City Government

Renter Protection Going to Oakland Voters in November

Published

9 years ago

July 22, 2016

In an historic win for tenants’ rights advocates and Oakland’s most vulnerable residents, the Oakland City Council voted unanimously Wednesday morning after seven hours to place the strongest renter protection initiative that the city has ever seen onto the November ballot.

The vote comes several months after housing organizations, labor groups and interfaith leaders launched a campaign to strengthen Oakland’s 35-year rent law to help tackle the city’s unprecedented displacement crisis.

“We’re just so happy for Oakland to see that we could pass this with unanimous support from the council,” said Camilo Zamora of Causa Justa: Just Cause, which is a member of the Protect Oakland Renters Coalition.

“Hopefully, this will show people out there who are losing hope in Oakland that there is momentum, and a movement growing for them in the region,” Zamora said.

Now, the coalition will shift to campaign mode to encourage Oaklanders to registered to vote and go to the polls in November.

“We know that landlord and realtor organizations, on a state and national level, are going to put a lot of money into an anti-renter protection campaign to beat this,” said James Vann of the Post Salon Community Assembly.

James Vann of the Post Salon Community Assembly applauds after City Council voted unanimously to place the Protect Oakland Renters Act onto the November ballot. Photo by Tulio Ospina.

“We need to be ready to fight for renters’ rights because tenants are the majority of residents and this is a fight for the soul of Oakland,” Vann said.

Wednesday’s vote is a first-time victory for Oakland tenants and housing advocates who have fought for improved renter protections for nearly every election cycle since 1983.

Not since 2002 has a renter protection initiative made it onto the ballot and just a couple of months ago it appeared that the council would not send renter protection to the voters this year.

“Just a month ago we only had three solid votes” in support from council members, while five were needed to place the initiative on the ballot, according to Zamora.

“They didn’t want a ballot measure in the beginning,” he said. “It just shows how the council was moved by community pressure to ultimately vote unanimously on this vital issue.”

The renter protection initiative, put forward by the renters’ coalition and introduced to the council by Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, would make several changes to the current rent law if it is approved by voters in November.

These include requiring landlords to petition through the Rent Board if they wish to increase rents above the annual consumer price index, extending Just Cause eviction protections to buildings built up to Dec. 31, 1995, and increasing transparency and accountability of the Rent Board by broadening its powers to include more tenant representation.

On Tuesday evening, several hundred community members packed City Hall to speak to Kaplan’s renter protection proposal, the majority speaking in favor.

“Oakland is no longer a diverse city like it once was,” said Dorothy King, owner of Everett and Jones BBQ.

“I’m a landlord, but I got compassion for people,” she said. “They can’t afford to live here anymore and we need to put up some protection for people renting in Oakland.”

Dozens of small property owners spoke out against the ballot measure, arguing that by increasing protections to tenants, the city will be exacerbating Oakland’s displacement crisis since owners will be forced to sell their buildings to wealthier developers, thus hiking up rents.

But for many small property landlords, the opposite seems true.

“I want this city to be as diverse as possible in terms of class and race,” said Stephanie Schaudel, a landlord and public school teacher in Oakland.

“We’re currently seeing a bleeding of people throughout the Bay due to a lack of renter protection. We need the most aggressive and protective measure on the ballot,” Schaudel said.

The majority of speakers Tuesday night were tenants who have either experienced displacement or are in the midst of it now.

“I remember to this day in the fourth grade as my mother packed our belongings into a suitcase and we made our way to a homeless shelter,” said Sinorti Iris Stegman, an Oakland native who is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Carnegie Mellon University.

“I made a commitment to return to Oakland and serve my community,” Stegman said. “Will I be able to afford to come back to my home and by the time I graduate, will there be a Black community to serve?”

Another renter protection proposal put forward by Councilmembers Dan Kalb, Abel Guillén, Annie Campbell Washington and Council President Lynette McElhaney was also passed this week with seven votes in favor and one abstention from Councilmember Desley Brooks.

Some of this proposal’s changes would not go into effect until as late as 2018 but would be superseded by Kaplan’s ballot measure if it passes in November.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

6 days ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.

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Black Arts Movement Business District Named New Cultural District in California

Located in the heart of District 3, the BAMBD is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most important centers of Black cultural production — a space where artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and cultural workers have shaped generations of local and national identity. The state’s recognition affirms the district’s historic importance and its future promise.

Published

2 weeks ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Carroll Fife celebrates major milestone for Black arts, culture, and economic power in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) has been selected as one of California’s 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, a distinction awarded by the California Arts Council (CAC), according to a media statement released by Councilmember Carroll Fife.

The BAMBD now joins 23 other districts across the state recognized for their deep cultural legacy, artistic excellence, and contributions to California’s creative economy.

“This designation is a testament to what Black Oakland has built — and what we continue to build when we insist on investing in our own cultural and economic power,” said Fife.

“For years, our community has fought for meaningful recognition and resources for the Black Arts Movement Business District,” she said. “This announcement validates that work and ensures that BAMBD receives the support it needs to grow, thrive, and continue shaping the cultural fabric of California.”

Since taking office, Fife has led and supported multiple initiatives that strengthened the groundwork for this achievement, including:

Restoring and protecting arts and cultural staffing within the City of Oakland.
Creating the West Oakland Community Fund to reinvest in historically excluded communities
Advancing a Black New Deal study to expand economic opportunity for Black Oakland
Ensuring racial equity impact analyses for development proposals, improving access for Black businesses and Black contractors
Introduced legislation and budget amendments that formalized, protected, and expanded the BAMBD

“These efforts weren’t abstract,” Fife said. “They were intentional, coordinated, and rooted in a belief that Black arts and Black businesses deserve deep, sustained public investment.”

As part of the Cultural District designation, BAMBD will receive:

$10,000 over two years
Dedicated technical assistance
Statewide marketing and branding support
Official designation from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030

This support will elevate the visibility of BAMBD’s artists, cultural organizations, small businesses, and legacy institutions, while helping attract new investment to the district.

“The BAMBD has always been more than a district,” Fife continued. “This recognition by the State of California gives us another tool in the fight to preserve Black culture, build Black economic power, and protect the families and institutions that make Oakland strong.”

For questions, contact Councilmember Carroll Fife at CFife@oaklandca.gov.