Community

Effort to Revive Oakland’s Stalled Project to Sell Affordable Homes

Published

12 years ago

September 22, 2013

Concerned housing activists are meeting with the city on how to revive a stalled community land trust designed to create hundreds of affordable houses in Oakland.

Created to great fanfare in 2007, the Urban Strategies Council and other Oakland community-based organizations formed the land trust to provide affordable housing in Oakland.

The Oakland Community Land Trust (OakCLT) was awarded $5.025 million in Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funding from the City of Oakland. By acquiring and rehabilitating vacant foreclosed homes, the program was designed help stabilize struggling Oakland neighborhoods and provide affordable homes.

OakCLT acquired its first bank-owned foreclosure on Olive Street in 2010 and officially launched its Neighborhood Stabilization Program Homeownership Project.

Of the 17 foreclosed homes that OakCLT purchased, five have already been sold and another five have been rehabilitated, and the process of finding qualified buyers is underway.

However, analysts estimate that the program must expand to 200 homes to reach the break-even point to be self-sustaining.

But the program has stalled since interim Executive Director Ann Griffin resigned and the defunded Oakland Redevelopment no longer exists to serve as a platform for first time homebuyers.

These problems have resulted in the agency temporarily coming under HUD scrutiny.

Concerned that speculators continue to dominate Oakland’s housing market, members of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) met recently with Assistant City Administrator Fred Blackwell and Housing Director Michele Byrd to discuss how OakCLT can be revived.

ACCE wants to know why the revolving account was not being utilized to purchase more homes and how the Oakland Housing Counseling “ROOTS” program can be better utilized to find qualified buyers.

Housing Director Byrd acknowledged that the project had stalled with the loss of the board director and the failure to sell homes to qualified buyers, which has resulted in blight issues.

“After four years the program is working more smoothly. We’re getting more banks on board, and HUD is off our backs,” said Byrd.

“With the market coming back, we anticipate more qualified buyers. However, we still need an administrator for the program. Until that happens, we can’t move effectively move forward.”

Faced with the difficulty in reaching OakCLT’s goal of acquiring 200 homes in order to make the program self-sustaining, Byrd said that there would need to be more tours, perhaps by joining with Operation Hope to do more financial counseling.

Acknowledging that the initial $5 million grant was not enough to acquire 200 homes, she said, “We reaching out to banks to donate properties to us. So far Bank of America has donated one home to the Land Trust.

“Also with improvement in the economy, we’re hopeful that we’ll find more qualified buyers,” she said

OakCLT has two additional homes in the process of entering the land trust through a partnership with Youth Employment Partnership (YEP), which is rehabilitating the houses as training opportunities for at-risk youth.

OAKCLT hopes to expand this strategy to bring more permanently affordable homes to Oakland residents while creating career pathways for young adults.

“At a time when Oakland’s flatland neighborhoods are being bought up by investment firms and hedge funds, the land trust is a countervailing tool supporting community ownership and stewardship of homes and land for the benefit of Oakland’s low and moderate income residents,” said Steve King of the Urban Strategies council.

OakCLT anticipates selling all of its existing homes by the end of 2013.

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Oakland Post: Week of November 5 – 11, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 5 – 11, 2025

Published

4 days ago

November 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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Michael: The King of Pop’s Story Returns to the Big Screen

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The curtain has finally lifted on one of Hollywood’s most anticipated films. Lionsgate has unveiled the official trailer and release date for “Michael,” the sweeping biopic about Michael Jackson that has been years in the making.

Published

5 days ago

November 6, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

The curtain has finally lifted on one of Hollywood’s most anticipated films. Lionsgate has unveiled the official trailer and release date for “Michael,” the sweeping biopic about Michael Jackson that has been years in the making. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film will arrive in theaters on April 24, 2026, with the singer’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, stepping into the spotlight to portray his legendary uncle.

The trailer wastes no time rekindling the aura of Jackson’s genius. Opening with a studio scene between Jackson and his longtime producer Quincy Jones, played by Kendrick Sampson, the clip builds from a quiet, familiar rhythm to the electrifying pulse of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” Viewers catch glimpses of the singer’s childhood, flashes of “Thriller,” and the silhouette that redefined pop culture. Each frame reminds fans of why Jackson remains unmatched in artistry and influence. The cast surrounding the late pop king’s nephew, Jaafar Jackson, reads like a who’s who of Black entertainment and music history. Colman Domingo plays Joe Jackson, Nia Long portrays Katherine Jackson, and Larenz Tate takes on the role of Motown founder Berry Gordy. Laura Harrier portrays music executive Suzanne de Passe, while Kat Graham embodies Diana Ross. Miles Teller plays attorney John Branca, a towering entertainment lawyer and longtime Jackson confidant who later became co-executor of his estate. The film’s journey to release has been as complicated as the icon it portrays. Production wrapped in 2024, but legal hurdles over depictions of past controversies forced extensive reshoots and editing delays. Even so, Fuqua’s film now appears ready to reclaim the narrative, focusing on Jackson’s creative ambition and humanity beyond tabloid noise. IndieWire reported that the film had faced “a massive legal snafu” over a disputed storyline but was retooled to center the music and legacy that defined generations.

Maven. Photo Credit: Glen Wilson

“Michael” promises more than a chronological retelling. It aims to explore how a child star from Gary, Indiana, became the world’s most influential entertainer. The script, written by Oscar-nominated John Logan, traces Jackson’s early years with the Jackson 5 through the triumphs and isolation of global superstardom. With Fuqua’s cinematic eye and producer Graham King—who brought “Bohemian Rhapsody” to life—joining forces with estate executors Branca and John McClain, the film is positioned as both a tribute and a restoration of Jackson’s cultural truth. Branca’s work behind the scenes has long shaped Jackson’s posthumous success. After the singer died in 2009, Branca and McClain took control of the estate burdened by debt and turned it into a global powerhouse worth billions. Under their stewardship, Jackson’s projects have generated more than $3 billion in worldwide ticket sales and landmark deals, including a $600 million joint venture with Sony earlier this year. At its heart, though, “Michael” is a story about artistry that transcends scandal. It offers a reminder that, despite the noise surrounding his life, Jackson’s music still bridges continents and generations. The trailer’s closing moments capture that spirit. As the beat of “Billie Jean” swells and Jaafar Jackson moonwalks into a spotlight, audiences are left with a familiar feeling—the awe of witnessing something timeless return home.

“Michael” opens worldwide in theaters April 24, 2026. See the official trailer here.

Stacy M. Brown

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Donald Trump Is the Biggest Loser

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — The Trump Brand took a significant hit as it was swept up in the Democratic blue wave of the election last night.

Published

5 days ago

November 5, 2025

Oakland Post

By April Ryan

The Trump Brand took a significant hit as it was swept up in the Democratic blue wave of the election last night.

Chris Jones, Democratic candidate for U.S. House of Representatives (AR-02), says, “Last night was electric, and it was unquestionably a wave.” Democrats won big in what is widely considered a repudiation of Trump’s 9 months at the White House in his second term.

In the state of Virginia, which produced the first big election night win and saw the election of the first woman governor, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, 56% of Virginia’s residents disapprove of President Trump. In New Jersey, 55% of state residents disapprove of the president; in New York, 69% disapprove; and in California, 63% disapprove of the president. The Trump brand or his support for any candidates did nothing to benefit those he endorsed in this election. They actually lost in each race he publicly put his name behind. Trump endorsed former New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, who lost the New York mayor’s race in his run as an independent. And New Jersey Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who ran for governor with the presidential endorsement, also lost his prospective race.

The next question is, will the democratic momentum be sustainable? Jones further explained, “This can become a 2026 tsunami, but turning a wave into a tsunami takes energy. A lot of energy. It doesn’t just happen. The conditions are there. Now we have to work!”

Some Democrats would argue that the work is already underway. The pushback against Trump’s national redistricting efforts received a thumb in the eye from California voters. Prop 50, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s counterbalance to President Trump’s redistricting efforts, passed in California last night. Although Trump’s name was not on the ballot last night, his Republican policies were. The United States has now entered the longest government shutdown in its history. Forty-two million Americans are not getting SNAP benefits. Economists are acknowledging that the government shutdown is contributing to the rise in delinquent debt in the student loan, automotive, and credit card industries. These items are among the negatives Americans are protesting against.

Compounding Trump’s political problems is a tariff battle that’s directly impacting pocketbooks. The day after the elections, the Trump administration was arguing before the US Supreme Court in favor of the president’s tariff powers. Meanwhile, President Trump‘s poll numbers are underwater, standing at a 37% national disapproval rate