David Newton
Phone: (510) - 689-9886 Website: www.newtdontstop.com Email: [email protected]
STATEMENT OF INTEREST & QUALIFICATIONS
Oakland native with lifelong roots in the city and a multigenerational legacy of civil rights and housing advocacy. Brings practical, on-the-ground experience in land use, housing development, real estate finance, and community impact analysis, combined with deep knowledge of Oakland neighborhoods and the lived realities of working families.
Offers the Planning Commission a balanced perspective that integrates housing production, anti-displacement strategies, economic feasibility, labor considerations, and environmental justice, while upholding the integrity of Oakland’s General Plan, zoning code, and CEQA requirements.
RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Senior Sales Associate / Real Estate Advisor
Coldwell Banker Realty | Oakland, CA
2015 – Present
• Over $400 million in completed real estate transactions across residential, income-producing, commercial, vacant land, and business properties. • Regularly reviews zoning designations, land-use constraints, development standards, and entitlement pathways affecting project feasibility. • Works closely with architects, contractors, attorneys, engineers, and property managers to navigate permitting, renovation, adaptive reuse, and redevelopment projects.
• Advises clients on neighborhood compatibility, community impacts, and long- term land-use considerations, with particular sensitivity to displacement pressures in historically Black and working-class communities. • Recognized in the top 5% of Coldwell Banker agents in the East and North Bay; International President’s Circle (2023).
HOUSING & COMMUNITY EQUITY EXPERIENCE
• Obtained real estate license specifically to assist working-class and union families in achieving homeownership and housing stability. • Advocates for development approaches that increase housing supply while preserving community character and cultural continuity. • Deep understanding of Oakland neighborhoods shaped by decades of residence, organizing, and professional engagement.
BOARD, GOVERNANCE & FIDUCIARY EXPERIENCE
Board Member
Huey P. Newton Foundation | Oakland, CA
• Provides governance oversight and strategic input for community-based programs centered on self-determination, economic justice, and neighborhood empowerment.
• Supports initiatives that intersect with land use, cultural preservation, and community-serving spaces.
Treasurer
Bay Area Longshoremen’s Memorial Association
• Oversees budgeting, financial accountability, and long-term stewardship of organizational assets.
• Experience aligns with Planning Commission responsibilities related to fiscal impacts and public trust.
LABOR & WORKFORCE PERSPECTIVE
Member
International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10 2009 – Present
• Brings a labor and workforce lens to planning decisions, emphasizing job access, workplace proximity, and infrastructure that supports working families. • Advocates for development that integrates local hiring, workforce pathways, and community benefits.
INTERNATIONAL & POLICY PERSPECTIVE
• Represented ILWU Local 10 in Durban, South Africa, engaging in global dialogue on labor movements and the role of planning, infrastructure, and ports in social equity. • Established relationships with leadership of NUMSA, strengthening understanding of how land use, industry, and labor intersect internationally.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
• National Association of Realtors (NAR)
• Associated Real Property Brokers (ARPB)
• International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10