Uncategorized

Laid Off Teacher Fights to Save Home

Published

13 years ago

January 18, 2013

Gaylynne Hudson and supporters celebrate in front of the Wells Fargo Bank branch on Fruitvale Avenue in Oakland after learning the sale of her home has been postponed. Back Row (L to R) Gaylynne Hudson and Ann Colten. Front Row (L to R) Barbara Jean Knox, Marianne Etlinger and Dan Spalding.

By Danielle
Savage

Gaylynne Hudson, a laid off teacher who lives in Oakland, was facing immediate foreclosure of her home. With the help of friends who marched into Wells Fargo Bank, she was able to head off the auction of her house, winning a short-term extension.
She has been struggling to avert foreclosure on her Fruitvale District home since 2010.
Hours before Hudson’s home was scheduled to be auctioned, Hudson and about 25 others on Monday, Jan. 7 entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 3450 Fruitvale Ave. in Oakland.
“We started to call the bank’s manager and the loan representatives on our cell phones. They began to bring police. Then they locked the doors, then they brought more police,” said Jessie Ortiz, former colleague of Hudson’s at the Oakland Unified School District.
“We began to chant songs. By then there were no more customers in the bank – it was just us and the police. We weren’t going to commit any felony, said Ortiz.
“We did get a postponement for a month. We got to speak with somebody quite high up. I think this has kind of made them a bit scared.” Hudson noted.
Wells Fargo spokesperson Mariana Phipps said the bank’s mortgage division was looking into Hudson’s case.
“They haven’t been following the law,” said Hudson, referring to the Homeowner’s Bill of Rights, which went into to effect Jan. 1, only six days before the scheduled auction of Hudson’s home.
The new Homeowner’s Bill of Rights is a set of laws, backed by Attorney General Kamala Harris, that tries to halt mortgage fraud, prevent arbitrary evictions and ensure fair lending and borrowing practices for homeowners.
“The bank has been trying to sell my house for eight months. I made payments on time until I lost my job, and I have done everything I can,” she said. “There is not really any human element. The system is so complex that you can’t even figure it out,” she continued.
Hudson said she had been in a forbearance agreement with Wells Fargo—under which she made payments towards her mortgage—for six months, and once the agreement expired, she requested a new application package.
While negotiating for a renewal of her payment agreement with Wells Fargo, Hudson said she has also had to deal with collection agencies and law firms acting on behalf of the bank.
“This is about people being forced out of their own homes,” said Hudson. “I’m going to continue to fight not just for myself but for other people.”
Hudson has been supported by Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) in Oakland, which can be contacted at (510) 269-4692.

Oakland Post

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Uncategorized

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

6 months ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Special to The Post

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department (Oakland HCD) announced its awardees for the 2024-2025 New Construction of Multifamily Affordable Housing Notice of Funding Availability (New Construction NOFA) today Five permanently affordable housing developments received awards out of 24 applications received by the Department, with award amounts ranging from $7 million to $28 million.

In a statement released on Jan. 16, Oakland’s HCD stated, “Five New Construction Multifamily Affordable Housing Development projects awarded a total of $80.5 million to develop 583 affordable rental homes throughout Oakland. Awardees will leverage the City’s investments to apply for funding from the state and private entities.”

In December, the office of Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 City Councilmember, worked with HCD to allocate an additional $10 Million from Measure U to the funding pool. The legislation also readopted various capital improvement projects including street paving and upgrades to public facilities.

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is the media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Oakland Housing and Community Development Department Awards $80.5 Million to Affordable Housing Developments

Published

10 months ago

January 30, 2025

Oakland Post

Rebecca Kaplan, interim District 2 city councilmember. File photo.

Special to The Post

The following Oakland affordable housing developments have been awarded in the current round:

Mandela Station Affordable

238 Affordable Units including 60 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $15 million + previously awarded $18 million
Developer: Mandela Station LP (Pacific West Communities, Inc. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance, LLC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 1451 7th St.

Liberation Park Residences

118 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $28 million
Developer: Eden Housing and Black Cultural Zone
City Council District: 6
Address: 7101 Foothill Blvd.

34th & San Pablo

59 Affordable Units including 30 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $7 million
Developer: 34SP Development LP (EBALDC)
City Council District: 3
Address: 3419-3431 San Pablo Ave.

The Eliza

96 Affordable Units, including 20 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $20 million
Developer: Mercy Housing California
City Council District: 3
Address: 2125 Telegraph Ave.

3135 San Pablo

72 Affordable Units including 36 dedicated for Homeless/Special Needs
Award: $10.5 million
Developer: SAHA and St. Mary’s Center
City Council District: 3
Address: 3515 San Pablo Ave.

The source of this story is media reltations office of District 2 City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Acquisition Company’s Acquisition of County’s Interest in Coliseum Property on the Verge of Completion

The Board of Supervisors is committed to closing the deal expeditiously, and County staff have worked tirelessly to move the deal forward on mutually agreeable terms. The parties are down to the final details and, with the cooperation of OAC and Coliseum Way Partners, LLC, the Board will take a public vote at an upcoming meeting to seal this transaction.

Published

11 months ago

January 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Alameda County Board of Supervisors Chairman David Haubert. Official photo.

Special to The Post

The County of Alameda announced this week that a deal allowing the Oakland Acquisition Company, LLC, (“OAC”) to acquire the County’s 50% undivided interest in the Oakland- Alameda County Coliseum complex is in the final stages of completion.

Oakland has already finalized a purchase and sale agreement with OAC for its interest in the property. OAC’s acquisition of the County’s property interest will achieve two longstanding goals of the County:

The Oakland-Alameda Coliseum complex will finally be under the control of a sole owner with capacity to make unilateral decisions regarding the property; and
The County will be out of the sports and entertainment business, free to focus and rededicate resources to its core safety net

In an October 2024 press release from the City of Oakland, the former Oakland mayor described the sale of its 50% interest in the property as an “historic achievement” stating that the transaction will “continue to pay dividends for generations to come.”

The Board of Supervisors is pleased to facilitate single-entity ownership of this property uniquely centered in a corridor of East Oakland that has amazing potential.

“The County is committed to bringing its negotiations with OAC to a close,” said Board President David Haubert.