Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
California Needs Big, Bold Affordable Housing Investments Now iStock photo.
Fred Blackwell (left) is the CEO of the San Francisco Foundation. Photo courtesy of the San Francisco Foundation. Miguel Santana is the president and CEO of the California Community Foundation. Photo courtesy of the California Community Foundation. Special to The Post The following letter to California’s elected leadership was jointly authored last month by Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, and Miguel Santana, president and CEO of the California Community Foundation: There are nearly 50,000 shovelready affordable homes across California waiting for funds to begin construction and provide housing
to low-income families and individuals. Yet, during the latest budget negotiations unfolding in Sacramento, the May Revise proposal nearly zeroed out General Fund resources for affordable housing and homelessness solutions, apart from the state low-income housing tax credit, and proposed slashing of almost $2 billion in critical resources committed in previous budgets.
The Waiting Begins, Oakland Passes Budget with Uncertainty of Coliseum Funds Coming to Save Them
By Magaly Muñoz
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
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
councilmembers 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.
Continued on page 10
Alameda County has received an $8.25 million grant from the California Department of State Hospitals (DSH) to expand residential care options for up to 88 people who have been found incompetent to stand trial after being charged with felony offenses. The grant will support the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department (ACBHD) in its mission to ensure that those in the criminal justice system suffering from serious mental illness receive behavioral health services in non-prison settings. Juan Taizan, Director of Forensic Diversion and Re-Entry Ser-
vices, said that consideration for eligibility for these mental health services is determined by the judge, the district attorney and the public defender on the case. Once a person is accepted, the care is tailored to each individual’s mental capacity. “A clinical team will meet with the client, assess for medication needs, assess for individual therapeutic needs, and then really work with them around education, and competency education in particular, to help them understand their role in the court process,” Taizan said. How a court will proceed with an individual’s case is based on a Continued on page 10
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. File photo. Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell. File photo. Special to The Post Today, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced that an individual has been charged with shooting four of the 14 people injured during the Juneteenth mass shooting at Lake Merritt in Oakland. The prosecution charged JaJuan Kelly, 23, with four counts of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm for shooting four separate victims. In addition, defendant Kelly is also charged with possession of a
firearm by a felon and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person due to having prior felony convictions for robbery, possession of an assault weapon, and grand theft. The district attorney’s office alleges the evidence will show that on Wednesday, June 19, the defendant fired a semiautomatic weapon in a massive crowd gathered for a Juneteenth holiday celebration in Oakland, injuring four people. Continued on page 10
Councilmember Ramachandran Votes Against Oakland’s FY 24-25 Budget
John George Psychiatric Hospital. Photo: Alameda Health System.
By Magaly Muñoz
Juneteenth Mass Shooting Suspect Charged with Multiple Counts of Felony Assault by Alameda County DA Pamela Price
the African American Sports and
Interfaith Council Urges Comprehensive Approach to Issues Facing Oakland
Alameda County Receives Grant to Help Mentally Struggling Individuals in the Justice System
61st Year, No. 27
Weekly Edition. Edition. July 3 - 9, 2024
postnewsgroup.com
Proposal Includes Oakland Coliseum Sale Funds Not Yet Received by the City
which the Oakland City Council
approved Tuesday by a 5-3 vote. This budget was balanced in part through the inclusion of anticipated proceeds from the sale of the Oakland Coliseum to the African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG) despite the deal not yet being finalized and a Land Sale Agreement not yet being executed – a decision Councilmember Ramachandran believes could be devastating to Oakland’s future fiscal stability. Under the budget passed by a majority of Council Tuesday, the Coliseum sale deal must be finalized and the City of Oakland must receive the first $15 million payment from the Coliseum sale by Sept. 1st. If these sale proceeds do not reach the city by then, a contingency plan would be triggered, which would pose drastic Continued on page 10
Shanga Goman, the City of Oakland’s past Youth Poet Laureate, speaks to students.
Nadirah Stills, LMFT, served as MC for the scholarship reception event.
Shanga Goman, the City of Oakland’s former Youth Poet Laureate also blessed attendees with a motivational poem providing guidance to his younger self as a college student. In addition to the tuition scholarships awarded, the Pan Hellenic Council drew numbers to give
away six $500 book scholarships and two dozen gift cards for students. For more information about the National Pan Hellenic Council San Francisco Bay Area and about the Bay Area’s Black Greek Letter Organizations, please visit https:// www.sfbaynphc.com/.
Pastor Jim Hopkins, Lakeshore Baptist Church. Courtesy photo. By Pastor Jim Hopkins Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church Special to The Post The Interfaith Council of Alameda County will hold a community meeting on July 11 at Williams Chapel Baptist Church at 1410 10th Ave. to bring political, religious and community leaders together and call for a comprehensive, “working together works,” approach to the many issues facing Oakland and Alameda County. It has been proven that municipalities benefit by taking a comprehensive approach to address various social issues like violence, housing, clean streets, sex trafficking, and others because these
are often interconnected and can have overlapping root causes. A comprehensive approach is helpful for the following reasons. 1. Interconnectedness of Issues: Problems such as violence, lack of affordable housing, dirty streets, and sex trafficking are often interrelated. For example, areas with high levels of poverty and homelessness may also experience higher rates of crime and violence. By addressing these issues holistically, municipalities can create more effective and sustainable solutions. 2. Resource efficiency: By addressing multiple issues simultaneously, cities and counties Continued on page 10
Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran (District 4). Courtesy photo.
Special to the Post
Oakland City Councilmem-
ber Janani Ramachandran (Dis-
trict 4) voted against passage of the City’s mid-cycle budget,
Divine Nine and the Pan-Hellenic Council Awards Scholarships to Hundreds of High School Seniors
By Tuseda A. Graggs Special to The Post
The San Francisco-Bay Area National Pan Hellenic Council hosted its 49th Annual Scholarship Reception in Oakland on Saturday where more than two dozen local fraternities and sororities awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars to hundreds of deserving Bay Area students. The event, held at Merritt College in the Huey P. Newton-Bobby Seale Student Center, honored the accomplishments of high school seniors from schools throughout the Bay Area. More than 300 people attended the two-hour event. Students received scholarships from Bay Area chapters of the Black Greek letter organizations – better known as the Divine 9 –
More than 200 people attended the scholarship reception hosted by the San Francisco-Bay Area National Pan Hellenic Council. Photos by Chika Emeka. which include: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority,
Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. Oakland City Councilwoman Treva Reid (District 7) encouraged students to persevere through the challenges that they will inevitably
Oakland City Councilwoman Treva Reid (District 7) who is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. gives encouraging words to graduating seniors face in college. She discussed her
challenges of becoming pregnant at Hampton University, birthing her daughter, and struggling financially yet sticking it out and graduating from college.