Mayor Marks First Year — Oakland Successful in Bond Market
By Post Staff Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee marked her first year in office Wednesday with a special anniversary celebration at City Hall, highlighting major accomplishments and investments that are helping make Oakland safer, cleaner, and more responsive to residents while continuing to move the city forward.
administration has focused on strengthening public safety, addressing homelessness, illegal dumping, and improving quality of life across neighborhoods, the foundations that will bring businesses to Oakland, create new jobs, and revitalize Oakland’s economy. “Over the last 365 days, we’ve worked every day to move Oakland forward,” said Lee. “We have reduced crime to historic lows,
supported our youth, cleaned our streets, and made significant investments in our neighborhoods. The momentum is real, and we’re just getting started.” “Our work is far from over,” Lee added. “But Oakland is moving in the right direction. We are building safer neighborhoods, stronger communities, and a more vibrant future for everyone who calls Oakland home. Oakland is on the move.”
Among her administration’s most significant achievements is the successful issuance of a historic $334 million bond to fund street paving, affordable housing, and major infrastructure improvements throughout Oakland. The issuance of the bond represented a major turning point for Oakland’s financial stability and long-term investment strategy. Public safety improvements Continued on page 8
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee speaking at the anniversary of her taking office. Courtesy photo.
Oakland Post
Over the past year, the Lee
“Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
63rd Year, No. 20
Weekly Edition May 20 - 26, 2026
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Opinion: Measure C Supports Oakland Businesses and Incentivizes Economic Revival
Councilmember Janani Ramachandran By Councilmember Janani Ramachandran Oakland has earned a reputation for often not being friendly to businesses – whether due to concerns around public safety, inefficient permitting processes, or high taxes. In the years since the pandemic, we have seen longtime legacy businesses depart, vacant storefronts galore, and a decline of foot traffic. However, Oakland also has what I call the “secret sauce” – an authentic and resilient community like no other, a rousing pride in Town culture, and everything it takes to be a welcoming, world-class metropoli-
tan city that meets the needs of its residents. We just need more of the right policies and better messaging to get there. This is why I co-authored Measure C along with my Council colleague Zac Unger and Mayor Barbara Lee to showcase to the world that Oakland is not only “open for business,” but also is ready for an unprecedented economic revival. Measure C (on your ballot for the June 2 election) is the opposite of a tax. It’s a proposed tax break for most categories of small businesses with brick-and-mortar locations that gross under $1 million per year, including dining and hospitality, grocers and retail, personal services, and manufacturing. Measure C also offers a tax break for new businesses of any size that want to set up a physical commercial space in Oakland. If passed by a majority of voters on June 2, this measure will provide much needed economic relief from Oakland’s Business Tax (also known as the Gross Receipts Tax) to eligible businesses for one year with the possibility of extension by City Council for up to three years. While Measure C isn’t a panaContinued on page 8
Council to Decide Whether to Place Mayor’s Charter Reform Measure on November Ballot iStock.
Court Ruling Means State Can Bypass Terms of Legal Trusts
By Tanya Dennis The National Probate Reform Coalition warns that a faithfully executed trust can be invalidated by California’s probate judges who bypass established legal procedures. Many Californians establish trusts specifically to avoid probate disputes regarding control of who inherits their property; disinheriting certain heirs; protect charitable beneficiaries; preserve privacy; and ensure their final instructions are followed after death. As reported previously in The Post, a trust legally enacted by Dr. Laura Dean Head making Zakiyah Jendayi her beneficiary was voided by Alameda County Probate Court Judge Sandra K. Bean in 2023, favoring Head’s estranged sisters Della Hamlin and Helaine Head who had been
Oakland Leaders: ‘Measure C is Good for Business’
From left to right: Josephine Guzman, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; Bradly Johnson, City of Oakland finance director; Barbara Leslie, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce; Cathy Adams, African American Chamber of Commerce; Shelia Stoglin, City of Oakland Revenue Division; City Councilmember Ramachandran, Chuck Baker, assistant city administrator; Cristy Johnston, deputy director of Economic & Workforce Development; and Stephanie Tran, Chinatown Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Jared Savas.
disinherited in the trust. Jendayi, the named inheritor of the trust, contested the ruling that invalidated the trust to no avail despite obvious legal missteps. That ruling now threatens the ability of all Californians to rely on what they believe is a legally binding manner in which families, businesses and nonprofits are able to pass on money and property as they wish. The 2024 ruling in Hamlin v. Jendayi case now raises serious concerns for California trust holders because it potentially expands the ability of individuals to challenge trusts even where they were not named beneficiaries or trustees under the governing estate documents. Details may be found at https://www4.courts.ca.gov/ opinions/archive/A167695M.PDF For many Californians, the issues raised by this case now extend beyond defendant Zakiya Jendayi and raises substantial public-interest concerns involving standing; beneficiary notice; Continued on page 8
Oakland City Hall. iStock. By Ken Epstein Oakland City Councilmembers this week moved forward with a resolution to place Mayor Barbara Lee’s Charter Reform Measure on the Nov. 3 ballot. Councilmembers voted unanimously at Thursday’s Rules and Legislation Committee to send the resolution to the full Council, which will then make the final decision whether to submit the measure to voters. Speaking at the committee meeting, Lee emphasized the importance of the Charter reform at the present. “Oakland is at a turning point, and the status quo needs to change,” she said. “Our residents expect clear leadership, clear accountability, timely decisions and delivery of City services in an efficient manner.” “Charter reform … is not about personalities. This (is not) written for any one mayor or any councilmember or any one administrator.
It’s a structural change that would apply to any mayor and any future administration,” she said. The goal of changing the Charter, which is the City’s Constitution, is to change how the system works, she said. The changes would clarify who is accountable “when things go wrong, who has the tools to fix them, and how we build a government that is truly responsible to deliver the services our constituents, our residents, need.” Under the current charter, the system is a hybrid, she continued. “It blends elements of a strong mayor system and a council/ manager system in way that diffuses the authority and obscures responsibility.” “Too often this hybrid structure creates confusion, weakens accountability, and contributes to a vicious cycle where residents struggle to get the core services they deserve,” said Lee. The Charter reform proposal Continued on page 8
Leonard Bailey Records Live Album in Oakland – Building on Bay Area’s Rich Gospel Tradition
Photo courtesy of Leonard Bailey.
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