3 million, much from federal and state grants. The city anticipates that it has already raised $288 million, meaning that there is still a $104 million “funding gap,” according to the staff report.

The report also confirms that the City has not sought input from maritime and community stakeholders. “Staff has not engaged the public on these staff and contracting resolutions,” the staff report said. “A significant effort was made to engage the public in the development of the TOWN for All projects through on the ground surveys.”

Several City Council members are expressing concerns about this proposal that is going to council next week.

Councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents District 5 in East Oakland, was straightforward about his objections to TOWN for All, reiterating his position that the A’s should stay at the Coliseum rather than move to Howard Terminal.

Instead of spending funds for developing the waterfront for Fisher’s real estate deal, the money should go to the parts of Oakland that are languishing for lack for city resources, he said.

“East Oakland and West Oakland are in an (ongoing) state of emergency setting,” he said. “The priority should be taking care of children and the families in the neighborhoods and the schools. The federal and state money they are using are tax dollars, and that money should be spent on our neighborhoods, providing for the future of our kids and families.”

The Port should not be undermined by the city, Gallo said. “They hire people like my neighbors, who earn good salaries,” he said.

He emphasized that the Port is built on public land. “That land belongs to the public; that land is not for me to give. It is not the property of eight City Council members,” he said.

This is a “business transaction,” Gallo said. “(However), the A’s expect us to lay out everything, but they’re not saying what they’re giving,” he said, adding that they will not even say how they will use the half of the Coliseum they already own.

Councilmember-at-Large Rebecca Kaplan was asked by the Oakland Post whether the passage of the resolution to begin working on the infrastructure project would effectively bypass the City Council’s responsibility to approve or reject the Fisher real estate deal.

“I am not accepting what staff is recommending,” said Kaplan. “I am working to change it.”

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Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

Published

7 days ago

June 20, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Published

1 week ago

June 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.

As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.

At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.

Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.

Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.

Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.

This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.

Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.

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OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark

Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

Published

1 week ago

June 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook. Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook.

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

As a pastor and East Bay resident, I see firsthand how my community struggles with the rising cost of everyday living. A fellow pastor in Oakland recently told me he cuts his pills in half to make them last longer because of the crushing costs of drugs.

Meanwhile, community members are contending with skyrocketing grocery prices and a lack of affordable healthcare options, while businesses are being forced to close their doors.

Our community is hurting. Things have to change.

The most pressing issue that demands our leaders’ attention is rising healthcare costs, and particularly the rising cost of medications. Annual prescription drug costs in California have spiked by nearly 50% since 2018, from $9.1 billion to $13.6 billion.

Some lawmakers, however, have advanced legislation that would drive up healthcare costs and set communities like mine back further.

I’m particularly concerned with Senate Bill (SB) 41, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a carbon copy of a 2024 bill that I strongly opposed and Gov. Newsom rightly vetoed. This bill would impose significant healthcare costs on patients, small businesses, and working families, while allowing big drug companies to increase their profits.

SB 41 would impose a new $10.05 pharmacy fee for every prescription filled in California. This new fee, which would apply to millions of Californians, is roughly five times higher than the current average of $2.

For example, a Bay Area family with five monthly prescriptions would be forced to shoulder about $500 more in annual health costs. If a small business covers 25 employees, each with four prescription fills per month (the national average), that would add nearly $10,000 per year in health care costs.

This bill would also restrict how health plan sponsors — like employers, unions, state plans, Medicare, and Medicaid — partner with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to negotiate against big drug companies and deliver the lowest possible costs for employees and members. By mandating a flat fee for pharmacy benefit services, this misguided legislation would undercut your health plan’s ability to drive down costs while handing more profits to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

This bill would also endanger patients by eliminating safety requirements for pharmacies that dispense complex and costly specialty medications. Additionally, it would restrict home delivery for prescriptions, a convenient and affordable service that many families rely on.

Instead of repeating the same tired plan laid out in the big pharma-backed playbook, lawmakers should embrace Newsom’s transparency-first approach and prioritize our communities.

Let’s urge our state legislators to reject policies like SB 41 that would make a difficult situation even worse for communities like ours.

About the Author

Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.