Hello Oakland,

Let’s talk about re-opening Oakland on Thursday night at 6 p.m. at our weekly Town Hall on our social media channels Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube (with closed captioning).

To dial in by phone: (669) 900-6833, 413825986#

This week we want to hear from our Alameda County experts and our business leaders on how to re-open safely during Phase 2, and how we can anticipate a new way of doing business in Oakland.
I’ll be joined by:

  • Aneeka Chaudhry, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Public Affairs, Alameda County Health Care Services Agency, to discuss the new shelter in place order and updated guidelines.

  • Savlan Hauser, Executive Director of the Jack London Improvement District, to share creative ways businesses have pivoted in response to the new guidelines and to offer perspective from businesses as they consider the Phase 2 allowances, including thoughts on using public spaces for new outdoor dining options.

I’ll give my weekly citywide update and answer all your questions. You can submit questions for me and our guests by clicking here .

If you wanted to catch up on last week’s Town Hall, the first public hearing for our Racial Disparities Task Force, you can watch here .
Here’s a thrilling update on our goal to close the digital divide for kids and families in Oakland: We raised $13 million in a week .

After we announced what Oakland needed to ensure that every child in OUSD had access to a computer and consistent internet this year, Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted out a $10 million contribution through his #StartSmall initiative, followed by an additional $700,000 from Zynga CEO Mark Pincus .

Their generosity, coupled with significant donations from a list of dedicated philanthropic and community partners, has put us on a shared path to closing the divide for good.

The next phase of fund-raising will help us sustain the effort for years to come. We remain grateful to every supporter and organization who has supported this ambitious effort. To learn more, you can read more here or watch an interview . To contribute, visit here .
This week, Oakland launched the Great Plates program to keep 200 Oakland restaurants in business while preparing meals for our food-insecure seniors.

The innovative pilot program will produce up to 12 meals per week for eligible seniors, and deliver the meals to their front doors free of charge.

If you, or any one you know, needs this free service, please call: 510-238-FOOD or visit www.oaklandca.gov/food .

Oakland is delivering roughly 25,000 free meals a week to our vulnerable residents, thanks to generous support from community partners like World Central Kitchen and Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat.Learn.Play. foundation.

For a map of free food distribution sites in Oakland, visit this link here . 
Calling on our individual artists – Oakland’s culture keepers – to apply for grants that will help them weather this crisis. Here’s a link to learn more .

Finally, I won’t let a week go by without asking more residents to get tested!

On Monday, we opened our third free site at Allen Temple Baptist Church in Deep East Oakland. It’s open Monday – Saturday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and residents can register for a free drive-thru appointment here .

If you work outside the home, you’re eligible for a free test – and you don’t need insurance. Please sign up now .

Thank you again Oaklanders, for showing your resilience and showing up for each other.

I hope you’ll join us tomorrow night for an in-depth discussion on what steps we’ll take to re-open our businesses and gathering spots safely, so we can get outside and enjoy each other’s company again.

Be well,
Libby