Calendar

Speak Up Speak Out! We Want Public Lands for 100% Public Use *
* Hands Off East Oakland! Don’t Sell Our Land to Market Rate Developers *
* Build Housing Affordable to Oakland’s Unhoused Now *
* Use Public Funds to Prevent Displacement NOT Facilitate Tenant Evictions! * 

DID YOU KNOW?

• There are close to 50 publicly owned vacant or underutilized parcels in Oakland that the City of Oakland had deemed were suitable for housing development?  These 50 parcels could produce over 7,300 new housing units IF the City stops prioritizing market rate development over affordable housing!
• As of December 2017, there are over 20,000 market rate housing units that the City of Oakland has approved that are under construction or in the pipeline, compared to less than 1,500 affordable units.
• That the City Council in June 2017 allocated $2.2 million to prevent displacement and homelessness of low-income homeowners and tenants?  Councilmember McElhaney now wants to use $300,000 of those funds to pay landlords who are evicting tenants!

We are DEMANDING that Oakland’s Community & Economic Development Committee (CED) ADOPT:

• A resolution approving a 180-day moratorium on the sale of public land. No public lands can be sold or leased for 180 days.
• A public lands policy that is for 100% public use that includes affordable housing options for no to low income residents and the working poor in Oakland facing displacement and homelessness.

We are DEMANDING that Oakland’s Community & Economic Development Committee (CED) DOES NOT:

• Take $300,000 of Anti-Displacement Funds AWAY FROM low income homeowners and tenants and instead GIVE to The Hardship Payment Schedule Program for Landlords Evicting Tenants. This resolution is proposing that $300,000 goes towards funding lower income landlords who are required to pay tenant relocation when they are evicting even lower income residents! Ask CED to VOTE NO on this proposed resolution.

How you can HELP:

• Attend and speak at the Community & Economic Development Committee (CED) on Tuesday, June 26, 2018, 1:00 PM, City Council Chamber, 3rd Floor. View the CED agenda for June 26, here.
• Can’t attend? Submit eComments! Click on the eComment link on the top of the webpage to comment on the following agenda items: (Item 3)  18-0522 Subject: Receive A Report On The Public Lands Policy Process And Analysis. (Item 4) 18-0533 Subject: Resolution Approving A Moratorium On The Sale Of Public Land. (Item 5)  18-0663 Subject: Hardship Payment Schedule For Lower Income Homeowners (BUT REALLY LANDLORDS!)
• Email and/or call the CED members and demand that we want public lands for 100% public use and don’t want anti-displacement funds used to help landlords evict tenants:

            President Reid, District 7
Email: lreid@oaklandnet.com
Phone: (510) 238-7007

Lynette Gibson McElhaney, District 3
Email: LMcElhaney@oaklandnet.com
Phone: (510) 238-7003

Noel Gallo, District 5
Email: Ngallo@oaklandnet.com
Phone: (510) 238-7005

CED Chairperson: Vice Mayor Annie Campbell Washington, District 4
Email: ACampbellWashington@oaklandnet.com
Phone: (510) 238-7004

Feel free to copy/paste and/or edit the following text when emailing the CED members:

I am writing to demand that the City of Oakland and administration use public lands for 100% public good and use. It it is time to end the prioritization of market rate development in Oakland. (RE: Agenda Item 4) This Tuesday, VOTE YES on a resolution approving a 180-day moratorium on the sale of public land. (RE: Agenda Item 3) This Tuesday, VOTE YES on a public lands policy that is for 100% public use that includes affordable housing options for no to low income residents and the working poor in Oakland facing displacement and homelessness. (RE: Agenda Item 5) This Tuesday, VOTE NO on the proposed resolution to take $300,000 of anti-displacement funds AWAY FROM low income homeowners and tenants and instead GIVE to the hardship payment schedule program for landlords evicting tenants.

Stand up for the people this Tuesday, June 26.

Please join Our Rev East Bay Tuesday, June 26 for a special evening with Jovanka Beckles and Gayle McLaughlin. Pizza and beverages are provided

The Finnish Hall, 1970 Chestnut St, Berkeleyhttps://t.co/zWba20Qk7m@JovankaBeckles @GayleforCA @OurRevEastBay pic.twitter.com/TiJPjWlpPH

— NorCal4OurRevolution (@NorCal4Bernie) June 23, 2018

                                        With Boona Cheema and Steve Barton


Stephen E. Barton, PhD is a long-time consultant to the Rent Stabilization Board, former Housing Director of the City of Berkeley, and an independent researcher/writer in evolutionary economics and community-based democracy. His analysis of rapidly rising rents in Berkeley led to passage of Measure U1 in 2016, increasing business license fees for commercial landlords, and providing the basis of the $100 Housing Bond on the ballot this November.

Boona Cheema is a recognized social justice pioneer, a Unitarian minister and founder/Executive Director (retired) of Better Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency. For 40 years, she, and BOSS, continue working with people experiencing poverty, disability, and the lack of affordable housing in Berkeley and Alameda County, providing jobs, shelter, and respectful aid while addressing root causes and solutions.

Bay Area: We're hosting a community forum with @CAIRSFBA & @aaaj_alc on Thursday to discuss the impact of today's #MuslimBan decision. All who wish to gather in the spirit of solidarity and support are welcome. RSVP at https://t.co/TmjVYpTTNS #StandWithMuslims #NoMuslimBanEver pic.twitter.com/ZFQ5kTOWZ8

— ACLU of Northern CA (@ACLU_NorCal) June 26, 2018

Our People’s Assembly will focus on cleaning up our air, water and streets. A greedy developer is trying to force a dangerously polluting coal terminal on West Oakland, and Libby Schaaf has failed to stop him. The streets and parks in East and West Oakland are covered in trash, while the Hills where Libby lives are sparkling clean thanks to unequal distribution of public resources. Oakland communities are suffering from rampant, unchecked environmental injustice. Join us to dream about an Oakland where everyone, especially our children, have access to clean, safe drinking water and air, and our streets are clean and free of illegal dumping.

Join the East Bay DSA’s Labor Committee for their regular Beer and Roses Social! Hang out with other members who are interested in getting involved in the labor movement, and hear from fellow East Bay DSA members about their experience at this spring’s national Labor Notes conference. (show less)

All Eyes on The Sheriff Mobilization  from 12-2pm. The action outside will be at 12pm and we will head into the board chambers at 1pm.

Did you know that in the past 10 years the Alameda County jail population has decreased by half, but the sheriff’s budget keeps increasing? The Ella Baker Center and our allies are calling for an audit of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department because taxpayers deserve to know how our money is being wasted. The county supervisors will be voting to adopt the Alameda County’s $3.1 billion budget on Friday and we will be there to demand sheriff accountability and budget transparency!

The CAO just submitted a $3.1 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 18-19 to the Board. The BOS will be voting to adopt a final budget on June 29th. We are turning up to make our concerns heard by both Supervisors and media and expose the sheriff’s wasteful spending.

We’ll be making beautiful works of art, including posters, banners, etc, for the Abolish ICE protest (https://www.facebook.com/events/453365915091309/) on Saturday, June 30! A few spoken word artists will also be organizing pop up performances. We’ll have pizza, music and some supplies will be provided but please bring your own supplies if you have any. This is a family-friendly event for all folks who want to contribute.

Know Your Rights training! Saturday June 30, 11a – 2p. 2022 Blake Street, Berkeley. Learn how to protect yourself and your community from the police by asserting your rights. pic.twitter.com/ITB07ScrqQ

— Berkeley Copwatch (@Copwatch411) June 20, 2018

HOMELESS: A documentary film by internationally renowned writer & scholar Dr Samar Habib, exposing the state emergency crisis of homelessness in Berkeley & Oakland. Plus a documentary collage of information, interviews and stills from the Berkeley Emergency Storm Shelter at 9th & University.

Dr. Habib will introduce the film and be on hand to answer questions. There will be a homemade meal from the Fabulous Chefs at Consider the Homeless.

The housing crisis in the Bay Area and beyond is a wholly preventable disaster, created and maintained by the notion that housing is a commodity and not a human right.

On Saturday, June 30, join us in the campaign for the Affordable Housing Act — a proposed ballot initiative that that will give our cities and counties the power to adopt rent control necessary to address the state’s housing affordability crisis by repealing the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act.

The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act upholds landlord interests, and – in tandem with the housing crisis – has deeply exacerbated social disparities, displaced longtime communities, driven homelessness, and dealt a blow to working class power by making housing ever more insecure and inaccessible.

Come learn more about repealing Costa-Hawkins and then we’ll hit the streets to talk with our neighbors about housing justice and the Affordable Housing Act!

RSVP here: https://www.eastbaydsa.org/event-canvass-2018-06-30-canvass-for-housing-justice-in-south-berkeley

Alena Museum presents artist activism event on gentrification. We will gather the creative voices and collective power of our community and allies to demonstrate and speak out against the private investors, developers, and politicians who are set out to broaden the gap of wealth at the expense of the people. We will share with you our plans moving forward and how the community can be involved in that process. Displacing the community will not be a silent fight. Stand up for you, your family, your neighbors, and your community as we are witnessing gentrification destroying the cultural fabric of Oakland.

We document current events, make films together, steward an editing suite and share a film equipment library. We also host film screenings, often with local directors, and put on an annual short film festival for independent Bay Area filmmakers. Our goal is to make the digital filmmaking accessible – no overpriced college degree or certificate program required!

We are also a good group to reach out to if you’d like to screen a film at the Omni. We can be reached at liberatedlens@lists.riseup.net

We usually meet in the basement, unless otherwise noted.

We are hosting People’s Assemblies on everything from public safety to education. Together we will imagine an Oakland with housing security, true public safety, sanctuary for all, and create a plan to get us there.

This People’s Assembly will focus on Native communities and the struggle for Native sovereignty and land reclamation. Join us to talk about Red/Black Liberation on the day before the Farce of July.

This is it. Saturday, July 7 is the FINAL DAY we have to collect enough signatures to get Our City Our Home on the ballot.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Our City Our Home:

This measure would provide $300 million of resources for affordable housing, mental health care and other services needed to house our homeless residents and protect all those who are vulnerable to eviction and displacement. We can finally make homelessness as we know it a thing of the past in San Francisco, and be a model for the rest of the country.

We ask you to INVITE YOUR FACEBOOK COMMUNITY to join this urgent effort by volunteering on Saturday! We need volunteers for a variety of roles, especially signature gatherers. Call Ben at 415 674 6080 for details!

Street Fair.

Oakland First Fridays brings you “Art Of D.I.Y.,”

When we think about Independence Day what usually comes to mind is freedom, but we rarely talk about the formation of something new. Banding together, the United States was a do-it-yourself movement. You can be free, but what are you doing with your freedom? As we reflect on independence this month, we are reminded of all the artists who make works from scratch, highlighting those who do-it-themselves.

Occupella will be having a Black Lives Matter/Stand With the Vulnerable sing at Fruitvale BART Friday, July 6th from 5:15-6:15.