Bay Area

Small Business Owners Step Up for First Responders

Published

5 years ago

April 9, 2020

After a nurse-friend who works at Kaiser Vacaville shared the difficulties of serving on the COVID-19 front lines, Jennifer Arrouzet, who co-owns Café Soleil in El Sobrante with her husband Todd, worked her community contacts to round up hundreds of Clorox wipes and sanitizer spray bottles to donate to nurses at the medical center.

She didn’t stop there. She secured 5,000 N-95 masks and 20,000 gloves purchased for donation by a former neighbor, Tom Bolling, who knew Jennifer would find a good place for them.

The San Pablo Police Department picked up 1,000 masks, leaving with the promise that they’d share them with the Richmond Police Department, Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Department, San Pablo Fire Department and El Sobrante Fire Department—which they did.

Another 3,000 masks will be dispersed by Jennifer’s business to Kaiser Vacaville and Kaiser Richmond today via her nurse-friend. She’s saving the remaining 1,000 masks to give to any other first responders who need them in an emergency situation and donated the gloves to local police and Kaiser Vacaville.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, local small businesses that are facing an uncertain future are still finding creative ways to support first responders.

San Pablo police and city officials have received donations of food and additional personal protective equipment from local businesses such as Maya Thai Laos Restaurant, La Strada Restaurant, FoodMaxx, and Krispy Krunchy Chicken, said San Pablo police Capt. Brian Bubar. Bubar thanked the San Pablo EDC for providing support and connections for both small businesses and first responders.

This week, Abraham Alex, owner of Krispy Krunchy Chicken in Pinole, began delivering chicken to police, calling law enforcement “the backbone that keeps it all together.

“We in business must do our part for them,” he said, adding that his business is also looking to donate to individuals and families in need.

In turn, police are doing their part to support local businesses. Last week, a San Pablo police sergeant bought 13 members of his team lunch at La Strada on Church Lane, which is offering takeout during the pandemic. The gesture deeply touched the Italian restaurant’s 24-year owner, Martin Gonzalez.

Right then, Gonzalez decided to offer 20 percent discounts for all first responders.

“Everybody is struggling here, we are all in the boat,” Gonzales said. “There are no words to express having the support of the San Pablo Police Department to help keep our doors open.”

All in the same boat indeed. Small business owners and their staff are enduring an uncertain future after having to close their doors due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Many restaurants are relying solely on takeout or delivery or simply shutting down for the time being.

At the start of the shelter-in-place order, however, small business owners like Jennifer and Todd Arrouzet appeared more worried about their staff and the community than their personal survival.

“I just saw a need, and it was desperate, and I acted,” Jennifer said, noting that she didn’t think anybody was prepared for the pandemic. “It’s so heartbreaking to see any first responder have to go through this. They can’t say, ‘no, I’m not coming in,’ and they’re human, just like us. That’s my drive.”

In addition to the donations of supplies to first responders, Jennifer created “Essential Packages” that customers can purchase for $40 from Café Soleil at 3550 San Pablo Dam Rd. The packages, which can be used by the purchaser or donated, include three pounds of chicken, one dozen eggs, one gallon of milk, one loaf of bread, one pound of flour/risotto/sugar, three pounds of red potatoes and one sanitizer spray bottle (while supplies last). The packages can be picked up or delivered.

“My attitude from day one of this virus has been that if we can’t be at our best during the worst of times, what’s the point? We need to be kind. Everybody is suffering and I feel that. I’m just trying to set an example…If anyone is suffering or in need, call me,” said Jennifer.

“I’ve always believed that if you take care of your community and your people, you don’t need to worry about the rest. It will be ok,” she added.

Capt. Bubar echoed the sentiment.

“We are thankful of the words of encouragement we’ve received within the community and our social media platforms,” the captain said. “As first responders, our staff understands the responsibility to come to work every day and face this challenge head-on. As difficult as this can be, we are here knowing our community recognizes and appreciates that challenge. We will get through this together.”

Kathy Chouteau and Mike Kinney

Posts by Kathy Chouteau and Mike Kinney

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Bay Area

Oakland Awarded $28 Million Grant from Governor Newsom to Sustain Long-Term Solutions Addressing Homelessness

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the City of Oakland has won a$28,446,565.83 grant as part of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grant program. This program provides flexible grant funding to help communities support people experiencing homelessness by creating permanent housing, rental and move-in assistance, case management services, and rental subsidies, among other eligible uses.

Published

15 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao

Governor Gavin Newsom announced the City of Oakland has won a$28,446,565.83 grant as part of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) grant program.

This program provides flexible grant funding to help communities support people experiencing homelessness by creating permanent housing, rental and move-in assistance, case management services, and rental subsidies, among other eligible uses.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and the Oakland City Administrator’s Office staff held a press conference today to discuss the grant and the City’s successful implementing of the Mayor’s Executive Order on the Encampment Management Policy.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Pamela Price Appoints Deputy D.A. Jennifer Kassan as New Director of Community Support Bureau

On Monday, District Attorney Pamela Price announced Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Kassan as the new director of the Community Support Bureau. Kassan has over 25 years of experience as an attorney and advisor for mission-driven enterprises including benefit corporations, low-profit limited liability companies, nonprofits, cooperatives, hybrid organizations, investment funds, and purpose trusts.

Published

16 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Kassan. Courtesy photo.

Special to The Post

On Monday, District Attorney Pamela Price announced Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Kassan as the new director of the Community Support Bureau.

Kassan has over 25 years of experience as an attorney and advisor for mission-driven enterprises including benefit corporations, low-profit limited liability companies, nonprofits, cooperatives, hybrid organizations, investment funds, and purpose trusts.

Working in the DA’s new administration since 2023, Kassan was most recently assigned to the Organized Retail Theft Prosecution team.

Kassan has a master’s degree in City Planning from the University of California, Berkeley. She received a National Science Foundation Fellowship from Yale Law School, and graduated from Yale Law School in 1995. She earned her B.A. in Psychology with a minor emphasis in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley.

Kassan’s education, extensive legal background, list of notable accomplishments and impressive resume includes helping to found and lead multiple organizations to support community wealth building including:

Community Ventures, a nonprofit organization that promotes locally-based community economic development,
the Sustainable Economies Law Center, a nonprofit that provides legal information, training, and representation to support sustainable economies
the Force for Good Fund, a nonprofit impact investment fund
Crowdfund Main Street, a licensed portal for regulation crowdfunding
Opportunity Main Street, a place-based ecosystem building organization that supports under-represented entrepreneurs and provides education about community-based investing.

In addition, Kassan served as an elected member of the City Council of Fremont, California from 2018 to 2024, and on the Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies.

In 2020 she was named to the list of World-Changing Women in Conscious Business by SOCAP Global.

“We are excited to see Jenny accept the role as the new leader for the Community Support Bureau,” said Price. “She brings a wealth of talent, experience, and a vision to expand our office’s engagement with community groups and residents, that will level-up our

outreach programs and partnerships with local organizations with the aim of promoting crime prevention.

“We thank Interim CSB Director Esther Lemus, who is now assigned to our office’s

Restitution Unit, for her hard work and a great job fostering positive relationships between the DAO and the community.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s Open Letter to Philip Dreyfuss, Recall Election’s Primary Funder

Oaklanders Defending Democracy, a group opposing the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, shared an open letter she wrote to Philip Dreyfuss of Farallon Capital, a coal hedge fund. According to Thao’s supporters, “Dreyfuss is the primary funder of the recall effort to remove her from office. He has not explained his motivations or answered one question about why he’s funding the recall or what his agenda is for Oakland.

Published

16 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao

Special to The Post

Publishers note: Oaklanders Defending Democracy, a group opposing the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, shared an open letter she wrote to Philip Dreyfuss of Farallon Capital, a coal hedge fund.

According to Thao’s supporters, “Dreyfuss is the primary funder of the recall effort to remove her from office. He has not explained his motivations or answered one question about why he’s funding the recall or what his agenda is for Oakland.

“All we know about him is his firm has invested over $2 billion in coal since 2022. Farallon Capital is a global hedge fund with $39 billion capital under management, headquartered in San Francisco, the supporters say.

The effort to recall Mayor Sheng Thao was built on top of an argument about a crime wave, pinning the blame for it on a newly elected Mayor. Now that crime has dropped massively, recall proponents are left with no compelling argument.

Oct. 30

Dear Philip Dreyfuss,

We haven’t met. As you know, I’m the Mayor of Oakland, elected in 2022 to serve and protect this city. Since stepping into office, I’ve tackled rising crime, homelessness, and budget challenges head-on, working tirelessly for Oakland’s future.

You are a hedge-fund manager and coal investor who doesn’t live in Oakland who is trying to buy our city government. But the people didn’t elect you, they elected me to protect them from people like you.

Shortly after my term began, you launched a campaign to remove me from office, pouring in nearly $500,000 of your own wealth. We’ll know the outcome of your campaign on Nov. 6, but let’s be clear about what’s at stake.

Since I took office, crime has dropped over 30%—we’re on track for less than 100 homicides for the first time since 2019, with 15,000 fewer crimes overall.

We’ve invested hundreds of millions into affordable housing, modernized our 911 system, streamlined construction permitting, and are fighting to make Oakland a safer and cleaner city.

If your recall succeeds, Oakland will see four mayors in just five years, another election for mayor the following year and a whopping $10 million cost to taxpayers. In other words, chaos. None of this will impact you because you don’t live here.

Oaklanders deserve to know who you are. I looked into your record and found that the hedge fund you help manage, Farallon Capital, has invested over $2 billion in coal since 2022.

For years, Oakland has stood tall against coal money threatening the health of West Oakland, Chinatown, Jack London and downtown.

Did you know that life expectancy in West Oakland is 7.5 years lower than the County average? Or that our children suffer from asthma at a rate twice as high as the rest of the County?

Philip, instead of trying to use your wealth to hijack our democracy and create chaos in our city you could have put your money where your mouth is.

Instead of investing in coal you could have invested in our young people—created scholarships for our college-bound kids, funded apprenticeships for those who want to learn a trade or helped rid our schools of lead.

Instead, you chose to divide us while you try to buy us. But I’m here to tell you, Philip, on behalf of the 450,000 residents of my city that Oakland is not for sale. NO to coal. NO to chaos. And NO to your selfish and self-serving recall.

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, City Hall, Oakland