The Alameda County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) has been on the ground with us making sure this pilot works. ACSO is taking the clean-up efforts into their own hands, not only taking on the Enforcement aspect of the pilot by patrolling the area for illegal dumpers, but helping us get the streets clean in the first place. This display of their commitment and dedication to East Oakland by weed whacking and raking debris is appreciated! Their presence and visibility in the community promote a stronger, healthier and safer neighborhood. It shows the power that innovative partnerships can bring to communities suffering from blight and illegal dumping.
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As part of the pilot, I partnered with the Alameda County Public Health Department, who were a vital partner in our effort to reach out to the community. Their team helped us design the survey, and collect answers in the neighborhood. Staff from my office and local volunteers joined them to conduct a neighborhood survey of residents about illegal dumping and what can be done about it. I was excited to participate and connect with constituents around this urgent issue.
"This is as grass roots as it gets", according to one of our illegal dumping volunteers, conducting surveys near Railroad Avenue in East Oakland. Volunteers came together and displayed their commitment to the community by helping to educate neighbors and community members about illegal dumping. Thank you for your support and efforts to stop illegal dumping. Together, we can make a difference!
My staff is working on this pilot every day, and creating a report of our progress every month. Here is their report from the month of May. Stay tuned for more news as the pilot progresses.
   Coming Soon- Later this summer we will host a community gathering in our pilot location to celebrate our successes and to promote community engagement. Date and time are TBD, stay tuned for more information!
I've been working for years to keep the A's in Oakland while at the same time getting the County out of the sports buisness. This spring we made strides towards those goals by working with the A's to sell the County's stake in the Coliseum property to the team. I wrote an op-ed in the SF Chronicle with Dave Kaval, A's president. Read more about the pending deal below...
This week marked an important step forward in the future of Alameda County, the Oakland A’s, and the historic Coliseum site. On Tuesday, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a preliminary agreement for the A’s to purchase the county’s 50% stake in the Coliseum site. The deal represents our shared desire to generate transformative fiscal, economic and community benefits for the people of East Oakland and Alameda County.
This agreement is a significant win for Alameda County taxpayers. The A’s will pay $85 million to the county, providing a significant infusion of capital that will, among other things, retire the $65 million in debt stemming from the past agreement with the Oakland Raiders. The deal effectively removes the county from the sports business, freeing up county resources that can in turn be focused on pressing issues such as homelessness, and supporting our most vulnerable populations.
The redevelopment of the 111-acre Coliseum site by the A’s will lay the groundwork for catalytic job creation and economic development. The A’s estimate a total infusion of private investment in the range of $1 billion that will generate thousands of construction and permanent jobs. Just as important, the A’s are determined to keep these benefits local. Last year, the A’s made major commitments to ensure the project is built with union labor, protects current workers, and gives local workers and businesses — especially those in the immediately adjacent East Oakland neighborhoods — preference and priority in hiring and contracting decisions. The A’s know our community needs more quality, stable, living-wage jobs and benefits, and they are stepping up to the plate. Further training, workforce development, and apprenticeship opportunities will also be integral to the plan.
This plan will also deliver real, transformative benefits for the entire community. The A’s vision for the site includes a significant number of housing units, many accessible to those in need of affordable, workforce, and transit-oriented housing solutions. The project will address much-needed enhancements to site infrastructure, such as roads, sidewalks and utilities in need of repair and improvement. Sustainability will be core to the vision, with strong commitments made to “green” (environmentally responsible) building, and an inspired plan to provide new parks and open spaces. Additionally, the plan calls for new retail and shopping amenities catering to local resident needs; new youth job opportunities; and new platforms to celebrate local artists.
Moving forward, the A’s and the county will work to finalize the agreement. At the same time, the A’s will shift greater attention to the critical ongoing dialogue with the city of Oakland, whose 2015 Coliseum Specific Plan will guide land-use discussions and decisions moving forward. The A’s included a robust community benefits agreement as part of last May's exclusive negotiating agreement with the city that was approved by the City Council. Once this deal is finalized, with the county out of the way, the A’s will have the ability to negotiate directly with the city on the remaining 29 acres of Coliseum land it owns separately, rather than continuing with a challenging three-party negotiation. This clears the way to develop an A’s community benefits plan that will support the city to its fullest.
The A’s are the last remaining team committed to Oakland. This deal will ensure our hometown team will stay and have control over its destiny. It is the right deal, at the right time, with the right partner.
This is an exciting and hopeful moment for the A’s, the County, and East Oakland. Few communities in our city are more deserving of this kind of historic infusion of opportunity, creativity, and collaboration. The residents and neighborhoods that have served as host to the A’s for 50 years have earned their turn at the plate. It’s our solemn responsibility and sincere commitment that, for their benefit and ours, we knock it out of the park.
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Following the Coliseum announcement, my office received a lot of questions about this important action. I am very excited about the County’s plan to sell its share of the Coliseum property to the Oakland A’s. I believe strongly that this is the best way forward, so I want to address some concerns I have heard from constituents so that they can better understand why I support this plan. Below are my responses to some of the questions I have received…
Q: Will the Oakland Alameda Coliseum Joint Powers Authority be dissolved?
A: Yes, it will ultimately be dissolved at a to-be-determined date. As more information becomes available, I will keep the public informed.
Q: Why was the property not sold through an RFP competitive-bid process?
A: It is crucially important to keep a professional sports team in Oakland. By selling the site to the A’s, at a very fair price, they can stay here without a public subsidy or payment by the taxpayers. Keeping the team while receiving significant value for this property is a win-win proposition which serves the public good.
Q: Why didn’t the County attempt to sell their share of the Coliseum to the City of Oakland?
A: I have been trying to get the County out of the sports business for over six years both as a County Supervisor and in my role as Chair of the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority. For the duration of that time, we have been trying to work with the City for suitable terms for exactly this kind of sale. In all that time we have not been able to negotiate acceptable terms with the City.
Q: Why did the County sell this property without going through a public process?
A: In order to develop the share of the Coliseum property they are buying from Alameda County, the A’s will have to go through the process of working with the city of Oakland, as the local land use jurisdictional authority. This gives the City more leverage than it previously had because the A’s have to get their plans approved via the City’s public approval process to develop the property.
Q: Does this action take away the voice of East Oakland residents on subsequent Coliseum development decisions?
A: No! This gives the people of Oakland more power to determine the outcome of the property because they are no longer negotiating alongside the rest of the county. Considerations of those who reside outside of the City of Oakland are no longer part of the negotiations, giving Oaklanders more leverage to negotiate with the A’s for what is best for Oakland.
Q: Will all normal disclosures and due diligence associated with a property sale be made between the County and the A’s?
A: Yes. As more information becomes available for public disclosure, we will be very transparent in providing it.
As a representative of much of the County's unincorporated area, I am excited to find ways to lift up local leaders who can advocate for their communities. Last year at the first My Eden Voice! Leadership Summit, 140 residents of Ashland, Cherryland, Hayward Acres, and San Lorenzo came together to discuss issues and concerns. We heard from many of the participants who felt that there was too much work to be done in their community to stop after just one day-long event.
To capture that enthusiasm, my office, the Office of Supervisor Wilma Chan, La Familia Counseling, Alameda County Sheriff's Office, Padres Unidos, the Alameda County Food Bank, and RCD Housing teamed up to ensure that the momentum from that great event would continue. We created the My Eden Voice Leadership Academy, to train local leaders to organize their community to address important issues in the unincorporated area. It grew out of a grassroots organizing effort in the Eden Area to expand resident voice and engagement.
30 Eden Area residents came together, meeting every month for six months. They received organizing training from a variety of speakers and educators on how to build a group, recruit members, host meetings, and make change on important local issues. The group has already put their new skills to use to advocate for new parks and greater open space with the Hayward Area Recreation District, and to launch the Eden Land Trust
Participants have reported that one of the most important benefits is that they feel they are working as a whole. They feel that they are addressing the issues of the Eden Area together, not having to face the issues of their own neighborhoods alone. This has led to deepened relationships and connections which I hope will prove vital to their ongoing community building. My hope is that these community leaders continue their work and advocate for the Eden Area!
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Sunflower Hill is a D4 organization with a lot to be proud of this month. I was honored to attend and speak at the groundbreaking for their affordable housing complex in Pleasanton. But this is not a typical housing project: it is affordable housing for adults with special needs. The facility will include 31 apartments, a community center, and other amenities.
The goal of this project is to create an inclusive community that fosters independent living for residents with developmental disabilities. This type of facility is all-too-uncommon, and I'm thrilled to have Sunflower Hill serve Alameda County. I can't wait to see what this kind of concept achieves, because it is badly needed. Hopefully these types of facilities will be more common sooner rather than later.
Watch my speech and read more here...
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An important part of my job is advocating for legislation at the state level. It's another way for me to work for my constituents and push my policy priorities. Here is a list of some of the legislation I have taken a position on which are currently being considered by the legislature in Sacramento. If you feel strongly about one of these issues, call your statewide representatives and let them know! Find your reps here...http://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
Bills I Support
AB 1672 (Bloom)
This bill would help get plastic out of our water and save local governments millions in clean up from clogged sanitary systems. This bill would ensure that producers of wipes who do not meet certain performance standards would no longer be able to label their products as ‘flushable,’ and would be required to communicate that their products are not flushable.
AB 1509 (Mullin)
This bill would create a recycling program for Lithium-ion batteries to prevent them from being improperly disposed of in the waste stream. Segregating these batteries from our waste stream would significantly reduce the fire and safety risks that they impose.
SB 424 (Jackson)
This bill would hold tobacco companies responsible for the waste produced by their products, by prohibiting any person or entity from selling a cigarette utilizing a single-use filter made of any material, an attachable and single-use plastic device meant to facilitate manual manipulation or filtration of a tobacco product, and a single-use electronic cigarette or vaporizer device.
SB 409 (Wilk)
In line with my 3-pronged approach to combating illegal dumping (Education, Eradication, and Enforcement), this bill would strengthen illegal dumping enforcement efforts by expanding the scope of illegal dumping crimes to include illegally dumped commercial material.
Bills I Oppose
SB 58(Wiener)
This irresponsible bill would institute a 9-city pilot program to allow for nightlife alcohol sale hours to be extended until 4am in Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Long Beach, Coachella, Cathedral City, and Palm Springs. A two-hour extension from 2am to 4am of alcohol service will result in additional increase in alcohol-related violence, injuries, and DUIs. According to the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, “alcohol-related harm costs the state $32 billion annually, an amount which includes the costs of alcohol-related crime and violence, injuries, traffic accidents, loss of work hours, and illness related to alcohol abuse.”
This May, I enjoyed lobbying with elected officials who serve on the Alameda County Transportation Commission for transportation funding, in Washington D.C.
Our congressional officials need to know our transportation priorities for Alameda County and the Bay Area!
Thanks to my fellow Supervisors Haggerty and Valle, as well as Congresspeople Lee and DeSaulnier for getting together to keep our transportation plans progressing into the decades to come.
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The Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Oakland is Alameda County’s one-stop-drop for reuse and free recycling! Recycle your mattresses, box springs, and used paint, or donate your gently-used home goods for reuse, at 9235 San Leandro Street in Oakland.
It's an easy process, just show up with your mattress and drop it off with their friendly staff. The mattress will be recycled so it doesn't end up as waste on our streets or in our landfills! I am committed to extended producer responsibility, where the producers of products have to pay for the disposal of the products they make: not the public! This is that idea in action! Building systems like this is crucial to ending illegal dumping.
All proceeds from the sale of donated items fund Habitat for Humanity and their mission to build affordable homes in the Bay Area. ReStore accepts appliances, furniture, décor, and a variety of other items.
For a full list, click here.
Contact: ReStore Donations Department ReStore@HabitatEBSV.org (510) 803-3343
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The Joy and Justice Movement is engaging residents of Alameda County in local government through voter registration, education, and advocacy. In response to voter suppression around the country, I'm reaching out to residents to encourage them to strengthen our democracy by getting involved!
I want to empower Alameda County residents with information to exercise their right to vote. I want people to feel inspired to protect their rights and advocate for causes they care about, from a place of power. And it's not just my office building this movement, we are lucky to have some amazing community partners like the Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Center, BWOPA of the Bay Area, and the Eden Area League of Women Voters.
We've kicked off Joy and Justice by doing voter outreach at several community events this spring, including the Peralta College's African American Graduation, the 17th Annual Tommie Smith Youth Track Meet, and the Ashland/Cherrylanf FamFest. Look for our booth at future events, check out our webpage, and like our page on Facebook!
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It was an honor to attend the 17th annual Tommie Smith Youth Track Meet this weekend. Not only is Dr. Smith an Olympic Gold Medalist, but he is a social icon, whose bravery continues to inspire us.
Every year the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area host this event as a culmination of their weekend and after-school track and field clubs. Their work not only produces world-class athletes, but it does so much to uplift the youth of the Bay Area every year.
Special thanks to the Martin Luther King Freedom Center for partnering with us to register voters and make sure 16 and 17-year olds know that they can pre-register to vote in California! Nice to see you too Loren Taylor!
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My veteran staffer Darryl Stewart was able to attend the NBA Cares Learn and Play Zone Unveiling at the Ira Jinkins Recreation Center in East Oakland. I appreciate the NBA's commitment to community involvement. Real fans recognize Adonal Foyle in that picture. Draymond we see you! Go Warriors!
   
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