City Government

City, Oakland Homeless Seek Immediate Solutions to House the Displaced

Published

9 years ago

February 10, 2017

In the angry aftermath of the city’s eviction of a homeless encampment in North Oakland, Councilmember Noel Gallo and Joe DeVries, assistant to the City Administrator, met Wednesday afternoon with a group of homeless and homeless advocates to work on immediate solutions to the crisis that is throwing more and more people out onto the streets.

Known as “The Village” or “The Promised Land,” the small camp had taken over a section of Grove Shafter Park and Martin Luther King Jr. Way on Jan. 21. The camp was torn down last Thursday morning by a contingent of Oakland Police and the city’s Department of Public Works.

There had been five structures at the small camp, built with pallets and plywood and two-by-fours. Sixteen people lived there in tents. The camp also offered services to hundreds of people a week.

Speaking at the Wednesday City Hall meeting, organizer Needa Bee read a prepared statement, blaming DeVries for the destruction of The Promised Land.

“On Monday, Jan. 23, you came to The Promised Land and told volunteers you admired what we were doing,” she said.

“But a few days later, you returned to The Promised Land to supervise the posting of eviction notices. And two days later, you supervised the violent and inhumane demolition of our homes and free, much needed services we offered the community.”

An estimated 2,000 to 4,000 homeless people are living in Oakland, and the numbers are growing rapidly.

DeVries said the city had received dozens of complaints from nearby residents and a 30-day correction letter from Caltrans saying the city was in violation of its lease on the property. Several city departments had also complained about the unapproved encampment.

One of the major issues for Caltrans and the city is liability.

The city has established a staff task force that meets every Friday to come up with recommendations. The task force includes the City Administrator’s Office, Oakland Police Department, Public Works and the Human Services Department.

“We, the city, cannot solve homelessness. We are not the solution. That’s where the community comes in,” said Lara Tannenbaum of the city’s Human Services Department.

She said that not much city land is likely to be available, but the city can find private property and buildings that it can lease.

DeVries and Tannenbaum said immediate winter shelter space is available at 675 San Pablo (at 23rd Street). Shelters are not a solution but can help some people find a warm cot, they said.

Participants in the meeting called on the city to open certain city parks and other vacant land for authorized homeless encampments. They asked the city to take a hands-off approach, allowing the homeless to organize themselves.

They say they want spaces that include sanitary services, wash stations and drinkable water.

Councilmember Gallo told the Post that the city is facing an emergency and must act.

“This the reality: the homeless population is going to continue to grow,” he said.

“We have to hear from the homeless and start to craft ordinances and recommendations of what to do, besides just talking about the emergency.”

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Related Topics:Affordable housing displacement homeless housing Joe DeVries Needa Bee noel gallo Oakland Promised Land The Village

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

3 days ago

March 1, 2026

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Oakland Post: Week of February 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 18 – 24, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

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Bay Area

CITY OF SAN LEANDRO STATE OF CALIFORNIA PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ENGINEERING DIVISION NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III

WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Oakland Post

PROJECT NO. 2020.0050

BID NO. 25-26.011

BID OPENING: The bidder shall complete the “Proposal to the City of San Leandro” form contained in the Contract Book. The proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. Incomplete proposals will be considered non-responsive. Sealed bids containing the completed Proposal Section subject to the conditions named herein and in the specifications for ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III/PROJECT NO. 2020.0050 addressed to the City of San Leandro will be received at City Hall, 835 East 14^th Street, 2^nd Floor San Leandro at the office of the City Clerk up to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at which time they will be publicly opened and read.
WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.
OBTAINING THE PROJECT PLANS AND CONTRACT BOOK: The project plans and Contract Book may be obtained free of charge from the City’s website at:https://www.sanleandro.org/Bids.aspx Bidders who download the plans are encouraged to contact the City of San Leandro Public Works Department Engineering division at 510-577-3428 to be placed on the project planholder’s list to receive courtesy notifications of addenda and other project information. Project addenda, if any, will be posted on the website. A bidder who fails to address all project addenda in its proposal may be deemed non-responsive.Bidders may also purchase the Project Plans and Contract Book from East Bay Blueprint & Supply Co., at 1745 14^th Street, Oakland, CA 94606; Phone Number: (510) 261-2990 or email: ebbp@eastbayblueprint.com.
PRE-BID CONFERENCE: A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM and on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM as follows:
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM
Zoom Meeting ID: 883 8752 6074
Passcode: 502955
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/88387526074?pwd=hZ5rjB8AWdLAUem3CtByFiZxqKarHj.1
And
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM
Zoom Meeting ID: 898 2672 0472
Passcode: 091848
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/89826720472?pwd=JgZX2nXMpLSRM5xDPr7EJUxl7QIznr.1The information presented at the conferences will be identical, all bidders must attend one of the pre-bid conference and sign the attendance sheet. A firm that didn’t attend the pre-bid conference isn’t qualified to bid on the project.Questions regarding the plans and specifications may be submitted in writing to the project engineer until 5:00 p.m. five (5) days before, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, bids must be received by the City. The City will not respond to oral questions outside of the pre-bid conference. The response, if any, will be by written addendum only. Oral responses do not constitute a revision to these plans or specifications.
VALUE OF WORK: The Engineer has estimated that the value of work is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000.
SAN LEANDRO BUSINESS PREFERENCE AND PARTICIPATION GOALS: The work performed under this contract is subject to Section 1-6-225 of the San Leandro Municipal Code regarding local business preference and participation. A list of companies that hold a San Leandro business license is located on the City webpage under the finance department, here: https://www.sanleandro.org/340/Business-License
SAN LEANDRO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENT: The work performed under this contract is subject to the Community Workforce Agreement adopted by City Council Resolution 2015-104. Contractors attention is directed to Section 10.