News from City of Oakland Mayor Jean Quan
The $15 M Federal Tiger Grant for Port of Oakland is another giant step forward toward implementing a transformative project at the Port of Oakland, which will translate into thousands of jobs for our city and will spur economic growth for generations to come. We are grateful to Secretary Ray LaHood, the Obama Administration and Congresswoman Lee for their leadership in creating jobs.
The TIGER grant-funded Rail Access project provides a critical link between the new logistics center and the existing port infrastructure, making Oakland one of the most efficient, green ports in the nation.
Governor Brown's Signing of AB 57 (Assemblymember Jim Beall Jr. D-San Jose), provides one seat each for Oakland and San Jose on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC). Prior to this, the MTC consisted of 19 members, including two members from Alameda and Santa Clara Counties, which did not reflect Oakland and San Jose as major population centers in the Bay Area.
Now, the commission will consist of 21 members, including one member appointed by the Mayor of Oakland and one by the Mayor of San Jose, in recognition of the shift in the Bay Area's demographics from San Francisco to the East and South Bay. This will better position Oakland for future transportation funding to further meet East Bay needs.
Also, more than 5,000 new jobs were generated this past year in high tech, restaurant, retail and construction; unemployment in Oakland went down by 2%. Even in a flat state economy, we had a slight uptick in new businesses licenses issued, with growth continuing in retail, restaurants and entertainment. We are working hard to position for the recovery and will hold a series of business roundtable events focused on key industries in the coming year. The Port of Oakland became the only US port that exports more than we import.
Despite the worst national recession in decades and a constant stream of state and federal cuts, we are making progress in jobs and development. We are undergoing a renaissance in our thriving arts, cultural and culinary scene that reflects one of the most diverse cities in the world. The New York Times listed us #5 in their annual “45 Places to Go in the World in 2012” – the highest ranked American city.
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