Alameda County

Study Reveals Disparities, Broken Promises at Regional Center of the East Bay

The promises to improve transparency in the CAP issuance, commitments to publish referral and payment equity data, and the pledge to present and deliver the Mason Tillman Associates report remain unfulfilled, fueling frustration among families, providers, and the general public.

Published

12 months ago

September 1, 2025

Oakland Post

Minister Imhotep Elijah Alkebulan discovered his passion for African history while attending San Francisco State University. Courtesy photo.

Minister Imhotep Elijah Alkebulan discovered his passion for African history while attending San Francisco State University. iStock photo.

By All People of Color Developmental Disability Association, Inc.

The California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) oversees 21 regional centers across the state, contracting with each center to provide services to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The Regional Center East Bay (RCEB), which serves Alameda and Contra Costa counties, is facing mounting scrutiny for their long-standing practices regarding disparate treatment of its African American service providers and consumers.

African American providers house the intellectually and developmentally disabled persons in homes licensed by the State of California. The state has confirmed that there is also disparate treatment of the adult and minor clients who are not granted equal access to services – RCEB funds.

Despite the RCEB’s repeated commitments to reform their service delivery, community testimony and internal reports reveal their continued patterns of unfair practices and unfulfilled promises. This has caused a deepening mistrust of RCEB’s staff and management among service providers, client families and the general public.

Similar complaints have come from Latino and Asian consumers and their communities: Families report that RCEB prepares incomplete and inaccurate consumer profiles. Consequently, the families do not receive a timely placement or appropriate services. There are also delays in the interpretation and translation of key documents that impact the timing of the placement.

Such delays have led to underutilization of Latino and Asian-operated homes even though the providers also have available capacity and cultural competency.

The disparities in RCEB’s treatment of Black and Brown providers and consumers have been raised at RCEB Board Provider/Vendor Advisory Committee (PVAC) meetings, board sessions, and community forums from 2008 to 2025.

In 2023, after years of informal complaints, RCEB commissioned Mason Tillman Associates to conduct a racial equity study. The comprehensive report, delivered in January 2025, confirmed the systematic disparities of empty beds in African American homes, incomplete consumer profiles, payment inequities, and disproportionate corrective action reports (CAPs) targeting minority providers.

In March 2025, the newly appointed executive director publicly acknowledged the validity of many provider concerns, stating: “We recognize that these issues are real and must be addressed transparently.”

However, providers noted that this promise was only the latest in a series of assurances dating back to the late ’90s with no follow-through.

Testimonies of African American and Latino providers at RCEB Executive Board of Directors meetings illustrate the communities’ longstanding concerns with the services RCEB delivers.

An African-American home operator said, “We have beds sitting empty while families are desperate for placement. It feels like we’re being sidelined for reasons that have nothing to do with quality of care.”

Another minority provider’s testimony pointed to additional complaints, “CAPs land on us disproportionately. It’s like we’re being targeted for paperwork instead of supported for the work we do.”

At a RCEB-PVAC meeting held in 2023, a Latino parent testified, “We can’t understand our child’s Individual Program Plan (IPP). The interpreter isn’t there, or the documents aren’t translated. How can we participate?” (IPP is the report prepared by RCEB describing for the consumer/family the services it plans to provide.)

At a 2024 RCEB-PVAC meeting, an Asian family complained, saying, “My son’s profile (IPP) wasn’t complete for months. By the time we got a referral, we had already lost critical support.”

The persistence of these disparities, despite the RCEB’s repeated acknowledgments, has triggered erosion of community trust, legal exposure under Title VI and §1983, and risks of federal oversight or state corrective action. Advocates argue that without immediate, transparent reforms, including independent monitoring, public reporting, and culturally competent service expansion, RCEB will continue to repeat the cycle of making promises without fulfillment.

The impartial record shows that RCEB’s leadership is fully aware of these systemic inequities. Still, their administrative follow-through is severely lagging because the public, providers and families across African American, Latino, and Asian communities have continued to file complaints that echo one another for many years.

The question is no longer whether racial disparities exist. Disparities and inequitable treatment have been documented and RCEB has received a comprehensive report of the conditions.

The pressing question now is whether the RCEB Executive Board, under the DDS’s oversight, is going to release the study that it commissioned and invite Dr. Eleanor Mason Ramsey to present the study findings.

The Mason Tillman Associates Report can convert RCEB’s promises into a definitive, manageable, and measurable action plan, and the implementation of the action items could be monitored and measured.

Angeleter Pringle is president and CEO of All People of Color Developmental Disability Association, Inc. Her email address is apocdda@gmail.com.

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Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Published

1 day ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

By Jana Lang Propel Youth Reporter

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.

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Agricultural Engineer Effie Gant Plans Bay Area Farmers Market Initiative

Published

1 month ago

July 18, 2026

Post News Group

Agricultural Engineer Effie Gant displays watermelons from her Sacramento farm at the Temescal Festival in Oakland. Photo by Carla Thomas.

In her 80s and still actively working as an agricultural engineer, Effie Gant continues to break barriers in urban farming and community leadership.

The certified USDA grower and respected urban farmer, based in South Sacramento, was recently spotted vending at the Freedom Farmers’ Market by the Temescal Street Fair on Saturday, July 11, where she proudly displayed dozens of sweet, juicy watermelons.

Festivalgoers gathered not only to purchase her produce but also to enjoy activities like the popular watermelon-eating contest. Yet beyond the festive atmosphere, Gant has a larger vision.

Gant is now setting her sights on the Bay Area, where she plans to launch a farmers’ market to increase access to fresh, locally grown food.

Known for her leadership in sustainable agriculture and food justice, she brings decades of hands-on experience and community advocacy to regions where food access remains inconsistent.

She has built a strong reputation through her work with Meadowview Urban Farm and the Yisrael Family Urban Farm, cultivating crops such as watermelons, honeydew melons, and collard greens. Her approach emphasizes sustainability, education, and empowering residents to grow their own food, even in small urban spaces.

As a USDA-certified grower, Gant blends technical expertise with grassroots engagement to combat food insecurity.

Beyond farming, Gant serves as CEO and President of Highways to Hedges, a nonprofit focused on environmental justice and community development. She is also president of the Hampton Station Neighborhood Association and board chairman for HHCORE, where she advocates for safety, equity, and economic opportunity.

Her proposed farmers market will connect small-scale farmers with urban communities while elevating Black farmers and other underrepresented growers.

“I want to teach the next generation about farming and how lucrative it can be,” Gant said. “You don’t need hundreds of acres. You can start with one acre or even your backyard.”Gant also noted her involvement in a collective of farmers who supply produce through government-supported programs.

“We operate as a team, and we all benefit,” she said.

Through workshops, speaking engagements, and hands-on training, Gant and her organization continue to educate communities about agriculture and food justice. Her market initiative will emphasize affordability, cultural relevance, and nutrition education.

Her broader work includes creating edible forests in partnership with Soil Born Farms, planting fruit trees directly in neighborhoods to expand food access. As a mentor with the Center of Expertise on Food Justice and Health Equity, Gant remains a leading voice in building sustainable and resilient food systems.

Gant says she welcomes the community to join her in creating a new farmer’s market.

“Farming is essential to life,” she said. “I want to train as many people as I can to use food and farming as a tool for empowerment, health, and long-term change.”

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From Disparity Study to Solutions: Oakland Coalition and Mayor Barbara Lee Renew Commitment to Reform City Contracting

She committed to ensuring the coalition has direct access to City leadership by designating Assistant Deputy City Administrator Chuck Baker the primary liaison. Working alongside Deputy City Administrator Sofia Navarro, DWES Director Emylene Aspilla, Race and Equity Director Darlene Flynn, and other City departments, the coalition will continue advancing these priorities while maintaining regular communication with City leadership.

Published

2 months ago

July 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Present at the recent meeting on implementing recommendations on Oakland’s Disparity Study on city work contracts were (first row, l. to r.): Chuck Baker, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Darlene Flynn. Second row, l. to r.) Samuel Adams, Erica Astrella, Chadwick Spell, Cathy Adams, Stanley Cooper, Maria Wagner, Len Turner, Derek Barnes, Paul Cobb. Photo courtesy of Oakland Mayor’s Office.

Special to The Post

On June 30, a coalition of minority business leaders, contractors and others met with Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee to discuss the City’s commitment to implement recommendations outlined in Oakland’s Disparity Study and eliminate barriers that have historically prevented Black and minority-owned businesses from fully participating in public contracting opportunities.

Representatives of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC), National Association of Minority Contractors Northern California (NAMC NorCal), Construction Resource Center (CRC), and the East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA) said the meeting represented an important milestone in a process that has been underway for several months.

On April 21, the Oakland City Council’s Life Enrichment Committee received a progress report from the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES), where Director Emylene Aspilla presented the coalition’s working document and outlined a collaborative implementation plan between the coalition and the City. That report established 30-, 60-, and 90-day objectives focused on five key priorities:

Reforming Local and Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) waiver practices
Strengthening prompt payment compliance
Improving procurement forecasting and transparency
Expanding contractor capacity building and business development
Increasing oversight, accountability, and public reporting

A series of working sessions was scheduled between coalition representatives, DWES, and the City Administrator’s Office to begin implementing those priorities but were temporarily delayed by the resignation of former City Administrator Jestin Johnson.

Rather than allowing that momentum to stall, OAACC President and CEO Cathy Adams requested a meeting with Lee to gain clarity on the City’s direction and reaffirm its commitment to implementing the recommendations contained within the Disparity Study.

Coalition leaders described the meeting as productive, candid, collaborative, and encouraging.

During the meeting, Lee spoke not only from her role as mayor but also from her experience as an 8(a) contractor and business owner, sharing that she understands firsthand what it takes to build and grow a successful company, employ a substantial workforce, compete for public work, and navigate the complexities of municipal contracting.

Mayor Lee also expressed her commitment to personally participate in future working meetings with the coalition.

“This meeting represents a renewed commitment to partnership,” said Adams. “Mayor Lee listened, engaged, and demonstrated that she wants to move beyond conversation and into implementation.”

CRC’s Len Turner said the roadmap is already in place. ““The City already has the evidence. What’s been missing is execution. …Now it’s time to deliver results.”

Mario Wagner, president of NAMC NorCal agreed that the next phase must focus on implementation, funding, and accountability.

“The coalition is ready to get to work. …The next step is ensuring these initiatives receive meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle. Just as important, the City must establish transparent reporting mechanisms that keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and accountability.”

Coalition leaders also acknowledged that while City leadership has indicated it is reviewing Local and Small Local Business Enterprise waiver practices, the community continues to seek a formal response regarding existing long-term waivers, including waivers extending 10 and 25 years. The coalition believes those waivers should be comprehensively reviewed and, where appropriate, rolled back as part of the City’s broader contracting reforms.

The coalition is also calling on the City to include meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle to support implementation of the Disparity Study recommendations and establish better methods and mechanisms to keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and transparent accountability.

The coalition’s immediate next step is to schedule a working meeting with Baker, Aspilla, Lee, and the appropriate City staff to review what has already been accomplished under the implementation framework.