Fellow Oaklanders,

Please join our Zoom video conference Town Hall on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m., where you’ll also hear from our special guest Congresswoman Barbara Lee .

We’ll spend the first hour answering your questions on the city’s response and sharing helpful resources, and speak with experts on tenant’s rights and worker’s benefits, and share new grant opportunities for our small business owners.

Congresswoman Lee will join us in the second hour to discuss the federal stimulus package and how it can help Oaklanders.


  • To video in to Zoom click here. Meeting ID: 413 825 986

  • Click the following link to watch on Facebook

  • Closed captioning available on YouTube

  • To dial in by phone: (669) 900-6833, 413825986#

  • Additional phone line: (346) 248-7799, 413825986# 

To see my frequent video updates, be sure to follow my social channels on Twitter , Facebook , and Instagram .
On Tuesday we announced a new emergency grant program for low-income business owners and entrepreneurs in Oakland. Thanks to the generous donations to our Oakland COVID-19 Relief Fund , we are now able to disburse small grants to our small business owners immediately.

Our outreach efforts are focusing on entrepreneurs in our immigrant community, people of color, and very low-income business owners who otherwise have a difficult time accessing traditional capital and debt relief.

Applications are available in English , Spanish , Chinese , and Vietnamese .

Please share with one of your local small business owner!
Yesterday our Alameda County Public Health Officer extended the shelter in place order to May 3 and added more restrictions including the closure of playgrounds and picnic areas, electronics and office supply stores, and shutting down most residential and commercial construction sites.

The message clear: We need to stay at home to save lives.

Social distancing is the only vaccine we’ve got right now. If we want to slow the spread of this deadly virus, all of us must stay home. Get outside to exercise and run to the grocery store – it’s essential for our mental health as well – but we must then return home immediately. 
Even in these uncertain and stressful times, I continue to see inspirational stories of Oaklanders taking care of each other. Like this one in East Oakland , about my friend Ali Albasiery, owner of Shop Rite, who’s helping out his neighbors.

And this one in West Oakland about The Oakland Reach stepping up for families in need. 

We’re seeing retired healthcare workers re-join the workforce and sign up through Gov. Newsom’s new California Health Corps .

If you are able and want to help Oakland, please sign up to volunteer to assist our seniors and vulnerable populations (click link here ). Our Oakland COVID-19 Relief Fund is approaching $5 million raised, much of it through generous donations by you via the online portal here .

Donations have helped us stand up a testing site for our first responders and frontline workers, which we extended to first responders in our neighboring cities. We’ve tested 250 Oakland fire and police officers and counting so far, ensuring that Oakland takes care of those who take care of us.

Let’s continue to do this with our world-famous resilience and grace, Oakland.

Sincerely,

Mayor Libby Schaaf