Good afternoon and welcome to the Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting
of Tuesday, September 22nd, 2026, the time is now 1.56 p.m. and this meeting may come
to order.
Before I begin, I will provide instructions on how to submit speaker cards for items on
this agenda.
Sorry, if you're here with us in chamber and would like to submit a speaker card, please
fill one out and turn one into myself or a clerk representative before the item is read
into record or sorry 10 minutes after the start of this meeting time. Online
speaker requests were due 24 hours prior to the start of this meeting and this
meeting came to order at 1 56 p.m. and speaker cards will no longer be accepted
10 minutes after making that 206 p.m. We'll now proceed with taking roll
councilmember five excuse for now okay excused councilmember Ramachandran
on this item.
Councilmember uncle here and chair Brown present thank you
we have three members present one excused by and chair before
we begin do you have any announcements at this time
excellent thank you so much on no announcements.
Except for welcome back.
Thank you starting off with item number one approval of the
draft minutes from the committee meeting of July
fourteenth two thousand twenty six and we have no speakers on
councilmember Unger I'll entertain a motion to move the item this is to
approve the minutes yep so much okay thank you we have a motion made by
councilmember Unger seconded by councilmember Ramachandran to accept the
draft minutes from the committee meeting of July 14 2026 on roll councilmember
five excused Ramachandran I under I and chair Brown I thank you item one passes
with three eyes, sorry, three eyes, one excused, five.
To accept the draft minutes from July 14th, 2026.
Item two, determination of schedule
of outstanding committee items,
and we have one speaker on this item.
Perfect, thank you so much.
Any changes to our pending list to the administration?
No changes.
Perfect, thank you.
Colleagues, anything?
Okay, we can hear from the public speaker.
Mrs. Soto-Ola-Bala?
It has been an ongoing struggle for the city of Oakland to identify that unemployment for
foundational black individuals in this city being at 10 percent and double digits for
quite some time that you ignore it.
So I'm going to ask that as much as possible when any item comes up that deals with workforce
that we do a demographic representation on what is in place and what are you projecting
to be in place to accommodate by race demographics.
And in doing it, like this morning in finance committee, they had a breakdown of ethnic
groups, and it was very confusing, but you have to separate black, which represents people
from the islands, people from Africa, people from Central and South America, from the enslaved
group of what I call foundational black Americans.
If you look through this city, every time you see a security guard, it's mostly the
the time as an African. We have groups of people, if you're talking about nail salons,
beauty salons, gas stations, 7-Eleven. Groups of people dominate in those economic ventures.
And so we are not dominating anything. Again, I'm requesting that you have race demographics
community.
I just want to make sure that
that's properly put in place so
we can look at.
If foundational black Americans.
Are being given the opportunity
to be employed in this city.
Thank you for your comments
share that concludes all
speakers on the side of this
need a motion okay perfect
colleagues.
I'll move the item.
Thank you we have a motion made
by councilmember younger second
by councilmember on my children
to accept the determination of
five excused Ramachandran. Aye. Unger. Aye. And chair Brown. Aye. Thank you item two
passes with three ayes one excused five to accept the pending list as is.
Reading in item number three adopt an ordinance as recommended by the
Planning Commission one amending Oakland Municipal Code title 17 the planning code
chapter 17 point 86 s-8 abundant and affordable homes near transit Senate
Bill 79, combining zone regulations to address
comments received from California Department of Housing
and Community Development.
Two, amending the Planning Code Chapter 17.86
to exclude additional industrial zone parcels
previously designated as ineligible for SB 79
within the areas that were not previously excluded.
Three, making related Oakland zoning map amendments
to update parcels designated within the S-8 mining zone
and to update identification
of whether such designated parcels are excluded
from the Senate Bill 79, property development standards
and making California Environmental Quality Act findings
and we have one speaker on this item.
Perfect, so for this item we will hear a presentation
from our planning and building team, Kelly Chow.
Good afternoon.
Can you please bring the presentation please?
Good afternoon, my name is Kelly Chan,
here to present the item three
and the agenda amendments to the planning code chapter 1786,
essay combining zone regulations,
which is commonly referred to as SB 79,
Local Exclusion Ordinance.
So to provide a quick overview to the process,
the SB 79 was enacted into the law
back in October 2025 with an effective date
of July 1st, 2026.
Earlier this year, Oakland adopted S8
combining zoning regulations and related zoning map
amendments which basically established
local exclusions to SB 79.
And upon adoption, staff submitted the ordinance
to the state HCD and received their comments
back in June stating that we need to adjust,
We need to make some adjustment to fully comply
with the SB 79 requirements in addition to some comments
related to TOD maps from Metropolitan Transportation
Commission as well.
The proposed amendments address the comments we receive
from these two agencies.
And earlier this month, these amendments received
a unanimous recommendation from the Planning Commission
to forward to the City Council without any modifications.
And upon recommendation from the CED today,
staff plans to take this item to the City Council,
to the City Council for their consideration
in adoption in October.
And this shows the development requirements from SB 79
for different TOTOD zones, just as a reference.
And this is just a quick reminder
of three different exclusions
the City adopted back in March.
And on June 10th, MTC actually comment,
we received comments from MTC noting that the TOD zones
the city adopted are slightly different
from their regional map they prepared.
This is because like slightly different access points
used for transit stops, especially for bar stations.
And they also noted that Oakland's TOD map
is missing four transit stops that we should add them
and also conduct some analysis.
And two days later, actually on 12th of June,
we received comments from the state HCD
that city needs to update its local ordinance
to fully comply with the SB 79 requirements.
The main comment was related
to the Oakland industrial and open space zones.
Oakland's ordinance does not currently include open space
and industrial zones as part of their exclusion
because they were initially considered ineligible.
However, because they both allow commercial uses
alongside with industrial and open space uses,
which is their primary intent,
they are considered mixed use zones
and are therefore subject to SB 789.
And additionally, the state HCD requests
to the Oakland SB 789 map to align
with the MTC's regional map
and ask for some clarification on the clerical error.
So to address these comments,
staff prepared proposed amendments
to the adopted ordinance.
The administrative changes include removing
the 20th Avenue AC transit stop, which is map 28,
and amending the ineligibility list,
which removed open space and industrial zones
and added parcels without a glance permitting authority.
And in addition to those administrative changes,
staff amended the zoning map to re-designate
open space parcels from ineligible to excluded
if they fall within an adopted exclusion
or covered if they're not, if they're not.
And also, all industrial parcels within TOD zones
were redesignated from ineligible to excluded.
This includes industrial parcels
that were not within an excluded TOD zone,
like the areas around Coliseum Bar Station
and 14th Avenue AC transit stop.
and this is showing those areas
and those industrial parcels that were re-designated
as excluded are showing as orange-filled parcels
on these maps.
And to address MTC's comments,
staff adjusted the TOD zones to align
with the MTC's SP79 regional map.
We also added those four additional stops
to the ordinance and created new maps and conducted analysis
and confirming that all four stops
are eligible for exclusion.
And as I have mentioned in the beginning,
his staff took this item to the planning commission
earlier this month and received their unanimous
recommendation to forward to the council
without any modifications.
And staff is planning to take this item to city council
for their first reading on October 6th
and then October 20th for the adoption and second reading
with the CED committee's recommendation.
And this is the staff recommendation.
It basically recommends that the city council
conduct a public hearing
and adopt the proposed amendments to the ordinance
as well as the related zoning map amendments
with appropriate CEQA findings.
And this concludes staff presentation
And we are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Excellent, thank you so much.
So just a couple quick questions.
I know that in the past,
when we received feedback from any of our state agencies,
sometimes that can be provided in our packet.
And so I was curious as this advances,
if this advances, could the letter that we received
comments from state HCD be included in the packet?
And then was there a separate communication from MTC?
We can actually include those copies when we prepare for the city council packet, definitely.
And we do have a copy of a letter from MTC as well, so that can be also included.
Perfect. And then as far as the edits, oh, go ahead, Laura.
I just want to add, this is Laura Kaminski, Strategic Planning Manager.
So one of the reasons we did not include the letter from the state, which we can, and that's
on their website, is that there's a number of, it was more of a preliminary letter that
showed a number of comments, and we had quite a few conversations with the state HCD that
addressed a lot of the comments, so a number of the comments in the letter are actually
think it's going to be helpful
but I think that it's going to
be really not relevant at this
point because they've already
said yeah. There are some
concerns they weren't sure about
the historic preservation. The
historic resources and we
provided the evidence as to why
those meet the requirements.
And so there's a lot of.
Besides the letter there's a
lot of internal conversations
that we had with the state that
when we reflected in that letter
that might cause confusion.
My other question, do you expect any more shifts and changes as it relates to the MTC
finalizing the maps?
Sorry, could you clarify?
Because I know that some of the changes occurred because MTC hadn't finalized the maps.
I just wanted to confirm that, are those changes complete?
Yes.
Okay.
Yeah.
It was in June when we got the maps from MTC
that showed them these are the final maps.
Yes.
Okay, perfect.
Council Member Unger.
Can you go back to the slide
with the concentric circles on it, is that possible?
Yeah, there we go.
I'm just always, there's a lot of double negatives
in these, you know, exclusion and inclusion.
So can you explain for me what is changing
for industrial zoning in this that we're considering today.
So those industrial zonings are indicated
as a filled orange parcels.
Those are the only ones that are changing from ineligible,
which was before on our SB 79 map as a gray parcels
because they were considered ineligible.
Now we're making them excluded parcels.
Excluded from, what does excluded mean?
Excluded from SB 79 standards.
So that means that they can be developed how?
They will be developed according to our local regulations
instead of SB 79 standards.
And what does that mean for them specifically?
Will they be easier to develop as industrial,
harder to develop as industrial?
For industrial, it wouldn't really change anything for them
because we already have those regulations established
for those zones.
They will just continue applying those regulations
that are in place for the SB 79 basically allow them
to develop residential in those parcels.
So we're proposing that we should temporarily exclude them
until we comprehensively look at them
and see how that's gonna impact them
for residential development.
So what we're doing today doesn't newly exclude
any industrial uses.
Industrial uses will continuously, yeah, allowed.
We'll.
So what happened was that originally we thought these were ineligible because they did not
allow housing.
Our industrial zones did not allow residential and when we looked at the way the state law
was written it said parcels that allow for either residential, commercial or mixed use
and so our interpretation was that our industrial zones were industrial zones, they were not
you know in the state of
Washington and the state of
Washington and the state of
Washington and not commercial
zones.
They did not allow residential
and therefore they were not
eligible.
With the state HCD or housing
community development department
has defined is that a mixed use
zone is anything that allows
one type of use and allows
either commercial or
residential and it's now mixed
use so there in our industrial
zones in Oakland all allow
any areas we did not exclude that had industrial zones
would be allowed to have housing put on them
even though our zoning does not allow housing.
And so that was a concern for us
because we've been hearing a lot from stakeholders
about the loss of industrial properties.
And so that is why we are proposing in these areas
that had not been excluded previously
because we were wanting housing on the other properties
to not allow, we don't want to allow these at this time,
housing on these industrial zone properties.
So that is the proposal now,
is to actually have them as excluded
to not be able to use SB 79 on them.
Okay, so just so I'm trying to break it down.
So with what you're recommending today,
we are not newly excluding industrial uses?
No, so actually, so industrial uses are still allowed.
Okay.
We're going back to what our zoning allows,
which is only industrial uses and commercial,
and we're just saying we would not allow housing
on these industrial zone properties.
So we are not changing the rules for industrial usage
with this today.
Correct, we're just, yeah, we're just only excluding
what the state would have mandated to say
that you have to allow housing
on these industrial zone properties.
All right, thank you.
Perfect, thank you so much.
I know that I really found the maps in the packet
to be really helpful.
I know, Council Member Houston, you had some comments
that you wanted to uplift.
Pages 29 through 35.
The maps in the report, I think it's attachment five,
really provide a lot of clarity
where you can see what's covered,
what's excluded and what's ineligible.
So I just wanted to share that
for any of the businesses that may be listening.
I really thought that that clarity of the maps were really good, but councilmember Houston
Okay, I'll make a motion to adjourn into a special meeting given that councilmember Houston is I guess a nonmember
So we have a motion in a second
Thank you due to the president of councilmember
Houston we have a motion made by
Councilmember sorry chair Brown seconded by councilmember Ramachandran to adjourn into a special meeting on
On roll councilmember five excuse councilmember ramachandran. Hi councilmember Unger. Hi and chair Brown. I
Thank you
Motion passes with three eyes one excuse to adjourn into a special meeting. Okay, perfect councilmember. He's through the chair
Thank you for the presentation and Laura. Thank you
You came to our last East Oakland Gateway meeting and and and councilmember Unger just mentioned something if he can't understand
And that's saying he didn't understand it,
if it's complicated for him,
and I think he's brilliant.
I know my constituents is hard for them,
so I would ask for you and Gilcrest
to come back to the East Oakland Gateway meeting
before the 6th or the 20th,
so we can just explain those colors,
because I got kind of confused on the colors,
and I'm speaking about in District 7,
so it's clearer than it was before.
I tell you that, I like it.
But the colors are so many colors and outlines.
It's hard for a person to really understand.
And I would love you and Mr. Gilchrist
to come back to the East Oakland Gateway meeting
so they'll understand it.
So when it does come back on the 20th,
there's not so much confusion.
Okay, that's all I'd like to say, thank you.
Perfect, thank you so much, Council Member Houston.
Did we have any public speakers?
Yes, calling the name that's signed up
to speak on item three, Ms. Asada Ola Bala.
So this went into effect in July.
I don't know when it was originally passed,
but the first thought I have is this.
Once a bill is being introduced,
you're supposed to have a mechanism to say,
if this passes, it's gonna cause some issues for my city.
So I'm gonna address that so that the bill complies
what is the best interest of my city.
So what we have now is that didn't happen obviously.
What did happen is we're reacting to a bill
and you don't have to just react to a bill.
You can make sure that the bill contains components
that serves you well or at least make an effort to do it.
And that didn't happen.
So you're reacting to the bill
and the purpose of the bill is to increase
of affordable housing and to make sure that that housing has the capacity to be in areas
of the convenience of having access to BART and AC transit, which is a good idea.
What's not a good idea is some communities don't want high density.
Some communities don't want anything to grow because they satisfy what it is.
And you're intervening in their best interests.
Which is fine.
But when I request you to intervene of the impact of gentrification in this city, and
you do nothing, there's a lack of consistency of looking out for the interests of people
as it relates to housing.
And that's my main point I want to make.
You have never taken the opportunity to look at how gentrification in this city and its
on this high and I'm talking about gentrification
on the part of white people coming in here
and immigrants coming in here.
And I'm talking about public housing
or any form of housing.
Thank you for your comments.
Sure, that concludes all speakers on this item.
Excellent, thank you.
And so I'll make a motion to move this item
to the October the 6th council meeting.
Second.
Perfect, thank you.
thank you in to the maker of the motion is this going to be as a public hearing yes please
thank you we have a motion made by chair brown seconded by council member roma chondron to
approve the recommendations of staff and to forward this item to the october 6th 2026
city council agenda as a public hearing on roll council members five excuse um if i may
um and can we ensure that the um hcd letter is included in the supplemental thank you
so much in the motion along with the MTC letter as well yes please thank you I
will restate that motion that was a motion made by chair Brown seconded by
councilmember Rama Chandren to approve the recommendations of staff and to
forward this item to the October 6 City Council agenda as a public hearing with
the request to staff to provide in the supplemental report the letters from
state HCD and the MTC on roll council members five excuse Rama Chandren
aye and chair brown aye thank you item three passes with three eyes one excuse
to port this item to the October 6 City Council agenda as a public hearing
reading in item four receive an informational report on the
implementation status of the 2025 to 2029 economic development action plan
focused on fiscal year 2025-26 and we have one speaker on this item perfect
thank you so much and we will hear from our economic and workforce development
Director, Director Kanett.
Good afternoon, Chair Brown, members of the committee,
Ashley Kanett, Director of Economic and Workforce
Development.
I do have a presentation today.
And as that's coming up, I'll just
start with the fact that I'm so pleased to be here today
to report out on our first annual implementation
update on the Economic Development Action Plan.
The purpose today really is to step back
from the individual programs and talk
about the breadth of the work that we're doing
and how the pieces fit together.
The EDAP really gives us a framework for that work
across five goals, and this presentation highlights
what we accomplished in fiscal year 25-26.
So the EDAP was developed to give Oakland
a longer term economic development framework
after the pandemic era economic recovery plan.
It's intentionally broader than
a traditional business attraction strategy.
It recognizes that a healthy economy requires businesses
that can grow, workers who can access opportunity,
places where investment can occur,
and a strong cultural and community ecosystem.
And importantly, it's not a plan that sits separate
from the city's other priorities.
It's aligned with the general plan,
the downtown Oakland specific plan,
the cultural plan, and the equitable climate action plan,
among others.
We also continue to engage the businesses,
workers, property owners, investors,
community organizations, and workforce partners
who helped inform the plan.
These principles here on the screen before you
are important because they describe how we approach
economic development, not just what programs we operate.
The through line is inclusive growth,
attracting investment and creating jobs
while making sure Oakland residents
and historically under-resourced communities
can participate and benefit from that growth.
So as you look at the accomplishments
in the rest of the presentation,
I would encourage you to see them through that lens.
The five goals give us a useful way to organize
what's otherwise a very large portfolio of work,
and the economic data that's part of the presentation,
attachment B, reinforces why we need
all five working together.
I'll note that our economy is showing
both signs of recovery and areas of continued vulnerability.
In 2025, we had more than 24,300 employers
and nearly 185,000 jobs.
The number of employers has grown since 2023,
but total employment remains below
the roughly 193,000 jobs we had in 2023.
That's why the five goals are intentionally interconnected,
attracting investment, helping existing businesses succeed,
connecting Oaklanders to jobs, investing in places,
and supporting the cultural assets
that make Oakland distinctive.
This slide shows how EWD is organized.
The point here is to demonstrate our breadth
and to show you that we are organized
to be able to implement the economic development action plan.
This is very intentional, of course.
I also want to emphasize that economic development touches
a very broad range of city functions
and requires significant coordination
across departments, and I'm very grateful
for the collaboration of my colleagues across the city.
So moving into specifics, I'll start with goal number one,
attracting and growing key sectors.
Our approach is not to pursue every possible industry.
It's to be strategic about the sectors where
Oakland has real assets and where growth can contribute to jobs, investment, and
long-term fiscal sustainability. There are several themes here that I want to
highlight rather than walk through every accomplishment, and I know the font is
small. The first is economic diversification. Oakland already has a
fairly diverse economic base, and we're trying to build on those existing
strengths rather than betting the city's future on a single industry. Health care
and social assistance is currently Oakland's largest employment sector with
more than 46,000 jobs, so the grand opening of Samuel Merritt University in January, and
the grand opening of the 4,000 square foot Native American Health Center as part of the
Flickr Affordable Housing Project this past May, both on city-owned land, are supportive
of this sector. We're also trying to grow sectors like retail and prioritizing negotiations
with Costco, for example, and leaning into sectors where there's alignment with the equitable
climate action plan. So our strategy is really two things at once. Build on sectors where
Oakland already has significant employment and competitive assets while
positioning the city for emerging industries and new investments. The
economic data tells us that there's a substantial business base to build from.
We know that. Oakland had more than 24,300 employers in 2025. That's EDD
data and that's a peak. And the number of businesses has increased in several of
the sectors that we're focused on. We're also becoming more deliberate about how
we market and sell Oakland. The white glove concierge program that we're piloting is one
example. We're trying to make it easier for businesses to navigate Oakland and connect
them with the right city and regional and state resources. The opportunity zone strategy
is another example of using available tools, in this case a federal tool, to make investment
more attractive in targeted areas. And we're strengthening our relationship with California
GO-Biz that Oakland is positioned to take advantage of state incentive opportunities.
The other side of business attraction, or another side of business attraction, is workforce.
And that work requires partnerships.
If we're successful in attracting growing industries, we need to make sure Oakland residents
can access those opportunities.
That's why the EDAPT very deliberately connects Goal 1 and Goal 3.
We're building employer partnerships in areas such as healthcare and technology, and we're
beginning to develop more intentional pathways into technology and AI-related careers.
The point is not simply to bring jobs to Oakland,
but also to build the connection
between Oakland's economic growth
and economic mobility for Oakland residents.
The second major piece of the strategy
or the second goal is supporting the businesses
that are already here.
This is particularly important in Oakland
because our business community is overwhelmingly
made up of small businesses.
More than 90% of Oakland businesses
report having fewer than 10 employees
and most report annual revenues below $250,000 a year.
So when we talk about economic resilience,
we're talking about thousands of individual businesses,
many of them very small,
having the ability to survive, adapt, hire, and grow.
And that's why our business support work
is such an important complement to business attraction.
For our small businesses,
the business environment matters enormously.
For this reason,
EWD spends a lot of time working across departments
on cleanliness, safety, maintenance, and activation
in our neighborhood business corridors.
We're currently working
and 21 neighborhood business corridors citywide.
The Corridor Safety Ambassador Program
is one example of that work.
This past fiscal year saw a million dollars of funding
dispersed to support community-led safety initiatives
that complement the work of OPD,
that put 47 city-funded positions on the street.
And the entertainment zone work is another example
of creating the conditions for the businesses
and commercial districts to be active
and economically vibrant.
A second action within this goal
is focused on making it easier to do business with the city.
We assisted hundreds of businesses
through neighborhood business assistance,
streamlined permitting in areas like cannabis
and special events, and created new ways for businesses
to engage directly with the city.
The NBA, the Neighborhood Business Assistance Program,
alone met with 329 businesses, or 329 appointments,
maybe not always unique businesses,
across every city council district.
The goal really is to make EWD a front door
into city government, helping them figure out where to go
and how to move forward.
A significant portion of our work
is simply helping businesses navigate
a pretty complicated system.
And a few success stories from this past year
include Winky Dinky Dog, Service West, Family Laundry,
Reims, and Ape-ness, Ep-ness.
And I think you all know, but I like the story,
that Winky Dinky Dog started from a push cart
as a mobile vendor and then grew
to multiple brick and mortar locations.
That's that pathway we want to promote.
And finally, businesses need two things
that are often outside their immediate control,
space and capital.
We're helping businesses identify locations,
connect with property owners and brokers,
and access financing.
The facade and tenant improvement program
is a good example of a relatively targeted investment
that can have direct impact on neighborhood businesses.
We're also working to strengthen
the broader capital ecosystem by bringing banks
and CDFIs together with business support organizations.
Goal three is where we connect economic development
most directly to Oakland residents.
The objective is employment for Oaklanders, yes,
but more importantly pathways to sustained employment
and meaningful economic mobility.
There's a substantial amount of workforce activity happening
but the shift I want to highlight
is towards stronger employer engagement.
So the longer term data actually gives us some reason
for optimism.
Since 2010, Oakland has seen substantial employment growth
in several sectors.
Information, employment, for example,
grew 66% between 2010 and 2025.
Healthcare and social assistance grew 54%,
and public administration grew 39%.
At the same time, the growth has not been,
or the recovery has not been uniform,
where we had nearly 185,000 jobs in 2025.
We note that that was still below 193,000 jobs
that we had in 2023, and even further below the peak
that we saw in 2020 of nearly 200,000 jobs.
And just as a reminder, all of these trends,
all of this data is available
for your review and attachment B.
So the workforce strategy is about connecting Oakland
residents to the sectors that are growing
and making sure employers can find the talent they need.
And then this action within goal three
is focused on establishing partnerships to advance equity.
Equity is particularly important here
because the labor market continues
to show meaningful disparities.
It came up earlier in a public comment,
but the most recent data shows unemployment rates
that are higher for black Oaklanders
than for other racial groups.
About 9% compared with 6% for Latino and Asian Oaklanders,
and 5% for white Oaklanders.
And this is why our workforce strategy
isn't simply about increasing the number of jobs,
but it's also thinking about who has access to those jobs.
Our response is to work through partnerships with OUSD,
Alameda County employers, community organizations,
and workforce providers to build pathways for residents
who've historically had less access to opportunity.
Goal four is about the physical environment
in which economic activity occurs.
This includes regulatory environment, development sites,
leveraging city-owned property,
and the commercial corridors where businesses operate.
One important part of our work is making sure
Oakland's regulatory and development environment
can support investment.
The real estate data shows why this matters.
Office rents in Oakland began to stabilize in 2025
for the first time since the pandemic,
but downtown vacancy remains elevated,
and retail vacancy also increased
across Oakland markets in 2025.
So we're operating in a market
where there are both opportunities and challenges.
We have demand and investment potential in some areas,
but we also have significant vacant space,
and we need to make it easier for businesses
and developers to move forward,
and that will be a big focus of our work in the coming year.
This slide captures perhaps the clearest example
of the city's role as an economic development partner.
We're using city-owned property and other city assets
to catalyze development that serves multiple objectives.
Again, Samuel Merritt University is a very strong example,
$240 million public-private project on city-owned land
that brings a major daily population downtown
and strengthens Oakland's healthcare ecosystem.
The Kaiser Center for the Arts similarly combined
preservation, private investment,
and economic and cultural activity.
We're also advancing affordable housing on city-owned land
while pursuing major commercial opportunities
such as Costco and the Coliseum.
Today there are five affordable housing projects
or 295 units in the pipeline
or under construction on city-owned property.
We're continuing that approach through projects
such as the Museum of Jazz and Art,
the ULI Technical Assistance Panel
that was focused on the Clay Street Garage Analysis
and other public-private partnerships.
And we're increasingly looking
at these projects holistically.
Economic activity, housing, cultural assets, public art,
and community benefits can be a part
of the same development strategy.
Another aspect of managing public assets
is making sure they generate value
for Oakland and Oaklanders.
That can mean revenue.
It can also mean services, community uses, or activation.
For example, the Ballers Agreement provides
a long-term use 10 years in addition
to the first initial pilot year,
and activation for Romandi Park.
There's also the new lease and management agreement
with the Oakland Ice Center and the Urban Search and Rescue
lease with the port on behalf of the Oakland Fire Department
and the purchase of the former community foods market
on San Pablo for a new library branch in West Oakland.
Just a few examples.
The real estate team is busy, and we currently
manage approximately 200 leases and licenses.
So this is a significant economic development and asset
management portfolio in its own right.
Finally, we're taking a much more place-based approach
to our neighborhood commercial districts.
Again, we're working across 21 priority corridors
because businesses experience the city at the corridor level
through cleanliness, safety, maintenance, access,
activation, and the quality of the surrounding public realm.
The economic data reinforces the importance of this work.
In 2025, reported crime was down year over year
and compared with the five-year average in all six police
areas, including commercial burglaries.
This is encouraging, of course,
but we also hear consistently from businesses
that perceptions of safety
and the condition of commercial corridors
affect their ability to attract customers and employees.
So our approach is to coordinate services
around the geography where businesses actually operate
and to leverage business improvement districts
to bring additional private resources into that work.
The final goal is arts, culture, and social activity,
and this is sometimes viewed as separate
from economic development, but in Oakland,
is very much a part of our economic ecosystem.
Oakland's cultural sector is an economic asset, a source of employment, and an important
part of what makes Oakland distinctive.
One of the most critical things we were able to do is restore the cultural affairs manager
position.
Liz Luke joined us in the spring and is working on rebuilding the team and communicating the
vision.
In 2526 and in partnership with the East Bay Community Foundation, we supported the final
rollout of 26 arts organizations through operating grants, reaching hundreds of thousands of
participants and attendees.
We're also rebuilding the infrastructure around that sector, including the film incentive
rebate program, regional arts financing, cultural district work, and support for creative workers.
We're also focused on making sure cultural and community activity can actually happen
in Oakland.
That includes supporting major community celebrations, helping manage public safety costs, supporting
the Black Arts Movement in business districts, state cultural district designation, that
was a big win, and making permitting easier. Both special event permits and film permits
are now fully online through SLA. This is another example of where economic development,
cultural vitality, and quality of place overlap. And then finally, with respect to this goal,
we're using public spaces and vacant spaces as economic assets. So entertainment zones,
Romandi Park, the Oakland School of Art's sports field,
that lot on Telegraph, major events in public art
all contribute to activating places
and bringing people into Oakland's commercial districts
and neighborhoods.
There were 52 public art projects either in development
and or completed in the last fiscal year,
including at the Mosswood Recreation Center,
the Defremery Park Snack Shack murals,
the Lincoln Recreation Center, and Tyrone Carney Park.
The common theme across Goal 5
is that activity creates economic value for artists,
businesses, neighborhoods, and the city.
So to close, I would leave the committee
with three takeaways.
First, Oakland's economy is recovering,
but its recovery is uneven.
We have more than 24,300 employers in the city
and nearly 185,000 jobs,
but employment remains below the peak we saw in 2020.
Some sectors are going strong while others are contracting,
and that's precisely why we need
a diversified economic development strategy.
Second, the EDAP is moving from strategy
into implementation across all five goals.
We can now point to concrete actions
from business attraction and workforce pipelines
to real estate development,
corridor investment and cultural programming.
And third, all of this ultimately connects back
to Oakland's fiscal health.
The EDAP recognizes a virtuous cycle
where businesses invest and succeed,
they create jobs and generate revenue.
That revenue gives the city greater capacity
to invest in services and infrastructure,
which in turn makes Oakland a stronger place
to live, work, and invest.
So that's the larger purpose of the EDAP,
a stronger, more inclusive,
and more resilient Oakland economy
that expands opportunity and strengthens
the city's capacity to serve its residents.
Thank you, and I'm happy to take questions.
I've got my team in the background
if there are questions that I can't answer.
Excellent.
Colleagues, I'm happy to go first.
You know, I'm just so excited because I, I get the opportunity to work with you and the team, a lot, you know, especially in summer since summer 2025, to present day, especially around so many of these things under the city's economic development.
And so I think more than anything, it's safe to say that you all have been very busy with with all of these amazing, just a long list of different things that we're doing to really try to support this action plan.
and so thank you so much for the comprehensive presentation and also the report. The third attachment I also thought was I think is really important that we are reading and reviewing that data that's there that shows numbers from 2025 around various job sectors that are here in our city just so that we just have that knowledge and input. So and thank you so much for highlighting entertainment zones and.
zones and very excited to see that economic impact once those are launched
and hopefully it could be an initiative that we're able to take citywide once we
implement those. So a couple questions that I had was I was reading the data
around like retail rents but I think it's maybe more linked to like
commercial rent and I know that that is a part of a factor with our in supporting
our small businesses based on how much they have to pay in order to have like a
brick-and-mortar space in our city and so I think one thing I wanted to kind of
put on the radar is how how can we continue to invest in like community
food hubs or like business hubs that really helped to reduce the cost burden
on these businesses to have maybe some of these like smaller micro hubs. I know
that that was kind of a part of this mission and vision of like 1955 Broadway
with the store that was being ran by the Black Cultural Zone which I'm not sure
if that's actually operating anymore or even just the success of Prescott
market and how it's supporting multiple restaurants and businesses and I think
that that model like imagine if we had Prescott you know as an example
Prescott markets across our city right and they just kind of continues to
create more hubs of activity and also support entrepreneurs and business
owners and then really help to because I guess I would be interested in like are
Are we beginning to study the cost of commercial rents
and how we can really try to reduce those costs?
Because I think that that is getting in the way
of when I read, and of course you can speak to it,
but I read in the report where from 2023,
it says there was 4,749 businesses, but then come 2025,
it was reduced by almost 700, so what contributed to that?
of course the pandemic, right?
But it's also the cost to actually
have a brick and mortar site in the city of Oakland.
And so I think that if we could work
to try to reduce those costs.
And I think the other flag is, is that
I think in the coming years,
I think the county is considering putting on the ballot
a $30 minimum wage.
And so that could further, right,
more costs are gonna be coming to our businesses.
So just wanted to put that on the radar as well.
And then I just had, I know in your report you mentioned,
you mentioned GoBiz, but I guess I'm curious,
like what was the outside of like,
I know during the pandemic, they were very supportive
in supporting our businesses, but I guess I'm curious,
like what was the last collaboration that we had
with GoBiz in supporting our businesses?
Thank you, through the chair, or to the chair,
I'll respond to your second question first,
it's the most concrete.
We're in regular communication with GoBiz
in a couple of different ways.
One, they will frequently issue requests for RFIs,
requests for information from cities
on behalf of companies that are looking
for the perfect locations in which to locate.
And so they'll put out a broad RFI to jurisdictions
across the state.
And we will find our, if we have a site that works,
given the parameters, we will respond.
We're actually in the process of negotiating
with the business right now
that we're desperately hoping we can attract to Oakland
and that business came to us through that GO-Biz process.
GO-Biz also oversees a number of fiscal incentives,
tax abatement, tax waivers,
those sorts of things at a statewide level,
and so to the extent that we can help local businesses
participate in those statewide benefits,
we make every effort to do so.
I see, and I noticed that we were,
there was money that was approved in the state budget
to help support facade improvements,
And so I think that that's phenomenal.
I think that hopefully we can continue to kind of
communicate to them around the continued support
that our businesses need when it comes to supporting
just business infrastructure, right?
And I know that they came in handy during the pandemic
with so much, offering our businesses so much support.
And I feel like they do a good job of listening, so.
That ongoing advocacy is important,
so they understand our conditions here, yes.
But all in all, thank you, really appreciate the report
and all of the work of the entire EWD team.
I know it's not easy and I hope that I know,
I forgot what number you mentioned around leasing
and I know Brendan, I think Brendan is here.
Brendan is always hard at work
and so hopefully we can get him some more support
on all of these really big initiatives
but just really thankful.
Thank you.
And you gave me some extra time today too, thank you,
I appreciate that.
There was a lot to cover.
Mm-hmm.
Colleagues, any questions or comments?
Excellent.
Do we have a public speaker?
Calling in the name that's signed up to speak
on item number four, Ms. Asada-Olavala.
So the city does not support
foundational black Americans in employment.
In California, the unemployment rate for blacks is 5.1
For African Americans throughout California, it's 7.5.
Unemployment, the city of Oakland, it's 9%.
In California, black men without a high school diploma
on unemployment rate in California is 15.9%.
For black women in California with college degrees,
their unemployment has tripled in the last couple of years
from 2.7% to 8.5%.
Now, you have a document that has been presented, or will be presented to you from the Budget
Advisory Commission.
And in that document, oh, and I want to dispel what this woman said, diversity, we have a
diverse economic base, that's a lie.
We have sufficient unemployment, that's a lie.
And in this document it says there's crime and economic development are interwined.
Unemployment can contribute to higher crime, we're talking about Oakland.
In Oakland there are two problems that have not been resolved economically.
Oakland continues to lag California, as well as California, and the recovery from COVID.
Second, Oakland residents hesitate to dine and shop here out of concerns for crime, spending
roughly 1.5 billion dollars annually in other cities.
So a recommendation from this group is that we improve and focus job training and support
for those coming out of the prison system re-entry, and there are other recommendations
in that, this document as well.
Thank you for your comments chair that concludes all speakers on this item perfect. Thank you so much
It is the recommendation for this item to move to the full council or receive and file
We have a preference
Receive receive and file on consent is just fine and I'll reach out to the other council members for opportunities for briefings
Perfect. Thank you so much
motion so moved
receiving file second
Sorry to the mayor in the motion that's to receive a file in committee. Okay. Thank you
That was a motion made by councilmember Unger seconded by chair Brown
To receive a file this informational report and committee on roll council members five excused from a challenging
Unger I and chair Brown. Hi. Thank you item four passes with three eyes one excused five to receive and file this informational report and committee
Moving on to open forum calling in the names that signed up to speak. Mrs. Auto Ola Bala and David boat, right?
David boat right district for its past time for a housing presentation that documents the housing funded with city and other sources
over the last five years
This presentation should include how many units were completed how many persons were housed?
total amount spent average time from conception to occupation and percent per type construction a
A recent modular housing project on Edes Avenue
took approximately one and a half years to construct,
six months to fully occupy for about 350,000 per unit.
Very cost effective, but way too long to occupy.
So I'm gonna repeat again,
because either y'all got hearing problems
or you just don't give a damn,
that you have to, at some point,
look at the issues of gentrification.
this city you have to look at the issue of continual redlining that's going on
in this city and only from my perspective of how it impacts
foundational black Americans and just for your edification it's been recently
discovered that we can't just put the big label black because we don't get
respect from other black people so foundational black Americans are those
who are part of the enslavement in their ancestry you will not be able to
continue to have any kind of credibility when you exclude other people and that's
what you're doing in this city you weigh in on things that and you give the the
evidence that this thank you for your comments sure that includes all speakers
on for open forum perfect thank you so much this meeting is adjourned