By Magaly Muñoz

Encampment sweeps are not a new method of action to evict people from living and sleeping on the streets in San Francisco. However, recent reports indicate that city staff are not following proper policy, exacerbating the problems for unhoused people.

Homeless advocates and allies held a press conference on Thursday at City Hall, condemning staff workers for destroying people’s property during encampment evictions and asking officials to ensure that important documents and medication are not being stripped from these individuals.

“By destroying the very items that could help people regain stability, the city is not just punishing people for being poor, but actively making it harder for them to escape homelessness,” Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said.

Friedenbach criticized the city for not fixing their housing problem or finding new ways to shelter people, instead they are further adding to the harm of the “humanitarian crisis that San Francisco is facing.”

The press conference was held before the monthly Homelessness Oversight Commission (HOC) meeting, where commissioners discussed a draft resolution to submit to city staff highlighting the importance of not separating people from their items as this might cause further distress.

The resolution lists ssential items that workers should be cautious of not destroying or throwing away including medical documents and medication, work permits, identification, and survival gear, such as blankets or tents.

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City policy instructs workers to “bag and tag” items left behind after an encampment sweep. These items are labeled by Public Works and kept at their operations yard for 90 days before being discarded.

But according to several reports and videos of the sweeps, the city has not always followed this policy and has on numerous occasions thrown away people’s medications or tents, leaving individuals without their essentials.

During the meeting, commissioners suggested adding school records and family related support items, such as diapers, to the resolution because of the increasing number of families living on the streets.

Virginia Taylor, senior policy advisor for Safe & Sound, said 531 families are waiting for housing in San Francisco. Many of these families are living out of their cars or in RVs, yet the city has limited safe parking spots where people can situate themselves.

Along with not throwing out people’s belongings, advocates are also continuing to ask the city to stop the encampment sweeps because all they are accomplishing is moving unhoused folks block to block without solving the root problem of lack of consistent housing.

“We need urgent action, more family shelter beds, a stop to vehicle sweeps, expanded safe parking programs and housing solutions that keep our multi-generational families together. Our children’s futures depend on it. Let’s build a San Francisco where no family falls through the crack and every child has the opportunity to thrive,” Taylor said.

Speakers referenced the RV sweep conducted in early August on Zoo Road, where dozens of people, many of them non-English speaking immigrants, were asked to leave the parking lot or else their vehicles would be towed and they would be cited.

While people were offered shelter beds or housing vouchers, some worried about where they would stay while the city processed their applications. This drew criticism of San Francisco’s method of not always having immediate options for people yet continuing to sweep unhoused folks with nowhere to go.

Commissioners of HOC agreed that the city is not trying to exacerbate the issue and the resolution is one of many steps to ensure that there are no setbacks in the progress to ending homelessness in San Francisco.

The HOC will approve the resolution at a later meeting once amendments and changes are made.

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By Ken Epstein

Former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who is currently running for State Treasurer in 2026, has agreed to pay a $21, 000 fine for serious violations of election rules to defeat political opponents in 2018 and 2020 city elections.

Following a years-long investigation, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission last week concluded scrutiny of political wrongdoing by Schaaf and her political allies, saying she secretly plotted to organize, raise money, and lead campaigns in violation of election laws while she was still in office.

Investigators found that she secretly controlled several political committees that she used to attack elected city leaders who did not agree with her and to promote a ballot measure.

Ethics investigators also found that those who worked with Schaaf in violation of election law included the Oakland Police Officers Association, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, contractors, campaign consultants, along with others who were fined hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Under the proposed settlement agreement issued earlier by the Commission, those who faced the charges waived “all procedural rights” under the law.

“If respondents fail to comply with terms of this stipulation, then the Commission may reopen this matter and prosecute respondents to the full extent permitted by law,” according to the proposed agreement.

The settlement agreement continued:

“The respondents’ violations in this case are serious. The strict rules applying to candidate-controlled committees go directly to the very purpose of campaign finance law. Candidates for office, and (because) particularly high-ranking office holders such as the Mayor, have a disproportionate ability to bring in campaign money.”

One commissioner said that the terms of the settlement were too weak, insufficient to deter further violations.

“I think the penalties are really inadequate, and I worry that the ends have justified the means here,” said Commissioner Alea Gage, according to Oaklandside.

Several commissioners were concerned that the majority of the penalties are to be paid by two campaign committees, Oaklanders for Responsible Leadership and the Committee for an Affordable East Bay. However, these committees no longer function and have no money, meaning that collecting the fines will be problematic.

Schaaf is no longer mayor and therefore under less potential scrutiny, but many observers say she is still using similar tactics to smear opponents of her pro-real estate developer priorities, which in the current election include District 3 incumbent Councilmember Carroll Fife.

Schaaf’s tactics include finding a staffer or former staffer to run against her target. She raises money from corporate benefactors, finds endorsements, and encourages media attack campaigns that include lies and misrepresentations.

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By Magaly Muñoz

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao delivered her State of the City address at a City Council meeting on Tuesday evening, laying out her administration’s accomplishments over the last year and outlining how she intends to continue the progress during the rest of her term.

Thao boasted about where the city has improved in the last year since her previous city address, saying that the change is “nothing short of inspiring.”

Her 2023 city address was filled with acknowledgments of her administration’s failures, including not securing funding for retail crime prevention, loss of businesses, risk to public welfare and much more, but this year’s speech focused on her accomplishments.

There was also no mention of the recall she is facing in a few short weeks or the FBI raid on her home in June.

Thao dedicated the majority of her 2023 speech talking about her priority on public safety. She had fired the former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong eight months prior. She then became the face of the rising crime the city was struggling to manage.

But at her speech Tuesday night, she celebrated the hiring of current chief Floyd Mitchell, who joined the department this spring, and the reinvestment into the Ceasefire program to prevent violent crimes.

“I can tell you today that crime is down,” Thao said.

Homicides in particular are down nearly 30% from 2023. One hundred and twenty people were killed last year, but OPD data shows that there have only been 66 homicides to date.

Robberies and burglaries are also seeing a significant decrease by 24% and 54% respectively this year. In 2023, robberies were up 38% and burglaries up by 23%, a statistic that many did not let Thao forget.

Now, Thao said that business owners are seeing fewer break-ins and “less broken glass on the streets.”

The mayor also mentioned the substantial  investments into public safety technology, such as the 290 Flock cameras installed all around the city to catch offenders. According to the Flock Safety portal, there have been over 55,000 hits to date for wanted vehicles.

Thao announced that the city is working with the Federal Aviation Administration, the Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission, and the Police Commission to facilitate a “first-responder droning program” that will allow for faster response time for Priority One calls. The drones would send live feed information to first responders to assist in their aid.

The mayor also mentioned the efforts to clean up the streets by clearing 250 homeless encampments, cleaning illegal dumping and parked vehicles, and adding new infrastructure to keep streets safe for everyone.

Aside from public safety, Thao celebrated the recent sale of the Oakland Coliseum, which is set to bring in $125 million for the city, $110 million available in this fiscal year.

But this deal is anything but smooth sailing. In recent weeks, questions have risen about the legitimacy of the sale and whether the funds will come in on time so that the city does not have to cut funding to essential public safety departments. The mayor’s team and the buyers have assured the public that all payments will be made when promised and no cuts will be made.

Acknowledgements to the various sports investments did not stop at the Coliseum. The Oakland Ballers moving into Raimondi Park and the Oakland Roots playing at the stadium next season were also points of economic progress for Thao.

The Bay Area will also be home to a new WNBA team, the Valkyries, and will see events from NBA All Stars to the 2026 Super Bowl, and the Men’s Fifa World Cup in the next few years. Thao said she will make sure that Oakland is involved in these key events in order to secure revenue from visiting tourists.

“Our challenges are great, but our people are greater,” Thao said.

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