About the Campaign

For more than a decade, Public Advocates has worked in partnership with community groups in Oakland to win investment and development that meets the needs of the city’s low-income residents and workers. The goal is to create more homes that families can afford, better jobs for local residents, protections for tenants, and more frequent and affordable bus service that gets people where they need to go.

The imminent departure of the Oaklands A’s will make the Oakland Coliseum site, which was once the host of three professional sports teams only seven years ago, vacant. Community engagement and community-led decision-making is critical to make sure that any plan for the Coliseum is used to benefit those most in need. Although the future of this land is still being negotiated, Public Advocates, as a member of the Oakland United Coalition, is calling on the A’s ownership group to sell its stake in the site so that Oakland residents can begin to utilize the land for public good. We will continue to collaborate with Oakland residents and stakeholders to develop a Community Benefits Agreement for the development that prioritizes affordable housing, employment, and amenities for local community members as well as addressing environmental impacts to benefit all Oakland residents.

However, this is not the first time that Public Advocates has fought, alongside the community, for investment justice for the Coliseum area. In 2013, the City of Oakland made plans to redevelop the arenas and surrounding sea of parking lots around the Coliseum into a “Coliseum City,” bringing more than 20,000 jobs and nearly 6,000 homes to East Oakland. Public Advocates supported nearby residents in their work to ensure that any development met their needs, not just the needs of billionaire team owners. While the Coliseum City plan never came to pass, Public Advocates will continue to support community members to make sure that any development puts the people of East Oakland first.

Partners

Oakland United Coalition