Three of the city’s primary homelessness policy staffers have left this spring.
Author Archives: Natalie Orenstein
Natalie Orenstein covers housing and homelessness for The Oaklandside. She was previously on staff at Berkeleyside, where her extensive reporting on the legacy of school desegregation received recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists NorCal and the Education Writers Association. Natalie’s reporting has also appeared in The J Weekly, The San Francisco Chronicle and elsewhere, and she’s written about public policy for a number of research institutes and think tanks. Natalie lives in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley, and has only left her beloved East Bay once, to attend Pomona College.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Hundreds more Oaklanders are living in cars and RVs these days
Policymakers have tried to respond to the massive increase in vehicle dwellings.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland’s homeless population surpasses 5,000 people during the pandemic
But emergency COVID-19 measures prevented a “catastrophic increase,” new data shows.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Could Oakland take a page out of the A’s Howard Terminal plan to build more affordable housing?
Some officials want to set up an “infrastructure financing district”—similar to the ballpark funding proposal—but to build more homes across Oakland.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland rent increases would be capped at 3% under new proposal
Councilmember Carroll Fife wants to further limit price hikes for rent-controlled buildings.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland’s population is shrinking, after a decade of growth
The number of residents in the city dropped by 1.3% in 2021, but it’s unclear who exactly is leaving.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland Home Histories: Living in a long lost lesbian bar
A queer couple who own a bright blue live-work space in East Oakland were delighted to learn about its past as The Jubilee.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland tenants facing highest rent hike in decades
Starting in July, landlords of rent-controlled properties can raise rents by 6.7%, because of inflation.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Homeless youth tell Oakland officials to take action
At a City Council hearing, young people told harrowing and triumphant personal stories and asked for more resources.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Redwoods, housing, and traffic: ‘Map Atlas’ illustrates Oakland’s systems
A new resource created for the city’s General Plan process is a treasure trove of information on Oakland’s neighborhoods and resources.