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After Miscommunication Over Plan, City Relocates Unhoused North Oakland Residents

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An unhoused Oakland resident drags her tent to a new location during a city-run relocation and cleanup at Manila Avenue in North Oakland on August 27. Photo by Zack Haber

On Aug. 27-28, The City of Oakland cleared five residents who were living in tents from Manila Avenue near Mosswood Park, but allowed them to move 300-400 feet north. 

The City also conducted a deep cleaning on Manila Avenue between 38th and 40th streets, in an operation that directly affected about 15 unhoused people living in the area.

Prior to the day of the clearance, the City’s plans were still unclear to unhoused residents in the area and advocates. 

The City began the relocation operation on August 21 by placing pink “notice to vacate an illegal encampment” flyers near the five residents and throughout the surrounding area where other unhoused residents, who later were not required to move, lived.  Then, on August 24, the Oakland Police Dept. placed orange parking violation stickers on RVs and vehicles that serve as people’s homes in the area, instructing them to move their vehicles by Aug. 27 or face impoundment. 

But just before 4:00 p.m. on Aug. 24, Oakland’s Homelessness Administrator Daryel Dunston sent an e-mail to City Council members, City administrators and members of Mayor Libby Schaaf’s media team, which set out plans that contradicted the original flyers and notices.

“I am writing to clear up any miscommunication regarding the encampment operation scheduled tomorrow at 38th & Manila,” reads the e-mail, which stated that the City “will be conducting a cleaning.”

 “No one’s vehicle dwelling will be towed,” Dunston wrote and specified that only people living within a small “collapse zone” of a building set to be demolished would be relocated.

Five people living in tents and one person living in a vehicle lived in the collapse zone and the City forced them to move on Aug. 27. On the same day, the City did a deep cleaning of the east side of Manila Avenue, which required residents to temporarily move their belongings or have them discarded.

Until the day of the operation, neither the City nor OPD informed residents that the plans initially stated on the flyers or parking violation stickers would not be carried out.

One resident said he thought they had to leave and drove his vehicle around the corner a day before the operation. He described the move as easy but he also noted that his neighbor, whose vehicle did not run, arranged a tow to keep her home safe, an expense and an effort that ended up being unnecessary. 

During the clean-up and relocation operation, some residents said they felt rushed and that the City did not give them adequate time to safely move their belongings. One resident lost a prescription for his dog. Another resident’s tent was damaged while she was relocating. A local grassroots organization, the North Oakland Restorative Justice Council, brought her a replacement tent the next day.

About 25 residents, most of whom were housed, showed up on August 27 to help residents with the move and clean-up, including some people from the neighborhood and others from East and West Oakland. 

About a half dozen showed up on August 28, when the City did a smaller clean-up operation on the west side of Manila Avenue and no one was moved. One resident reported losing her living room on Friday after the city forced her to remove a tent from a seldom-used sidewalk. She now lives exclusively in her vehicle.

“I showed up to help people move their stuff and protect their rights because often times if they’re left alone, [the City], can steamroll people,” said Colleen Donovan, a 26-year-old Oakland resident and member of the United Front Against Displacement, a mutual aid and housing justice grassroots organization. “It helps when there’s pressure and [the City] realizes housed residents of Oakland are paying attention.”

Several police cars and officers were present who monitored but did not engage with any unhoused residents.

Residents questioned why the operation was scheduled while wildfires throughout California had caused smoke to blow into Oakland, at times making the air quality unhealthy.

“The air is trash,” Amber Rockwood, a housed neighbor in the area wrote on Twitter after seeing City workers posting flyers. “How are they really gonna evict some houseless people during all this.”

During the first day of the City operation, AirNow classified the air quality as “moderate,” but during the clean-up on the second day, AirNow classified the air quality as “unhealthy.” The City did not provide workers or unhoused people with N95 masks as they moved possessions and disposed of trash outside for several hours.

The Oakland Post has chosen not to name the unhoused residents in this area, many of whom have claimed that publicizing their unhoused status could make it difficult for them to receive housing or employment in the future.

 

Michelle Snider

Associate Editor for The Post News Group. Writer, Photographer, Videographer, Copy Editor, and website editor documenting local events in the Oakland-Bay Area California area.
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Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

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OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark

Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

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Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook. Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook.
Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook. Courtesy of Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook.

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook

As a pastor and East Bay resident, I see firsthand how my community struggles with the rising cost of everyday living. A fellow pastor in Oakland recently told me he cuts his pills in half to make them last longer because of the crushing costs of drugs.

Meanwhile, community members are contending with skyrocketing grocery prices and a lack of affordable healthcare options, while businesses are being forced to close their doors.

Our community is hurting. Things have to change.

The most pressing issue that demands our leaders’ attention is rising healthcare costs, and particularly the rising cost of medications. Annual prescription drug costs in California have spiked by nearly 50% since 2018, from $9.1 billion to $13.6 billion.

Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

Some lawmakers, however, have advanced legislation that would drive up healthcare costs and set communities like mine back further.

I’m particularly concerned with Senate Bill (SB) 41, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a carbon copy of a 2024 bill that I strongly opposed and Gov. Newsom rightly vetoed. This bill would impose significant healthcare costs on patients, small businesses, and working families, while allowing big drug companies to increase their profits.

SB 41 would impose a new $10.05 pharmacy fee for every prescription filled in California. This new fee, which would apply to millions of Californians, is roughly five times higher than the current average of $2.

For example, a Bay Area family with five monthly prescriptions would be forced to shoulder about $500 more in annual health costs. If a small business covers 25 employees, each with four prescription fills per month (the national average), that would add nearly $10,000 per year in health care costs.

This bill would also restrict how health plan sponsors — like employers, unions, state plans, Medicare, and Medicaid — partner with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to negotiate against big drug companies and deliver the lowest possible costs for employees and members. By mandating a flat fee for pharmacy benefit services, this misguided legislation would undercut your health plan’s ability to drive down costs while handing more profits to pharmaceutical manufacturers.

This bill would also endanger patients by eliminating safety requirements for pharmacies that dispense complex and costly specialty medications. Additionally, it would restrict home delivery for prescriptions, a convenient and affordable service that many families rely on.

Instead of repeating the same tired plan laid out in the big pharma-backed playbook, lawmakers should embrace Newsom’s transparency-first approach and prioritize our communities.

Let’s urge our state legislators to reject policies like SB 41 that would make a difficult situation even worse for communities like ours.

About the Author

Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.

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Air Quality Board Rejects Two Rules Written to Ban Gas Water Heaters and Furnaces

The proposal would have affected 17 million residents in Southern California, requiring businesses, homeowners, and renters to convert to electric units. “We’ve gone through six months, and we’ve made a decision today,” said SCAQMD board member Carlos Rodriguez. “It’s time to move forward with what’s next on our policy agenda.”

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By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌
California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌ 

Two proposed rules to eliminate the usage of gas water heaters and furnaces by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) in Southern California were rejected by the Governing Board on June 6.

Energy policy analysts say the board’s decision has broader implications for the state.

With a 7-5 vote, the board decided not to amend Rules 1111 and 1121 at the meeting held in Diamond Bar in L.A. County.

The proposal would have affected 17 million residents in Southern California, requiring businesses, homeowners, and renters to convert to electric units.

“We’ve gone through six months, and we’ve made a decision today,” said SCAQMD board member Carlos Rodriguez. “It’s time to move forward with what’s next on our policy agenda.”

The AQMD governing board is a 13-member body responsible for setting air quality policies and regulations within the South Coast Air Basin, which covers areas in four counties: Riverside County, Orange County, San Bernardino County and parts of Los Angeles County.

The board is made up of representatives from various elected offices within the region, along with members who are appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly, and Senate Rules Committee.

Holly J. Mitchell, who serves as a County Supervisor for the Second District of Los Angeles County, is a SCAQMD board member. She supported the amendments, but respected the board’s final decision, stating it was a “compromise.”

“In my policymaking experience, if you can come up with amended language that everyone finds some fault with, you’ve probably threaded the needle as best as you can,” Mitchell said before the vote. “What I am not okay with is serving on AQMD is making no decision. Why be here? We have a responsibility to do all that we can to get us on a path to cleaner air.”

The rules proposed by AQMD, Rule 1111 and Rule 1121, aim to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from natural gas-fired furnaces and water heaters.

Rule 1111 and Rule 1121 were designed to control air pollution, particularly emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx).

Two days before the Governing Board’s vote, gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa asked SCAQMD to reject the two rules.

Villaraigosa expressed his concerns during a Zoom call with the Cost of Living Council, a Southern California organization that also opposes the rules. Villaraigosa said the regulations are difficult to understand.

“Let me be clear, I’ve been a big supporter of AQMD over the decades. I have been a believer and a fighter on the issue of climate change my entire life,” Villaraigosa said. “But there is no question that what is going on now just doesn’t make sense. We are engaging in regulations that are put on the backs of working families, small businesses, and the middle class, and we don’t have the grid for all this.”

Rules 1111 and 1121 would also establish manufacturer requirements for the sale of space and water heating units that meet low-NOx and zero-NOx emission standards that change over time, according to SCAQMD.

The requirements also include a mitigation fee for NOx-emitting units, with an option to pay a higher mitigation fee if manufacturers sell more low-NOx water heating and space units.

Proponents of the proposed rules say the fees are designed to incentivize actions that reduce emissions.

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