Dis California Sets Historic Goal to Secure 9 Million Acre- Q&A: Antonio Villaraigosa on Affordability, Building Feet of Water by 2040 ... see page 2 Coalitions and His Run for Calif. Governor ... see page 2
Gov. Newsom Calls Pres. Trump’s Attack on Iran ‘Reckless’ ... see page 2
Q&A With Gubernatorial Candidate Tony Thurmond: ‘California Needs a Governor Who Listens and Leads’ .. see page 9
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
City Council Acts After Disparity Study Exposes Oakland’s Lack of Race and Equity Inclusion
Chadwick Spell, Cathy Adams, OAACC, led a group of some of the speakers to thank Councilmember Fife for leading the Council to support a vote to accept the disparities study in city contracts: Iris Merriouns, Eleanor Mason Ramsey, Carroll Fife, Lavell Lawson, Len Turner, Stanley Cooper, and Paul Cobb. Photo by Jonathan Fitness Jones. By Ken Epstein The Oakland City Council this week unanimously approved a 2024 Disparity Study that exposes entrenched systemic discriminato-
cess of reforming how the city does business. The Disparity Study showed that over a five-year period, 20162021, the city spent almost a half
Tuesday, Dr. Eleanor Ramsey, founder, and CEO of Mason Tillman Associates, said that Mason Tillman’s team found that the city has good contracting policies, but
Oakland is Spreading the Word – Use Your Free Bulky Waste Removal, Available for All Oakland Households
Mayor Barbara Lee. Photo courtesy of Marques DuPree and Darrion Webb.
Mayor Lee Announces $53 Million in Measure W Funds for Housing
By Post Staff
Janani Ramachandran.
Zac Unger.
Ken Houston.
ry practices in how the city awards public funds to small and minority contractors, particularly excluding African American- and womenowned businesses in Oakland. In a 7-0 vote, with one absence, the Council approved the findings
billion dollars, which went overwhelmingly to a handful of white, male-owned companies that were based outside of Oakland, according to the 369-page report produced for the city by Mason Tillman Associates, an Oakland-
Charlene Wang.
Rowena Brown.
and recommendations contained in the study and agreed to create a working group that includes local business leaders to begin the pro-
based company that performs statistical, legal, and economic analyses of contracting and hiring. Speaking to the Council on
they are circumvented by city departments, where most decisions to hire contractors are made. Ramsey’s company has conducted four studies for Oakland in the past 20 years, and all of them found the same disparities. “You are aware that we have a constitutional amendment that says you cannot engage in preferential treatment, but as you see from these findings, preferential treatment is afforded to those nonminority contractors who received the majority of your contracts,” said Ramsey. “(These conditions) have persisted for over two decades, and the small, local business program, which was established in 2003, a quarter of a century ago, is still Continued on page 10
Cephus ‘Uncle Bobby’ Johnson and his wife, Beatrice Johnson, sparkle at the gala Photo courtesy of Wanda Johnson.
Oscar Grant Foundation Hosts Legacy Gala
By Carla Thomas
The Oscar Grant Foundation hosted its annual Legacy Gala at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant in Oakland’s Jack London Square on Saturday, Feb. 28, drawing a sold-out
local and national conversations about police accountability, community safety, and justice. The event was also a fundraiser for the foundation’s educational, athletic and mental health programming.
crowd of family members, elected
From the start, the atmosphere in-
officials, faith leaders, organizers,
side Scott’s blended elegance with a
and community supporters.
sense of sacred remembrance. Each
The evening served as a powerful
table was decorated with vases of
reminder of how Oscar Grant’s life
white flowers and dangling crystals.
and tragic death continue to shape
A special performance by gospel
63rd Year, No. 9
Weekly Edition March 4 - 10, 2026
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artist Le’Andria Johnson turned the gala into a moving worship experience. As she sang “Deliver Me (This Is My Exodus)” and “Better Days,” her powerful, soulful vocals washed over the room. Many guests stood, swayed, lifted their hands, or simply closed their eyes as tears flowed. The energy the singer brought into the venue felt like a collective exhale, offering a spiritual release. She also sang Sam Cook’s “ A Change is Gonna Come.” Keynote speaker Dr. Cornel West appeared via video, offering words of encouragement, honoring the Grant family and the foundation for transforming personal tragedy into an organized, sustained struggle for justice. “The spirit of Oscar Grant lives on through the great work of the foundation. I encourage you to continue doing exactly what you’re doing: gather, mobilize, and organize with the determination to be a force for good,” he said. Dr. West also addressed the ongoing crisis facing the Black community, including the escalation of white supremacy via the White
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As the federal government cuts aid to homeless families, children, and seniors, Mayor Barbara Lee announced this week that Alameda County is stepping up to meet the challenge, welcoming the county’s $53 million award from the Measure W Home Together Fund Multifamily Homelessness Solutions Program to nonprofit groups that will lead the development of supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. “On behalf of the residents of Oakland, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the County for allocating Measure W funds toward permanent supportive housing in our city,” said Mayor Lee. The funding, a joint effort of Alameda County Health’s Housing and Homelessness Services (ACH&H) and Alameda County Housing and Community Development (HCD), will expand the region’s supply of permanent supportive housing. The awarded projects are expected to deliver over 900 new permanently affordable homes countywide, including up to 346 units for people experiencing homelessness. In Oakland, the investment will help build 319 affordable housing units, including 96 units for residents experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Approved by voters in 2020, Measure W is the County’s primary local funding source for addressing homelessness through housing, health services, and system infrastructure. A core strategy of the Home Together Fund is to expand the County’s permanent supportive housing inventory, and this competitive request for proposals was specifically designed to accelerate the development of projects that are ready to move forward and deliver long-term housing stability.. “Oakland is home to 54% of all unhoused individuals in Alameda County, and 74% of the county’s unhoused Black residents,” Mayor Lee said. “That is not a coincidence — it is the product of decades of redlining, disinvestment,
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Oakland residents can call 1-888-WM-BULKY to arrange their free pickup of bulky waste. Photo courtesy City of Oakland. Special to the Post Oakland is taking action to stop illegal dumping and help keep our communities clean. One of the important steps in making sure abandoned trash doesn’t end up on our streets, sidewalks and parks is making sure people have access to, and know about, the proper way to get rid of excess waste. Fortunately, in Oakland, all homeowners can get access to schedule a Free bulky waste pickup, from your house or apartment, every year. This service is available to both homeowners and to renters, and every household can reach out to Waste Management, to schedule this free service, each year. Oakland residents can call 1-888-WM-BULKY
waste. It has to be scheduled in advance, so make sure to plan ahead, and don’t put waste out until you have a scheduled date. In addition, each resident can get one free drop-off each year to bring your household waste to the Davis Street Transfer Station for disposal. For this option too, schedule in advance by calling 1-888-WMBULKY. And now, the City of Oakland, in partnership with community-based organizations, is working to spread the word, to help clean up the town, and let everyone know about using this free bulky waste removal service. One of the ways this information is being shared is through murals. Painting murals is a way
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to arrange their free pickup of bulky
Mayor Barbara Lee Backs New State Bill to Hold Illegal Dumping Violators Accountable
Illegal dumping in Oakland. Courtesy of ABC7. By Post Staff Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee this week joined State Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Oakland), Assemblymember Mia Bonta, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, and other community leaders to announce the new Senate Bill (SB) 1218, which would require the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to refuse to renew registration of a vehicle if the registered owner or lessee has outstanding illegal dumping penalties. “Our neighborhoods deserve better than to be treated as dumping grounds – and for too long, serial illegal dumpers have faced little to no real deterrence, getting cited, walking away, and leaving our communities to absorb the damage. This bill changes that,” said Lee. “By tying outstanding fines to vehicle registration, we are creating a consequence that is clear, enforceable, and impossible to ignore. That is the kind of accountability our residents deserve – and frankly, it is long
overdue,” she said. The legislation, authored by Arreguín, builds on an existing enforcement model already used by the DMV, which currently denies vehicle registration renewals for delinquent parking tickets and similar fines. SB 1218 expands that model by adding unpaid illegal dumping penalties to the list of violations that can trigger a registration hold – creating a meaningful incentive for offenders to resolve outstanding citations and disincentivizing future violations. The bill comes as illegal dumping in Oakland and across California has reached crisis levels. Between 2021 and 2024, Oakland issued nearly 3,000 illegal dumping citations totaling approximately $1.3 million in fines – yet the city has collected only about $109,000, roughly 11% of total fines issued. Last year alone, Oakland received over 25,000 calls reporting illegal dumping, and city crews re-
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