Hungry, it seems, to push out poor people of color, (just being honest) The City of Oakland and the Oakland City Council has embarked on a sad pattern of selling public land for the good of a private organization, and not the public. The latest example of this problem involved something called The Derby Parcel, and to Pacific West Communities, Inc for $450,000.
After a nasty May 8th Community and Economic Development Committee Meeting that saw Oakland Councilmember Noel Gallo (District Five) lose his cool, say things he should not have, and look like he was itching for a fight – at 14:18 time mark…
The whole matter was advanced to the full Oakland City Council, but with a hitch, from a public perspective.
Rather than the full public meeting many in the Oakland community wanted, the sale of the parcel was decided away from view and in closed session on June 19th.
That led to the Oakland City Council Community and Economic Development Committee hearing today, and to (among other things) demand a policy that prioritizes affordable housing and calls for a moratorium on land sales until such a rule is in place, and that has a racial and equity impact analysis, included.
At Oakland City Council committee meeting on #publicland policy. #publicland4publicgood #affordablehousing #PeoplesProposal pic.twitter.com/UfIkCCIvzA
— David Zisser (@MetEquityLawyer) June 26, 2018
Whose ready to fight to preserve our public lands and use them for public good? We are! We demand that the lands be used for real affordable housing for no to low income Oakland residents, the working poor, the unhoused. See you today at 1 PM at City… https://t.co/N6FILcGCCk
— EOakCollective (@EOakCollective) June 26, 2018
Not a single speaker yet opposing the #PeoplesProposal. Send it to the full City Council NOW!! #Oakland pic.twitter.com/nhXoBznANR
— Public Advocates Inc (@publicadvocates) June 26, 2018
The passion goes on. #ZackMurray from #OaklandCommunityLandTrust #OCLT : Not only is there no #publiclands policy for these limited sites, but comprehensive policies for more #affordablehousing also lacking. #publicland4publicgood #oakmtg pic.twitter.com/F3qViVjSeL
— Jean Quan (@jeanquan) June 26, 2018
CM #RebeccaKaplan speaks for moratorium & reminds us that #oakland #jobs & #racialequity are also at stake as #housing units are approved. #Senior advocate #JamesVann points out that the #PeoplesProposal for #PublicLands was not given equal time #oakmtg #publicland4publicgood pic.twitter.com/1F9jIWSNRV
— Jean Quan (@jeanquan) June 26, 2018
And what is the E 12th #PeoplesProposal? You can review it here: http://proposal.e12thoakland.org/
But this paragraph does not begin to represent the comprehensiveness of a plan that really should be adopted by the City of Oakland:
The E 12th Wishlist Design Team / SAHA proposal maximizes the public use of public land, and helps the City of Oakland meet the recommendations outlined by the Housing Equity Roadmap for prioritizing public lands for affordable housing.
What the E 12th Wishlist Design Team is doing is the kind of real community development planning process that has been advocated, and done, many times and going back to the path breaking work of a number of people like Ricardo Noguera, who was part of this blogger’s UC Berkeley Master’s Degree Class of 1987 at the Department of City and Regional Planning.
Spread the word about the plan.
Talk it up.
Make the Oakland City Council do this!
Stay tuned.