Housing

Opinion: Hold Mayor Schaaf Accountable for Housing, Police Reform Failures

Published

8 years ago

September 7, 2018

By Eric Arnold

The Mercury News (August 12, 2018) reports that as a candidate Libby Schaaf promised that 28 percent of the housing built in Oakland would be affordable.

The article also notes only 6 percent of housing currently in the pipeline is considered “affordable.”

Most of that 6 percent “affordable” housing was generated by community-benefit agreements, and not solely by impact fees—which do not guarantee onsite affordable units in new developments .

How is that acceptable, if displacement and affordability are the top two issues in Oakland today?

If Lailan Huen, Ayodele Nzinga, Carla Service, Alvina Wong and I had not personally negotiated those community benefit agreements, the affordable housing in the pipeline might be closer to 1 percent-2 percent.

The residents of Oakland are owed an explanation of why this 28 percent target was not even in the ballpark.

That is either incompetence or benign neglect or both. If private developers can hit 20 percent affordable housing targets, and BART can hit 30 percent, what is the reasonable explanation for Oakland’s poor performance in this area?

Remember, the 28 percent target was Mayor Schaaf’s own projection.

Meanwhile, development was accelerated at market-rate, resulting in a 76 percent increase in rents both commercial and residential and only a single-digit wage increase. I am using City numbers here, so there is no way any elected official can say they were unaware.

There are many things the mayor could have done but didn’t. She could have appointed Planning Commission members with deeper ties to the flatlands residents instead of contractors and developers more familiar with Piedmont than the Lower Bottomz.

She could have not given carte blanche to the Big Five developers. She could have incentivized affordable housing units with a stronger impact fee law.

She could have bought instead of sold public land and turned those into affordable buildings. She could have prevented the loss of 50 percent of Single-room Occupancy (SRO) stock in downtown.

Oakland has known it would have to do this since 2012 when redevelopment was eliminated, and the writing was on the wall prior to Mayor Schaaf’s election.

She made affordable housing and not displacing current residents a talking point but did not manage to come up with anything concrete as far as policy initiatives, which is what the situation required.

This is one reason Oakland got an equity score of 33 out of 100 in a recent equity study.

Is anyone crunching the numbers and looking at Schaaf’s actual track record? Mayor Schaaf is also weak on police misconduct cases. During the OPD sex scandal, she was more concerned about PR than holding criminal officers accountable. She was ok with a cover-up as long as she had plausible deniability. She did not call on District Attorney Nancy O’Malley to prosecute those cops who had illegal relations with a minor. She was silent.

In 2017, OPD misconduct racked up another $12 million in legal payouts on top of the $1 million paid out to the victim in the case, Celeste Guap.

Meanwhile, OUSD is cutting sports programs and the homeless crisis has proliferasted on her watch.

Schaaf could not even keep coal out of the Port terminal.

Where, in what world, is this acceptable?

So, the question becomes, should we give an ineffective mayor who merely continued the agenda set by Jerry Brown for gentrification—and displacement—the benefit of the doubt when she has yet to craft effective policies?

Eric Arnold is an Oakland journalist, researcher, archivisit, cultural historian and multimedia producer.

Or do we hold her accountable for promises she made which she has not delivered on? How is she not responsible for the current homeless crisis and disproportionate displacement of African Americans?

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Black History

In Wake of Death on Doorstep, Williams Chapel Baptist Church Calls for Better Care, Funding for Unhoused

An unhoused individual was found deceased on the steps of Williams Chapel Baptist Church in East Oakland at approximately 6:30 a.m. Monday. The church, located at 1410 10th Ave., extended condolences to the individual’s family, noting the tragedy reflects a broader crisis. Williams Chapel Baptist Church provides shelter and referral services, working with West Side Missionary Baptist Church. They call for increased funding and collaboration to expand services for unhoused individuals. Read more to learn about the church’s efforts and the call for solutions.

Published

1 week ago

September 27, 2026

Post News Group

Oakland Police and emergency vehicle arrive to Williams Chapel Monday morning. Courtesy photo.

By Special to The Post

Church extends condolences to individual’s family and loved ones

At approximately 6:30 a.m. Monday, an unhoused individual was found deceased on the steps of Williams Chapel Baptist Church, located at 1410 10th Ave. on the corner of 10th and International in East Oakland.

The individual appears to have come to the church seeking safety and may have needed medical support. We extend our deepest condolences and prayers to the individual’s family and loved ones.

This tragedy reflects a broader crisis affecting unhoused individuals and families throughout the Bay Area. Too many people are living without reliable shelter or timely access to medical care, mental health support, and other essential services. Limited funding and insufficient resources continue to leave vulnerable people without the help they need.

Williams Chapel Baptist Church, a member of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County, works alongside West Side Missionary Baptist Church to provide safe-haven overnight parking, tiny-home emergency shelter, and wraparound referral services to the unhoused.

With funding, both East and West Oakland sites can increase to full capacity and extend to other congregations, creating more safe places for people living on the streets to seek shelter, support, and connection to services.

We invite government agencies, nonprofit organizations, interfaith communities, businesses, and neighbors to join us in this work. By working together with compassion and purpose, we can develop meaningful solutions and help more people experiencing homelessness receive care, stability, and dignity.

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Commentary

Community Action Group ‘Friends of Zakiya’ Ask Sheriff for Time

“Friends and Neighbors of Zakiya,” a community group of more than 60 neighbors, friends and community activists, is standing strong with Jendayi. The group holds weekly vigils every Tuesday from 6 p.m.-7p.m. at Jendayi’s residence at 3614 Randolph Ave. in Oakland.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 22, 2026

Post News Group

By Tanya Dennis

Zakiya Jendayi received good news Monday, Sept. 14, when the appellate court ruled in her favor in the Hamlin v. Jendayi case, agreeing to hear the case on its merits regarding her motion to have Judge Sandra K. Bean’s ruling invalidated based upon Laura Dean Head’s living trust.

The bad news is that, at the time of this writing, the Sheriff’s Department was scheduled to evict Jendayi from her home yesterday.

The group is asking the community to join them and to make calls to Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Attorney General Rob Bonta, Sheriff Yesenia Sanchez and DA Ursula Jones Dickson to stop what they deem the illegal eviction of Jendayi from her home of 13 years.

“I would hope that the Sheriff listens because, unlike the courts, my friends and neighbors have read the transcripts and seen for themselves the 42 findings that result in 35 false, six misleading, and one that is an error, which unbelievably the appeals court upheld.” says Jendayi. “With this new appeal, the court quite possibly will return my home to me, and so this makes no sense. The Sheriff is threatening to move forward to remove me before my appeal is heard.”

“This makes no sense,” says group member Rev. Raymond Langford. “She’s not a criminal, and she’s never had a criminal record. This situation has been horribly impactful on her physical and mental health. She’s now medically compromised due to all this stress, and all we’re asking for is time to see if the courts are in error. She should be given the opportunity for the appeal to be heard. That’s called justice, nothing more, nothing less.”.

Friends and Neighbors of Zakiya are organizing future protest actions to secure more time for Jendayi. They will be seen in front of the offices of Bonta, Simon and Sanchez, demanding that she have the opportunity for her case to be heard.

The Post is asking that the public join Friends and Neighbors of Zakiya and use the information listed to join in this fight for justice.

Friends and Neighbors of Zakiya asks you to sign the petition by activating the QR code below to enact a stay in Jendayi’s pending eviction from her home and to pursue a full and independent investigation into the ruling that invalidated Dr. Head’s trust.

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Business

Mayor Lee Announces $1 Million Kaiser Permanente Grant for Pilot Program to Address Homelessness, Clean Up Public Spaces throughout Oakland

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.

Published

2 weeks ago

September 21, 2026

Post News Group

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%.

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.