Bay Area
State Sen. Nancy Skinner Alerts Voters on COVID-19 Relief for Renters
As chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, I’m proud to report that the state Legislature, with assistance from the federal government, has now authorized financial relief for both tenants and landlords. Eligible renters and landlords in Contra Costa County and most of Alameda County can apply now for that assistance and will be able to soon if they live or own property in Oakland.

District 9 State Senator Nancy Skinner wrote a letter to constituents on the relief now available for rental payments to help landlords and tenants. The text of the letter is below.
Dear Constituent,
The economic impacts of COVID-19 have made it difficult for millions of Californians to afford their rent payments. In fact, without local, state, and federal action barring evictions, untold numbers of Californians may have faced eviction.
As chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, I’m proud to report that the state Legislature, with assistance from the federal government, has now authorized financial relief for both tenants and landlords. Eligible renters and landlords in Contra Costa County and most of Alameda County can apply now for that assistance and will be able to soon if they live or own property in Oakland.
Senate Bill 91, approved earlier this year by the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom, greenlights the distribution of $2.6 billion in federal funding for rental assistance to ensure that low-income California tenants who were unable to pay all or part of their rent over the past year may have their entire rental debt erased, and their landlords will be able to receive 80% of what is owed in back rent.
Here is how tenants and landlords impacted by the pandemic can apply for relief in Contra Costa and Alameda counties and in the city of Oakland:
Alameda County
- Alameda County has launched its own renter-landlord relief program, Alameda County Housing Secure. Alameda County’s program mirrors the Housing is Key program in how it works, although it prioritizes very low-income residents and small landlords who depend heavily on their income from a rental property.
- Tenants and landlords in Alameda County are able to apply for relief using Alameda County Housing Secure – NOTE: renters who live and landlords who own property in Oakland must apply to the City of Oakland’s program (see description below for application process).
Contra Costa County
Contra Costa is using Housing Is Key, the state-run program for tenant-landlord relief.
Here are the key components of Housing Is Key:
- Landlords owed back rent because their COVID-impacted tenants were unable to pay full rent since last year must fill out an application on the Housing Is Key website.
- Renters who were unable to pay their full rent since last year must also apply on Housing Is Key.
- Once both the landlord and tenant have applied and met the criteria under the Housing Is Key program, landlords will be paid by the state 80% of the back rent they’re owed from March 2020 through April 2021 (based on the availability of funding).
- Eligible renters will have the rental debt they accumulated from March 2020 to April 2021 erased and be protected from eviction through June 30, 2021, as long as the renter pays at least 25% of their rent each month in April, May, and June 2021.
- Depending on the availability of funding, renters who are accepted into the program will be reimbursed for up to 25% of their rent for the months of April, May, and June.
- Funding under SB 91 will be prioritized for low-income tenants, based on their 2020 earnings or their monthly household income at the time of the application. All renters who have been unable to pay some or all of their rent in the past year are encouraged to apply.
- Renters of landlords who decline to participate in the program can still be eligible for the rental assistance dating back to April of last year. To obtain this assistance, the renter must submit their application to Housing Is Key website and must pay at least 25% of their monthly rent for April 2020 through June 2021 to be protected from eviction through June 30.
- Landlords may not apply a tenant’s security deposit to cover the rental debt, cannot charge late fees, and may not take legal action to seek recovery of COVID-related rental debt until July 1.
Oakland
- Starting soon, Oakland tenants and landlords who own property in Oakland will also be able to apply through the state program Housing Is Key, as laid out above.
- Oakland tenants whose landlords do not apply to Housing is Key, may still receive rental assistance through the City of Oakland’s own program Keep Oakland Housed. Applications under Keep Oakland Housed rental assistance funding are scheduled to be available beginning April 1. Keep Oakland Housed is a rental assistance program designed for very low-income tenants and is not limited to the rules detailed in the description of Housing is Key listed above.
As a reminder, here in the East Bay, all tenants who have been unable to pay their full rent due to the pandemic, regardless of whether they meet the income eligibility requirement for the rental assistance described above, are protected from eviction thanks to bans enacted by both Alameda and Contra Costa counties.
Alameda County’s ban on evictions impacted by the pandemic remains in effect until 60 days after the county’s health emergency is lifted. That health emergency is in effect indefinitely. Contra Costa County’s eviction ban extends until June 30. NOTE: the eviction ban only covers inability to pay due to the pandemic and not other actions that would otherwise qualify for a just cause eviction.
Also, for homeowners, Biden recently announced the extension of the nationwide ban on foreclosures through June 30. Biden’s order also extended the enrollment window for mortgage payment forbearance until June 30.
I hope you find this information helpful. It’s an honor to serve you in the state Senate.
Sincerely,
Nancy Skinner
State Senator, District 9
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.
Activism
Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces
It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans
Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.
It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.
As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.
At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.
Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.
Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.
Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.
This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.
Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.
Activism
OPINION: California’s Legislature Has the Wrong Prescription for the Affordability Crisis — Gov. Newsom’s Plan Hits the Mark
Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.

By Rev. Dr. Lawrence E. VanHook
As a pastor and East Bay resident, I see firsthand how my community struggles with the rising cost of everyday living. A fellow pastor in Oakland recently told me he cuts his pills in half to make them last longer because of the crushing costs of drugs.
Meanwhile, community members are contending with skyrocketing grocery prices and a lack of affordable healthcare options, while businesses are being forced to close their doors.
Our community is hurting. Things have to change.
The most pressing issue that demands our leaders’ attention is rising healthcare costs, and particularly the rising cost of medications. Annual prescription drug costs in California have spiked by nearly 50% since 2018, from $9.1 billion to $13.6 billion.
Last month, Gov. Newsom included measures in his budget that would encourage greater transparency, accountability, and affordability across the prescription drug supply chain. His plan would deliver real relief to struggling Californians. It would also help expose the hidden markups and practices by big drug companies that push the prices of prescription drugs higher and higher. The legislature should follow the Governor’s lead and embrace sensible, fair regulations that will not raise the cost of medications.
Some lawmakers, however, have advanced legislation that would drive up healthcare costs and set communities like mine back further.
I’m particularly concerned with Senate Bill (SB) 41, sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), a carbon copy of a 2024 bill that I strongly opposed and Gov. Newsom rightly vetoed. This bill would impose significant healthcare costs on patients, small businesses, and working families, while allowing big drug companies to increase their profits.
SB 41 would impose a new $10.05 pharmacy fee for every prescription filled in California. This new fee, which would apply to millions of Californians, is roughly five times higher than the current average of $2.
For example, a Bay Area family with five monthly prescriptions would be forced to shoulder about $500 more in annual health costs. If a small business covers 25 employees, each with four prescription fills per month (the national average), that would add nearly $10,000 per year in health care costs.
This bill would also restrict how health plan sponsors — like employers, unions, state plans, Medicare, and Medicaid — partner with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to negotiate against big drug companies and deliver the lowest possible costs for employees and members. By mandating a flat fee for pharmacy benefit services, this misguided legislation would undercut your health plan’s ability to drive down costs while handing more profits to pharmaceutical manufacturers.
This bill would also endanger patients by eliminating safety requirements for pharmacies that dispense complex and costly specialty medications. Additionally, it would restrict home delivery for prescriptions, a convenient and affordable service that many families rely on.
Instead of repeating the same tired plan laid out in the big pharma-backed playbook, lawmakers should embrace Newsom’s transparency-first approach and prioritize our communities.
Let’s urge our state legislators to reject policies like SB 41 that would make a difficult situation even worse for communities like ours.
About the Author
Rev. Dr. VanHook is the founder and pastor of The Community Church in Oakland and the founder of The Charis House, a re-entry facility for men recovering from alcohol and drug abuse.
-
Activism4 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025
-
#NNPA BlackPress2 weeks ago
It Just Got Even Better 2026 Toyota RAV4 AWD GR Sport Walkaround
-
Activism3 weeks ago
Remembering George Floyd
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
WATCH: Five Years After George Floyd: Full Panel Discussion | Tracey’s Keepin’ It Real | Live Podcast Event
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
PRESS ROOM: Black Leaders Detroit Launches 1,600-mile Ride for Equity to Raise Awareness, Funding for Entrepreneurs of African Descent
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
Remembering George Floyd
-
#NNPA BlackPress4 weeks ago
Court Fight Begins Over Trump’s Destruction of AmeriCorps