In survey after survey, and in interviews with The Oaklandside, Oakland residents have recognized homelessness and housing as among the most pressing points going through town. Whereas home and hire costs have skyrocketed, town’s unhoused inhabitants has reached a staggering 5,000 residents.
Oakland’s mayor has the facility to set the agenda: They’ll push for brand new insurance policies, elevate funds for packages, and search state and federal grants. They’ll additionally direct town administration and maintain division heads accountable for assembly objectives. In her first time period, for instance, Mayor Libby Schaaf introduced her “17K/17K” plan to construct 17,000 market-rate and low-income housing models, and protect the affordability of one other 17,000 present houses, by 2024.
Town has practically met Schaaf’s 17,000-unit development aim—although solely a fraction of the houses are reasonably priced. In reality, Oakland is far behind in including the variety of low-income housing models the state has required.
Utilizing a mixture of personal and metropolis funding, Schaaf spearheaded homelessness packages just like the “group cabin” shelters, now a centerpiece of town’s disaster response, although it’s proven blended outcomes. Final yr, she backed an initiative to make it simpler to construct extra sorts of nontraditional housing within the metropolis, like tiny homes and RV dwellings.
A number of the candidates working for mayor this yr have made homelessness and housing focal factors of their campaigns, however they disagree on methods to deal with the disaster. Others don’t have fairly as developed concepts for bringing Oakland nearer to assembly its distant reasonably priced housing objectives and getting extra folks off the streets.
The Oaklandside carried out in-depth interviews with the candidates, asking them how they’d reply to the housing and homelessness crises, amongst different urgent points. We additionally examined the legislative data of the candidates who’ve held workplace earlier than, and the skilled and private backgrounds of those that haven’t, to higher perceive their positions.
Extra providers or closing camps?
The largest latest growth in Oakland’s method to homelessness was the Encampment Administration Coverage, or EMP. Accepted unanimously in 2020 by the Metropolis Council—which included two mayoral candidates, Loren Taylor and Sheng Thao—the EMP spells out the place individuals are allowed to sleep outdoors, declaring many of the metropolis off-limits. It additionally explains how town will prioritize which camps to scrub or present with providers.
When town closes camps, the EMP requires town and its outreach staff to supply residents spots in short-term shelters or long-term transitional housing packages. Oakland contracts with nonprofit organizations to run these packages. A latest audit revealed that town spent $69 million over three years on these organizations however largely failed to satisfy objectives for shifting contributors into everlasting housing.
No candidate has been extra important of town’s present method to homeless camps than Seneca Scott, who via his nonprofit Neighbors Collectively Oakland sued town, accusing it of not implementing the EMP. He has led rallies outdoors of encampments to name consideration to what he claims is town’s failure to shut them. Town says it does comply with the coverage, citing the EMP as the explanation for a lot of camp closures and cleanings.
Scott mentioned that if he’s elected, he’ll guarantee town observes a 60-day discover interval earlier than closing a camp, within the meantime cleansing the realm and dealing with organizations which have a observe report of getting folks to simply accept providers and shelter.
However he could be agency with unhoused residents who stay at a camp that’s being closed who don’t settle for shelter. “If housing is just not one thing you need, you’re not going to be right here in 60 days. Everybody has a duty to be neighbor, housed and unhoused,” he mentioned.
Scott has at instances posted misinformation or rumors in regards to the homelessness disaster. After a hearth on Wooden Road, he tweeted that he heard the FBI found 10 useless our bodies within the trunks of vehicles there, which the Oakland police and hearth departments mentioned was unfaithful. He additionally shortly linked a hearth alongside I-580 to “unlawful encampments,” although OFD mentioned it was unclear there have been any there. Requested about these statements, he stood by them, saying an Oakland police officer advised him in regards to the our bodies, and that specializing in these feedback was “gaslighting” given the frequency of harmful fires at camps. Candidate Treva Reid additionally linked the I-580 hearth to a homeless camp.
On the opposite finish of the spectrum in terms of camp closures is John Reimann, who advised us he doesn’t imagine in “rousting folks” from “the one houses they know” with out investing in additional public housing. He mentioned he helps “large funding for providers” within the subsequent finances, to scrub camps and supply security gear, for instance to stop fires whereas cooking. Nevertheless, he mentioned he’d govern from the bottom up, “encouraging a motion from beneath” to resolve town’s issues as a substitute of weidling his energy as mayor.
Allyssa Victory holds views much like Reimann’s, however mentioned she would take full benefit of her place as mayor to increase emergency housing, invoking emergency powers and funding to shortly transfer extra folks into lodges.
She mentioned the EMP quantities to “redlining,” segregating unhoused folks in just a few choose areas the place they’re permitted to stay. “I need to cease the present encampment coverage,” she mentioned.
Victory herself has been homeless prior to now—and so has Thao. Each candidates say their experiences have left them with a way of empathy for the folks at present coping with hardship and have knowledgeable their data of what options are wanted.
Bringing Oakland nearer to its distant reasonably priced housing objectives
As Oakland’s inhabitants has grown by 50,000 folks over the previous decade, housing development has not stored tempo, with solely 9,000 new models opening over the identical interval. Whereas town has met targets set by the area and state for constructing market-rate housing, it’s fallen far brief on reasonably priced housing.
In November, voters shall be requested to approve a $850 million bond measure for infrastructure, together with $350 million for reasonably priced housing. However even that large sum of money gained’t come near funding all the roughly 18,000 low- and moderate-income models Oakland wants by 2031.
The mayoral candidates every have totally different concepts about what else must be carried out to construct the quantity of housing that may make a dent in affordability, housing insecurity, and homelessness.
Certainly one of Thao’s options, which is able to quickly come earlier than the Metropolis Council, is one thing known as an “enhanced infrastructure financing district,” or EIFD. This particular district created by town would elevate cash for housing growth and different infrastructure by setting apart a portion of future will increase in property tax income inside particular neighborhoods. That is principally the identical factor the Oakland A’s need to use to finance their Howard Terminal mission, amassing among the property tax income generated by the proposed ballpark, places of work, and housing to pay again the development prices.
A research discovered that if an Oakland EIFD obtained only a small portion of future tax will increase, round 2.5%, it might generate $1.5 million yearly after 5 years and as much as $2.8 million after 10 years. The bigger the set-aside, the extra money it might elevate. Town may use the funds to subsidize reasonably priced housing tasks.
Thao mentioned she’d prioritize reasonably priced housing over market-rate development, given Oakland’s exceeded its objectives for the latter, and would give attention to traditionally unique areas.
“I’ve been attempting to construct reasonably priced housing above 580 as a result of I imagine that if you wish to stay there, it’s best to be capable of,” she mentioned, referring to the freeway typically thought of the dividing line between the prosperous hills and lower-income flatlands.
Taylor helps pursuing an EIFD however isn’t positive if it will possibly really elevate sufficient new income. He mentioned one other method to construct extra housing is to reorganize the Planning and Constructing Division so that allows and approvals are simpler to get. He additionally needs to create extra alternatives for native Black and brown builders who’re built-in within the neighborhoods the place their tasks are positioned.
Reid, who’s additionally on the council, equally known as for concentrating on housing funds to learn Black group members, who’re disproportionately represented in Oakland’s homelessness inhabitants. She sits on the regional Black Bay Space Housing Advisory Activity Drive, which just lately pushed the state to fund a program for Black homeownership.
Taylor has additionally proposed a “social influence fund” that will enable Oakland residents to spend money on reasonably priced housing tasks for small returns.
This kind of plan is in stark distinction to Victory’s vow to satisfy town’s reasonably priced housing objectives “with out counting on personal financing.” She’s proposed the creation of a public financial institution—a financial institution owned and operated by town—to fund public housing.
“Why set objectives if we’re not prioritizing reasonably priced housing over market-rate?” she mentioned. “There may be not the political will.”
Ignacio De La Fuente mentioned that as Oakland mayor he’d give attention to urging others to shoulder extra of the burden of constructing.
“I’ll push the county and push different cities to do their share,” he advised us. “I don’t assume that Oakland can do all of it.”
However De La Fuente famous that whereas he was on the Metropolis Council from 1992 to 2011 he was integral within the creation of the Fruitvale Village, which turned an outdated cannery into a big heart with housing and retailers.
In interviews, Greg Hodge was the candidate who spoke probably the most about efforts to maintain housing-insecure residents of their houses, and to maintain these houses reasonably priced. He’s in favor of strengthening Oakland’s Simply Trigger eviction protections—there’s a measure on November’s poll that can do that—together with funding authorized help for tenants going through evictions. Hodge additionally needs to reinstate Oakland’s unfunded mortgage help program for first-time homebuyers. And he helps a coverage that will give tenants the primary likelihood to purchase the constructing they stay in if their landlord places it up on the market. Generally known as the Tenant Alternative to Buy Act, this plan has been mentioned in Oakland however property house owners are strongly opposed.
Tyron Jordan additionally helps utilizing a portion of the $850 million bond measure income for mortgage help in addition to increasing town’s rental help program—a COVID-19 initiative that’s used up practically all of the state and federal cash supporting it.
Council data on hire management
Whereas candidates make statements and guarantees on the marketing campaign path, the data of these already in workplace give a stronger indication of how they may lead. On the 2 most impactful housing insurance policies in latest reminiscence—the Encampment Administration Coverage and the continuing COVID-19 eviction moratorium—Taylor and Thao joined the remainder of their Metropolis Council colleagues in unanimous assist (Reid was not but on council). Later, Taylor advocated for extra frequent opinions of the eviction coverage as a substitute of an indefinite extension, however ended up voting for the extension nonetheless.
Throughout a latest controversial choice to cap annual hire will increase at 3%, Taylor pushed for an modification favored by landlords. Whereas the coverage limits hire will increase to three% or the speed of inflation, whichever is decrease, Taylor’s modification would have successfully allowed the total 3% improve throughout some years. He finally abstained from the vote, whereas fellow candidates Thao and Reid voted in assist of the cap.
Taylor is the one landlord on the council—he owns a single household rental property in North Oakland—and has confronted criticism from some colleagues and constituents who imagine his place creates a battle of curiosity stopping him from voting pretty on tenant protections.
In an interview with The Oaklandside, Taylor strongly disagreed, saying he’s greatest positioned to make knowledgeable, balanced choices, having been a tenant, house owner, and landlord at numerous instances.
“It’s vital to acknowledge that property possession is the first car that wealth has been created within the Black group and different underserved communities over the previous couple of generations,” he mentioned.
On this election, the candidate with the strongest seen assist from rental property house owners and builders is De La Fuente. Greg McConnell, a lobbyist for a lot of actual property builders and landlords began a political motion committee to assist De La Fuente, and outstanding Oakland landlord John Protopappas joined the candidate at Metropolis Corridor when he filed to run.
When he was on the Metropolis Council, De La Fuente typically aligned with property house owners, together with by supporting a regulation making it simpler to convert leases to condos, and opposing the Simply Trigger eviction regulation when it was first proposed within the early 2000s.
Housing and homelessness are, after all, simply two of the urgent issues going through whoever is elected in November. Keep tuned for Oaklandside protection drilling down on every candidate’s’ stances on different points.
