City Government

Oakland Home Defaults on the Rise

Published

12 years ago

August 12, 2013

While home foreclosures in Oakland have fallen in past few months, the city has seen an increase in the numbers of Notices of Default, which means that the number of homeowners who are starting the foreclosure process are on the upswing, according to a new City of Oakland foreclosure report.

There were 112 new Notices of Default in April and 109 in May. Between April and the end of June, 253 families have lost their homes due to foreclosure.

The quarterly report states that currently, 90 percent of Oakland families in foreclosure have owned their home for at least six years, with over one-third of them owning their homes for more than 10 years.

This trend means that long-time residents are being more affected more by foreclosures. In the past the majority of those losing their homes had only owned their properties for about two years.

Another recent trend is a decline in short sales, that is, fewer owners are selling their “underwater” homes at a loss and walking away from their investment.

However, buyers of homes in Oakland have “flipped” or resold short sale purchases 3.5 times more in this quarter than last year.

The city also now seems to have a number of speculators who are buying up homes and raise the rents, which is forcing many African American families to move.

According members of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), one of these companies is REO Homes LLC, which now owns over 200 properties in the “lower bottoms” neighborhood of West Oakland.

“These speculators are pricing people out of their homes,” said Shirley Burnell, an ACCE member and West Oakland resident.

“They are raising the rent to $2,600 in some areas. How many people living in West Oakland can afford that? Financially, this was not the case before, and now more people in the community are jobless.”

Burnell says she hopes that Oakland City Council can help find methods to keep families in their homes and off the streets.

The City Council in November passed an ordinance that requires the registration, inspection, and maintenance of foreclosed homes bought by investors. The program set online registration system and a database system to identify targeted properties for enforcement.

Last year, the council also approved funds to prevent foreclosures with housing counseling and legal services, as well as a Restoring Ownership Opportunity Today (ROOT) loan fund program to preserve homeownership for qualified distressed families.

The fund will allow the housing nonprofit agency to buy the foreclosed homes at current market value and resell them back to homeowner. The agency will work closely with the selected homeowners on budgeting and repairing their credit to make sure they can handle the payments.

According to Margaretta Lin of Oakland’s Department of Housing and Community Development, Chase and Bank of America have joined Wells Fargo in helping to finance the Root fund program. Lin says if the program is successful, it could possibly be expanded to the rest of the East Bay.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Related Topics:City of Oakland Foreclosure Homeowners Notice of Defaults.Oakland

Up Next

Pick Up Tennis Rackets, Not Guns, Says Former Athlete

Don't Miss

Prison Hunger Strikers Face Retaliation, Say Supporters

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

6 days ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Black Arts Movement Business District Named New Cultural District in California

Located in the heart of District 3, the BAMBD is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most important centers of Black cultural production — a space where artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and cultural workers have shaped generations of local and national identity. The state’s recognition affirms the district’s historic importance and its future promise.

Published

2 weeks ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Carroll Fife celebrates major milestone for Black arts, culture, and economic power in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) has been selected as one of California’s 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, a distinction awarded by the California Arts Council (CAC), according to a media statement released by Councilmember Carroll Fife.

The BAMBD now joins 23 other districts across the state recognized for their deep cultural legacy, artistic excellence, and contributions to California’s creative economy.

“This designation is a testament to what Black Oakland has built — and what we continue to build when we insist on investing in our own cultural and economic power,” said Fife.

“For years, our community has fought for meaningful recognition and resources for the Black Arts Movement Business District,” she said. “This announcement validates that work and ensures that BAMBD receives the support it needs to grow, thrive, and continue shaping the cultural fabric of California.”

Since taking office, Fife has led and supported multiple initiatives that strengthened the groundwork for this achievement, including:

Restoring and protecting arts and cultural staffing within the City of Oakland.
Creating the West Oakland Community Fund to reinvest in historically excluded communities
Advancing a Black New Deal study to expand economic opportunity for Black Oakland
Ensuring racial equity impact analyses for development proposals, improving access for Black businesses and Black contractors
Introduced legislation and budget amendments that formalized, protected, and expanded the BAMBD

“These efforts weren’t abstract,” Fife said. “They were intentional, coordinated, and rooted in a belief that Black arts and Black businesses deserve deep, sustained public investment.”

As part of the Cultural District designation, BAMBD will receive:

$10,000 over two years
Dedicated technical assistance
Statewide marketing and branding support
Official designation from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030

This support will elevate the visibility of BAMBD’s artists, cultural organizations, small businesses, and legacy institutions, while helping attract new investment to the district.

“The BAMBD has always been more than a district,” Fife continued. “This recognition by the State of California gives us another tool in the fight to preserve Black culture, build Black economic power, and protect the families and institutions that make Oakland strong.”

For questions, contact Councilmember Carroll Fife at CFife@oaklandca.gov.