APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
___________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. ______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER UNGER
RESOLUTION (1) HONORING BISHOP CHARLEY HAMES , JR., FOR HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AS THE 66 TH BISHOP OF THE
CHRISTIAN METH ODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH HIS
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AS A SENIOR PASTOR OF
BEEBE MEMORIAL CATHEDRAL CME CHURCH IN OAKLAND, AND
HIS LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO FAITH, COMMUNITY SERVICES
AND SOCIAL JUSTICE AND (2) COMMEMORATIVE LY RENAMING
THE INTERSECTION OF 39 TH AND TELEGRAPH AVE AS “BISHOP CHARLEY HAMES JR., WAY” AND AUT HORIZING THE
INSTALLATION OF A COMME MORATIVE PLAQUE OR SIGN
HONORING BISHOP CHARLEY HAMES, JR. PURSUANT TO THE
POLICY AND PROCEDURES ESTABLISHED BY THE OAKLAND CITY
COUCNIL RESOLUTION NO 77967 C.M.S.
WHEREAS, California Government Code section 34091.1 allows a jurisdiction by resolution to name a new public street or to rename an existing public street; and
WHEREAS, the naming of a new public street or the renaming of an existing public street is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Oakland City Council Resolution No. 77967 C.M.S. (passed July 15, 2003), the City Council may, on its motion, consider the renaming of a public street as a tribute to an individual or as a result of a significant event or activity , if one of the following criteria is met: (1) the individual has positively impacted the lives of a nation or the world; or (2) the name change is related to an economic development or redevelopment activity; or (3) The renaming commemorates a significant historical event; and
WHEREAS, the City Council may commemorate a nominee either by: (a) retaining the existing street name and installing commemorative plaques or signs; or (b) renaming the existing street for the individual and installing new street signs; and 2 WHEREAS, Bishop Charley Hames, Jr. was elected on June 29, 2022, as the 66th Bishop of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, elected on the first ballot, and assigned by the General Conference to lead the 9th Episcopal District, serving congregations across Al aska, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and California; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Hames has faithfully served as Senior Pastor of Beebe Memorial Cathedral CME Church in Oakland for over twenty years, leading one of the fastest -growing congregations within the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and guiding the church’s growth from 81 members to more than 3,400 members, making it one of the premier houses of worship in the San Francisco Bay Area ; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Hames has demonstrated exceptional leadership and service both in ministry and in the broader community, including serving as Chaplain of 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, former President of the Oakland Chapter of the National Action Network, Immediat e Past Chairman of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, and as a Life Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the NAACP, and an active member of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Hames has used his voice and platform to inspire communities across the Bay Area and beyond through his fifteen-year broadcast ministry as KBLX 102.9 FM’s “Voice of Inspiration,” his leadership within theological education as a Trustee of Garrett -Evangelical Theological Seminary and Phillips School of Theology, and his national advocacy including participation in a White House meeting with President Barack Obama in 2012 to discuss the killing of Trayvon Martin; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Hames is a scholar and author who earned degrees from Chicago State University, Garrett -Evangelical Theological Seminary, and Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, and has authored several books including Pressing Reset: When Life Forces You to Start Over Again, Exchange: Trading Your Brokenness for Exceptional Purpose, and Notes From The Doctor: The 60-Day Devotional Treatment Plan for the Spirit, with his forthcoming book The Leverage Leader: Thriving in the World of AI released in 2025; and
WHEREAS, Bishop Hames continues to inspire through his commitment to faith, family, and community alongside his wife Lady Michelle J. Gaskill -Hames, President of Kaiser Permanente Southern California and Hawaii, and their children Charles Jonathon, Elijah Immanuel, and Jael Deon, and grandchild Maxton; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council approves the commemora tive renaming of the intersection of 39th and Telegraph as, “Bishop Charley Hames, Jr. Way,” and be it
3 FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council directs the City Administrator to proceed with the commem orative designation of “Bishop Charley Hames, Jr. Way” and placement of street sign(s) or plaque(s) to that effect, upon payment of costs.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - BROWN, FIFE, GALLO, HOUSTON, RAMACHANDRAN, UNGER, WANG, AND
PRESIDENT JENKINS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
3460743/LL