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The Oaklandside. Journalism for Oakland.

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Oakland Police Commission leadership conflict | The cost of free eggs | How should the county address the opioid crisis? | Rift in local NAACP

Natalie Orenstein headshot

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.

natalie@oaklandside.org
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Parking structure in the foreground, official-looking building in the background
Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Kaplan and Fife urge city to seek affordable housing on more public properties

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein March 23, 2022March 23, 2022

The Clay Street Garage closed in 2016. Two city councilmembers say there’s a better—if costly—use for the site.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Fire destroys tiny homes at city-run homeless shelter near Lake Merritt

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein March 21, 2022March 21, 2022

Nobody was injured but five people were displaced, said the Oakland Fire Department.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Oakland names new homelessness administrator

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein March 18, 2022March 18, 2022

Daniel Cooper will be the third person to lead the city’s overall response to the homelessness crisis.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Lake Merritt Lodge homeless shelter will remain open until December. Then what?

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein March 16, 2022March 16, 2022

The transitional housing program has been unusually successful, but the city is struggling to find funding to keep it open.

Posted inHealth & Environment

Fireplaces are illegal to use on some winter nights. Has that helped Oakland’s air?

Avatar photoNatalie Orenstein headshot by David DeBolt and Natalie Orenstein March 11, 2022March 11, 2022

Wood burning is outlawed on Spare the Air days, but data shows that enforcement is rare.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Will Newsom’s ‘care court’ support homeless Oaklanders with mental illnesses, or force treatment on them?

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein March 7, 2022March 7, 2022

Mayor Libby Schaaf is backing a proposal to overhaul mental health care in California, but some call it coercion.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Volunteers conduct long-awaited homeless count in Oakland, Berkeley

Natalie Orenstein headshotSupriya Yelimeli headshot by Natalie Orenstein and Supriya Yelimeli February 23, 2022February 23, 2022

The pandemic likely worsened the homelessness crisis, but a crucial population count was delayed until now.

large building with street sign in front
Posted inCity Hall & Policing

Oakland police headquarters could be demolished and moved to make way for housing

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein February 16, 2022February 16, 2022

The City Council voted to seek proposals for a 600-unit project at the Police Administration Building site downtown.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

A High Street love story: From teen romance to navigating a shared life on the streets

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein February 14, 2022February 14, 2022

Alejandra and Sergio Ruiz grew up on the same East Oakland block. Now they’re married with kids and still living in their old neighborhood, in a tent at the moment.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Map: Oakland is crowdsourcing sites for 26,000 new housing units

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein February 11, 2022February 11, 2022

A new interactive map lets the public weigh in on the city’s next big housing plan.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

‘Mixed feelings’ as redevelopment of Black Panther Party headquarters moves forward

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein February 8, 2022February 8, 2022

Oakland’s Landmarks Board asked for a deeper historical analysis of the site.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

The Black Panther Party’s original headquarters in North Oakland may be replaced with apartments

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein February 4, 2022February 4, 2022

The building’s current owner is behind the controversial plan—and he has the Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation’s blessing.

A diverse group of people, including children and an elderly man, sit on the stop of a house.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Oakland Home Histories: How an 1800s Victorian became a land trust cooperative

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein February 4, 2022February 4, 2022

The 12th Avenue building was made for one family. After years of turmoil, its current residents are giving communal living a go.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

Help shape Oakland’s 8-year housing plan

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein February 3, 2022February 3, 2022

Oakland’s Housing Element must plan for 26,000 new housing units, with a focus on equity.

New tool lets homeless residents access clean drinking water from fire hydrants
Posted inHousing & Homelessness

New program lets homeless residents access clean drinking water from fire hydrants

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein January 28, 2022January 28, 2022

After community members pushed for a safe, legal way to access water at encampments, EBMUD changed its policy.

locked fence in front of white board
Posted inHousing & Homelessness

COVID-19 outbreak shutters West Oakland homeless shelter

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein January 19, 2022January 21, 2022

The St. Vincent de Paul shelter—which has served unhoused residents throughout the pandemic—was no match for the ruthlessly contagious omicron variant.

Posted inHealth & Environment

Having problems ordering your free rapid COVID-19 tests from USPS?

Natalie Orenstein headshotAzucena Rasilla headshotAvatar photoSupriya Yelimeli headshot by Natalie Orenstein, Azucena Rasilla, Jose Fermoso and Supriya Yelimeli January 18, 2022May 17, 2022

Roommates, large families, and live-work residents have encountered some challenges accessing tests from the federal government.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

After a pandemic pause, Oakland ramped up homeless camp closures again. Why?

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein January 12, 2022January 14, 2022

The city’s reasons for shutting down encampments aren’t always clear to those who are directly impacted. We reviewed two years of data to identify patterns.

high-up photo of crane in the foreground. city buildings in the background
Posted inHousing & Homelessness

How should Oakland tackle the housing crisis in 2022?

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein January 10, 2022January 10, 2022

We asked community members and leaders to tell us their New Year’s housing and homelessness resolutions. Here’s what they said.

Posted inHousing & Homelessness

A year of protest, policymaking, and new ideas for using limited land

Natalie Orenstein headshot by Natalie Orenstein December 30, 2021December 23, 2021

In 2021, Oaklanders debated what should be built in the city to ease the housing and homelessness crises, and how to use scarce land.

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