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Supervisor Miley reviews 2020 and priorities for 2021

Uploaded: Mar 18, 2021
Supervisor Nate Miley took a long look back at the difficult year of 2020 during his annual State of the District address Wednesday evening.
Speaking from the Board of Supervisors ‘ chambers in the county headquarters in downtown Oakland, he spoke for nearly an hour to specify the accomplishments of 2020 and priorities for this year. He was wearing a sports coat and a tie, and was clearly feeling the effect of the bright lights illuminating him and the podium (he wiped sweat off his brow and his face many times). Rather surprisingly in these visual times, the update was devoid of any pictures or slides.
The issues he spotlighted were no surprise: racism and COVID-19.
Miley started by putting things in perspective:
“2020 was one of the most memorable, challenging, and destabilizing years that I can recall, during my tenure as an elected official: homelessness, census 2020 firestorms devastating loss of life, exposure of inherent racism and systemic inequality, a presidential election… These issues in and of themselves are daunting for any one year. However, with the introduction of the COVID 19 pandemic. Everything became a shared magnitude and wholly deep experience which none of us escaped, physically, economically, spiritually, or emotionally.”
It’s notable that he’s now serving his sixth term as supervisor.
Miley took on the racial inequity head-on.
“The events of 2020 have offered the opportunity for racial justice and community reparations, became a front and center goal in Alameda County. The time for comprehensive action to address and reform, systemic racism within the county has come,” he said.
Miley is leading a grassroots,l community-focused ad hoc process that has involved more than 100 people to work on racial justice action items including police reform. He said it included reparations for the inequities African Americans have faced. He co-sponsored with Supervisor Keith Carson (the other Black supervisor) a resolution to support Black Lives Matter that included an apology from the county for its past actions that supported groups and organizations that benefitted from slavery. It passed unanimously in October.
He also praised the more than 75% response to the census, up nearly 6 percent over 2010 as well as the 81% voter turnout.
Miley cited the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for its roles in testing and mass vaccinations as well as praising the Alameda County Fairgrounds for serving as both drive-up testing and vaccination site as well as a base camp for firefighters battling the lightening set fires last August.
“Homelessness is a complex layered problem that involves multiple jurisdictions, community and faith based organizations, public and private health care agencies, and of course, mental health centers. There is no one answer that could fundamentally fix what is deeply broken in our streets. However, I believe strongly in a housing first model that utilizes every tool in our tool belt, including tiny homes accessory dwelling units,” he said.
He went on to praise the tiny homes development at First Presbyterian Church in Hayward designed for working people who lack the financial resources to move into permanent housing. That partnership included Home Aid, the building industry’s charitable housing foundation, as well as Crosswinds Church in Livermore. The six homes were assembled in Crosswinds parking lot and now Crosswinds, through a separate non-profit, is preparing to open Goodness Village, a community of 28 tiny homes designed as permanent housing. Former Supervisor Scott Haggerty provided the construction and first-year operating funds as Home Aid again partnered in the development.
Miley also noted that he supported the safe parking space at Fairmont for people living in their cars and two-thirds of people utilizing the site have found permanent housing. It now being transformed with 34 tiny homes.
He did a rundown of work, funding and achievements across his sprawling district that runs from Pleasanton through Castro Valley, the unincorporated areas bordering Hayward and San Leandro to East Oakland. In Pleasanton, he noted that Hively (providing child-care resources) had been named a non-profit of the year as well as praising CTV and former Assemblywoman Catharine Baker for their help in getting information out to the community.
He noted his office’s $75,000 investment in Innovation Tri-Valley’s 2040 visioning project as well as the now-open Sunflower Hill project for developmentally disabled adults.
Looking ahead to this year, he said his priorities will be redrawing the supervisorial districts to accommodate population shifts as well as continuing his efforts on “racial justice and police reform, bringing much needed community reparations to African Americans and other historically marginalized groups within Alameda County, and addressing long standing inequity, continuing to fight illegal dumping and rally more and more groups across our state. “
Other areas included: environmental justice, public health, and public safety, homelessness, delivering quality services and advocating for seniors.

Community.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by Lahommed, a resident of Dublin,
on Mar 18, 2021 at 10:13 am

Lahommed is a registered user.

Most lives matter! THERE IS EVIL in the world that is in every segment of the population. Black lives matter as a group or concept: What exactly have they contributed to the community? I have seen destruction and violence but no progressive benefit. BLM fails because it has not done anything to better the community thus far only divide!


Posted by Michael Austin , a resident of Pleasanton Meadows,
on Mar 18, 2021 at 12:54 pm

Michael Austin is a registered user.

Supervisor Miley and his black life's matter reparations all need to get in line behind the native American Indians.

The American Indians are the first race on the American continent to be enslaved, the American Indians are the first race on the American continent to be strung up, hung by their neck until dead, after which they were mutilated.

American Indians, run off of their lands, raped, brutalized, and murdered. Custer's 7TH Cavalry grasped Indian infants in there fists and bashed their heads against rocks and trees.

Supervisor Miley, get in line!


Posted by Sean, a resident of Birdland,
on Mar 18, 2021 at 7:56 pm

Sean is a registered user.

We rarely hear talk about the challenges of all boys despite the fact that all boys of all races do worse than their female counterparts of the same race in meeting high school diplomas, UC/CSU requirements, graduates with bi-literacy seals, and graduates earning golden state diplomas according to data accessed from the CA Dept. of Education. Web Link

Reading is the number one challenge boys face and evolving curriculums are not tending to this issue. The majority of homeless are also male and this is a product of an educational system that has long ignored the issues of boys. It's important to remember: Supporting our daughters does not mean forgetting our sons.


Posted by Kevin, a resident of Castlewood,
on Mar 19, 2021 at 10:35 am

Kevin is a registered user.

Lahommed, based on your current and past posts, the reason you and some other white people don't know about what BLM has accomplished is because of your biased white-privilege lives. I and my family participated in many BLM protests. What gave us hope and strength was the number of young people of all colors who were there and UNDERSTAND what BLM is about. There were young families with their little kids holding Black Lives Matter signs. There were several houses in my neighborhood that put BLM signs on their lawns.


Posted by MichaelB, a resident of Pleasanton Meadows,
on Mar 19, 2021 at 11:28 am

MichaelB is a registered user.

"Lahommed, based on your current and past posts, the reason you and some other white people don't know about what BLM has accomplished is because of your biased white-privilege lives. "


Some of us already know. And some will either never understand (especially the young people) and/or just want to shut down any form of debate/dissent by claiming they are "fighting racism".

Web Link




Posted by Kevin, a resident of Castlewood,
on Mar 19, 2021 at 7:13 pm

Kevin is a registered user.

MichaelB, you form your opinion by reading the garbage on internet sites like Federalist. They want to keep you angry.

I, family and friends participated in BLM protests and talked to young people who organized it.

You need to get out there and experience life. There is good, bad, beauty, love and hatred. Don't be part of and reject bad and hatred.


Posted by MichaelB, a resident of Pleasanton Meadows,
on Mar 20, 2021 at 7:20 am

MichaelB is a registered user.

"MichaelB, you form your opinion by reading the garbage on internet sites like Federalist. They want to keep you angry.
I, family and friends participated in BLM protests and talked to young people who organized it.You need to get out there and experience life. There is good, bad, beauty, love and hatred. Don't be part of and reject bad and hatred."

What is not accurate about the article explaining about what happened to those who opposed BLM?

Are people even allowed to express an opinion that doesn't support BLM? Like maybe rioting and looting really isn't "justified"? Every encounter that Blacks have with police doing their jobs is not racially motivated? Problems with the Black community are not always the "fault" of prejudiced society - but with failed policies from those on the left? "Defunding the police" is a dumb idea as it relates to public safety?

The "bad and hatred" part is being told the entire nation is now "systemically racist" because of what one police officer with a questionable record did to George Floyd, the false claims from misguided young people that police are indiscriminately killing unarmed Blacks, and the reasoning that most people actually condone others being treated poorly because of their race (and now need to be lectured by you and others that their "lives matter"). It's not surprising people are going to be angry hearing this. Too bad you've bought into this inflammatory garbage and are part of it.


Posted by Kevin, a resident of Castlewood,
on Mar 20, 2021 at 8:49 am

Kevin is a registered user.

MichaelB,

Stop acting like a victim. The garbage on Fox and the internet that you read has made you all act like something is being done to you. You are being canceled, you are being called racists, etc. the last time I checked you are free to read and fill your brain with anything you want. Nobody is stopping you.

I and others have the right to express our opinions about you, Fox and the garbage you read!


Posted by pleasantonweekly.com, a PleasantonWeekly.com blogger,
on Mar 20, 2021 at 8:52 am

pleasantonweekly.com is a registered user.

Actually, Kevin, you do not have the right to “express your opinions” to the point of harassment about a private citizen who is unelected and only expressing his or her opinion on a subject. That is called bullying.


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