The city of Oakland is advising residents to avoid contact with the water.
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
Caltrans can’t close Wood Street encampment without shelter plan, judge orders
A federal judge maintained a temporary restraining order pausing closure plans, but said residents will need to leave eventually.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
‘I don’t feel homeless here’: 2 Oakland tiny home communities face evictions
At a county auction, the same buyer purchased three abandoned lots. But it turned out two had long-standing residents.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Most of Wood Street homeless camp to be closed following massive fire
The Caltrans announcement has residents scrambling to find alternative living arrangements. Others have vowed to stay and resist the closure.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland’s new homelessness official wants a challenge
We asked Daniel Cooper about his first impressions of Oakland and his public-health approach to a tough job.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
West Oakland fire spews smoke over the East Bay
Residents of the Wood Street homeless camp evacuated Monday morning after a large fire engulfed vehicles and a small bridge.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Eviction protections and housing bond: City Council will vote on proposed ballot measures
The $850 million housing infrastructure bond and the expansion of the “just cause” eviction policy could go on the November ballot.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Where to stay cool and safe on hot, smoky days in Oakland
The city opens cooling centers and clean air sites when certain conditions are met.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Lake Merritt land with controversial past could become 100% affordable housing
The Oakland City Council is pursuing two low-income apartment buildings after dropping plans for a market-rate tower.
Posted inCity Hall & Policing
Oakland to close Lake Merritt roads for Juneteenth, Fourth of July
Closures will include Lakeshore, El Embarcadero, and Grizzly Peak in the hills, to reduce fire hazards and improve safety.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland will create its first-ever rental housing registry
Also: social housing on the ballot, homeless shelters, and more from the City Council meeting.
Posted inArts & Community
‘A community studio for news and art’: The Oakland Lowdown opens downtown
An information-packed zine is the first output from the participatory journalism project.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Landlords can’t raise rents above 3%, Oakland City Council says
The controversial policy from Carroll Fife applies to all rent-controlled buildings.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Lake Merritt BART project: Senior housing coming to site of past displacement
BART tore down houses to build the Oakland Chinatown station in the 1960s. Some say it has a chance to help heal old wounds.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Your apartment could go in a registry of Oakland’s rental housing
Tenants say the database would increase transparency and help people follow the law. Landlords fear a privacy violation.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland’s top homelessness officials are leaving the city
Three of the city’s primary homelessness policy staffers have left this spring.
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.