Dis ESSAY: Technology and Medicine, a Primary Care Point of View ... see page 2
Four Bills Focus on Financial Compensation for Descendants of Enslaved People ... see page 2
Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless Newsom Fights Back as AmeriCorps Shutdown Threatens College Students Sleeping in Cars ... see page 4 Vital Services in Black Communities ... see page 7
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
62nd Year, No. 17
Weekly Edition April 23 - 29, 2025
postnewsgroup.com
Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee Lays Out Plan OUSD Supt. Chief Kyla Johnson-Trammell to for First 100 Days
By Ken Epstein
“I stand before you today filled with excitement, optimism, and humility – for today marks a new chapter for our beloved Oakland,” said Mayor-elect Barbara Lee, speaking at her first press conference after she won the April 15 special election for mayor of the city. “While we must respect the continued process of ballot-counting, the results are clear that the people of Oakland have elected me as their next mayor. Thank you, Oakland!” she said, speaking at the offices of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, which was packed with representatives of the media and Lee’s supporters. Lee pledged she will “govern with the same leadership I’ve enga-
Mayor-elect Barbara Lee speaks to the press following her victory in the April 15 special election for mayor of Oakland on April 21 at the office of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Ken Epstein. ged in my entire career: with trans-
with an ability to bring together pe-
parency, integrity, and accounta-
ople who do not always agree but
bility; with unwavering focus on
believe in a better Oakland.”
results you expect and deserve;
In 30 Years, Supporters of Swim A Mile | Move A Mile for Women with Cancer Raised $8 Million
In the latest election results re-
leased by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, Lee won the race outright, coming in first in a field of 10 candidates. In the low-turnout election, Lee won 47,045 votes (50.06%), while second-place Loren Taylor received 42,276 votes (44.99%). With the addition of Instant Runoff, Ranked Choice ballots added to the totals, Lee won 52.69% of the vote, compared with Taylor’s 47.31%. Lee beat Taylor by about 5,000 votes. According to reports last week, there were about 1,000 votes left to count, and a final official update on election results was scheduled to be released on Friday, April 25. “I will be a hands-on mayor who Continued on page 8
Volunteer at Alameda County Food Bank sorting food to distribute to the hundreds of community organizations across the county. Cities like Oakland are experiencing large numbers of food insecure households that use food banks to supplement their weekly meals instead of buying expensive groceries from their local markets. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.
Step Down on July 1
Kyla Johnson-Trammell. File photo. By Post Staff The Oakland Unified School District announced this week that Supt. Kyla Johnson-Trammell will leave her position on July 1 after
serving for eight years. In closed session on Wednesday evening, the school board approved a voluntary separation agreement by a 4-3 vote, said Board President Jennifer Brouhard. The board will begin searching immediately for an interim superintendent who will start on July 1. Johnson-Trammell will continue as superintendent emeritus from July 1 to Jan. 15, 2026, to help with the transition, according to a joint statement released by JohnsonTrammell and the Board. In a personal statement to the community, Johnson-Trammell said: Continued on page 8
American journalist, political activist and author Mumia Abu Jamal with his son Jamal Ibn Mumia. Photo courtesy of Jamal Ibn Mumia
The Free Mumia Speaking Tour Is Oakland’s Most Vulnerable Neighborhoods Are Struggling Coming to the Bay Area
Supporters of the Swim A Mile | Move A Mile campaign from 2023. Courtesy photo. By Kate Eaneman Special to The Post When staff at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center started a fundraiser in 1995, they weren’t trying to create a high-profile event. They just wanted something meaningful: something that could bring people together to raise funds for East Bay women facing cancer. They called it the Swim A Mile for Women with Cancer. There were no rankings, no competition, no stopwatch at the end of the lane. Just people swimming a mile at
their own pace in honor or memory of someone they cared about, and raising what they could to support WCRC’s work. In the years since, the event has shifted and stretched. It’s been held at several pools across the East Bay, including Holy Names and its current home at Northeastern University in Oakland, formerly Mills College. For a few years, a second swim was held in Marin. And in 2020, the event changed again — this time, out of necessity. With the pandemic forcing large gatherings to stop. It also Continued on page 8
to Eat and Stay Healthy
These Are the Contributing Factors PART 3
By Magaly Muñoz In Oakland, the local investment is low. In the last year, the city has cut grants to nonprofits like Meals on Wheels, which serves 3,000 hungry seniors, and Street Level Health Project, which provides groceries and meals to undocumented day laborers. Tax measures, like the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax, were intended to help decrease the food and health crisis but are also
The Case Against Probate Court: The Ussery/Willis Case Part 1
By Tanya Dennis
Zakiya Jendayi was appointed sole beneficiary of Laura Dean Head’s estate by Dr. Head. Head’s two estranged sisters contested Head’s will and trust, which forced Jendayi into the probate court system. Courtesy photo.
In September of 2015, The Post’s administrative assistant, Maxine Ussery, contacted this reporter regarding her family’s probate case that had been in the probate system since 2003. Reviewing Ussery’s case serves a dual purpose in why probate court should be avoided for settling estate issues. The Ussery case is the personification of everything wrong with the probate court system, exemplifying how corruption, malfeasance, and fraudulent tactics are used by probate judges, attorneys and conservators for self-enrichment under the color of law. The
Ussery case is a warning to those considering going to probate court for resolution. In 2002, Ananias Willis passed his $5.2 million property estate, including $390,000 in cash, to his five children. Willis had a will and a trust, and his wishes were clear: that the estate be managed equally between the five siblings, and any decision regarding cash would be made by at least three out of five of the beneficiaries. One sister disagreed, and demanded the estate go through probate. Fourteen years later, when their case ended in 2017, Willis’ $5.2 million in property had been sold to pay attorney and court fees and the Continued on page 8
not being managed in the way Oakland residents voted for, according to community leaders and advisory board members. The majority of the tax money is going towards funding city agencies. The Oakland Post contacted city and county officials several times for comment but did not get a response. Across the Bay, San Francisco is investing millions of dollars to address food insecurity through a pilot program that establishes free Continued on page 8
By Carla Thomas
For over 43 years, American journalist, political activist and bestselling author Mumia Abu Jamal has been incarcerated and remains on death row at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Mahanoy in Frackville, Pennsylvania. As a teen journalist and member of the Black Panther Party, he was shot by police, beaten up, and framed for the death of a police officer in 1982. Public outcry and support have been consistent throughout the decades. Now, his family, supporters, and legal team have launched
the Free Mumia Speaking Tour featuring his first-born son, Jamal Ibn Mumia, as well as his former attorney Rachel Wolkenstein, who has done extensive work on his case. The tour comes to Northern California from April 21-25 during what his supporters have designated Mumia Week. In 1982, Abu Jamal was convicted for the first-degree murder of a Philadelphia police officer and sentenced to death row. The inconsistencies and inaccuracies surrounding the case and trial have led many to believe Mumia is innocent and was targeted because of his political Continued on page 8
Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee Honors the Memory of Pope Francis
Barbara Lee said she attended Catholic school while she was growing up in Texas and over the years had met Pope Francis and honors his memory. She thanked the local faith community for ministering to the most vulnerable people in Oakland. “Our faith community is right there with help each and every day,” she said. "I just want to thank you all for making sure that the ministries of our faith communities, communities with the values, even the people who aren't a member of the faith community, know that we have to do justice and have mercy and move forward to create the world that we know everyone, each and every human being deserves.” Photo by Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee.