"Oaklanders and families should be able to stay, live, work, shop and thrive in our town."
Accomplishments:
Jean Quan has worked to support and turn around the Dimond, Laurel and Montclair business districts over the past 8 years by implementing smart growth planning, supporting local growing businesses, and prioritizing public safety to
attract investment. These business districts employ thousands of residents and help keep money in Oakland. Jean has worked steadfastly to:
- Help retain $600,000 of city funds for school-to-career high school internships and career-based academies, and lead the effort to allocate funds for staff support
to coordinate growing internships within the City for school-city partnerships.
- Launch Jobs Through Jean, a monthly employment event in District 4 where teens and young adults receive hands-on assistance in completing job applications, information on educational opportunities and meet with local job recruiters.
- Implement smart growth development along the MacArthur corridor to support transportation, business growth and housing around transit hubs, including more than 400 affordable housing units at the Altenheim, Lincoln Courts and Calaveras for density, while engaging neighbors at the "Envisioning MacArthur" Summit.
- Support the successful organization of street fairs like Oaktoberfest, the Laurel Street Fair, and the Montclair Jazz Festival, which help revitalize business districts.
- Pioneer policies against discriminatory hiring, wage, and educational inequities,and consistently support "workforce housing" including increasing redevelopment funding and supporting community benefits in large projects.
- Pass the resolution to exempt small businesses of less than $2,500 from city taxes, and sponsor a project to allow expanding businesses to phase in business taxes.
- Fund innovative green business practices and energy programs, as Chair of the StopWaste.org Alameda County Waste Management Authority.
Plans & Visions:
Oakland is predicted to grow in jobs and housing over the next decade:
- Will Oakland residents be hired?
- Will the people who work here be able to afford to live here?
The next Mayor through her leadership and authority to make appointments must:
- Lead the development of new green jobs in Oakland. Build on the Apollo Alliance,Cyprus Mandela, and other efforts in the new energy economy.
- Set and enforce strong local hire, first source, job training and apprenticeship goals on government and redevelopment projects and monitor them closely. There may be billions spent on economic and housing infrastructure in Oakland over the next decade,and this is a unique opportunity to ensure good jobs for young people in this city.
- Use city powers to invest in industries that provide
family-sustaining wages and fair labor practices.
- Actively market our strengths as city -- the center
of the Bay Area, our cheaper office space, thriving
gourmet boom and strongest economic clusters with expansion opportunities in the fields of health care, commercial services, retail, food, high-tech, air transportation, food processing, entertainment and tourism -- for local investment.
- Help our schools and coordinate job training. Even
with "local hire" set asides, our kids won't get these jobs if they don't meet the minimum standards:
- We must organize government, business and community resources to raise school standards, attendance and graduation rates; re-establish an Education Cabinet.
- We must expand our career academies and pathways in high school and communitycollege including increasing internships in local businesses.
- "Grow our own" police, fire, and City staff. One third of City employees are boomers near retirement, and we can work with OUSD and Peralta Colleges to recruit, train and link student internships to future jobs. In particular, recruit Oaklanders to join our police and fire departments; * Support our small businesses. 60-80% of jobs are created by small local businesses.
- Support and expand Business Improvement Districts throughout the city.
- Continue façade improvement grants, and restore business district walking officers.
- Monitor and improve our One-Stop business services by streamlining our planning and building procedures for business owners.
- Strengthen "Smart Growth" policies to ensure that Oakland develops as a walkable,bikable city where we can eat, shop and kick back in our own town.
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