Oakland Works to Create Economic Opportunity for Residents

Oakland is experiencing a renaissance.

The city is riding the tech tide that’s lifting many boats in the Bay Area and is preparing to welcome the newest corporate headquarters of one of the hottest tech firms of the moment: Uber.

But living in Oakland is becoming expensive, and many longtime residents -- from the days before the city became so hot -- are being pushed out.

As part of a project called "A Nation Engaged," NPR, KQED and other local public radio stations asked this question: What would unlock economic opportunity for more Americans?

In Oakland, the question is how to get more people into jobs that pay well enough to allow them to keep living in Oakland.

Jose Corona says there are good-paying jobs available, and not just in tech. Corona is Oakland's director of Equity and Strategic Partnerships. He points to opportunities with BART, AC Transit and Kaiser Permanente. He says the city is working to build up a pipeline that gets residents trained and ready for those jobs.

At Give Something Back, we find a company that is simultaneously helping develop this "pipeline" and using it to find employees in Oakland. Co-founder Mike Hannigan says it fits into the office supply company's mission as a benefit corporation. He introduces us to Belma Lara, who now runs the customer support department, but started 18 years ago through Oakland's Youth Employment Partnership.

Though Hannigan doubts there are enough well-paying jobs for everybody looking for work, he's clear that companies and social policy should strive to create them.

"Nothing is better for communities, especially distressed communities, than jobs that pay well," he says.