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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 21, 2017

 

CONTACT

 

Kimberly King, Psychology Instructor at Laney College, and Executive Council Member for Peralta Federation of Teachers Local 1603

(213) 910-1991

 

Keith Welch, President, Associated Students of Laney College

(510) 674-5955

Peralta Federation of Teachers Local 1603 and Associated Students of Laney College Vote 

to Oppose Oakland A’s Stadium Mega-Development

 

OAKLAND, CA – Opposition to the Oakland A’s proposal to construct a stadium mega-development next to Laney College is growing.  Three groups representing faculty and students at Laney College have now taken official positions strongly opposing the Oakland A’s proposal to construct a stadium, retail, and related developments next to Laney College, Chinatown, and Eastlake.  

 

On Thursday, the Peralta Federation of Teachers Local 1603 which represents over 1,000 teachers, librarians, counselors, and nurses at all four Peralta Community College District campuses, and the Associated Students of Laney College, the student governing body at Laney, joined the Laney College Faculty Senate in saying “No Stadium at Laney”.  The California Faculty Association – CSU East Bay Chapter which represents the faculty at 23 California State University campuses including the 3 campuses of CSU East Bay passed a similar resolution last month.

 

“We need to protect Laney College as a public resource,” said Kimberly King, Psychology Instructor at Laney College and Executive Council Member for PFT Local 1603.  “As faculty, we’re committed to our students and the Oakland community. The A’s proposed stadium would accelerate the development of luxury housing, and push out long-time Oakland residents, including our students.”

 

Over the past month, the Peralta Federation of Teachers held community forums at each of the four Peralta campuses.  Each forum included a representative of the Oakland A’s, a faculty member opposing the stadium mega-development, a faculty member in support of the stadium, a student, and a community member.  The Oakland A’s President, Dave Kaval met with PFT Local 1603’s Executive Council prior to the vote, but failed the sway the group.  

 

On Thursday, the Council voted unanimously to “oppose the proposed Oakland A’s stadium on Peralta land,” and redefined the charge of the A’s working group, “to recommend activities for advocating against the Oakland A’s stadium to the Executive Council, with an invitation for the entire membership to participate.”

 

Since October, the Associated Students of Laney College has been collecting votes to gauge how students feel about the A’s stadium proposal.  90% of students voted to oppose the stadium development. On Thursday, the ASLC leadership decided it was time to take a stand.  

 

“The district needs to hear from students, and we do not want this ballpark,” said Keith Welch, President of the Associated Students of Laney College.  “Laney College has changed people’s lives, gotten people out of poverty. Before this year, the A’s took no interest – no scholarships, no internships, nothing.  Now they want to disrupt our education by building a ballpark across the street with noisy construction, traffic gridlock, pollution, and alcohol consumption by fans.  We will not sacrifice our education so that the A’s owners can make more money.”  

 

The decisions come on the heels of a poll conducted by Oakland Rising, an alliance of nine Oakland grassroots groups.  Oakland Rising surveyed over 2,000 people living in Oakland and found that 4 in 5 people Oaklanders want the Oakland A’s to stay at the Coliseum and invest in East Oakland.  

 

Laney College serves over 12,000 students each year and reflects the working class communities of color that live in and around Oakland.  According to Enrollment Demographic Data for the Peralta Community College District’s 2016 ACCJC Accreditation Report:

 

  • 79% of Laney College students are people of color – 25% African American, 27% Asian, Filipino, or Pacific Islander, 13% Latino, and 11.5% mixed race.
  • The majority of Laney College students receive financial aid.  According to the U.S. News and World Report, in 2012, 61% of Laney students received some form of financial aid.
  • 47% of Laney students live in Oakland.  The next largest groups are students living in Alameda (8%), Berkeley (8%), and San Leandro (5%).
  • Laney College serves students of age 16 to over 65 years old.  39% of Laney students are 19-24 years old. 19% are between the ages of 35 and 54.
  • 82% of Laney College students attend school part-time.

 

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Peralta Federation of Teachers Local 1603 represents over 1,000 teachers, librarians, counselors, and nurses at all four Peralta Community College District campuses.

 

Associated Students of Laney College is the student governing body at Laney College.