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OPINION: Will the Epstein Files Unite America and Save Our Democracy? ... see page 7
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
postnewsgroup.com
62nd Year, No. 30
Weekly Edition July 23 - 29, 2025
County Supervisors Approve Historic Deal to Sell Coliseum to Black Development Group
Mayor Barbara Lee Initiates Working Group to Reform Oakland’s Charter
Local leaders see decision as giant step forward for Oakland revitalization, creating jobs and housing
Abandoned cars and RVs within a homeless encampment in West Oakland, CA. The majority, 58%, of the homeless population in Alameda County resides in Oakland. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.
Alameda County Supervisors President David Haubert, center, is joined by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, and Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas and other AASEG supporters after the Tuesday vote. Photo by Carla Thomas.
By Carla Thomas,
African American development
pervisors voted unanimously on
Ken Epstein, and
group paving the way for an his-
Tuesday to approve the team’s
Magaly Muñoz
toric community-backed project
sale of the property to the African
The baseball team formerly
that could lead to an economic
American Sports and Entertain-
known as the Oakland Athletics
revitalization of the city and the
has finally received a green light
region.
ment Group (AASEG), an invest-
this week to sell its 50% share
After months of waiting, the
of the Oakland Coliseum to an
Alameda County Board of Su-
Alameda County Supervisors Commit to Using Majority Measure W Funds on Homelessness
By Magaly Muñoz
The Alameda County Supervisors agreed at a special meeting to use the majority of the funding from the 2020 Measure W general sales tax on investments in
ment group focused on commu-
housing and homelessness, and a
nity development in Oakland. Continued on page 8
smaller portion toward essential services. The measure funding has been collecting revenue over the last few years but was held up from being utilized because of ongo-
ing litigation that ended in recent months. When it became clear that the money would soon be on the table, local leaders and residents urged Supervisors to use the funds to address one of the largest issues plaguing the region: homelessness. The measure has aaccrued $810 million since July 2021. The tax is intended to gain another $1.02 billion over the next six Continued on page 8
Mayor Barbara Lee. File photo. By Post Staff Addressing a key component of her 100-day plan, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee has convened a working group to review and provide recommendations for reforming Oakland’s Charter – specifically to better define the role of elected officials, address responsible city financial planning, and improve government accountability and transparency. The League of Women Voters of Oakland and San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) will co-chair the working group. “Our residents are demanding greater accountability, transparenContinued on page 8
The Case Against Probate: Advance Planning is Best Defense Against Probate Disputes
Teachers union members are raising money to support legal defenses of local immigrant families facing the threat of deportation. Photo courtesy of Oakland Education Association (OEA).
Teachers Union Raises $67,000 for Legal Defense of Immigrant Families Facing Deportation
By Ken Epstein
The Oakland Education Association (OEA) is organizing with teachers and members of the community to raise money for legal defense for local immigrant families that are being threatened and broken up through ICE raids, roundups, and rapid deportation. The OEA’s Rapid Response Legal Fund has already raised almost $67,000 and is hoping to reach a goal of $100,000 by the end of
summer. “Individuals with legal representation are far less likely to be deported, but the cost is out of reach for many Oakland families, and the already strained pro bono network is overwhelmed by the influx of demand,” said a statement from the union. Working with the school district, “The Rapid Response Legal Defense Fund will connect families in need with an immigration attor-
ney and provide funding towards a down payment on a lawyer,” the statement said. Vilma Serrano, OEA treasurer, bargaining team chair, and OUSD elementary teacher, told the Oakland Post that the union has been negotiating with the district to increase services for “newcomer” students and families for a number of years, but after watching the magnitude of ICE raids in Los Continued on page 8
mother to scores of young boys and girls, passed on to glory on June 1. She was 92. She was born in Virginia to Wayman Alexander Brown and Dee P. MacQuay Brown, Aug. 20, 1932, as the eighth of 10 children. She was an energetic child who loved to play and made music spoons on the glass of windowpanes in spite of her mother’s constant warnings. She taught herself to play piano, a gift she would share throughout her life with children and grandchildren. In a world still recovering from the civil strife of the 1800s, her parents
elected to raise their family on a farm isolated from much of the continuing racial tension. It proved to be a strengthening choice as it planted strong feelings that all people were children of God, even when many did not act the part. Believing that equal rights — civil rights — belonged to everyone, Dee emerged as a committed voice for the struggle towards equality in high school and college. There she met James D. Peters, Jr. and they were married on June 23, 1952. Four children would join their marriage: Continued on page 8
Ida Dee Brown Peters Garrett, 92
Ida Dee Brown Peters Garrett. Courtesy photo. Special to The Post
Ida Dee Brown Peters Garrett,
a civil rights champion and foster
Left to right: Attorney Lisa MacCarley, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, Probate Reform Advocate Venus Gist appeared at the United Seniors of Oakland’s 34th Convention at the Cherryland Community Center in Hayward on June 13. Miley invited Mac Carley, a probate and estate planning to educate seniors on how to avoid probate court by having their estate plan and legal documents in order. Courtesy photo.
By Tanya Dennis
Part 7
Lisa MacCarley is a Los Angeles-based conservatorship and probate attorney who is deeply concerned with systemic flaws in the probate court system and guardianship, and conservatorship practices. In 2020, she was the first attorney to publicly support the #FreeBritney movement, identifying constitutional violations in singer Britney Spears’ 13-year conservatorship. MacCarley has been featured in major news outlets and magazines such as the New York Times, Vanity Fair, CNN, NPR, The New Yorker, and the BBC, as well as in the documentary “The Battle for Britney.” She has been a vocal advocate for probate reform
throughout her 25-year career. “America’s legal system, and the California probate court system, is broken because of the same reasons that so many other publicly funded institutions are broken – lack of resources,” MacCarley says. “Funding for these courts has never been adequate. Judicial officers have far too many cases to handle with the care and competence that should be dedicated to each matter. “My observation is that most judicial officers strive to get it right but are limited by the number of hours they can expend on each matter.” When asked what the solution is MacCarley replied, “Obviously, adequately funding the courts would be ideal, but frankly, every Continued on page 8
LaNiece Jones has served BWOPA for more than 25 years. Photo Courtesy of LaNiece Jones.
LaNiece Jones to Become Statewide Leader of BWOPA
By Carla Thomas On Saturday, at the Metropolitan Golf Club in Oakland, a longlit torch will be passed to Oakland entrepreneur LaNiece Jones, naming her the statewide leader of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA). “I’m excited to follow in the footsteps and carry forward our founding member and longtime State President Dezie WoodsJones’ vision of building a strong infrastructure across California that uplifts and supports Black women in elected and civic leadership,” said Jones. Jones has been a media and marketing professional for 35 years and holds a BS in Criminal Continued on page 8