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Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
60th Year, No. 2
Weekly Edition. Edition. January 18 - 24, 2023
postnewsgroup.com
Concerns Continue Over Oakland’s Election Results By Post Staff
Schnitzer Steel at the Port of Oakland. Photo courtesy Herb Lingl/ aerialarchives.com.
State Supreme Court Deals Blow to Oakland A’s Howard Terminal Real Estate Deal
By Post Staff
The state Supreme Court dealt a blow this week to the Oakland A’s 55-acre waterfront real estate plan when the court rejected the A’s appeal to halt the operations of Schnitzer Steel’s metal recycling center, which has operated for decades near the proposed development at Howard Terminal. The Supreme Court denied the A’s request without comment, upholding an earlier decision by an appeals court rejecting the lawsuit by the A’s against the state’s Department of Toxic Substances Control, which had decided that Schnitzer’s operations sufficiently reduce the possibility of environmental contamination. Schnitzer Steel’s recycling center, at 1101 Embarcadero West, is located next to Howard Terminal, where the A’s want to build a mini city on the Oakland waterfront
The Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ admission late last month that he had mistakenly declared the incorrect winner in one school board race has set off a torrent of concerns and objections about the conduct of Oakland’s elections, many of them focused on the pros and cons of rankedchoice voting. In the wake of the error in the
for office and has deeply impacted who has been elected to public office in Oakland. Ranked-choice voting has also been implemented in San Francisco and in Berkeley, Richmond, and Albany in the East Bay. Jumping into the fray, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, which oversees the Registrar of Voters, passed a resolution recommending a recount in close elections in Oakland and San Le-
with a baseball stadium, hotels, The Supreme Court’s decision
leaves standing an appeals court
ruling in September that said state
law allows the Department of Tox-
ic Substances Control to make its
own determination whether treated waste is dangerous to humans and
the environment and upheld the department’s decision that “there is
no threat to human health or the en-
vironment from managing treated metal-shredder waste as non-haz-
ardous,” according to the appeals court.
At its metal-shredding recy-
cling center, Schnitzer separates
scrap metal, including junked autos and appliances into recyclables
and non-recyclable waste. The nonrecyclable waste is mixed with silicates, water and cement before it is sent to landfills.
Mike Hutchinson (left), Nick Resnick (center) and Tim Dupuis Oakland, District 4 school board race, many organizations and individuals have challenged local voting practices. Some criticisms called into question the legitimacy of ranked-choice voting and others called for a recount because the Oakland mayoral election had been extremely close, with less than 700 votes separating firstplace Sheng Thao from secondplace Loren Taylor. Ranked-choice voting, sometimes called “instant runoff” elections, has been in effect in Oakland since 2010 and has allowed for a greater diversity of BIPOC and less affluent candidates to run
andro, though they presented no evidence of errors or irregularities in the elections. Further, the supervisors did not recommend doing anything to repair the error in the District 4 school board race, the only race the registrar said the wrong person had been declared the winner. Some of those who are opposing the Oakland election results are Republicans from Fremont and Dublin and other parts of Alameda County who are against a vote by mail or want to see voter ID required. Results of the Nov. 8 were officially certified early in December,
COMMENTARY: The Price of Victory
Older Adults Experience Food Insecurity as They Transition Back into Community
Members of the Thriving Transitions, led by Oakland-based Nourish California, unite to raise awareness about how food insecurity impacts older adults leaving the criminal justice system. Adults over the age of 50 often face numerous challenges as they age, including lack of access to housing, nutritious meals, and other resources to support their wellbeing. Advocates say these struggles are compounded for those older adults who are leaving California’s legal system and returning to their communities without comprehensive support systems. Food insecurity is a prominent concern among this demographic, according to a 2018 report published by the Food Research and Action Center, more than 2.9 million food-insecure households in the United States included an adult 65 or older. Older adults transitioning out of the legal system are at a higher risk for food insecu-
Opinion: Will Barbara Lee Run for Senate?
condos and offices.
Studies show that people who have been formerly incarcerated are twice as likely to experience food insecurity as the general population. Photo iStockphoto
By Michelle Gerome
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA)
rity which can contribute to poor health, mental illness, and accelerated aging. All of these effects can significantly impact the quality of life as well as their transitions back to community for older adults. “Older adults often fall through the cracks when it comes to accessing the resources and support they need to thrive in their communities,” said Trinh Phan, Director, State Income Security, Justice in Aging. “This holds especially true for those who have been involved with the criminal legal system and are returning to their communities. More than half of seniors who qualify to receive SNAP are missing out on benefits, totaling an astonishing 5 million people in all.” Studies show that people who have been formerly incarcerated are twice as likely to experience food insecurity as the general population. Recognizing how food insecurity impacts those who are leaving California’s prisons or Continued on page 10
Jonathan Jones, Tandia Jones, Richard Johnson, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Dr. Maritony Yamot during election celebration. Photo courtesy of AASEG. By Richard Johnson In the aftermath of the November elections, there seems to be some simmering, lingering effects that are causing a rift between the winners and losers, causing the voters to rethink their own decisions at the voting polls. Previously, I mentioned that the voters elected the mayor of their choice, but now it appears that the entire process is being questioned by some who contend not only the mayoral race is questionable, but also all the races. There may be some irregularities, as nothing is absolutely perfect under the best of circumstances; does this mean that because a nail or two was missed that we tear down the entire building and
rebuild it again? Oakland and Alameda County made history in the last election by electing the first Black woman as the district attorney — this wasn’t a mistake. The people’s voices were heard loud and clear. All this bitter negativity and these unfounded accusations are being hurled by those who desire to undo history in order to revisit a failed past. A new day has dawned, as the people have spoken. Oakland has a profound history of being the first, as the last election plainly demonstrated. Now is the time for the people to take a stand and announce they are concerned about what is really Continued on page 10
By Emil Guillermo You may have noticed if you’re a CSPAN watcher, local Congresswoman Barbara Lee is getting more face time. She was in front of the House floor as one of the “tellers” counting the votes in the dramatic 15-round vote for the speakership of the 118th Congress. She was one of the speech givers objecting to the biased Republican house rules, especially the GOP’s hardline against abortion. Now, Barbara Lee wants to step up from the House to the Senate and it’s about time. Lee has told colleagues in a closed door Congressional Black Caucus meeting that she is seeking the job of California Senator Dianne Feinstein, according to Politico. And she will officially announce “when it’s appropriate.” But official or unofficial, now we know. Lee wants the job. And she deserves it. But first, comes the hard decision of Feinstein to announce either a retirement at the end of this term or to leave now. And of course, there are still some who want Feinstein to stay on. At age 89, Feinstein has seniority and that means power in the Senate. Without that, you’re just biding time. Look at Alex Padilla. Replacing Barbara Boxer hasn’t been easy, not when you have just a fraction of the power she had. And that takes time. Yet there are many who want Feinstein out now. Her detractors—mostly anonymous-- claim age has affected her effectiveness. Feinstein denies it, but media stories have persisted on the perceived decline of her abilities. I first met Feinstein when I was growing up in San Francisco, when she was a supervisor. She’s served California and has earned the right to determine her future in the Senate. Lee, ever respectful, has contacted Feinstein about the possibility of running for her Senate seat. In turn, the Senator has acknowledged Lee will have to figure out her own path. And it’s not just Lee who is waiting in the wings. Some other politicians are circling over Feinstein looking for opportunity. Southern California’s Rep. Katie
Porter, a darling of progressives, has already announced and has reportedly raised a million dollars. Then there’s another Southern California liberal, Rep. Adam Schiff, whose profile was lifted during the impeachment hearings. When you can rack up appearances on Colbert Show’s late at night, you have a fund-raising edge. What does Lee have? Community cred and history. Mills graduate. UC Berkeley, MSW. She was a young firebrand backing legendary Congressman Shirley Chisholm’s run for president and was a Chisholm delegate. Lee served in the California Legislature before she replaced Ron Dellums in the House in 1998. When I mention Barbara Lee to my politically savvy friends around the country, they know her instantly for her integrity. In Congress’ 2001 vote to authorize use of military force against terrorists, she made her name by taking a stand. She was the only member of congress to vote no to an open-ended war that she said had “neither an exit strategy nor a focused target.” “It was a blank check to the president to attack anyone involved in the September 11 events—anywhere, in any country,” Lee said then. “I could not support such a grant of war-making authority to the president; I believe it would put more innocent lives at risk.” Given all the lies we’ve seen in government, doesn’t integrity sound refreshing? Lee is the kind of principled person you want representing the whole state in the Senate, isn’t it? Whatever Feinstein decides, Lee has been vetted. Gov. Gavin Newsom has already indicated that in the event of a Feinstein retirement, he’d appoint a Black female replacement. That would be Lee, naturally. It would also give her an advantage to run as an incumbent. But what of Newsom? He’ll be termed out as governor in 2027. If he doesn’t want to run for president now, does he want to be a U.S. senator? And what if Feinstein hangs on and runs. That spoils all the timing. But does Lee challenge DiFi? Or does she let Porter try, lose, then come sweeping in as an appointee when Feinstein retires? At age 76, Barbara Lee’s career is again full of possibilities as she waits to make her next step. Emil Guillermo is a veteran journalist and commentator. He does a talk show on www.amok. com