This meeting of the Community and Economic Development Committee focused on housing initiatives and code enforcement. The committee approved a pro-housing designation application and an exclusive negotiation agreement for an affordable housing project, and received a report on code enforcement activities. Public comments centered on equity concerns, specifically regarding the inclusion of the African American community in city programs and grant opportunities.
Good afternoon and welcome to the community and economic development committee meeting of Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025. The time is now one thirty-one p.m. and this meeting may come to order. Before taking roll, I will provide instructions on how to submit speaker cards for items on this agenda. If you're here with us in chamber or 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. Councilmember Ramachandron. Councilmember Unger. Chair Brown. Present. Thank you. We have three members present, one excused five. Before we begin, Chair, do you have any announcements at this time? And then before we um get started, um, was there a note around quorum at this time? A comment on that. I'm I'm checking, but I think we need we do need a I think we need a quorum in person under the rules. Um, to my understanding, because I'm I'm present via teleconference notice, not AB 1449. That it does count for quarrel. Okay, thank you. Sorry, okay, perfect. Well, good good afternoon. Um, community members, council meet um, council members. Um, thank you for joining us for community and economic development, um, and we can go ahead and get started. Thank you. Item number one, approval of the draft minutes from the committee meeting held on July 8th, 2025, noting that there is not a report attached, so we cannot approve these minutes. So we will move on to item number two. Determination of schedule of outstanding committee items, also known as our pending list, and we have one speaker that signed up for this item. Um, can we hear the public speaker? Ms. Sado Olabali, you can come up to the podium. Uh I repeatedly state that the community and economics development department does not make an effort to work in the best interests of the African Americans community, and I'm gonna demonstrate that because there are many initiatives and grants provided by the state of California that specifically target African Americans. There's the California Dream Fund Micro Grant that includes helping black entrepreneurs. There is the Oakland Black Business Fund, the One Million Black Businesses Initiative, the NAACP PowerShift Entrepreneur Grant, the WUSH Local Empowerment Program, which includes targeting African Americans for entrepreneur pursuits, the California Black Freedom Fund, the leading edge fund, which targets African Americans, and the Transform Business Grant. None of these grants have been pursued by the economic and workforce development department, but they have pursued funding the persons who are involved with the uh what is it called? I can't think of it now, but you also have another one that's not the non-citizens grant that you they brought to you. Okay, so when are y'all gonna hold this department accountable for serving everybody, particularly African Americans? We have an unemployment rate of African Americans of eight point nine, eight point nine, highest in the country. All right, thank you so much for your comment. Um to the to administrator leak. Um, any changes or any updates on the pending list? Thank you, Chair Betsy Lake, Assistant City Administrator. There are no changes. Thank you. Excellent. Um, and so I'll make a motion to move this um forward. Second, thank you. That was a motion made by Count Chair Brown, seconded by Councilmember Unger to approve the determination of scheduled outstanding committee items as is on roll council member five is excused, council member Ramashanjan. Councilmember Unger and Chair Brown. Aye, thank you. Item number two passes with three eyes, one excused to accept the determination of scheduled outstanding committee items. Reading in item number three, adopt a resolution authorizing the city administrator to apply for and enter into enter into execute and deliver all documents required or deemed necessary for participation in the state of California's pro housing designation program.