Author: George Fuller, Ed.D.

Today, we celebrate Labor Day, recognizing America’s workers’ social and economic achievements. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century when labor activists pushed for a holiday to acknowledge workers’ many contributions to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being. 

The holiday is poignant for me in many ways. My uncle was a Longshoreman in the Oakley Docks (before container ships). I have always admired his strong work ethic and commitment to give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. He often mentioned that the Longshoreman’s Union maintained a solid workplace for him, with adequate wages to support himself and his family. Benefits were provided, and my uncle was working towards a pension for his retirement years. 

My grandfather was a high-tension wire lineman for PGE. He accidentally came into contact with a high-voltage wire, resulting in a cribbled hand. The IBEW out of Berkely ensured he received adequate compensation for his injury and an ongoing wage with PGE. It ensured his family, which included my mother, was housed and nourished. 

I am honored to have earned the Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council endorsement for the Oakley City Council in the forthcoming election on November 5, 2024—my admiration for the Trade Unions contributing to our construction projects. The workers are committed to providing a quality product for Oakley residents. Their apprenticeship ensures a solid number of people with journeyman abilities. I cherish the Council’s support of my position on the City Council. 

Oakley needs a city-wide Project Labor Agreement (PLA) system. Such a policy will ensure workers receive a decent wage and benefits on City construction projects. The process involves the City sitting down with the Trade Unions to negotiate salaries, health care, and pension benefits on construction sites. It calls for the trade union representatives to monitor the construction sites for compliance with the agreement. Such agreements can call for a percentage of the workers hired to be Oakley residents, thus keeping our tax dollars in Oakley. 

I stand proud with the Contra Costa Building and Construction Trades Council and the men and women the council represents. 

George Fuller, Ed.D. 
       City Councilmember, City of Oakley, CA 

R&R Pacific Construction Company has been a pressing concern of mine since the 2020 election. I meticulously reviewed the downtown construction bids during 2020 and before. The company consistently submitted bids that were just dollars below the next bid. When I raised this issue with the City Manager, Bryan Montgomery, his response was that the company, being local and having a significant number of contracts in Oakley, could afford to bid lower due to their equipment being readily available in Oakley. 

During my four years on the Oakley City Council, I have been inundated with complaints about R&R Pacific Construction, ranging from wage theft to unfair labor practices and failure to pay prevailing wages. These issues directly impact the trade union members who supply labor to Oakley’s projects, and they are understandably concerned. When I sought an explanation from City staff, City Engineer Kevin Rohani dismissed the concerns as ‘sour grapes’ from unions not getting more from the company. 

Concerned, I pulled years of change orders for R&R Pacific Construction Company projects. I found numerous change orders in which the company obtained more money than the original contract price. I suspect that the extra cash took R&R’s project costs above the successive few bids.  I am asking for the bids of the projects concerned, but our City Attorney, Derek Cole, supervises PRA requests. Thus, my requests tend to languish. I am afraid that the request might not be honored until mid-October, but I will keep Oakley residents informed. 

Below are links to the change orders:

Click to access RR-pacific-construction-2.pdf

Click to access RR-pacific-change-orders-one.pdf

Click to access rr-pacific-construction-change-orders-3.pdf

George Fuller, Ed.D.
     City Councilmember, City of Oakley, CA
 

It’s happening! The bottleneck for traffic at Laurel Rd and O’Hara Ave will be gone. The poles have been moved to allow another lane, and construction will begin soon to expand Laurel Road to a four-lane highway from the state route four freeway to Main St. I am happy I could campaign for this expansion during the 2020 city council election. It took a while (four years), but again, it is happening.

George Fuller, Ed.D
     City Councilmember, City of Oakley, CA

Commercial cultivation of Marijuana will be legal in Oakley if item 5.1 on the city council agenda is approved this Tuesday night (July 9, 2024). If passed, the ordinance will allow wineries and commercial cannabis operations to operate in vineyards around Oakley.

I am vehemently opposed to such a change. Wineries may be acceptable under certain conditions, but it vexes me that the Oakley City Hall Staff attached Cannabis operations and car washes to the proposal. I think each item should be a separate item to consider by the council, not just one package. I do worry.

A few months ago, the Rotary Club of Oakley visited Coco Farms Marijuana distribution business. Three council members (Shannon Shaw, Aaron Meadows, and Hugh Henderson) and the city manager, Joshua McMurray, are the Rotary Club of Oakley members. The arrangement would seem to push the scale towards approval of the item.

Now would be the time to contact Oakley City Council members about your concerns regarding item 5.1.

Below is a picture of Rotary Club Members of Oakley at CoCo Farms.

Also below are links to a recent Los Angeles Times article reporting on the disappointments of Marijuana sales for small businesses.

There are links to the staff report for item 5.1 and a copy of the proposed ordinance.

https://fullerforoakley.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/La-times-mj-06-25-2024.pdf https://fullerforoakley.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/MJ-issue-07-09-2024.pdf https://fullerforoakley.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/mj-proposed-ordinance-07-.pdf

This is a tribute to the men who stepped forward in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, to sign the Declaration of Independence. They risked losing everything, including their lives, families, friends, and property, in signing the I value their courage, tenacity, and commitment to our nation.

The Communist Chinese government slaughtered over 10,000 of their Chinese fellow citizens on June 4, 1989, 35 years ago today. The event became known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre.  

In mid-April 1989, student protests across China called for democracy and a recognition of Human Rights. The demonstrations continued into June. The students eventually started demonstrating in Tiananmen Square. The Communist Government, frustrated they could not reach an accord with the Chinese students, decided to remove the students with force; during the early morning hours of June 4, 1989, the Chinese military advanced, accompanied by tanks. The military opened fire. The United Nations estimates that the Chinese army massacred over 10,000 people in Tiananmen Square on that day. 

One participant in the demonstrations became known as Tank Man. He stood before a column of tanks and stopped their advance by remaining in front of the lead tank, blocking its path with his body. Above is a picture of the Tank Man.  

The Communist Chinese Government is embarrassed by the Tank Man. Also, the communist government has done much to reconcile its image in the world following the massacre of 10,000 of its citizens. As the Jamestown Foundation explains, one method is to invite American officials to China to meet. The meetings are arranged under the guise of being led by a non-profit. The purpose of the meeting is advertised as a meeting to enhance general trade globally. Councilmember Williams just completed one of those trips. Below is a link to the Jamestown Foundation publication. 

Also, below is a publication of the China-United States Exchange Foundation that now appears online. It is a tribute to China-United States relations and the ties’ strength. I am sure the item will be circulated worldwide through the Chinese propaganda program, translated into multiple languages as the Chinese government distributes it. The publication shows Councilmember Williams standing in the middle of Communist China Government Officials with her “thumbs up.” 

Below is a link to an article completed by a participant in the demonstrations in Tiananmen Square that day, as well as her summary of the events. 

Click to access Tiananmen-square-massacre-witness-1.pdf

Click to access cusef-publication-Williams-visit.pdf

Click to access Jamestown-report-china-exchange.pdf

George Fuller, Ed.D.
     City Councilmember, City of Oakley, CA