DisOPINION: On Tuesday, Voters Spoke Loudly for Democrats. Will Republicans Listen? ... see page 7
California Connects: How the Governor’s Office Is Bringing Collaboration and Service to Communities... see page 2
California Moves to Reclaim Control of State National Guard ... see page 6
California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom Launches California Women’s Wealth Advisory Council ... see page 2
Oakland Post “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” Proverbs 29:18
62nd Year, No. 47
Weekly Edition November 5 - 11, 2025
postnewsgroup.com
Oakland Hires Former Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan to Combat Illegal Dumping Oakland City Hall. File photo.
Oakland Responds to Alameda County Grand Jury Criticisms
By Post Staff
The Alameda County Grand Jury’s annual report, issued in June, focused this year almost exclusively on failings of the City of Oakland, while ignoring the other 13 towns in this county of over 1.5 million residents. “While the Grand Jury normally investigates complaints across Alameda County, this year,
because of the significance of the issues, we primarily focused on Oakland. As the county seat and its largest municipality, these investigations serve the citizens of Alameda County,” the report said. Oakland’s response to the Grand Jury report was due by the end of September, but the city asked for and received an extenContinued on page 8
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi will finish her last term in January 2027. Courtesy photo.
Nancy Pelosi Announces Retirement After Decades in U.S. Congress
Rebecca Kaplan. File photo. By Post Staff
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, who
The City of Oakland has hired former
City
Councilmember
at-Large Rebecca Kaplan, who served on the council for 16 years, to serve as a project manager in the Oakland city administrator’s office, focusing on combating illegal dumping and blight.
has made tackling illegal dumping one of the top priorities of her administration, emphasizing both expanding cleanup efforts and stricter enforcement. Lee has added additional work crews to increase trash pickup to seven days a week, launched initiatives like #KeepTheTown-
to encourage residents to Oakland Unveils Pilot Program on Sept. 29, will serve as an ex- Clean get involved in cleanup efforts, to Advance Responsible AI in empt, limited duration employee. and is working with the Alameda Her council term ended in JanuCounty District Attorney to prosCity Services ary, though her fellow council ecute illegal dumpers more agKaplan, who started working
members asked her to cover the
council vacancy in District 2 for five months until the election of Charlene Wang. Kaplan will be working with
gressively. “As mayor, I want all of us
By Post Staff
Nancy Pelosi has announced her retirement from Congress, ending a decades-long career in which she became one of the most powerful figures in U.S. politics. In a video message on Thursday, Pelosi said she will not be seeking re-election to Congress at the end of her term in January 2027.
Pelosi, 85, led her party in the lower chamber of Congress from 2003 until 2023 and became the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House from 2007-11 and again from 2019-23. Pelosi was first elected to Congress to represent San Francisco in 1987 at the age of 47. “We have made history, we Continued on page 8
Federal Judge Orders Trump to Fully Fund November SNAP Payments by Friday
to build an Oakland where our streets reflect the dignity, pride Continued on page 8
The deadline for Request for Information proposals is Nov. 30. Courtesy photo. By Carla Thomas Under Mayor Barbara Lee’s leadership, the City of Oakland is expanding its push into ethical and
AI can improve local government services. The RFI is the latest mile-
mental team formed in 2024 to
The City has issued a new Request
guide the City’s responsible adop-
for Information (RFI) calling on
tion of AI.
and researchers to propose ways
By Oakland Post Staff
Group (AIWG), a cross-depart-
equitable artificial intelligence.
technology companies, startups,
Courtesy image.
stone for Oakland’s AI Working
Proposals are due by Nov. 30 Continued on page 8
Blair Underwood (left) and Gary Reeves (right). Courtesy photos.
LoveLife Foundation 6th Annual Gala Highlights Social Impact Work by Blair Underwood, Gary Reeves
Special to the Post
U.S. President Donald Trump and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinibu.
Why Pres. Trump Is Preparing for Possible Military Action in Nigeria
By Oakland Post Staff
President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric over weekend reports of violence against Christians in Nigeria, ordering U.S. military planners to draw up options and publicly declaring he
would designate Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act. The chain of events began, according to multiple officials, when Trump saw a Fox News segment Continued on page 8
LoveLife Foundation was started in 1997 by Donald Lacy and his family to support local student college scholarships, mentoring and other social services for at-risk youth in memory of his late daughter, LoEshe Adanma Lacy. His family’s tragedy made headlines in 1997 when LoEshe was killed by a stray bullet in a drive-by shooting in West Oakland. After deep soul searching, Mr. Lacy decided to meet the shooter in person and hear his story, before forgiving his actions. This made national news in 2019 and inspired television specials on major broadcast outlets. Since then, Lacy and his family have dedicated countless hours throughout Northern California fighting the good fight, to uplift and pour care on Bay Area youth. Since its founding, LoveLife Foundation
has provided a number of college scholarships, fed the homeless, distributed toys for year-end holidays, mobilized community activations for voting and celebratory events highlighting many for their service. On Nov. 15 from 7-11 p.m., on the beautiful Hornblower City Cruise Ship docked at San Francisco’s Pier 3, LoveLife Foundation will celebrate students and Bay Area thought leaders to raise money for scholarships and social services for Bay Area families. As a highlight of the evening, LoveLife Foundation will acknowledge the 35-year social impact work of former Hollywood heartthrob Blair Underwood and former Golden State Warrior Spiritual Advisor Gary Reeves. Underwood and Reeves have been serving under-resourced populations for three decades in Continued on page 8
two weeks of chaos over the fate
A federal judge in Rhode
of the Supplemental Nutrition
administration to deliver SNAP
as food stamps, during the
Island has ordered the Trump
Assistance Program, also known
payments in full to
government shutdown.
Friday.
states by
The order, which U.S. District
Judge John McConnell issued Thursday afternoon, following
McConnell ruled last week
that the Trump administration had to distribute benefits as Continued on page 8
A Life of Courage, Grace and Accomplishment: Remembering Belva Davis
Belva Davis. The public is invited to celebrate the life of our trailblazing Bay Area broadcast journalist. Courtesy photo. By Oakland Post Staff Family, friends, and admirers across California are preparing to honor the life and legacy of Belva Davis, the trailblazing journalist
who became the first Black woman to anchor television news in the western United States. A public memorial will be held Monday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. Davis passed away peacefully after a long illness, just weeks before her 93rd birthday, according to her family. She leaves behind a towering legacy of courage, intellect, and excellence that transformed American journalism and inspired generations who followed in her footsteps. Born Belvagene Melton on Oct. 13, 1932, in Monroe, Louisiana, Davis grew up under the harsh realities of the Jim Crow South. Her family moved to Oakland, California, when she was 8 years old, seeking better opportunities. Continued on page 8