Good afternoon, everyone.

It's time to call to order our meeting of the Board of Supervisors, a special meeting for Tuesday, May 26th.

I'll ask the clerk to please call roll to establish our quorum.

Supervisor Marquez present.

Supervisor Tam, present.

Supervisor Miley excuse Supervisor Cortinado Bass.

Present.

President Howbert.

Present.

We have a quorum.

Very good.

The first item that we have before us is public comment on closed session items.

This would be for items only on closed session.

A chance for members of the public, both in person and online to make public comment on those closed session items.

And we'll ask the clerk to please call the speakers.

Two in person speakers are Ray Bobbitt and Jonathan Jones.

Thank you.

Any uh online speakers.

Blair Beekman, go ahead.

Hi, Blair Beekman.

Um happy end of the month to everyone.

Um, um I had a couple uh items about closed session things.

One uh with all you're having three items working with the county coliseum arena complex issues.

Um I've said previously uh good luck in how you're gonna be working with the city of Oakland.

It can be tough mediation, and uh just good luck that uh all sides can be uh wanting to be you know positive and moving forward, and then I nicely mentioned you know the work of the AA SEG previously that is a major part of the future of the Coliseum uh process.

I think they can be uh a good good faith actor, I guess is the term.

I think they can be helpful.

Good luck in their efforts.

How they can help uh offer a good voice in the mediation process.

Um, and I also wanted to quickly mention that uh with all the other uh negotiation items you'll be working on uh labor issues, uh potential litigation issues on the closed session agenda today.

To quickly offer, I was told that somehow you're gonna have uh uh it possibly there may be flock issues involved with this.

And I wanted to clear, I wrote yourselves a letter on Friday that I hope you read that I hope we can clarify when the flock item will be returned to the Board of Supervisors in July and what sort of process that can be.

And if we can talk clearly on that in the next month or so, so we can all have a clear idea what to expect in July.

That would be hopeful.

Uh thank you.

There are no more speakers.

Very good.

If there are no other speakers for closed session items, we will now recess into closed session.

Thank you.

We're good.

Good afternoon, good evening, everyone.

We're going to um reconvene from our closed session discussion.

I'll ask the clerk to please call the roll to establish our quorum.

Supervisor Marquez, present.

Supervisor Tam, excuse.

Supervisor Miley.

Supervisor Cotonado Bass present.

President Haubert.

Present.

We have a quorum.

Thank you very much.

I uh first would like to thank everybody in the room who is here and have been waiting.

Apologies for us.

Um, I know it's past five o'clock, but we've been hard at work in closed session.

Um, we're going to start, and I'm just going to announce briefly, run of show today.

We're going to start with an oral report from our county council.

Uh, we're going to end staff.

We're going to then have questions and answers from the board of supervisors that may like to clarify anything from that report.

We're going to then have public comment, a chance for members of the public to comment, whether you are here in person or online, a chance for public comment.

For those in the in the room, participating from the public, your participation is appreciated.

Thank you for being here.

For those online, we're going to give brief instructions on how to participate online.

If you are in the room, we ask you to fill out a speaker slip if you haven't done so already.

After public comment will be deliberations and possible direction, if any.

And so that will be the process that we lay out.

As I mentioned, if you're in the room and wish to speak, fill out a speaker slip and turn it into the clerk, please.

And if you're online, the clerk will now provide brief instructions on how to participate remotely.

Detailed instructions are provided in the teleconferencing guidelines.

A link to the document is included in today's agenda.

To view an automated translated transcript or listen to an automated translated audio of the meeting from English into multiple other languages, please utilize the worldly link in today's agenda or the QR codes posted throughout the room and select your preferred language from the drop-down menu.

If you're adjoining the meeting using a computer, use the button at the bottom of your screen to raise your hand to request to speak.

When called to speak, please unmute your microphone and state your name.

If you are calling in dial star nine to raise your hand to speak when you are called to speak, the host will enable you.

If you decide not to speak, notify the clerk when your call is unmuted, or you may simply hang up and dial back into the meeting.

When called, you will have two minutes to speak.

Please limit your remarks to the time allocated.

Public comment will generally alternate between in-person and online speakers as determined by the president of the board and subject to overall time limits.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

With that, I will ask staff to provide an oral update on the status of negotiations among the county of Alameda.

OAC CWP related to the Oakland County Coliseum product complex.

Thank you, President Howard, Andrea Weddle and County Council.

I want to try to give uh a very brief kind of synopsis of the history of where we've been over the last almost eight years as we have negotiated the various transactions related to the disposition of the county's 50% interest in the Coliseum property.

As I think at least one of you may recall in December of uh 2019, the county entered into a disposition agreement with a company entity called Coliseum Way Partners LLC to convey our interest in the complex to CWP.

That agreement required CWP to pay the county 85 million dollars and also to pay an annual subsidy is a term that we have used, which is essentially the annual losses that the county incurs for its share of uh the operational um obligations related to the joint powers authority that that operates the Coliseum Complex.

Once that was completed, the remaining terms to any transfer of title, and we're still the owners of the property.

We still hold title to our 50% interest that has not transferred at this time and title was scheduled to transfer 30 days after the all the monies were paid by CWP, and importantly, all of the bond debt encumbering both the Coliseum and the stadium was satisfied.

The final bond debt for the stadium was paid off in 2025, and the final bond debt for the arena was paid off in February 1 of this year, 2026.

Um, two dates, the purchase price has been paid by CWP, and they have continued to pay the annual subsidy as recently as last month uh for the last fiscal year subsidy obligation.

Um, however, on November the 8th of 2021, uh plaintiffs and a litigation matter filed in the Alameda Superior Court by the names of Esther Golesby and Citizens for a Better Environment filed a writ of mandate action challenging the county's ability to in fact enter into the disposition agreement for the conveyance of our interest in the property.

Um there is a provision in the disposition agreement that prohibits us from transferring or closing on the sale if there is existing litigation challenging this the deal itself.

There is, as we sit here today, a hearing scheduled for August the 4th on summary judgment motions to determine whether or not we can proceed or not.

Um the challenge asserted a non-compliance for the surplus lands act.

We have uh worked in conjunction with Coliseum White Partners under a joint defense agreement to aggressively defend that litigation and to allow us to proceed with the sale.

Actually in July of last year, after substantial negotiations, OAC was presented to us as an option by Coliseum Way Partners as a section of the agreement.

I think it's section 9.16 of the disposition agreement requires CWP to obtain your board's consent for any assignment of the disposition agreement to another party.

So CWP asks that you assign or consent to the assignment of OA of the Coliseum Way partners' interest in the transaction to the Oakland Acquisition Company LLC on July 22nd of last year.

Your board did so.

We entered into a conditional consent to assignment agreement as well as a second amendment to agreement to adjust the terms of the original disposition agreement.

One of the reasons why your board did that was because OAC is the same entity who's currently under contract with the City of Oakland for the acquisition of the city's interest in the Coliseum Complex and a conveyance to OAC by both the city and the county would unify the title of the property since we both own a 50% undivided interest in the property.

There are a number of conditions to that consent.

We will not go into the details of that, but after your board entered into that agreement in July of 2025, we were then approached by OAC regarding continued negotiations and discussions of further amendments to both the second amendment and the conditional consent.

So from at least last fall until now, your staff with your direction has continued to negotiate further changes and deal terms with the Coliseum Way Partners, as well as the Oakland Acquisition Company.

Your board has directed that staff post for a close, a special special meeting for this Thursday, September the 28th at 10 a.m., a proposed non-binding term sheet.

Excuse me.

I wish it were the wrong day, right?

Yeah.

Shows you how tired I am.

So May the 28th at 10 a.m.

There is a special meeting.

Your board would take up for consideration a non-binding term sheet that the parties have been negotiating, and you would vote it up or down and/or make changes or amendments to that document.

And that is the status of our negotiations.

Thank you.

We'll go to before we go to public comment, we'll ask questions, Supervisor Marquez.

Thank you for that chronological overview.

Just to clarify the direction we gave the non-binding term sheet agreement, what are we calling it agreement?

So it's a term sheet, non-binding term sheet.

Those documents after, you know, if the if your board approves the non-binding term sheet, we would then continue further negotiations to return to your board with those definitive documents for adoption and approval.

And that term sheet will be embedded in the agenda that is published tomorrow.

My understanding is because it's a special meeting, we have to publish 24-hour notice.

So the goal would be to publish before 10 a.m.

tomorrow, and that term sheet will be attached so everyone could see.

That is correct.

Okay.

Okay.

And obviously, it's a public meeting.

So everyone that's here today and others that are not, if they want to weigh in, they'll have a chance to review the document and weigh in again on Thursday morning at 10.

That is correct.

Okay, thank you.

Supervisor Miley, any questions?

Supervisor Ford's not abass.

Not yet.

I understood.

Um, before we go to public comment, I do want to say, um, well, the questions that I have.

We're not able to discuss the term sheet today because we haven't agendized that for this meeting.

Is that correct?

Yes.

And we haven't been able to agendize that because we didn't have direction, but today we were able to provide that direction, and that's why we can do it as soon as possible, which is Thursday.

Your board has provided direction to the negotiation team, and we will provide the document reflecting those directions in the agenda item that is to be posted tomorrow.

Thank you.

Um, we scheduled this meeting because the community has been asking what's up with the transaction.

They have waited because we've had meetings before, and a lot of the people in the same room that I see today have been here before, and they want an update, and so that's what we're going to do today to the best of our ability.

Update.

I'm going to reiterate what I have said all along, which is this is a very complex transaction.

We have multiple parties involved.

The city of Oakland, the county of Alameda, a purchaser in CWP, an assignment to OACAASEG.

The Coliseum property is managed by the JPA Authority.

That's another governmental quasi-governmental agency that's involved, and they have their own duties to carry out.

It's very complicated structure.

There's a lot at stake for this property, it's a beautiful property.

It's got a storied legendary history.

It sits at a wonderful crossroads of transportation near the airport.

Beautiful piece of property.

A lot's at stake for the community to see something good happen here.

For economic opportunities, I'll put it that way.

I'm excited, and I remain excited that we have an opportunity with a wonderful partner in loop capital, OACAASEG, an opportunity to put the property into one hand that can alleviate the complications that I talked about earlier.

We have an opportunity to resolve litigation as our county council had put out, had put out in her comment, we're involved in litigation.

We have an opportunity to resolve that.

That being said, we also we as a board must also look out for and protect our best interest.

Altameda County's best interest, we have a job to do, we have to defend our actions to the public.

So whatever we do needs to be done in public, and we need to be able to look people in the eye and say we did it for the right reasons.

And so with that said, we are, I believe, even closer than we've ever been before to getting this done.

And as you can see, by pushing and calling for a special meeting in two days, we are gonna get this done as quickly as we can, but we have to protect ourselves.

With that said, we've had an oral report, we've been able to ask questions of our staff.

We will now have public comment, and I'm interested to hear from the public.

I care about what you have to say.

Then we will have deliberations by our board.

I would like the clerk to please let me know how many speaker slips do we have in hand.

We have 27 in person.

How many is online?

No one has raised their hand online.

All right.

I often give people one minute, but I also often give people two minutes.

I'm gonna give people two minutes, but up to two minutes.

You don't need to take two minutes, don't take two minutes.

Let more people get to speak, because we only have an hour for public comment.

We're right on that edge of dropping it to one minute, but I'm gonna let everybody have up to two minutes.

If you like what the person before you said, you can say ditto what they said, it's okay.

If you have anything to add, you can add to it.

But there's a lot of people in the room, a lot of different thoughts and opinions.

You're all welcome to speak.

There are two speakers that are from the city of Oakland.

Honorable council members.

They also have to get back to committee meetings.

We're gonna ask the clerk to call them first, Kevin and Ken Houston.

Thank you.

What I like to say is this this is very very important, President Hubbard, and the rest.

I'm supposed to be at a public safety meeting in East in at the city right now.

I'm letting the chair run it.

I'm the vice chair of public safety.

And the reason why I'm here is this is important.

I'm the council member of District 7, son of Oakland, Ken Houston.

I also said on the JPA.

I also did an ordinance, and I'm gonna read it out to you.

And when it passed on May 6, 2025, it passed by these votes.

Brown Fife, Houston, Kaplan, Ramachander, Unger, and um Pro Tim Gaio and President Jenkins is right here with me, wasn't there?

But let me read on page three why this is so important that we have to pass this.

We have these responsible buyers out here, responsible, and I'm from District 7, born and raised third generation.

We lost three teams.

We have the opportunity to bring back vitality to that corridor, make it a world-class destination with these investors.

Let me read this to you in section one.

What I did when I passed this ordinance.

It says section one said the city council hereby finds and determines that it is in the best interest of the city to convey the title to the city interest.

Oh, AC, at the same time, ordinance at the same time acquired the county's interest.

Let me read and go down.

A private owner and the city does not sell this interest to OAC, it will be more complicated, and potentially more expensive for the city to manage the city parcel interest in the Coliseum Complex.

Let's pass this.

Let's get this going so we can do our job too.

Because we're waiting on you to do what you have to do, then we'll do what we have to do, President.

Actually, if you could, yeah, let's Ken.

I just want to make it clear, yes.

Your direction, the city council's direction to your staff is to put the property into the hands of OAC and CG.

Is that correct?

Yes, sir.

And did it reference working with the county for their half so that it could be in one hand?

See, we need it in one hand, it's more complicated.

I settled the JP with you and Supervisor Nate Miley.

We know how difficult this is.

Let's put it in one entity's hands.

But does it say it in the ordinance?

Is what I'm asking.

In this ordinance, it says, Yes, that's exactly what it says.

Okay.

In one entity.

And I put this up.

I did this um May to six.

And the president once they wasn't there, but he's gonna share what he feels right now.

And this this hasn't changed since then.

Hasn't changed.

Very good.

Thank you.

It was 25, May 2025.

Right here.

May 25, 6, May 6th, 2025.

Let me read out the ordinance number.

It's one.

One, three, eight, four, two.

Thank you.

That's extremely important.

Yes, sir.

So President Jenkins.

Thank you, President Halbert, Supervisor Miley, Supervisor Marquez, Supervisor, Portanata Bass, and used to call me President Bass.

But thank you guys for continuously working on this item as the council member who represents the Coliseum with Councilmember Houston.

It's really important that we get this complex, complex complex item and this property into one hand.

It means so much for Oakland and means so much for the corridor.

As you guys can see, the Hagenberger corridor has really been decimated.

And the key to revitalizing that corridor is making sure that we have a healthy Coliseum complex.

And I know that you guys are going to do your due diligence and do your work just like the city of Oakland.

We're going to do our due diligence and do our work.

But it is imperative that this property gets into one hand so that we can start the revitalization of not only the Hagenberger corridor and making that a world-class destination, but East Oakland.

East Oakland residents have long, long, long wanted quality things, quality acts, quality shows, quality hotels.

And I think this transaction is the key to getting us there.

So we'll continue to do our due diligence and we hope that you guys can move at the speed in which you need to move at so that we can get this sold.

President Jenkins, to the extent that it may require your city council to meet with your staff to provide direction.

Would you be willing to schedule that expeditiously so that your staff would be able to work with our county staff on the direction that we've provided so that they would both have clarity or their governing bodies?

It's important that we work um expeditiously, and it's important that we have a unified message to both staff.

So, yeah, whatever special meeting we need, we will do.

I've appreciated in the past you have called for us to have a joint meeting of the city council and the board, including staff.

If we take you up on that offer, is that still valid?

Would you agree to do that?

We can't wait to have you guys come to City of Oakland and have a joint meeting.

You guys did it in 2014 when you guys were negotiating in Coliseum City, I believe.

And so we can't wait to have a joint meeting so that the public can come out and so that we can share where we are in this transaction.

So please feel free to come by the city of Oakland.

I think um the location would be wonderful, but since you hosted last time, we might care to host this time.

You guys are missing a few seats unless you guys want to expand your board.

Understood, understood.

Thank you.

No other question.

Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you, President.

Thank you, supervisors.

Thank you, staff.

Paul Cobb, Ray Lamford, and Carla Garrow.

I really appreciate it.

I really appreciate the community's enthusiasm.

I generally discourage um outbursts because sometimes it's controversial, and I don't like one side to feel bad about the other.

Is there anybody that's grossly opposed to seeing this happen?

So we're not gonna offend anybody if we clap in between.

So please go ahead.

Welcome.

Mr.

Chairman and members of the board of supervisors, I hope it is recorded because this is a great object lesson in diplomacy.

The fact that you're willing to come to the city of Oakland and the city of Oakland is willing to sit down with you that changes the whole nature of the outlook.

We are no longer will be focused on.

I wonder if those black people have enough money to do it, but rather how soon can we get started again to bring the community together to bring uh sports enterprises back to Oakland and to be the bridge to the port, to the city, the county to reinvigorate Hagenberger and to create jobs and opportunities.

We have waited.

We have been patient, and just like we have sat here for an hour waiting for this meeting to start.

We will continue to wait for the next 24 to 48 hours when you can finalize uh this decision, and we look forward to you sitting down with Mayor Lee and the City Council to concretize this decision.

You already have the seeds for a partnership with Supervisor Nikki Bass and Nate Miley, who once sat on the Oakland City Council as well, and they can help facilitate this.

The community is looking forward.

I am I'd like to say to you on a personal note, Mr.

Chairman.

Your words, your enthusiasm as the chair of the board, saying what you have said, and the people who are watching you try to put the pieces together is going to help bring peace to this city and this community.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Cobb.

I'm Pastor Langford.

I'm with the Oakland private industry council, and I want to say that for the last 25 years of my life, and thank you, President Halbert and to Supervisor Molly, Supervisor Bass and Supervisor Marquez.

I have spent the last 25 years of my life dedicated to public safety.

I have buried 100 young people in Oakland who have been murdered.

I am tired of burying young people.

Recently, we had a public safety um celebration with 15 young people.

Um the youngest was 15.

That young person was shot at the end of the celebration.

And one of the reasons is that there's not much happening in East Oakland like it used to be.

Someone said where there is no vision of people perish, and people are perishing in East Oakland.

Young black and brown kids are still perishing getting shot, and they lack opportunity in Oakland.

The Coliseum brings forth an opportunity.

I can recall um I don't want to say how many years ago, but when I was eight years of age, I went to the Oakland Coliseum Arena because they have what was called the TOC, the tournament of champions.

And I was a little boy, and I couldn't afford to go, but my mother, who raised me off of welfare, took me to one night, and I saw Bill Cartwright play against Gene Ransom, and I saw the great Kurt Rembus and many other great notable players play in this tournament.

It inspired me, it motivated me.

Well, in 1980, I played in a TLC, and I'm today a champion of the TLC.

It transformed my life, it changed my life, it gave me hope, it gave me dignity, it gave me an opportunity.

That's what the Coliseum represents to many, many young men and young girls in our city.

Please pass this and make it happen for our community.

Thank you.

Good evening, supervisors.

My name is Carla Guerra, and I'm honored to speak today on behalf of the Unity Council.

First of all, we want to express uh our appreciation for your commitment and also for making this work.

We know how complex this process has been.

For over 60 years, the Unity Council has been rooted in the Fruit Bell and East Oakland community, building affordable housing, also work for development opportunities, and investing in the families that have long called this part of Oakland home.

So we're here today to express our clear and um you know positive support for the Oakland acquisition company and the completion of these sales.

The district section is long overdue.

Our community cannot afford more delays.

So we really urge the board to do everything in your power to bring these negotiations to a close and also get this deal down.

East Oakland is ready.

The Unity Council is ready and also to partner with you.

Let's get this done.

Thank you.

Andrea's cover, Rosa Gonzalez Leon, Lily Jacobson.

Hi, my name is Lily Jacobson.

I teach the sustainable urban design classes at Castlemont High School.

Over the past five years, I've worked closely with Ray Bobbit and A S E G O A C through an urban design project with my 11th grade students at Castlemont, focusing on reimagining the Coliseum site.

Every year, Ray engages with my students in multiple meaningful ways.

He hosts us for a site visit at the Coliseum and Oakland Arena, giving my students firsthand access to a place that holds deep importance in our community.

Later in the semester, he spends an entire day in my classroom with all three of my 11th grade classes for a client interview, listening to their ideas, answering hard questions, and giving honest, thoughtful feedback on their design proposals.

What matters most is how genuine this engagement is.

My students are young people of color from East Oakland.

Their voices are too often left out of urban planning conversations.

Ray treats them as stakeholders and the future of their own neighborhood.

He challenges them, encourages them, and helps them believe that they can shape what East Oakland becomes.

At the end of each school year, Ray attends our final design showcase, which is happening tomorrow at the Media Center.

If you want to join at 215, and uh sees shows our students that their work matters.

He genuinely incorporates their ideas into the vision for the Coliseum, which I've seen evolve over the past five years.

This project has been transformative for students.

It has inspired some to pursue careers in urban planning, architecture, and design because they saw that community voices, including young people's voices, can have a real influence.

From my perspective as an educator and as a former urban planner in both the public and private sectors, Ray Bobbitt has demonstrated some of the most authentic community outreach I have seen, particularly to communities that rarely have meaningful power in development processes.

For these reasons, I strongly support Ray Bobbit, AASCG, and OACA receiving the full transfer of the Oakland Coliseum site.

And I'm gonna turn it over to a student and also gonna show off her design.

Hello, my name is Rosa Gonzalez.

I'm a senior from East Oakland.

Last year I had the opportunity to work on a design project, reimagining the future of the Oakland Coliseum site.

Through this project, I got to work with Ray Bobbit and AASEG slash OAC.

Ray gave us a tour of the Coliseum and Arena, spent a full day with our classes listening to our ideas and treated us like our opinions actually matter.

As young people from East Oakland, that doesn't happen very often, especially when it comes to decisions about our own community.

This project honestly changed my future, helped me discover my passion for sustainable design and architecture.

And next year I'll be going to UC Berkeley to study uh those fields as a first-generation student.

What I appreciate about Ray is that his community engagement feels real.

He doesn't just say youth voices matter.

He makes a space for us, challenge us to think bigger bigger, and actually listens.

The future of the Coliseum will impact young people like me for a long time.

I believe the people leading that future should be people who have already shown they care about involving the community, including students.

That's why I'm here to support Ray Balbett, AASEG and OAC, receiving the full transfer of the Oakland Coliseum site.

What's your name?

Rosa.

Grossa.

We're gonna remember that.

Thank you.

You have a bright future.

Thank you.

Dr.

M.

Jones, Tony Trin, D.

Johnson.

Uh good evening, supervisors.

My name's Andreas Kouber, executive officer with the Alameda County Building Trades Council.

And I know this has been a very complicated project.

Uh, and I know folks have put a lot of effort into this.

These are electeds, this is staff, this is everybody involved to make this thing happen.

But let's get this over the finish line.

We need to show leadership to really, a lot of folks are counting on this project coming through.

We've got the Oakland community.

This is a gateway project.

This is going to re-invigorate Oakland's identity.

We've got folks in the community that are looking at this project for jobs for future.

And we have workers, we have lots of workers that are looking at this catalyst project, not just our members in the construction, but all the members and workers that are going to be out there with the facilities and finding real careers with those.

So it is very, very important that we move this.

I also want to say we've been blessed with this set of developers.

I deal with lots of developers on a lot of projects, but this development team has not only shown a real commitment to the partners to the community to labor to all involved in this project, but they've shown a real tenacity.

It's not worth it.

And I think we're so lucky that they're sticking with it and they're working with you and to make this happen.

So let's get this across the finish line.

I'm thrilled to see the county and the city partnering together.

I know sometimes it's challenging, but that needs to happen on this project.

So do everything you can to get this across the finish line, and we really appreciate everybody's effort.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mr.

Chairman and supervisors.

My name is Maritani Jones, and I respectfully urge the board to move forward with the final public vote regarding OAC and AASCG.

Oakland Alameda County Coliseum and Arena Complex Purchase and agree to the to proceed with the non-binding term sheets this week.

For nearly five years, the community has consistently shown its support through public meetings, community engagement, and continued participation in this important process.

The project represents for more than uh represents for us more than a real estate transaction.

It represents jobs, economic development, international partnerships, and also long-term opportunity for the future of Oakland and Alameda County and the surrounding counties.

The people of this community have demonstrated patience and also hope, and they also deserve the transparency of the leadership to move forward with the movement.

After all these years of discussion, we want to see actions.

The city and the county have already recognized the importance of advancing this process.

Continued delayed only create greater uncertainty, financial strain, and missed opportunity for growth and stability, especially to the time that we have now.

The Coliseum project has reportedly operated a significant financial losses for decades and requiring substantial support from both city and county.

And we are happy to see that you guys are planning to meet up.

So today the community is not simply asking for another discussion.

The community is asking for a decision.

And the community also would like to have their voices to be heard as the Oakland resident, and then also with amongst the stakeholder here and the supporter.

We have heard everyone's voices.

So we ask now that the community deserved the opportunity to see this matter brought forward in a final public vote.

And we thank you.

Good evening.

The honorable board of supervisors.

My name is Dee Johnson, and I'm the executive director of Linda Hand Foundation.

Now in our 29th year of service, serving children, youth, families, including seniors.

I have been following Ray Bobbitt, AASEG, and CAC, for the beginning.

And what they're going to bring to the community will be incredible.

Our families, children, youth, everyone, seniors need this.

We need it now.

So I'm making my speech very short because everybody before me said everything that I wanted to say.

Thank you so very much.

Lindsay Barrens, Cody Atkins and Bill Crottina.

Good evening, uh Honorable President and Supervisors.

Uh my name is Tony Chair and I'm the executive director for the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council.

I represent over a thousand, 10,000 community members, a thousand property owners, and 300 businesses.

Uh in the past few years, I've gotten a chance to know uh Mr.

Bobbit, OPIC, and the developers, and they have continued to show demonstrate their leadership and their commitment to the community.

They've stood behind us during the Lunar New Year parade event, and they also stood behind us through the Stop A API 8.

Um, so this Coliseum, you know, I fully we fully support it.

Although my board members are not here, we're at a current board meeting.

They have also sent their full support in this project.

Uh Chinatown needs it.

This is a community.

This brings us together.

This project is unity.

This is what happens when successful projects go through, and I'm so glad to see that the Alameda County Supervisors as well as City Council is working together on this.

So that's all I need to say.

Good evening, supervisors.

I'm Lindsay Barons, president of Oakland Roots and Soul.

We have had the honor of playing at the Oakland Coliseum for the past two years and continuing the tradition of live sports in Oakland.

And I'm here tonight to enthusiastically express our support for this transaction.

I know it has taken many years and many hours to get to the point that we're at, but it is now we are at the precipice of having the opportunity to turn this property over to private hands to unify the title, to bring jobs and opportunity and more sports to Oakland.

And I hope you will support the transaction.

Thank you for your time.

Greetings, board, supervisors, and everyone else here.

My name is Cody Atkins.

I'm a 10th grader at Latitude High, and I'm a member of Youth Uprising.

So recently I've had the opportunity to visit Coliseum, Oakland Coliseum, and learn about the vision Ray Bobbitt has and AASEG and everything that his team has for the future.

But before that, I never I knew about the sports teams that they all had, but I never got to really experience it until I got the opportunity to go to the Oakland Coliseum.

So I'm grateful that I got the opportunity to see it because I learned a lot of the history about it and things that I would have never known if I didn't.

So I really appreciate the opportunity that that I've been given, and I support that Ray Bobbitt and AASEG move past, get past the opportunity to hold Oakland Coliseum.

Thank you.

Cody, Cody, are you sure you're just a 10th grader?

That was outstanding.

You did a great job.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Zero back there.

Um I wrote something out with AI, but I'm not gonna read it.

I'm just gonna say that I couldn't think of a more important corridor than the Hagenberger Corridor for Oakland and all of the East Bay.

I can't think of uh a better project than um what the the AASEG and OAC are considering embarking on here, and I can really could not consider someone better than Mr.

Ray Bobbit.

He is a prince of a human uh to carry off this project.

So we are in full support.

Thank you.

Thank you, supervisors.

I'm Dr.

Lewis Fox, City of Refuge, and a co-support of the old owners and operators forum.

I was gonna tell you all the things that you've already heard.

So I decided to take another approach.

You know, we talked at the Oakland owners and operators forum that the airport, the Hegenberger corridor, is Oakland's front door.

It is the first thing people see when they come to Oakland.

And as such, it should be a place that's vitalized, that has things going on and has the support of the people who live and thrive and exist in East Oakland.

And to do that, we need the support of this group.

This group, Ray's group, has the support of our community.

As a person who has a church right there at Enterprise and Eats, whenever I want to talk to Ray about anything, I call him, he picks up his phone.

This group has the support of people in East Oakland.

You know, when I was an early leadership, we were taught that people will support that which they create.

People will support that which they create.

The people in East Oakland will support Ray and his group because that is the group that has been supporting the work that we're doing in East Oakland.

We hope that you will move this process along, that you will give him and his group the support.

And the actions and the history of people of color and black people are trying to be erased and denigrated.

And we can show the orange-haired man that his policies don't run Oakland and will never run Oakland.

Thank you, and please support this move.

Jeffrey P.

Mauricio, Seth Olier, and JP Anthony.

Thank you, thank you.

Um I'm gonna take a different approach, even though I completely agree with everyone here.

I just drove from San Jose, and you know, I thought of Oakland, and uh I want to make a just a couple statements.

San Francisco is the global face of the Bay Area, known for the iconic landmarks, cultural tourism, and connection to world-changing innovation and finance.

San Jose, your neighbor.

San Jose is the economic engine of the Bay Area, known as the capital of Silicon Valley, where technology startups, AI, and global wealth creation are built.

Oakland is the cultural soul of the Bay Area, cultural soul of the Bay Area.

Recognized for activism, education, diversity, music, grit, authenticity, and deep community roots.

That's what Oakland needs to be remembered by, and this project will bring all of those pieces together.

So thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing this breakground.

Good evening, and Mr.

Ray Bond is going to um show you what wealth building in our community is all about.

He represents that on a multitude of different fronts.

And we hope and know that he will represent it in this endeavor as it relates to this black business corridor, because this will be also the backbone of the black business corridor.

There's a corridor that exists for every race of people, every culture of people, but not the black business core as you go to.

And we have made this city what it is.

Uh be it Beast Mode, be it uh Ricky Henderson, Brick and Ty Cobb and Paul, uh not Paul Cobb.

Uh Tycom's record.

I mean, just phenomenal things that Frank Robinson, Bill Russell.

Nobody else could build anything greater than the landscape that that foundation will be uh laid on.

So I'm a static slash U4.

I'll say Paul Cobb again, across the bread, a corner to sleep in, a pen a minute to laugh, an hour to weep in, a pine of joy to a peck of trouble and never one laugh that the moons don't come double.

That's Paul Lawrence Dunbar.

Oh, it's him.

Thank you.

I don't want to follow him.

That was I'm Seth Oliver, President of Oakland Firefighters.

I'm here in support of the sale of the Coliseum.

And I feel like I've been here quite a few times.

Uh sting might be jealous of this tantric exercise that the sale has been.

But um I just want to say that East Oakland needs this.

Oakland needs this.

I've been a firefighter for 29 years.

I worked in this district where the Coliseum is for 20 years, and I've seen the worst of humanity, and I've seen the worst that Oakland can provide for human beings.

And this is a shining light that Oakland needs.

And I look forward to the sale, and I thank everyone here for their hard work.

Thank you.

Good evening, board.

So I'm gonna read what I wrote, not like everybody else.

So good evening.

I'm JP Anthony.

I'm a business representative for local three painters and drywall finishers union, where I represent over 1,100 members in Alameda County, and I'm really from Oakland.

I was raised right up the street from the Coliseum, and throughout my life, I have visited there for such events as sports games, monster trucks, concerts, the circus, and I've even taken my daughter to the ice capades as well as several concerts, and we've been able to create so many memories over the years.

So I know what this landmark means to the people in the city of Oakland and how important it is to allow future generations like Cody Atkins back here, the opportunity to create the same memories for themselves in generations to come.

Furthermore, we have the ability to create opportunities for the underserved people within this very community that they live, and it gives them a chance to provide Oakland.

There's something to be very proud of.

So I'm asking that you please, um, and a famous quote of the OJs give the people what they want, and more importantly, what our community needs by finalizing the sale of the Oakland Coliseum to Ray Bobbitt and AASEG.

Thank you.

Megan Nazareno, Jason Guamatanto, Lynn Turner, and David August.

Good evening, Board of Supervisors.

My name is Megan Nazareno.

I'm deputy director for Construction and Trades Workforce Initiative or CTWI.

We are here today in support of OAC and A SEG because we believe their revitalization and reimagining of the Coliseum Complex will strengthen Alameda County's economy and beyond.

Since 2018, CTWI has partnered with the Alameda County Building Trades Council, community organizations, and educational institutions to develop pre-apprenti programs to prepare committee members for the trades.

One of the pre-apprendership programs was actually at Castle Month, so it was great to see them.

But to date, our network, our pre-apprendership network has trained over 2,000 East Bay residents, about half of which are from Alameda County.

Our network has also recognized the need for greater retention and supports for apprentices and pre-apprentices.

So in 2023, we launched a child care stipend program and trades mentorship program to help workers stay in the trades.

Now it's 2026.

And now more than ever, we need good union careers for apprentices and pre-apprentices.

And we believe that OAC and ASEG will help achieve that at the Coliseum Complex.

So please, we urge you to close this deal as quickly and as responsibly as possible.

Thank you.

Good morning or good afternoon, uh supervisors.

Thank you for allowing me to speak, and I'm gonna say ditto.

So everything that everybody spoke, almost can't say anything else other than I was born and raised in Oakland.

I own businesses in Oakland.

I was here before the Coliseum was built.

I've seen that corridor thriving, and I know we can get back to that with this group, with Ray's group with Luke Capital and Bill Duffy's team.

They have the team that can make this work.

I've seen it before.

We really just want you guys to move this forward.

We need it for East Oakland, we need it for Oakland, we need it for the Bay Area.

We need the economic boost so that we can get the development done here in Oakland to bring Oakland back to make Oakland a destination again.

So please move this forward.

Thank you.

Greetings, President Howard and Supervisors.

Uh, my name is Jason Gumatau.

I'm with the IBW uh local 595.

I'm a member and organizer, uh also a resident in a D6 uh here to speak in support of the proposed acquisition of the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum and Arena.

Uh IBW Local 595 and the Alameda County Building Trades Council.

Uh, we are committed to A SEG and their partners.

Uh, we're committed to Oakland residents and the opportunities to help rebuild and invest in the Coliseum Corridor.

Uh we appreciate the process.

Uh, we appreciate the transparency, the transparency that has been provided along the way, and we look forward to reaching the next the next milestone as you all consider the transaction.

So, again, thank you for your leadership and thank you for hearing everybody out.

My name is Dave August.

I'm with the NFL alumni, Northern California Executive Director of Marketing.

I've been working with Ray since 1995 on numerous projects with youth, kids, football camps, and everything else.

So I know this is important to him to get this thing passed.

We want to be able to do more projects with Ray.

Um, Ray's been inspiration inspirational in the NFL alumni Northern California chapter.

So we'd like to get this thing moving forward on your behalf, Chris Rochal, Nigel Jones, Miss Margaret Gordon, Ray Bobbitt, and Amber Blackwell.

Hello, my name is Nigel Jones, and I own the Calabash restaurant here in Oakland.

And um, while everybody has talked very clearly about the importance of this project to East Oakland, and I appreciate even just listen to you guys and get in the foundation of the difficulty of what you're working through.

But I've also seen that you lean into doing that work and moving towards trying to have a positive uh outcome.

I want to focus less on East Oakland and Oakland in general.

And as a small business owner, I owe two restaurants in um in Oakland.

It's difficult.

We don't have um big box stores such as um Macy's and Plumendale's and things like that to draw people downtown.

Nor do we have tech, we don't have oil.

All we have is culture and events, and so what I've been doing at my restaurant is have events, and when I have events, people show up.

So it's basically risk versus reward.

Oakland is now known as a city that's not safe, and so if I have Del Royal Lindo and somebody like that in my restaurant, people will show up.

They don't care if they get their car broken into.

So what we're looking to do is do more of that on the larger scale.

This project is essential.

The small businesses cannot carry the marketing um energy to get people back in into Oakland at the rate that we need to make the city sustainable.

And as you guys know from the federal level, as you look at the big beautiful Dell, there are more challenges coming to the city.

So we have to find more homegrown energy and activities that we can do here to sustain ourselves and grow.

So it's a sense of urgency for me and for the city.

So I know it's important to East Oakland without a doubt, but it's this Oakland issue.

And the economy will not survive at the rate that we're going right now.

Business is failing left and right.

Thank you.

Good evening, everyone.

I am Miss Margaret Gordon.

I am a resident of West Oakland.

And I've been in Oakland for over for a while.

And this process, this project should have been dealt with prior to this here.

It's too long.

And the process that's about to be about opportunity, possibility, privilege, economic development.

Should have been, should have, could have, would have done long time ago.

We should not be still at this stage where we're in this negotiation.

And I'm not understanding, I know many people are not.

Why are we still negotiating when the man has put all his paperwork process and when I for this length of time, please hurry move this process for so East Oakland can be East Oakland prosperity.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Hi, Supervisors.

My name is Chris Rochelle.

I am a native of Oakland, been here for 58 years.

And I want to just tell a little story.

So as a kid, I used to go to the Coliseum.

I used to go to Malibu Grand Prix.

I used to go to the castle.

These things don't exist anymore.

But along with that, we grew up in an era where we saw things and it inspired us.

People inspired us.

So I want to tell a story of how I was inspired by gentlemen sitting behind me, Mr.

Jeffrey Pete.

So I own three restaurants.

I employ about 120 people right now in Oakland.

And I grew up watching someone do something that someone else could.

It made it look easy.

It inspired me to want to be an entrepreneur.

It inspired me to want to do great things here in the city of Oakland.

I think that what Ray is doing initiates a whole generation of people because Ray like myself grew up in Oakland, went to the Coliseum.

And if you know how powerful it is for a kid to grow up going somewhere to be able to say, I came back in my lifetime and bought that place, and how motivating that is to a generation of people that you never even meet.

That's not putting sports on the map.

It's not the corridor, it's the inspiration behind it that moves, the culture forward.

Thank you for your comments.

That's amazing.

Thank you.

Good evening.

I'm Amber Blackwell, and that's my wonderful brother-in-law.

He's married to my wonderful sister.

And so Oakland is uh small but big.

I too am an entrepreneur.

I'm the founder and executive director of Higher Ground Neighborhood Development Corporation, and we serve three currently three high schools in the East Oakland area.

I met Ray at the beginning of the project when he started to do his community outreach.

He dipped down low, reached up high.

So we're a small nonprofit.

We provide workforce development programming for our youth.

Our primary role in this and in supporting this uh endeavor is to make the Coliseum a hub of education, research, and development.

Higher grounds goal is to make sure that we can work with these young people to give them the skills and opportunities to stay.

Oakland is experiencing a brain drain.

I work with these children every day as they go off to college and they don't plan on coming back.

So we're experiencing a brain drain of our youth.

This project will give them hope and a reason to stay, a reason to leave and go to HBCU and learn about Black Excellence and then bring it back to Oakland.

So the Coliseum gives us a place to be able to do that.

So I appreciate you all moving to approve this project in an expeditious way.

And we all, like this gentleman said, support uh Ray Bobbitt in this project, East Oakland and Oakland from the small organizations to the big ones stand behind.

So all of us together are going to be able to make this dream a reality.

Thank you.

Good evening to the honorable board of supervisors.

Um I'd like to thank you for this opportunity to share on behalf of Youth Uprising.

I'm the Chief Executive Officer, and I bring you Youth Voice as Amber just did from East Oakland.

Um I first would like to say that I commend you all as supervisors for working with the city because youth uprising success is what shows when the city works together and the county works together what can happen.

We have youth that are thriving.

And this example is very important.

As an East Oakland native, I know and understand that for decades the Coliseum site has been the heart of East Oakland.

What they are doing, AASEG here isn't just a standard real estate transaction, it is generational transformation.

This is a generational transformation by unifying this site, the entire footprint under a single community-oriented entity, they have unlocked its true potential.

As we look toward the future, our shared excitement goes far beyond sports.

We serve at Youth Uprising.

When our young people pass this area, they should see their own future.

We know our supervisor as you as our supervisors, you are working diligently behind the scenes every day to navigate the administrative steps to get this deal across the finish line clearly and securely.

And most importantly, our youth success.

Thank you.

Hello, Board of Supervisors.

Uh, my name is Fatima A.

I am the founder and CEO of the Women's Premier Basketball Association.

Um, thank you guys all for having us here today and hearing out from everyone, giving them the opportunity to speak on why the OAC and the AASCG should be able to take over the Oakland Coliseum.

Um, I mean, everyone's kind of, you know, spoke on why this should be what this is today, but just to give you guys a little story.

Like, I'm not from here.

I grew up here in Oakland, and I tell people all the time, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

And the reason why I do the work that I do now is because I want to create additional opportunities for women for the next generation of athletes and and students to be able to move forward through the world of sport.

And I think it is incredibly important to be supporting people that are doing the work that are trying to be the change that we want to see here in the world.

So I am here to tell you guys I am wholeheartedly behind Ray Bobbitt.

I speak to people's character, and this man, the way that he's showing up for Oakland, the way that he is pouring his time, heart, resources into trying to reinvigorate this amazing city.

Um we got to get behind that.

We gotta get we have to support that.

So again, I appreciate you guys right, Bob, but I appreciate the work that you're doing.

OACAASEG, I appreciate the work that you are doing to create a better Oakland for everyone here in this community.

Thank you guys.

Hi, honorable um supervisors.

Uh first I just want to thank everybody for coming on such a short notice.

Um, I think it just reflects how important this is to people that within 48 hours they would take time away from their families and adjust their schedules to come here and support this process.

Um, I think it speaks volumes to how important it is, and I think that we are getting to a point where we've been here so many times, and our community is in a serious situation, and at some point we're gonna quit asking.

And so we brought here people who are intelligent, articulate, loving, passionate people who care about community.

We don't bring people who just want to be toxic and negative and tear down, but there is a level of frustration within our community, and it boils and boils and boils when you get to the point where you feel like you're being disenfranchised, and we've been patient.

We've had capital partners that have been patient that have been criticized, that have been you know put in at risk for no reason, and all we've done in this process is do the right thing and do exactly what we committed to doing.

And we're really, really to a point where we are very grateful that it sounds like Thursday will be the day.

And we just want to really impress upon you how important that is and how grateful we are that you've considered that.

And we certainly are grateful and hopeful that the city will come together and we can get this completed for our community.

Thank you.

No more speakers.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you everybody for speaking.

Um, we're gonna now bring it back for deliberation, and I hate to do this.

I have to use the restroom.

I'm gonna beg the indulgence for just five minutes.

Don't go anywhere, be right back.

We are in recess.

I'll ask the folks to please uh call the role to establish our quorum as we um reconvene to open session.

Supervisor Marquez.

Present.

Supervisor Tim, excuse Supervisor Miley, Supervisor Fortunato Bas here, President Howbert.

Present.

We have a quorum.

Thank you very much.

Um, I have a few comments on what I heard, but I'm gonna turn to my colleagues and give Supervisor Fortunato Bass time, then Supervisor Miley, Supervisor Marquez, if she would like.

And I have some comments and some final direction.

Thank you, President Halbert.

And thank you very much for your leadership on this particular item.

I do want to start by appreciating our community.

Our community, especially those of you who are here advocating, who have been advocating for this project, have been incredibly committed as well as persistent to achieving a transformative project, not only for East Oakland, but all of Oakland and the entire county.

And that is because I know this is a passion.

This comes from a place of love for our community, love for our city, and hope for the future, including for our young people.

One is that as a supervisor as well as as a former Oakland City Council member and council president, I agree with many of the comments that were made around a commitment to economic revitalization for East Oakland, the city, the county, as well as capitalizing on an opportunity for good jobs for supporting our young people for all of the things that people share today.

This is a very complex deal, largely because our share here at the county was sold in 2019, as was said earlier to Coliseum Way Partners.

And I'm probably one of the only people who has seen this deal from inside City Hall as well as inside these board chambers.

And my experience with this project goes back at least five years to when in 2021, the city council, while I was on it, when I became council president, approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with AASCG.

And even at that time we saw the promise of what this project could be.

Fast forward to June of 2024, that was when Councilmember Kaplan brought forward an ordinance directing the administrator to negotiate a purchase and sale agreement.

And for me, that agreement was really important because I added language to ensure that there would be provisions for affordable housing, a commitment to a community benefits agreement, and a number of the things that the community has been very passionate about.

Fast forward to 2025 when I took this position.

President Halbert put also put forward a board letter, and we started the process of really putting together terms for this version of the deal.

And in July of 25, we thought we had it done right.

And I know many of you are frustrated, and my hope is that you will see how this project is so complex.

You will see how the landscape has changed, how the terms have evolved, and by having a meeting on Thursday and publishing the terms, you will see what we have been wrestling with.

So I am certainly supportive of that direction of moving forward as was described on Thursday.

Um it's really important to me that we ensure that this deal comes to fruition and that as a public entity as a government entity, it's a good deal for everyone.

Um it's also important to me that we're in alignment with the city of Oakland, so I'm glad that we had the council president and the council member, both council members of East Oakland who were here today because working out these terms uh with the relevant parties, making sure that we're in alignment with the city given the 50% interests, all of those things are incredibly important.

And I know while maybe you've heard this before, I do believe that we are the closest we have ever been to getting this done.

And I know that time is of the essence.

So I anticipate supporting the direction that our board president will be sharing after our comments.

Thank you.

Thank you, Supervisor Fortnite.

Supervisor Miley.

Thanks, President Halbert.

First of all, let me thank all the speakers this evening for speaking.

Also, thank President Howard, but I want uh folks to know that I think many people do know, you know, uh David doesn't represent uh East Oakland.

Uh I do, he doesn't even represent a part of Oakland, Nikki and I do, along with uh Supervisor Cam.

But David has been very uh instrumental in driving uh this agenda uh very instrumental.

Um I can't say that enough in terms of uh what what he's been doing behind the scenes, uh talking with folks, um our staff, city officials, um OAC um uh principals, etc.

Uh so I just want to acknowledge uh Supervisor Howard for all his work, and you know, I've known David before he was a county supervisor before he was on the school board in Dublin and the mayor of Dublin, uh, because he's been one of my closest advisors uh prior to him getting elected.

Um so I just you know I just want to express my my thanks to him because he doesn't have to be doing this.

Um I represent East Oakland.

Uh Nikki represents part of Oakland and Linda represents part of Oakland.

Um but to have David helping to drive this agenda, take some of the uh burden and pressure uh off of me, and also allows uh David to use all of his um uh expertise, uh knowledge, uh passion, uh as well as uh his understanding and desire to help Oakland uh you know, move this agenda along.

So I, you know, I personally want to uh acknowledge him, my supervisor bass pointed out.

Uh now, some of you know uh, you know, I did serve on the city council in the 1990s, and you know, never ever did we anticipate that we'd lose three sports teams, maybe one team, maybe two teams, but never three.

And you know, some of you know uh my feelings about that, and some of you know um why I think all that happened.

I'm not gonna express that uh today publicly, but you know, I have some very strong feelings about why we don't have three sports teams uh today, because it was never contemplated.

You know, we brought the Raiders back here in 1995 when I was on the city council in the 90s, and you know, it was overwhelming public uh support uh that we get the Raiders uh back here in Oakland, and you know, we negotiated to try to keep the warriors here and the A's here.

Um, you know, the board in terms of selling our interests.

We always wanted to get out of the sports business because the county's business is safety net services.

The county's business is not sports business, it's safety net services.

Now none of us were on this board when the city and the county made the decision to jointly have that property out there to Coliseum and build an arena and build a coliseum.

Uh, they made that decision before any of us were on the on this board.

Um, I think, you know, I was born at the time, but um I wasn't old enough to serve, that's for sure.

I don't even know if some others of you were even born at the time when the city and county made that decision back in 1960.

Um but I've always said that it's been a three-headed monster, the city, the county, and the joint powers authority, and we haven't always had a JPA.

There's been different iterations of of how that uh facility has been operated uh and governed over the many, many uh decades, but it's always been challenging with the three-headed uh monster.

Um, and it it's been the county's position that we wanted to get out of the sports business.

Um, and that's why we sold our interests to the Oakland A's.

Uh some of you also know that, you know, I firmly wanted us to condition our sale on the A Sting in Oakland, but uh that didn't happen.

The board didn't uh make that a condition of the sale of our interest.

We have 85 million dollars in the bank, so we have to be very judicious because we have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that when we move forward with our actions that we can defend those actions in the court of public opinion, uh legally defended, defended with the grand jury, uh defended, period.

So that's why we've been scrutinizing this just like we scrutinize any any deal.

Um, some might say we've overscrutinized it, but we haven't done that because I know I've I've talked to folks, and some folks have actually said um if they had known how challenging this would have been, they would have never pursued uh this um opportunity.

And so I'm I'm pleased that we are you will see a non-binding term sheet on Thursday, uh, so that all of you and others uh both in the city uh in the county and beyond can react to that uh non-binding uh term sheet uh that um uh we will make public on uh Thursday.

Um I think it it's important that as Supervisor Bats pointed out, uh, and it's all of you have said that we do what's right for East Oakland to revitalize um East Oakland and bring opportunity to East Oakland when he when that area was redevelopment area.

Uh when I was on the city council, uh I often said that that area could rival downtown Oakland in terms of its potential.

We know that.

It's a barge station there, Amtrak Station there, highway there, airport there.

Um it's it's it's it's it's all about uh position, you know, position, position, place, place, place, location, location, location, all of those things.

And that property, that area is positioned, it's in the right place, and so um we want to drive an agenda that serves the interest of East Oakland, serves the interests of the city of Oakland, serves the interests of the taxpayers of uh Alameda County.

So I think we are we're close uh to making this happen.

I'm gonna be very interested in hearing uh reactions from all of you and others from the public when the um non-binding term sheet is made public uh for our meeting on Thursday at 10 o'clock.

Uh keep in mind Thursday at 10 o'clock, the board does have another meeting that starts at noon uh with the presentation of our of our budget.

So we'll have two hours to take up this matter on uh Thursday at um at noon, and I'm confident we can we can do that.

But um I know when we uh entered into the agreement with uh Oakland Acquisition Corporation uh and a signing um from the Oakland um CWP Coliseum Way Partners, and I said back then that I wasn't prepared to celebrate until we cross the finish line, and I know we've crossed the finish line.

I'm not prepared to celebrate until I know we've crossed the finish line.

So what we do on Thursday will get us closer to crossing the finish line, but we won't be across the finish line, but we'll be very, very close depending on the reaction we get.

So those are some of my you know my comments I want to make.

Uh furthermore, I don't want to couch this in a sense of um uh government owes repair to uh the East Oakland community, but we we do owe a sense of repair to the East Oakland community in terms of our inability to bring about the type of um of Largess and quality of life that is so deserving.

It shouldn't be the norm for people to have to see litter, um, to have to see um um quality of life issues uh criminality, uh social behavior, all those types of things.

So this project can be a catalyst.

Transformative.

So I I you know I I thank it, uh Oakland Acquisition Corporation uh for continuing to be there with us uh on this on this journey.

Um, because if it were easy, anybody would have done it.

If we're easy, anybody would have done it.

And furthermore, as black people, we know nothing comes easy.

But when it happens, it happens, and we're gonna show excellence with this project.

So that's all I have to say for now.

Supervisor Marley, thank you for the kind words, and also thank you for your history going all the way back to 1995, our wise elder here steady, keeping us on track.

Supervisor Marquez.

Sure, I thank you, President Howard.

I want to also thank the community for their engagement.

I think this has been on our agenda, I think for like a year and a half session, every meeting.

So just want to acknowledge um the everyone that's been at the negotiation table.

Clearly, this is a very complex uh deal, or else we would have had one already.

Um, once the terms are public, what I'm gonna be looking at is not only is this a catalyst site, but we have to make sure that we're addressing the environmental health and safety issues.

So that is going to be a key priority in getting this transition, a transaction across the finish line.

So really appreciate everyone's engagement.

But um, everyone will see the terms very soon and look forward to your comments.

And I hope everyone keeps an open mind.

Um, these are um limited uh resources available that we have at our discretion.

So we have to be as thoughtful as we possibly can when entering this transaction.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um I also want to thank everybody that's here in the room still and those that came before us and spoke for showing up tonight.

I'm gonna summarize a few things that I heard and then provide some direction to uh our staff, which I hope uh we have unanimity uh on doing.

What I heard, uh first of all, I was really pleased to hear from our Alameda County City of Oakland, council President Jenkins, and also Ken Houston.

They brought to us an ordinance that they had provided direction to their staff on before back in May.

They provided a reiteration that they themselves are committed to that direction.

I they said that they would work hard to get their council to again meet in special session to provide direction to their staff.

I believe the city of Oakland is with us, thanks to what they had to say today.

I thank them for that.

I heard from the community, this is a transformational opportunity, something that can really catalyze improvement in this corridor.

And I heard, and I'll just say I know some people will say that we have had better days in Oakland in our past, but what I see in this room is hope for even better days in the future, and that's what this is all about.

We're not there yet, we're gonna get there.

I heard people say again and again and again, this is the team to get this done.

We have OAC AASEG loop capital, and uh the entire team is gonna get this over the finish line.

I heard time and time again, this is the team to get this done.

I also heard we can't wait.

Now is the time.

We've been talking for too long.

It's time to get it done.

That's why I remain committed to everything that I've said before over the the years.

I'm excited about this opportunity.

I know that it's going to be a lot of hard work.

We're we've we've been through the hard work, we're still going through it, but we remain committed to getting through it.

I am excited for the opportunity and the hope that we all have in the future, and I remain committed to getting this done.

That's why I think just to put in context, it's a bit unprecedented.

It's a bit unprecedented that we would announce on a night like this that in two days, and we have to give the public notice.

That's why that we couldn't move any quicker than that.

That on Thursday morning, that means our staff is working double time, triple time, and they have been for so long to get this on the agenda for Thursday.

It's going to be published sometime tomorrow around 10 o'clock.

It'll be then 24 hours later because we have to give notice to the community Thursday at 10 o'clock.

And as Supervisor Miley mentioned, um, you know, it's still not even done then because we're gonna have to hammer out final details of the final documents that we actually execute.

That takes extra time.

I'm gonna ask that we will expedite that as well and hopefully then um I'll just ask, and we well, maybe we'll push that to the following Tuesday.

But the direction to staff, I want to be very, very clear is that tonight we will direct staff to notice and post a special meeting.

Again, that is unprecedented to do this on Thursday, May 28th at 10 a.m., so that we can approve a proposed non-binding term sheet among the county, OAC and CWP related to the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Complex.

Do we need a roll call vote for that?

Or we just want to say yes or no?

We'll ask the clerk to please call roll so we can identify where we stand on that.

Supervisor Marcus.

It needs a second, I guess.

I just read that out as a is that good?

Okay.

A motion's made a second roll call vote, please.

Supervisor Marquez.

Hi, Supervisor Tam.

Excuse Supervisor Miley.

Supervisor Fortunato Bass.

Aye, President Halbert.

I vote yes.

With that said, we have uh completed the business before us today, unless I do have to ask him.

We were in closed session for quite some time.

Um we've had some discussion since then, but I will ask our county council just to out of completeness for what we do today.

Is there any reportable action from closed session?

There was no reportable action taken in closed session.

Are we then cleared to adjourn?

Ladies and gentlemen, we're adjourned.