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Peralta Village Tenants and Supporters Protest Oakland Housing Authority Office

“I would like for the tenants to come together more and not fear retaliation,” said Eddie Simmon, who has lived in Peralta Village for over 20 years, at the protest. “The more the tenants vent their frustrations as a group, the better [OHA] will respond.”

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Members of The United Front Against Displacement and Peralta Village tenants hold signs at a protest outside of The Oakland Housing Authority's West Oakland offices on Saturday February 13. (Left to right) Jacob Fowler, Dayton Andrews, Cole McLean, Colleen Donovon, Eddie Simmon, Cassidy Taylor, and a Peralta Village tennant to asked not to be named

Peralta Village tenants and supporters gathered outside of Oakland Housing Authority’s [OHA] offices from noon to 1:00 p.m. on February 13 to protest what they see as insufficient maintenance and unfair threats of eviction despite Alameda County’s and Oakland’s COVID-19 related eviction moratoriums.

Peralta Village is a public housing project in West Oakland consisting of 390 units and over 700 residents. It was founded just after World War II as segregated, all-Black housing. Today, many of the residents, almost all of whom are still Black, feel they are being treated unfairly. Some are coming together to demand change.

“I would like for the tenants to come together more and not fear retaliation,” said Eddie Simmon, who has lived in Peralta Village for over 20 years, at the protest. “The more the tenants vent their frustrations as a group, the better [OHA] will respond.”

A February 1 article from this publication showed tenants who complained of black mold, overflowing trash, inconsistent clean up, an inoperable overhead light despite services requests dating back a year, a six-week delay to repair a window that would not shut, a lack of recycling services, and eviction threats despite the moratorium. In reaction to these circumstances, 85 Peralta Village tenants signed and delivered a petition to OHA demanding better treatment.

Shortly after the article’s publication and residents delivered their petition, about a dozen tenants received a notice from Oakland Rent Adjustment Program informing them that eviction notices OHA had sent “may have been served in error and/or in contradiction to the current laws in place prohibiting most forms of eviction in Oakland.”

The notice also broadly outlined rights tenants have under Oakland’s eviction moratorium. Under a section marked “What should you do if you’ve received an eviction notice?,” the notice reads “You are likely not required to move at this time.”

“If you didn’t have knowledge of what the [eviction notices] represent, you think it’s a serious threat but, in reality, it’s just intimidation,” said Dayton Andrews at the protest. Andrews is a member of The United Front Against Displacement, an anti-gentrification group that has been organizing with Peralta Village tenants for better treatment from OHA.

An OHA spokesperson, Greer McVay, said that OHA has not threatened to evict any residents during the COVID-19 emergency for non-payment of rent. But some residents report they have received three-day notice or quit notices from OHA, not due to rent non-payment, but due to OHA accusing them of breaking its rules.

Oakland’s Rent Adjustment Board classifies such notices as eviction notices. Still, no residents have claimed that OHA has followed through on such evictions and, when interviewed for the February 1 article, McVay claimed OHA is not currently evicting any residents.

In an interview with The Oakland Post, an OHA worker who asked not to be named due to fear of retaliation said that through discussions with OHA’s upper management and personal experience on the job, the recent eviction notices were delivered as a “bully tactic.” The worker also was sympathetic to resident complaints about rodents, inconsistent trash pick-up, and slow repairs.

“[For] every resident I’ve been in contact with,” the worker said, “it’s the same story. As an insider, there’s no reason why they should live in those types of conditions. It’s so baffling for us.”

Residents claim trash still regularly overflows from Peralta Village dumpsters and onto the streets, sometimes blowing near their homes. OHA’s McVay, said the agency has increased its trash clean-up services under COVID-19 but blames much of the mess on illegal dumping that she claims comes from outside of Peralta Village.

In response to residents’ complaints about mold, McVay said OHA “actively works with residents to resolve [mold] issues if noted during a unit inspection” or if tenants report such a problem, and that OHA’s “primary goal is to educate residents on mildew and mold prevention.”

McVay said OHA is prioritizing emergency repairs under COVID-19, which are addressed within “four to 24 hours depending on the severity” and that “non-emergencies are based on the availability of the maintenance crew.”

Residents claim that even during emergencies their requests for maintenance often get delayed for weeks or months and that favoritism, not COVID-19, causes delays.

“They’ll look at the list [of maintenance requests] and they’ll choose which apartment they want to go to,” said an OHA tenant at the protest who asked not to be named due to fear of retaliation. “It’s not in the order of the call. That’s what I hate!” This resident claimed they had to wait six weeks for OHA to fix a window in her unit that would not close.

Mark Schiferl, director of Property Management for OHA, has recently called and e-mailed both The United Front Against Displacement and some residents mentioned in the February 1 article to ask about problems residents complained about.

JaCynthia Givens, a resident who complained about black mold, and Simmon, who complained about insufficient trash pick-up and cleaning of shared outdoor common areas, said Schiferl called them. They said Schiferl listened to them but has not yet offered plans to fix their problems. He did not respond to requests to comment on this article.

Simmon was pleased that Schiferl reached out. “It felt like we got somebody’s attention finally,” said Simmon, “because this guy is calling me and I’m just another tenant.”

Residents and their supporters are hoping that by protesting and organizing, OHA will respond to repair requests in a more effective quicker manner, stop eviction threats, and keep the neighborhood cleaner. To get OHA’s attention they posted signs on OHA’s office doors during the February 13 protest. One read “FIX THE MOLD MARK!” and another read “OHA FIX THIS MESS!”

Although 10 people showed up to the protest, the demands the protestors made have much broader support as 91 Peralta Village residents, about 12% its total population, have now signed the petition demanding better treatment from OHA. OHA tenants and supporters are hoping more people show up to support their demands at future actions.

“It’s going to take a bunch of us coming together to get anything done,” said Simmon.

“We’re out here to prove to folks that the sky’s not going to fall if you take a stand,” said Andrews at the protest. “And things are only going to get worse if you don’t.”

The United Front Against Displacement is encouraging residents to call them at 510-815-9978 or email them at wewontgo@riseup.net if they want to sign the petition and/or get involved in future actions.

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024

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Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024

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Who are the Alameda County District 4 Supervisor Candidates’ Top Campaign Contributors?

Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.

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Jennifer Esteen. (Campaign photo) and Supervisor Nate Miley. (Official photo).
Jennifer Esteen. (Campaign photo) and Supervisor Nate Miley. (Official photo).

By Zack Haber

Nate Miley, who has served on Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors since 2000, is running for reelection to the District 4 supervisor seat.

Jennifer Esteen, a nurse and activist, is seeking to unseat him and become one of the five members of the powerful board that sets the county’s budget, governs its unincorporated areas, and oversees the sheriff, Alameda Health System, and mental health system.

District 4 includes most of East Oakland’s hills and flatlands beyond Fruitvale, part of Pleasanton and unincorporated areas south of San Leandro like Ashland and Castro Valley.

Voting is open and will remain open until March 5.

In California, campaign donations of $100 or more are public record. The records show that Miley has received about $550,000 in total campaign donations since he won the previous District 4 election in March 2020. Esteen has raised about $255,000 in total campaign donations since she started collecting them last July. All figures are accurate through Feb. 20.

While Miley has raised more money, Esteen has received donations from more sources. Miley received donations of $100 or more from 439 different sources. Esteen received such donations from 507 different sources.

Below, we’ve listed each candidate’s 10 highest campaign contributors. For Miley, two of his top campaign donors also bought their own advertisements to support him and/or oppose Esteen through independent expenditures. Such expenditures, though separate from campaign donations, are also public record, and we listed them. Additionally, the National Organization of Realtors has spent about $70,500 on their own independent expenditures to support Miley.

Nate Miley’s top campaign contributors:

The California Apartment Association, a trade group representing landlords and investors in California’s rental housing business, has spent about $129,500 supporting Miley’s election bid through about $59,500 in ads against Esteen$55,000 in ads supporting Miley, and $15,000 in campaign donations.

The independent expenditure committee Preserve Agriculture in Alameda County has spent about $46,025 supporting Miley through about $27,200 in their own ads, and $18,825 in donations to his campaign. Preserve Agriculture has supported reelection efforts for former Alameda County DA Nancy O’Malley, and Sheriff Greg Ahern, a republican. It’s received funding from ChevronPG&E, and a the California Apartment Association.

Organizations associated with the Laborers’ International Union of North America, or LiUNA, have donated about $35,000 in total. Construction and General Laborers Local 304, a local chapter of the union representing which represents over 4,000 workers, donated $20,000.

Laborers Pacific Southwest Regional Organizing Coalition, which represents 70,000 LiUNA members in Arizona, California, Hawaii and New Mexico, donated $15,000.

William ‘Bill’ Crotinger and the East Oakland-based company Argent Materials have donated $26,000. Crotinger is the president and founder of Argent, a concrete and asphalt recycling yard. Argent’s website says it is an eco-friendly company that diverts materials from landfills. In 2018, Argent paid the EPA $27,000 under a settlement for committing Clean Water Act violations.

Michael Morgan of Hayward, owner of We Are Hemp, a marijuana dispensary in Ashland, has donated $21,500.

Alameda County District 1 Supervisor David Haubert has donated $21,250 from his 2024 reelection campaign. He’s running unopposed for the District 1 seat.

SEIU 1021which represents over 60,000 workers in local governments, non-profit agencies, healthcare programs, and schools in Northern California, has donated $20,000.

UA Local 342, which represents around 4,000 pipe trades industry workers in Contra Costa and Alameda counties, donated $20,000.

The union representing the county’s deputy sheriffs, Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Alameda County, has donated $17,000.

Becton Healthcare Resources and its managers have donated $14,625. Becton’s mission statement says it provides “behavioral health management services to organizations and groups that serve the serious and persistent mentally ill population.”

Jennifer Esteen’s top campaign contributors:

Mary Quinn Delaney of Piedmont, founder of Akonadi Foundation, has donated $20,000. Akonadi Foundation gives grants to nonprofit organizations, especially focusing on racial justice organizing,

Bridget Galli of Castro Valley has donated $7,000. Galli is a yoga instructor and a co-owner of Castro Valley Yoga.

Rachel Gelman of Oakland has donated $5,000. Gelman is an activist who has vowed to redistribute her inherited wealth to working class, Indigenous and Black communities.

California Worker Families Party has donated $5,000. The organization’s website describes itself as a “grassroots party for the multiracial working class.”

David Stern of Albany has donated $5,000. Stern is a retired UC Berkeley Professor of Education.

Oakland Rising Committee—a collaborative of racial, economic, and environmental justice organizations—has donated about $3,050.

Fredeke Von Bothmer-Goodyear, an unemployed resident of San Francisco, has donated $2,600.

Robert Britton of Castro Valley has donated $2,500. Britton is retired and worked in the labor movement for decades.

Progressive Era PAC has donated about $2,400. Its mission statement says it “exists to elect governing majorities of leaders in California committed to building a progressive era for people of color.”

East Bay Stonewall Democrats Club has donated $2,250. The club was founded in 1982 to give voice to the East Bay LGBTQIA+ communities.

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