APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER CARROLL FIFE
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO
NEGOTIATE AND EXECUTE A GRANT AGREEMENT WITH
OAKBRITE IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED FIFTY THOUSAND
DOLLARS ($50,000) TO SUPPORT GEOFFREY'S INNER CIRCLE WITH
EXPENSES FOR LEASE OR MORTGAGE SUPPORT AND FOR
FACILITATION OF ARTS, CULTURAL, AND BUSINESS INCUBATION
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
WHEREAS, on January 7, 2016, the City Council approved Resolution No. 85958 C.M.S., designating the14th Street corridor on or within four blocks of 14 th Street from Oak Street to Frontage Road as the Black Arts Movement and Business District (BAMBD) to “highlight, celebrate, preserve and support the contributions of Oakland’s Black artists and business owners” and designated “the corridor as a place central both historically and currently to Oakland’s Black artists and Black owned businesses”; and
WHEREAS, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, the African American Museum and Library of Oakland (AAMLO) , and the Dr. Huey P. Newton Center for Research and Action (the Black Panther Museum) are currently located in the BAMBD, which is home to a wide range of businesses, organizations, artists, and arts and entertainment establishments that are a cornerstone of Oakland’s cultural and economic landscape; and
WHEREAS, there is growing concern that the dynamic business, arts, and cultural fabric of the BAMBD is being altered as the community grapples with gentrification and the displacement of longstanding residents, commercial tenants, and access to performance spaces; and
WHEREAS, on June 24, 2021, the City Council approved a Two Hundred Fifty-Thousand Dollar ($250,000) allocation in the Fiscal Year 2021 -2023 biennial budget in support of the BAMBD program development for lease support, grants, signage, and program development for small business incubation, pursuant to Resolution No. 88717 C.M.S.; and
WHEREAS, on June 26, 2023, the District 3 office requested that all unexpended funds from prior budgets for the BAMBD are carried forward to the FY 2023-2025 budget cycle for the purposes stated in the FY 2021 -2023 biennial budget policy directives, including program 2 development for small business incubation, lease support, grants, and signage, pursuant to Resolution No. 89804 C.M.S.; and
WHEREAS, the City Council supports efforts to strengthen arts and culture in the City of Oakland, including within the area designated as the BAMBD, to help remedy historical inequities and provide a thriving future; and
WHEREAS, the City serves a critical role in fostering longstanding community spaces such as Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, dedicated to cultural preservation, and advancement; and
WHEREAS, OakBRITE, a register ed 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, has agreed to assist with these objectives and is committed to improving and revitalizing the arts, comedy, and cultural tapestry of the BAMBD , this includes supporting Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a historic, Black-owned and operated space located in the BAMBD, through financial assistance for expenses for lease or mortgage support; and
WHEREAS, Grantee, in partnership with the City Administrator and the District 3 office, shall develop a plan to program events and activities, including but not limited to, comedy shows, musical and dance performances, business development events that showcase and strengthen the contributions of Black artists, creatives, and institutions for the overall improvement of the BAMBD; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council hereby authorizes the City Administrator negotiate and execute a grant agreement with Grantee in an amount not to exceed Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) for a one -year term with a one -year option to renew , utilizing carry forward General Purpose Funds designated for the Black Arts Movement and Business District in the 2021 -2023 Biennial Budget pursuant to Resolution No. 88717 C.M.S. to support Geoffrey's Inner Circle with expenses for lease or mortgage support and for facilitation of arts, cultural, and business incubation events and activities; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the grant in an amount not to exceed Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000) for Grantee is available in General Purpose Fund (1010), Economic Development Organization (85411), Third Party: Grant Contracts Earned Account (54912), Black Arts District Project (1005375), Marketing & Special Events Program (SC02); and be it
3 FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Administrator or designee is authorized to take any other necessary actions consistent with this Resolution and its basic purposes, subject to review and approval by the City Attorney’s Office.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, JENKINS, KALB, KAPLAN, RAMACHANDRAN, REID, AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California