Hope you've all recovered from the Fourth of July fun! We had more than 300 visitors at the Port's free game booth at Jack London Square on the holiday. Kids got to feel a little like the NBA Champ Warriors when they played our mini- basketball hoops while they learned more about the Port. 

We are pleased to have 22 summer interns this year as part of the Port's paid Summer Internship Program including six from Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's Classrooms2Careers Program! They will be with us through mid-August and are working in various divisions including Aviation, Commercial Real Estate, Communications, Engineering, Finance, Maritime, Port Attorney's office, and Social Responsibility.

The Port College Summer and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's Classrooms2Careers Program interns are learning first-hand from Port Directors and staff about our three business lines and operations through the brown bag lunchtime series. Interns had discussions with the Director of Social Responsibility Amy Tharpe, Director of Commercial Real Estate Pam Kershaw, and Maritime Wharfinger Richard Taylor about the Port's diverse operations.

Port of Oakland efforts to cut diesel emissions are producing dramatic results. A University of California expert presented research showing a 76 percent drop in black carbon emissions from harbor trucks. One day later, Chinese officials from Tianjin, the world's fourth-largest port, visited Oakland to find out how it's done.

The Social Responsibility Division shared information with several hundred job seekers at E.C. Reems Community Services, "6th Annual Job & Health Fair, entitled, "Forward Thinking: Being the Best Version of You." Participants of the event received free mental health workshops, health screenings, access to employment and training opportunities from local agencies. 

Recently Turner Professional Women's Group presented its 8th Annual Panel on strategies for increasing the number of women in the construction industry. Port of Oakland's Social Responsibility Director Amy Tharpe (seated left of podium) participated in the discussion - "From the Executive Chair: Insights from an Owner's Rep". She was joined by Larie Meeker, Director of Property Management at Tishman Speyer and Claudia Luquin, Project Manager at San Francisco International Airport.