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Meet Chanée Franklin Minor, Oakland’s New ‘Rent Board’ Manager

Published

6 years ago

March 21, 2019

Chanée Franklin Minor was appointed the new manager for Oakland’s Rent Adjustment Program, often referred to as the “rent board,” about four months ago. She’s working to create a more efficient program that’s active in its enforcement of housing laws and ordinances. Photo by Zack Haber.

After growing up in Oakland, Chanée Franklin Minor graduated Cornell’s Law School and worked for the city of Berkeley but due to Oakland’s housing crisis, she’s decided to come back to work in her home town. It’s been about four months since Minor became the new program manager for Oakland’s Rent Adjustment Program (ORAP).

“The main reason I came back to Oakland was to help contribute to the fight against displacement and make sure Oakland is stable, particularly for folks who grew up here,” Minor said.

One of the most important aspects to housing stability, according to Minor, is rent stability. ORAP strives to help tenants understand their rights under the law when it comes to housing so that they aren’t given unlawful rent increases.

“When we’re in a housing crisis it’s super important for us to understand and make sure that people aren’t paying above what they lawfully should pay,” Minor says.

Minor also wants to help landlords to avoid potentially expensive unlawful situations. Some landlords find out too late that there’s a $100 a day fine for either cutting off a tenant’s lights or changing their locks. Minor thinks landlords wouldn’t make those choices if they’re aware of the fines beforehand.

In the last four months ORAP has already nearly doubled its drop-in hours where residents can ask questions and receive free help with navigating housing law issues. They’re available 27 hours a week now, including during lunch. She’s also launched a landlord/tenant mediation program and helped to clear up a mailing backlog which she estimates will decrease ORAP’s response time to residents by several months. In the past, it’s sometimes taken ORAP over a year to resolve tenant/landlord disputes but Minor is working to drastically reduce that wait.

Minor hopes to transform Oakland’s rent board from a passive model to an active model. As Oakland voters have increasingly passed ordinances to limit rent increases and evictions, she wants ORAP to actively seek out violations of ordinances instead of waiting for tenants to come to them.

She’s also worked to inform Oakland residents of the law and their rights so that less housing law violations occur. ORAP has already scheduled a workshop to inform landlords on the law and their rights for March 26 and now is planning a similar workshop for tenants in April.

“Information can help stop illegal evictions and rent increases,” Minor says.

Although the ORAP has changed a lot in the last four months, Minor thinks it will need more funding in order to effectively do work that will help people to stay housed: resolving landlord/tenant disputes in a timely manner, increasing outreach, and seeking out and enforcing violations of housing laws and ordinances.

ORAP is funded entirely by a yearly fee, which is split between tenants and landlords. That fee in Oakland has historically been low. It sits at 68$ now, about a quarter of Berkeley’s rent adjustment program fee, which is 250$. Minor is hoping that Oakland residents and the city will have enough trust in ORAP now to adequately fund it. She’s trying to increase the yearly fee to 101$. The city council will vote in early April on whether or not to approve the increase.

“I want people to know that we’re here, and we want to help people navigate their housing, one of the most important things in their lives,” Minor said. “We’re not new but we’re under new leadership that is trying to build an efficient and functional program.”

Zack Haber

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Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him

“Donald Trump is not a god,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he not intimidated by President-elect Donald Trump, who, during an interview on “Meet the Press,” called for the congressman to be jailed for his role as chairman of the special congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Donald Trump is not a god,” Thompson told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

“He can’t prove it, nor has there been any other proof offered, which tells me that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said the 76-year-old lawmaker, who maintained that he and the bipartisan Jan. 6 Select Committee – which referred Trump for criminal prosecution – were exercising their constitutional and legislative duties.

“When someone disagrees with you, that doesn’t make it illegal; that doesn’t even make it wrong,” Thompson said, “The greatness of this country is that everyone can have their own opinion about any subject, and so for an incoming president who disagrees with the work of Congress to say ‘because I disagree, I want them jailed,’ is absolutely unbelievable.”

When asked by The Grio if he is concerned about his physical safety amid continued public ridicule from Trump, whose supporters have already proven to be violent, Thompson said, “I think every member of Congress here has to have some degree of concern, because you just never know.”

This story is based on a report from The Grio.

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City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

“Libraries are such critical facilities for all Oaklanders, whether it’s children coming to story-time, adults reading the newspapers or borrowing the latest novels, and people engaging with a range of services and programs that the library hosts,” said Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. “Such library services and programs are only possible when the facility’s electricity, heating, roof, and lighting are fixed and running efficiently. I’m proud to join this re-opening of our Main Public Library.”

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

The branch had been closed since May for critical infrastructure upgrades

Special to the Post

The City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Main Library after completion of critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance the library’s facilities and provide a better experience for patrons.

Renovations include new roof installation, skylight repair, critical electrical system upgrades, new boiler control system installation, auditorium heating and cooling system installation, and improvements to lighting, flooring and ceilings throughout the building.

“This is truly something to celebrate, the reopening of our wonderful Main Library! I congratulate the staff and our partners for this important project to make the Main Library a more comfortable place for everyone for years to come, said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “Thank you to Oakland voters and the California State Library for making these crucial improvements possible.”

“Public libraries are a wonderful resource for our residents, offering a safe space for learning and being,” said District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife. “It is critical to improve and modernize our libraries so more members of our community can utilize and enjoy them. I’m excited that the necessary renovations to the Main Library have been completed successfully and thank everyone involved, particularly the City team, who helped secured the necessary grant funds for this work.”

“I am proud of the City staff and project partners who kept this important project on schedule and under budget,” said Assistant City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. “The library is an incredibly important resource for our community members, and this project is an investment into the library’s future.”

“December 2nd was a momentous occasion for Oakland Public Library as we proudly reopened the doors of the Main Library following extensive infrastructure repairs,” said Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak. “Closing the Main Library for six months was no easy decision, as it serves as the central hub for our library system and is truly the heart of Oakland. Yet, this renovation was essential, representing more than just physical upgrades—it reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for everyone.”

The City Administrator Jestin Johnson also attended the press conference and signalled his support for the completion of the record-setting completion of the renovations. Gay Plair Cobb, a newly appointed Library Commissioner said the Library represents the soul and brains of our community.

The Oakland Public Library secured funding for these crititcal repairs through a variety of sources. The California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program awarded the Main Branch $4.2 million. To comply with the grant terms, the City of Oakland provided matching funds through Measures KK, as approved by the Oakland City Council in October 2023.

The Main Library will host an Open House to celebrate the reopening on February 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

About the Oakland Public Library

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Locations include 16 neighborhood branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Oakland Tool Lending Library, and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO). The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow. Oaklandlibrary.org