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Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
postnewsgroup.com
62nd Year, No. 29
Weekly Edition July 16 - 22, 2025
Public Safety Report Proposes Oakland to Make Historic Changes for Struggles Within Investment into Pedestrian Police Department Infrastructure 25-year agreement will ensure sidewalks and curb ramps are accessible for people with disabilities
Bennie Thompson has served in the House of Representatives for more than 30 years. Courtesy photo.
Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson Calls for Unity and Direct Action to Defend iStock. Democracy and Civil Rights By Magaly Muñoz
By Ken Epstein
Veteran Congressman Bennie Thompson, representing the second district of Mississippi, spoke this week at the opening of the 116th NAACP National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, calling for massive, united opposition to Pres. Donald Trump and a strategic response to the political and social crisis facing African Americans. “We have to create a thorough, definitive opposition if we are to
survive as a nation,” he said, speaking Monday on a panel conference discussion, “Crisis Point: Defending Democracy and Civil Rights in a Volatile Political Climate.” “What (Trump) is promoting through the office of the presidency is not what we’ve come to know as a demcracy,” Rep. Thompson said. “If we are not vigilant, history will bring Jim Crow back.” Now in his 17th term in the House of Representatives, Congressman Thompson is the longestContinued on page 8
Oakland and East Bay Community Foundation Announce $600,000 Fund to Support 24 Oakland Arts and Culture Organizations This Summer
A recent report by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute provides potential suggestions and ideas for how the city of Oakland could address public safety through the local police department. Authors of the report acknowledged the deep financial and political struggles the city has faced in recent years, particularly with the budget and rise in crime. It’s no secret that public safety is one of the top concerns for residents in Oakland. The lack of feeling secure in people’s homes and their communities has been the focal point and downfall of many political leaders’ trajectories, including
the ousted former mayor Sheng Thao and the Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, in the last year. The study analyzes crime and financial data over the last 40 years, pinpointing moments in Oakland’s history where the city has seen the biggest drops and increases. Little progress has been made in lowering violent crimes, such as homicides, assault and robbery, though it is slowly decreasing, while property crime saw its highest rates in recent years since the late 1980s, data shows. At the time of publication, overall crime is down 32% from 2024, Continued on page 8
Nine Local Funders Contribute to Joint Effort Addressing Unplanned Funding Reductions
Mayor Barbara Lee. File photo. Special to The Post Today, Mayor Barbara Lee announced a settlement agreement that will result in an historic investment into the City’s pedestrian rights of way during the next 25 years, in order to ensure Oakland’s pedestrian rights of ways are accessible to people with mobility disabilities. Under the terms of the agreement, the City will commit to: • Construction or retrofit of approximately 11,000 curb ramps within the next 15 years and improving all remaining curb ramp locations to meet current access standards within 25 years • Ensure remediation of 78,000 known locations of sidewalk damage within 25 years • Continuation of the City’s Access Request Program, prioritizing requests for curb ramp and sidewalk repairs from persons with disabilities • Prioritization of construction consistent with equity considerations to ensure the accessibility work benefits the City’s underserved populations The City has already taken multiple steps to begin implementation of this agreement. This week, Oakland City Council approved an expansion of the existing Sidewalk Assistance Program
which supports low-income property owners in making sidewalk repairs. The adopted FY25-27 Capital Improvement Program increases investment for the Curb Ramp and Sidewalks capital programs. Additional staff positions included in the adopted FY25-27 budget will be necessary to implement the construction milestones and inspection requirements for the improved program. Finally, Oakland’s Buy-Sell-Repair program will undergo major improvements in the next two years to deepen enforcement and bring about greater citywide compliance. Improvements will include an enforcement database and noncompliance notification system and later, the anticipated introduction of fines for non-compliance. “Oakland is strengthening our efforts to ensure people with disabilities, seniors, and parents with strollers have equal access to our transportation network. This work will take time, but we’re committed to making our sidewalks accessible to everyone in our community,” said Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee. “Sidewalks are one of the most important pieces of Oakland’s transportation network, and it’s essential that they’re kept wellmaintained and accessible for everyone,” said OakDOT Director, Josh Rowan. “OakDOT looks forward to delivering on our commitments to people with mobility disabilities and everyone who uses our sidewalks.” To measure progress, the City of Oakland will produce annual reports including construction milestones. The settlement will be subject to court approval. A final approval hearing is scheduled for early December. Learn more about sidewalk programs here: https://www. oaklandca.gov/Public-SafetyStreets/Streets/Sidewalks
Faces Around the Bay
Attorney General Rob Bonta. File photo.
iStock. Special to The Post The City of Oakland and East Bay Community Foundation (EBCF) are pleased to announce the creation of a $600,000 emergency pooled fund to support arts and culture in Oakland this summer. The public-philanthropic partnership will channel contributions from nine foundations to 24 local arts and culture organizations. The goal of this one-time grantmaking initiative is to support the ongoing stability of Oakland-based arts and culture organizations that were impacted by unforeseen, mid-year budget cuts to the City of Oakland’s Cultural Affairs Division. The emergency pooled fund will provide one-time grants of up to $28,500, collectively supporting over 600 Oakland-based artists and 10,000 arts and cultural activities. The funded organizations offer
performances, exhibitions, classes, and workshops citywide in parks, libraries, and schools as well as theaters and galleries, building community and uplifting Oakland’s diverse stories. Grant recipients initially received funds from the City of Oakland’s Organizational Assistance Program in Fiscal Year 2023-24 and were recommended to receive a second year of funding in Fiscal Year 2024-25. The emergency pooled fund will fill the secondyear funding gap. All grants will go to organizations that are deeply rooted in Oakland with skilled artists and culture bearers, robust community engagement, and an ongoing commitment to addressing racial and economic disparities. “EBCF understands the unique role that artists and culturemakers Continued on page 8
Oakland Residents Visited Alcatraz Prison
Attorney General Bonta CoLeads Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration Rule That Would Make It Harder for Americans to Obtain Health Coverage Under the ACA
By Magaly Muñoz
California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led with the attorneys general of Massachusetts and New Jersey, a multistate coalition in filing a lawsuit challenging an unlawful final rule promulgated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that would create significant barriers to obtaining healthcare under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Trump Administration’s final rule would make numerous amendments to rules governing federal and state health insurance marketplaces which the administration estimates will cause up to 1.8
million people to lose their health insurance, while causing millions more to pay increased insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs like copays and deductibles. The final rule also excludes coverage of gender-affirming care as an essential health benefit (EHB) under the ACA. In the lawsuit, the attorneys general argue that the HHS and CMS rule is arbitrary and capricious, contrary to law, and violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The coalition is also seeking preliminary relief, and a stay, to prevent the challenged portions of the final rule from taking effect in the Plaintiff States before the August 25 effecContinued on page 8
Oaklanders Connie and Bukola Cobb visited Alcatraz as part of their “good trouble” acknowledgement of the late congressman/civil rights leader John Lewis’s call for the preservation of democracy. Their visit coincided with Trump officials Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum who also were at the Alcatraz Prison to announce rehabilitation plans for reopening. Photos by Douglass Cobb.