Oaklanders,

It pains me that at the same time that Oakland is making significant strides in achieving our goal of equitable growth we are also still grappling with an unacceptable homicide rate.

 

The young people engaged in violence in our city are too far removed from the hope and possibility of benefitting from the new jobs that are coming to Oakland. We need to change this reality by bringing what I am calling techquity to Oakland.

In part, techquity is the idea we can work with the tech community in Oakland to create an opportunity pipeline in our schools and for our youth and we can foster a community expectation that the tech companies operating in Oakland will strive to be accountable for working with us to build a workforce that looks like Oakland - with equitable opportunities and pay.

 

I am proud to tell you that this work is already underway. Oakland is building a tech eco-system and a business environment that reflects and supports our values. Many of the mission-driven companies and enterprises coming to Oakland are using technology to solve real world problems, and Oakland-based organizations like  Hack the Hood, The Hidden Genius Project, #YesWeCode and  The Kapor Center for Social Impact led by Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein are helping the tech industry diversify its workforce by giving young people of color access to training and jobs in the sector and giving the leaders in this burgeoning economy the tools to attract, retain and grow a workforce that looks like the diverse urban customers who use their products and services.

 

So before the ride-sharing giant, Uber announced last week that it would be expanding its global headquarters to include the former Sears building ( 1955 Broadway) in Oakland (view the announcement   news conference ), I met with the leadership of the company. I shared very directly with them my expectation that they work with the city to do four things: fight displacement, strive for equity, be a compassionate neighbor and support our existing local economy. It's the same message I've shared with others in our business community.

Now, my job as mayor is to help Uber and the other companies doing business in our city, find meaningful ways to accomplish these goals. I've offered them my direct help in implementing from a menu of specific suggestions, including:  hiring locally, sourcing from local vendors, creating employee volunteer opportunities, providing mentoring and internships for our young people, engaging with the city to identify housing solutions and supporting multi-modal and low-impact transit options for their workforce. These are the things that  will help preserve the Oakland we know and allow new businesses to fully engage in life in this community. 

 

We're at the beginning of fostering an important dialogue which is crucial to achieving our goals around techquity because the reality is that the deal that will bring 2,000 to 3,000 new Uber employees to Oakland in 2017 was done privately, without any city subsidies or incentives. This means that partnership and engagement are the primary ways in which we will be able to influence the corporate behavior of what will become Oakland's largest employer outside of the government or healthcare sectors.

 

This is a game-changer for Oakland's Uptown - solidifying that area as the hottest new urban center for innovation. Uber's arrival builds on a growing wave of smaller tech companies and creative firms, like VSCO, Fluid, NMP, Inc., 99designs and EVB, as well as co-working spaces like The Port Workspaces,   ImpactHUB Oakland and Oakstop that have also bet on Oakland.

 

Why are so many companies choosing Oakland right now? Yes, it's true that commercial rents in Oakland are currently 40% less than those in San Francisco, but that has been true for decades so what is it that has changed? These businesses recognize and are also attracted to Oakland because of its progressive values and unique qualities which include everything from our diversity and passion for the arts to our rich transit resources and commitment to social justice. Businesses know we have what today's workforce wants and that gives the companies coming to Oakland a vested interest in helping us preserve the very qualities that attracted them to us in the first place.

 

Like Wall Street is to New York, or the film industry is to LA, the technology sector is the economic driver of our region. Oakland cannot afford to be left out. We can and we must take our rightful place by embracing the engine that drives our regional economy with the goal of bringing techquity and shared prosperity to this city.

 

With Oakland-love,

Libby