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Food Truckers Take to the Streets Against City Discrimination, Police Harassment

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Over 20 Latino-owned food trucks led a mobile march down International Boulevard in Oakland Monday – from 46th Avenue and International to City Hall –disrupting traffic to pressure the city to pass an ordinance to allow them to expand their vending operations past East Oakland.

 

Currently, mobile merchants are not allowed to operate outside designated zones, mostly in flatland Districts 5, 6 and 7. Mobile vendors say they are feeling increasingly congested by the growing number of trucks and relatively few places to park their trucks for business in these areas.

 

 

This, as a result, has hurt their businesses, many of which are family-owned and employ up to 10 workers who are supporting their own families.

 

 

They also say that the city’s unwillingness to expand their vending parameters and the use of police to shut down those working outside the currently allowed zone equate to discrimination.

 

 

“It’s very saturated here,” said Ezequías Ortiz of Tacos Acapulco. “The city won’t give us permission to work outside and now they’re ticketing businesses that have been here for years.”

 

 

The mobile merchant ordinance, which was introduced to the City Council in 2009, has taken six years to get through the City Attorney’s office, city staff, the planning commission and countless public hearings.

 

 

The law would expand the merchants’ working zones to certain locations within the entire city of Oakland.

 

 

Mobile vendors believe this is the year that City Council will pass the ordinance.

 

 

On Monday, several commissaries—established commercial kitchens where food truckers and other food service providers can go to prepare and store food in clean and inspected locations—came together for the action, also calling for an end to what they consider harassment by the city.

 

 

According to several merchants, the city has recently been serving more cease and desist letters to mobile restaurants that are as close as a block away from the allowed parameter and often the police show up to shut their restaurants down.

 

 

Since the mobile merchant ordinance would nullify these charges, vendors are upset by the city’s stringency and aggression that has recently become more frequent.

 

 

Pati Liles, owner of Taquería La Bonita, a family-run mobile restaurant, said police have recently shut down her business three times after receiving complaints from neighbors. Each time, the police showed up within minutes of being called.

 

 

“It’s unjust that police are being used to stop people who are doing nothing wrong and are just trying to work,” said Liles. “The police never showed up when my son was hit by a car. We called them and they never showed up.”

 

 

Furthermore, Nancy Marcus, administrative assistant for the city of Oakland, has been denying requests to renew special business permits for some of the vendors that have existed in Oakland for over 10 years, say mobile business owners.

 

 

The food truckers who took to the street on Monday afternoon view the city’s aggressive behavior as a drive to squelch the businesses of mobile vendors in favor of stores that are renting space.

 

 

 

 

The mobile vendors face opposition mainly from store vendors who feel they cannot compete with the trucks and carts stationed outside their stores and by neighbors who are afraid of the crowds that would follow food trucks into their neighborhoods.

 

 

According to Councilmember Noel Gallo, who has been working with mobile merchants in the Latino community to get the ordinance passed through City Council, the city frequently has failed to ensure that vendors who operate mobile stores are doing so legally and with a permit.

 

 

“There’s a lot of illegal trucks competing with restaurants that are paying fees and getting their inspections,” said Gallo in an interview with El Mundo. “It causes everybody to lose business because they can’t compete with unpermitted vendors selling on the corner.”

 

 

The new ordinance would only apply to mobile merchants who have a permit to operate in certain zones and in safe and legal ways.

 

 

Food truck owner Antonio “Tony” Belayo says the ordinance is simply a matter of keeping business afloat in a city that’s becoming more and more popular to live and work in.

 

 

“We don’t want to interfere with restaurants or other vendors. We just want everyone to be happy,” said Belayo. “Mobile merchants are a source of employment in Oakland and it helps many of us support our families.”

 

 

“Mobile merchants have always been a vibrant part of this city and form a vital part of Oakland’s economy,” said Araceli “Shelly” Garza, an advocate for the mobile merchants who helped organize the caravan on Monday.

 

 

“Since 2009, the city has been telling us that the ordinance is going to finally be scheduled,” said Garza. “People are sick and tired of being put on the back burner.”

 

 

At City Hall, Councilmember Gallo promised the crowd that the mobile merchants ordinance would be approved by City Council by the end of the summer.

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Bay Area

Mayor London Breed: State Awards San Francisco Over $37M for Affordable Housing

On April 30, Mayor London N. Breed announced San Francisco has been awarded more than $37.9 million in funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as part of the State’s Multifamily Housing Program (MHP). The HCD loan will provide the final funding necessary for development of Casa Adelante – 1515 South Van Ness, a 168-unit affordable housing project located in San Francisco’s Mission District.

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San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed (File Photo)
San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed (File Photo)

By Oakland Post Staff

On April 30, Mayor London N. Breed announced San Francisco has been awarded more than $37.9 million in funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) as part of the State’s Multifamily Housing Program (MHP).

The HCD loan will provide the final funding necessary for development of Casa Adelante – 1515 South Van Ness, a 168-unit affordable housing project located in San Francisco’s Mission District.

The new development at 1515 South Van Ness Ave. will provide 168 affordable homes to low-income families, formerly homeless families, and persons living with HIV earning between 25-80% of the San Francisco Area Median Income (AMI).

In addition, the project is anticipated to provide family-friendly amenities and ground floor community-serving commercial spaces that preserve the prevailing neighborhood character of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District.

“This funding unlocks our ability to move on building affordable housing units for families in San Francisco at a crucial time. We understand the level of need for more housing that is accessible, and like the state, the city continues to face a challenging budget cycle,” said Breed. “1515 South Van Ness is a good example of what can be achieved in San Francisco when you have strong community partnerships and an unwavering commitment to deliver on critical needs for our residents.”

“From the beginning of my term as Supervisor, I have fought to bring affordable housing to 1515 South Van Ness” said Supervisor Hillary Ronen.  “In the interim, the site has been utilized for homeless services and shelter, and I am thrilled that HCD has recognized the value of this development, and we are finally ready to break ground and bring 168 affordable homes to low income and formerly homeless families in the Mission.”

Owned and occupied by McMillan Electric Company until 2015, the City and County of San Francisco purchased 1515 South Van Ness Avenue in June 2019 with the intent of developing new affordable housing.

In November 2020, the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) released a Multi-site Request for Qualifications (RFQ) seeking qualified developers to build affordable housing on the site, and subsequently selected Chinatown Community Development Corporation (CCDC) and Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) in May 2021 to develop the site.

The project is expected to begin construction in winter 2025.

“A strong, long-term push by Mission advocates to make this site 100% affordable is now paying off, with 168 family units that include services and childcare. People of color communities know what they need, and we are excited to be in partnership with a team, consisting of MEDA, CCDC, and MOHCD, that listens,” said Malcolm Yeung, Executive Director at CCDC.

“We are excited to be in partnership with CCDC, yet again, and for the opportunity to develop intergenerational affordable housing in the City’s Mission District,” said Luis Granados, executive director at MEDA.

Increasing housing affordable to lower-income and vulnerable residents is a key priority in the City’s Housing Element which calls for additional funding for affordable housing production and preservation, as well as Mayor Breed’s Housing for All Executive Directive that sets out the steps the City will take to meet the bold goal of allowing for 82,000 new homes to be built over the next eight years.

Tuesday’s funding announcement emphasizes the importance of regional and state collaboration in order to reach our housing and climate goals.

“We are thrilled—not just to bring a project of this size to a community with great need — but to do so with community-based developers and their partners who understand the neighborhood and sensitivities around cultural preservation,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez.

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City Government

Vallejo Continues to Accept Applications for Boards, Committees and Commissions

The City of Vallejo is requesting applications to serve on a number of the City’s boards and commissions. Vallejo residents who are interested in serving on an advisory body are invited to submit an application and supplemental questionnaire for consideration.

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Courtesy City of Vallejo.
Courtesy City of Vallejo.

By City of Vallejo

The City of Vallejo is requesting applications to serve on a number of the City’s boards and commissions. Vallejo residents who are interested in serving on an advisory body are invited to submit an application and supplemental questionnaire for consideration.

There are currently openings on the following boards, commissions, and committees:

For City Boards and Commissions, except for the Civil Service, McCune Collection, and Sister City Commissions, the Surveillance Advisory Board, and the Participatory Budgeting Steering Committee, all appointed members must complete and file a Statement of Economic Interests, Form 700, within 30 days of appointment.

All City Board and Commission members must complete AB 1234 Ethics training and file a Certificate of Completion within 30 days of appointment.

In most instances, to be eligible for appointment, applicants must be residents of the City of Vallejo. Information regarding the duties of each board and commission and specific criteria for appointment may be found within each application. With some exceptions, appointments are typically for a term of four years.

The application period will remain open until a sufficient number have been received in the City Clerk’s Office

Interviews with the City Council are tentatively scheduled for the evenings of June 3 and 10. Applicants must attend the interview to be considered for appointment on a board or commission.

Application forms and supplemental questionnaires are accessible in several ways:

By U.S. Mail: City of Vallejo, C/O City Clerk, PO Box 3068, Vallejo, CA 94590

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Alameda County

D.A. Pamela Price Fights Back Against Recall

In an attempt to thwart the recall call campaign against her, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced at a press conference on Tuesday, April 30, that her team is launching a state investigation on the political action committee funding the recall. Speaking at Everett and Jones Barbeque Restaurant at Oakland’s Jack London Square, Price accused the recall campaign as undemocratic and says she will fight against injustice.

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Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price addresses the media and her supporters during a press conference at Everett and Jones Barbeque Restaurant at Oakland's Jack London Square. Photo by Carla Thomas.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price addresses the media and her supporters during a press conference at Everett and Jones Barbeque Restaurant at Oakland's Jack London Square. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

In an attempt to thwart the recall call campaign against her, Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price announced at a press conference on Tuesday, April 30, that her team is launching a state investigation on the political action committee funding the recall.

Speaking at Everett and Jones Barbeque Restaurant at Oakland’s Jack London Square, Price accused the recall campaign as undemocratic and says she will fight against injustice.

Price announced that the California Fair Political Practices Commission (CFPPC) was looking into the complaint filed by her supporters against two groups supporting the recall.

Price said the group Reviving the Bay Area appears to be the financial and organizational arm of Save Alameda For Everyone (SAFE), the group leading the recall effort against her. The complaint by recall-opposing group Protect the Win for Public Safety alleges Reviving the Bay Area has breached the law by not filing a third quarter report listing its contributors and hiding its funding sources from the public at least through September of 2023.

Price also claimed that the SAFE recall group is functioning illegally both financially and operationally.

“Between September 2023 and November 2023, they donated approximately $578,000 to SAFE without complying with the laws that govern all political committees in California,” said Price. “We applaud the FPPC’s action to investigate this entity as well as the finances that have also come under question of the SAFE committee, where we’ve learned that they were paying some of the main spokespersons and funding an illegal force that they called a security force.

“So there have been a lot of financial irregularities, coupled with the irregular practices of the signature-gathering company PCI Communications that literally paid for hundreds of people to come into our community and gather signatures using bait-and-switch tactics and misleading people and engaging in fraudulent signature-gathering.”

Price also accused the Alameda County Registrar of Voters of not operating properly.

At a press conference at the City Hall Plaza late Tuesday afternoon, SAFE and recall supporters demanded that supervisors set a special election date before the November general election. Supporters of Price and opposers of Price clashed and spoke passionately against each other.

Supporters of the recall feel that Price’s, criminal justice reforms support perpetrators of crime, rather than the victims. They also blame Price for higher crime rates in the county. Price supporters feel that her reforms are necessary to transform an unjust system. “Price’s role is to uphold the law and this recall campaign is an attack on her,” said Oakland attorney Walter Riley.

Recall opponents reject those assertions and say Price’s critics don’t understand the role the county’s top prosecutor plays in the criminal justice system.

Price also said she would be going before the Alameda County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to challenge the signature count for her recall campaign.

Later in the evening, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted in support of the recall, citing that enough signatures had been collected for the recall effort to continue.

On May 14, the Board of Supervisors will determine a date for a special election recall or place on the November ballot. According to Price, a special election recall will cost the county 15-20 million dollars and her supporters hosted another rally last week, urging the Board of Supervisors to not approve a special election recall.

#PamelaPrice #Recall #AlamedaCountyDA

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