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School District to Receive Anti-Vaping Resources Following Global Juul Settlement

SFUSD, alongside 5,000 other school districts, government entities, Native American tribes and consumers, took part in a multi-year lawsuit in a Northern California court case that alleged flavored nicotine products made by Juul contributed to an epidemic of underaged nicotine addiction. “San Francisco public schools are champions of tobacco prevention and education, and we are very pleased with the outcome of this litigation,” SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne said in a statement. “This settlement represents a very positive outcome that will amplify the efforts of our health education staff and benefit SFUSD’s students by helping to reduce and deter youth nicotine use.”

Published

3 years ago

December 7, 2022

Oakland Post

By Olivia Wynkoop
Bay City News Foundation

The San Francisco Unified School District is receiving more resources to prevent youth nicotine use as one of the thousands of plaintiffs that vaping company Juul Labs settled with on Tuesday.

“San Francisco public schools are champions of tobacco prevention and education, and we are very pleased with the outcome of this litigation,” SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne said in a statement. “This settlement represents a very positive outcome that will amplify the efforts of our health education staff and benefit SFUSD’s students by helping to reduce and deter youth nicotine use.”

Settlement awards will be allocated to SFUSD and other local school districts to support vaping prevention initiatives like staff trainings, tobacco consumption curriculum in health education classes and peer-led awareness campaigns.

“The settlement will make a significant difference in the public health fight against youth e-cigarette use, and will further advance SFUSD’s established health education work by providing meaningful resources to support prevention efforts and education around youth e-cigarette use,” San Francisco Board of Education president Jenny Lam said in a press release.

Earlier this year, the vaping company reached a $438.5 million settlement with 37 states and territories for their early marketing and production of sweet-flavored nicotine products targeted toward young people.

In a company news release, Juul Labs said these settlements represent another step forward in securing its mission to transition adult smokers away from cigarettes and its opposition against underage use.

Juul said it could not disclose the amount of Tuesday’s settlement at this time.

“With both new investments in the company’s mission and a resolution like the one achieved today, Juul Labs is charting a path forward to continue to advance tobacco harm reduction through science and technology, for over 31 million adult smokers in the U.S. and over 1 billion adult smokers worldwide,” the company said in a news release.

The recent settlement does not resolve the state and federal lawsuits against Altria Group Inc. or other large stakeholders of Juul, which the school district said it is committed to pursuing.

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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

4 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

2 weeks 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.