Victory was ours last week as the Peralta College Board of Trustees decided to side with the community and end negotiation talks with the A’s.

Voters of color matter and make the difference, especially in close races, as election results in Alabama reminded us this week. In a state plagued with voter suppression, Black voters overcame disenfranchising barriers and showed up in larger numbers. Similarly, here in Oakland we want to increase civic engagement among our young people of color. Learn about our fall 2017 voter registration campaign, and plans for 2018.

Albuquerque does not look anything like the East Oakland neighborhood in which I grew up, yet the lessons that I learned from touring their International District apply just the same. When you can bring people together who care about their community, change can be accomplished regardless of who is in power.

Speaking with over 2,200 Oakland voters, our latest voter outreach effort shows that 4 in 5 Oaklanders want the A’s to stay at the Coliseum and invest in East Oakland.

Last week Assemblymember Rob Bonta honored Oakland Rising’s Executive Director, Jessamyn Sabbag, with the Local Hero Award, calling her a “true moral compass for Oakland.” A number of Oakland Rising allies also received awards for their work in the social justice movement, too.

The Oakland A’s are considering building their new ballpark next to Laney Community College and Chinatown. While we’re glad the Oakland A’s are Rooted in Oakland, we believe that community college public land should be used for public good like affordable education and protecting cultural, historic neighborhoods.

Facilitated by Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza, our Lead East Bay cohort of social justice leaders took a deep dive into how to both interrupt and build power as needed to advance an agenda for racial justice.

What would you do with an extra $9 billion per year for California? It’s time we ask ourselves that since Californian voters may soon have the chance to close a loophole that allows large corporations like Chevron and Wells Fargo to get out of paying their fair share of taxes.

For too long, corporate interests have been prioritized above those of our communities. We can’t pass up this chance to reinvest in our schools, healthcare, affordable housing, services for youth and seniors, parks, and other programs from which we all – especially our most vulnerable community members – benefit.

Our dreams for a better community can come true. Learn how you can help build the pressure we need to close the commercial property tax loophole in Prop 13 and recover over $9 billion every year for essential services in California.