By Rebecca Kaplan Special to The Post

On Tuesday, the City of Oakland launched Aerbits, an innovative new program that deploys AI-assisted aerial imaging technology to proactively detect and report abandoned trash on streets and sidewalks – to support timely and effective removal of illegal dumping.

By shifting from a reactive, complaint-based system to data-driven proactive detection, the City can deploy cleanup resources faster, more efficiently, and more equitably to the areas in greatest need. 

Approved by both the Privacy Advisory Commission and the Oakland City Council, Aerbits is the latest addition to Oakland’s comprehensive strategy to eliminate illegal dumping from the Town.

“Oakland residents and businesses deserve clean streets and today we are one step closer to a safer, cleaner, and greener Oakland,” said Mayor Barbara Lee. “Our strategy strengthens eradication, education, and enforcement efforts across every neighborhood.

“Aerbits, which was approved by the Privacy Advisory Commission, uses modern technology and best practices to help our crews clear trash faster and more efficiently, while our targeted outreach and enforcement strategies address the root causes of dumping. Together, we are going to get the job done.”

The impacts of illegal dumping on Oakland are profound, disproportionately burdening historically disinvested communities while threatening public health, safety, and economic vitality.

The City is united in taking action to remedy it – with the mayor, Council, administration, Public Works Department, community groups and more coming together to make change.

In May, the City Council approved the Illegal Dumping Expenditures Action Plan, which approves and funds multiple actions – including Aerbits – to help remedy illegal dumping.

This past June, Oakland secured $9.2 million from the Crankstart Foundation to scale up operations like Aerbits and break the cycle of illegal dumping across Oakland.

The Aerbits aerial imaging system photographs public rights-of-way to pinpoint exact locations, estimate waste volumes, and classify types of debris. This enables City dispatchers to understand the problem and efficiently deploy the appropriate crew and equipment to each site.

Built with privacy at its core, the technology contains no facial recognition, no license plate readers, and uses no personally identifying information. Aerbits takes pictures of trash – not of people.

“I founded Aerbits because I saw a major gap in the data that was available to City crews on the streets, and I wanted our children to have a cleaner environment” said Aerbits Founder Brian Johnson.

“Aerbits enables cleanups to be timelier, more effective, and more equitable. By providing real-time comprehensive data, automating the creation of work orders, and improving closure of cleared tickets, we are removing the problems that occur when relying primarily on a complaint-based system,” he said.

Aerbits is the latest milestone in the series of actions the City is taking to implement the City Council-approved Illegal Dumping Expenditures Action Plan. Recent actions taken by the City include:

• Stricter Enforcement: Enacted a new Illegal Dumping Enforcement Ordinance increasing penalties and holding vehicle owners responsible; hired additional Environmental Enforcement Officers equipped with updated citation technology; and worked alongside State Senator Jesse Arreguin on legislation that allows the City to boot vehicles tied to repeat dumping offences. 
• Community Resources: Reinstated the popular “Bulky Block Parties” offering residents free, convenient ways to get rid of bulky waste, alongside expanded public education campaigns.  
• Expanded Fleet Equipment: Obtained new heavy-duty Lightning Loader trucks that allow us to clean up more volumes of debris faster than ever before. 

Rebecca Kaplan is a former City Councilmember-at-large for the City of Oakland.

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By Special to The Post

Innovative initiative combines employment, housing support, job training, and case management to create permanent pathways out of homelessness

Mayor Barbara Lee announced on Tuesday a $1 million grant from a Kaiser Permanente fund at the East Bay Community Foundation to launch the Workforce Development and Interim Housing Pilot Project. The initiative combines low-barrier employment with housing support to strengthen Oakland’s homelessness response while cleaning public spaces throughout the city.

Grant funding provides recipients with:

• Part-time paid work focused on citywide sanitation and trash clean up, with pathways to permanent, full-time employment
• One year of interim housing support
• Comprehensive job training and wrap-around supportive services
• Tailored case management designed to transition participants into permanent housing

“This pilot program gives us an essential tool to drive change for all of our neighbors affected by homelessness, including our Black and African American population who are disproportionately impacted,” said Lee.

Data show that having a job is critical to housing stability and preventing homelessness. This pilot provides unhoused residents with job opportunities that keep public spaces throughout the City clean, directly supporting the mayor’s goal to reduce unsheltered homelessness in Oakland by 50%.

Achieving these goals requires unified City operations backed by new philanthropic and private sector investments. With Kaiser Permanente’s support, this project brings together the Mayor’s office, City Administrator’s office, Office of Homelessness Solutions, Housing and Community Development, Human Services, and Economic and Workforce Development.

The pilot is modeled after a similar program in Portland, Oregon, that offers low-barrier employment in sanitation services and housing support to people experiencing homelessness. Program results include a high percentage of participants moving to temporary or permanent housing and cleaner public spaces.

“We’re proud to support this innovative project because it creates meaningful opportunities for people experiencing homelessness while strengthening the health and vitality of the entire Oakland community,” said Yvette Radford, vice president of external and community affairs for Kaiser Permanente Northern California. “By providing job training, paid employment, supportive services, and a pathway to stable housing, this program offers people the tools to move forward with dignity and hope—while creating cleaner, safer, and healthier public spaces for everyone.”

The Communications Department of the Oakland Mayor’s office is the source of this report.

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By Tanya Dennis

Part 3

Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson wants the public she serves to know more about what office really does.

The key, she said, is education, helping residents understand how the office operates, what it can and cannot do, and how the public can work with the office to achieve the results they seek.

The DA’s powers and duties regarding the court system are limited, Jones Dickson explained, and that there is a process for determining when the office can become involved.

“When there’s a complaint of criminal abuse or exploitation, the DA’s office will investigate, but to trigger that investigation, a person must file a complaint first with the Police Department,” she said.

Most issues, however, remain within the court system. Within the Probate Court system, for instance, if fraud or neglect occurs, the matter will generally be referred to the appropriate agency.

Jones Dickson emphasized that each situation is “case-specific,” particularly when determining whether a matter is criminal or civil. She explained that significant documentation of criminal activity is generally necessary before the DA’s Office can intervene.

“That is where the jurisdiction starts,” Jones Dickson said. “If it’s exploitation, it begins with a police report. We only proceed when the evidence leans beyond reasonable doubt.”

The District Attorney’s Office has a Real Estate Fraud Unit as well as an Elder Abuse Unit. Jones Dickson acknowledged that the office has been addressing multiple real estate fraud cases since she took office in June.

“Cases receive priority and witness a lot more success when there’s documentation,” she said. “This is the message the DA’s Office is utilizing in their police training and consumer division. When we have the cooperation of the community, that makes us even more effective.”

When asked how the DA’s Office can assist people in probate who feel they have not received justice, Jones Dickson acknowledged that the office’s powers are limited because most conflicts must be resolved through the court system.

She noted that many probate-related referrals involving children come through Child Protective Services (CPS) or Dependency Court. When it comes to adults involved in the probate system, however, Jones Dickson emphasized the need for the public to take greater responsibility through advance planning and family communication.

“The truth is, especially in the Black community, we don’t like to think about death, much less talk about it,” she said. “I can’t stress enough how important that discussion is.

“Get that will and trust, then have that conversation with the family, exactly what your wishes are, and back it up with documentation. Hopefully that will help avoid the Probate Court altogether.”

If an issue involves an attorney, for example, a complaint may be made to the California State Bar. If it involves a judge, the matter may fall under the jurisdiction of the Commission on Judicial Performance.

Petitioning the appellate court is another option in certain circumstances, as the Court of Appeals provides a means of challenging a decision made by a lower court.

Jones Dickson said she wants the community to have a clear understanding of the DA’s role and the importance of communication between the office and the people it serves.

“I need the community to know what our job is,” she said. “Education is what we do, and when we’re supported through civil conversation, it makes communication more effective. We don’t get anywhere with mud-slinging. The DA’s Office focuses on what we are required to do, and that is to protect the community while we do the work.”

Jones Dickson also stressed the importance of recognizing the communities most affected by victimization and approaching those communities with understanding and sensitivity.

“That’s why it is so important that we acknowledge that most victimization occurs in the Black and Brown community and that we have to be especially sensitive as to how we address that community that is so deserving of our protection,” Jones Dickson said.

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