Dis on Tuskegee Airmen to Air Force Trainees Survives Lesson Trump’s Order Dismantling DEI Offices. see page 2
Black History Month in the Bay Features, Parades, Festivals and Speakers ... see page 2
The SixTripleEight: ‘No Mail, Low Morale’... see page 2
Freddie Ray Turner, 75... see page 4
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
Weekly Edition January 29 - February 4, 2025
postnewsgroup.com
Oakland Will Lay Off Dozens of City Workers
City of Oakland workers celebrate at the Art and Soul festival in Downtown Oakland in 2019. As many as 90 layoff notices were sent out this week.Photo courtesy of IFPTE Local 21 and SEIU 1021 via PR Newswire. By Post Staff
The City of Oakland plans to lay off dozens of employees as officials struggle to balance the city’s budget. According to reports in Oaklandside and other sources, as many as 90 layoff notices have been sent out, though it is still uncertain how many workers and which departments will be
62nd Year, No. 5
Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors selected Judge Ursula Jones Dickson. Courtesy photo.
Superior Court Judge Ursula Jones Dickson is New Alameda Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo. affected. County DA developments received awards Special to The Post The city’s plan to eliminate a nearly $130 million shortfall in
its general purpose fund for fiscal
By Magaly Muñoz
The Alameda Board of Super-
year 2024-2025, which ends in
visors selected Superior Court
police overtime, eliminating two
the new District Attorney on
shutting down two fire companies,
made just weeks after the initial
June, with cuts by $25 million to
Judge Ursula Jones Dickson as
police academies,
Tuesday evening. The choice was
temporarily
and reducing funding for arts and Continued on page 8
search for a new leader began. Nearly three months after the
recall election to oust former DA Pamela Price, Dickson was chosen to serve as the new department head until 2026, where voters will then have another chance to select a DA for the remainder of the term that ends in 2028. Dickson received three out of five votes from the Board in a Continued on page 8
Oakland Roots Soccer Team Signs Peter Wilson
The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) has announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA). Five permanently affordable housing
out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million. In
a
statement
released
on Jan. 16, Oakland's HCD stated, "Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Continued on page 8
iStock.
Finding the Right Doctor: Black Californians Weigh the Burden and Benefits
Oakland Mayor Kevin Jenkins speaks as councilmembers Carroll Fife, Noel Gallo, Assistant City Administrator Latonda Simmons and Oakland Public Works Director Josh Rowan look on. Photo courtesy the City of Oakland.
City of Oakland Celebrates Improvements to Downtown Oakland Senior Center
By Jean Walsh Special to The Post
City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered Wednesday for a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of improvements to enhance the Downtown Oakland Senior Center located in the Veterans’ Memorial Building at 200 Grand Ave. “Our Senior Centers are vital
hubs for the community and enable seniors to socialize and interact with other active seniors. I’m so excited to see these renovated spaces,” said Interim Oakland Mayor Kevin Jenkins. “Thank you to Oakland voters for making these crucial improvements possible through Measure KK and thank you to the hardworking City of Oakland team for delivering this
project on time and within budget.”
By Ken Epstein
attorney and community leader, is urging the public to reserve judgement and to understand the grand jury process where the defense is not deeply involved and can offer no evidence or rebuttal. Thao, Jones, and two members of the Duong family who own California Waste Solutions face charges for conspiracy, bribery, and more associated with an alleged “pay-to-play” scheme. The indictment “is saying that Sheng Thao and Andre Jones participated in a bribery scheme with Continued on page 8
District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife likewise praised the center, which is within her district. “The Downtown Senior Center offers dance classes, crafts, computer courses, and other wonderful programs and activities for our elders,” she said. “I’m excited that renovations to the Downtown SeContinued on page 8
Local Attorney Walter Riley: ‘Avoid Leap to Judgement in Federal Case Against Former Mayor Sheng Thao’
Walter Riley, a local civil rights attorney and community leader, spoke on the ex-mayor’s case on KPFA radio on Jan. 22. Courtesy photo.
Mainstream media and others are acting as if the conviction of former Mayor Sheng Thao and her partner, Andre Jones, on charges of bribery and conspiracy is a done deal after a federal grand jury brought charges against them on Jan. 17. The charges came in the wake of an FBI raid on the former mayor’s house last June in the midst of a highly publicized political campaign that led to her recall by voters in November. Walter Riley, a local civil rights
Peter Wilson in a montage created by the Oakland Roots Sports Club. Courtesy image. Special to The Post Oakland Roots Sports Club announce the signing of forward Peter Wilson ahead of the 2025 USL Championship season. Wilson was born in Liberia and has represented his country at the senior national level 16 times, scoring twice. “Peter is a very prolific striker,” said Oakland Roots Head Coach Gavin Glinton. “He has represented his country and shown he knows how to score across different levels and on multiple different continents. He is a tireless worker and makes life difficult for opposition defenders.” Now 29, Wilson grew up in Sweden where his parents moved when he was 3 years old. He made his debut with the Liberian national team, the Lone Stars, in 2019. Wilson most recently played for Fotballkubben Jerv in Norway, following a stint with Olympiakos Nicosia in Cyprus. He was also part of the Moldovan league-winning team with Fotbal Club Sheriff Tiraspol in 2021. Welcome to Oakland, Peter.
By Edward Henderson California Black Media
Living in California has been a dream come true for screenwriter Imani Quinn. She counts the Los Angeles-area weather, professional opportunities and proximity to close friends as some of the things that have made the experience especially rewarding for her. However, when Quinn discovered she was pregnant, finding a good physician to help guide her along that journey became her number one priority – and greatest pain point. Like many African Americans in California, Quinn said she found it difficult to find a physician who relates to her culturally, considers her lived experiences, and acknowledges the deep-seated racial biases that have been imbued in the health care delivery system historically in the United States. “It was important because Black women have one of the highest mortality rates with childbirth, childbearing,” said Quinn. “I wanted to make sure that I was in the hands of somebody who knew how to prioritize my health as a Black woman — someone who knows the statistics and knows what to look for and makes
me feel safe and comfortable.” In 2021, the percentage of Black infants in California who were born preterm (12.7%) or who had low birthweight (12.4%) was higher than those of other races/ ethnicities. Black mothers/birthing people experienced the highest maternal mortality rate among all races/ethnicities between 2018 and 2020. A California Health Care Foundation study published in May 2024 on heath disparities by race and ethnicity in the state found that Black Californians had the shortest life expectancy at 74.6 years. One in four Black respondents in the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) felt they could have received better care if they were a different race/ethnicity. Given these staggering statistics, Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris, an internal physician and medical advocate based in Oakland, says it is urgent for Black physicians to provide the extra care and attention to improve these numbers. A 2023 research study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that evaluated all 1618 counties in the United States Continued on page 8