Bay Area

The Waiting Begins, Oakland Passes Budget With Uncertainty of Coliseum Funds Coming to Save Them

After 12 hours of deliberation over two days, the Oakland City Council passed their mid-cycle budget Tuesday afternoon. This budget is contingent on the city receiving $105 million from the sale of the Coliseum stadium. Oakland is currently in the process of selling their half of the 112-acre stadium complex, where the A’s are playing their last season before heading to Sacramento, to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) as part of Mayor Sheng Thao’s plan to eliminate the over $100 million shortfall for this year’s budget.

Published

2 years ago

July 8, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland City Council passed a risky budget that is contingent on the $105 million sale of the Coliseum stadium, but if it falls through, drastic cuts will have to be made across the city in order to make up for the loss. Downtown Oakland. Photo by Travelview.

By Magaly Muñoz

Oakland is currently in the process of selling their half of the 112-acre stadium complex, where the A’s are playing their last season before heading to Sacramento, to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG) as part of Mayor Sheng Thao’s plan to eliminate the over $100 million shortfall for this year’s budget.

Many residents and even a few council members strongly urged the city to not depend on the sale of the stadium to balance the budget, saying that the sale was uncertain and could fall through at any moment.

Councilmembers Treva Reid and Janani Ramachandran criticized Thao and the city administrator for not allowing enough time for the council to review all budget possibilities in order to make the right decision for Oakland.

“This year’s budget process has been an insult to the people of Oakland,” Ramachandran said in a video on her Instagram. “I made the deep mistake of putting my trust in the mayor and the city administrator in their strong belief that the sale of the Coliseum would happen in time before our budget was passed.”

Noel Gallo, who also opposed using the sale as a fallback, asked over multiple meetings whether the city had a written guarantee that the developers were going to buy the site and had the money to cover the sale. Gallo received no definitive answer.

The council also received an alternative version of the budget, which would immediately cut funding to public safety but could be restored if the Coliseum money came in at a later date. Layoffs were not included in either option.

In order to avoid major cuts and possible layoffs, $63 million from the sale would need to come in by September 1.

Should the funds not come in, sworn police positions would drop from 678 to 600, fire stations across the city would have to temporarily shut down, two police academies would close, and several other cuts in many departments would have to be made to make up for the lost money.

Vice President of the Oakland Police Officers Association, Tim Dolan, said in a statement that the passing of this budget with the sale contingency puts the city and its residents in danger.

“These cuts would impact our response for availability to render service calls, directly impairing our ability to protect and serve. With fewer officers, response times will be slower, and our capacity to meet the community’s needs will be drastically diminished,” Dolan said.

Despite the widespread concern from many across the city, Thao praised the council for passing the budget.

“The City has just adopted a budget that invests in the future of Oakland. We must remain disciplined and address our deficit responsibly while maintaining our focus on the issues that matter most to Oaklanders, public safety and clean streets. This budget achieves that goal,” Thao said in a statement.

Programs like Ceasefire, the Film Attraction Initiative, and services to youth and elderly will continue to be funded under this passed budget.

Even if the one-time sale funds come through before the September deadline, Oakland will still have a shortfall of $175 million to deal with next year. But, city staff warned the council that there is no viable way to completely close this gap without cuts to public safety.

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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

3 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.