Alameda Point

Alameda Point, the former Naval Air Station Alameda, located at the westernmost tip of the island of Alameda, CA, represents an enormous opportunity for job creation for the residents of Alameda, most of whom commute off-island to go to work each day.

Jobs Lost

Several thousands of Alameda jobs were lost when the United States Navy closed Naval Air Station Alameda in 1997. Originally the Navy had planned to transfer ownership of the land to the City of Alameda at no cost, provided that the City used the land to re-create the jobs lost from the base closure.

But then, the City of Alameda changed directions and headed down the path of building thousands and thousands of homes on Alameda Point, ignoring the need to re-create jobs. The price tag for Alameda Point then soared to $108 million, making it difficult for any developer to profitably redevelop the land. Building thousands of houses on Alameda Point will also compound the problem of people who live in Alameda but have to drive their car or take transit to jobs in San Francisco, Oakland or the East and South Bay.

Difficult Times

In these difficult times, with a recession looming, or already begun, the housing market in a crisis, Sacramento decimating education funding and threatening layoffs of Alameda school teachers, our city government should be looking at Alameda Point as an opportunity to create jobs, not more housing that nobody can afford to buy.

Facts

• According to the City of Alameda's financial report for 2006-2007, the top ten employers in Alameda altogether employ only 4,743 people, out of a total City Day Population of 38,600, or 12% The city of Alameda has approximately 30,000 households and 75,000 people - the vast majority of Alameda residents commute to work outside of Alameda each day.
• The same report reveals that the biggest employer in Alameda is the Alameda Unified School District, with 1000 employees. The tenth ranked employer reports only just over 200 employees. We don't really have many big employers located in the City of Alameda.
• The United States Navy had given the City of Alameda direction to focus on job creation when redeveloping Alameda Point, to replace the 18,000 jobs lost when the base closed.
• Alameda is an island with no direct connection to the regional public transit system (BART) and residents must rely on the ferry service or buses and automobiles to get off the island. More housing at Alameda Point will add to the motor vehicle congestion on our access points - the bridges and tubes.

The region lost 18,000 jobs when the Navy closed Naval Air Station Alameda.

Let's do our best to re-create those lost jobs, by creating employment opportunities, not just housing, at Alameda Point.

We want a wide-range of professional and non-professional jobs at a variety of salary levels, not just "McJobs" or minimum wage retail jobs.