Oakland’s mayor has faced one nightmare after another, from a devastating hacker attack to a shocking FBI raid. How did Thao become the most embattled mayor in Oakland history?
Author Archives: Natalie Orenstein
Natalie Orenstein covers housing and homelessness for The Oaklandside. She was previously on staff at Berkeleyside, where her extensive reporting on the legacy of school desegregation received recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists NorCal and the Education Writers Association. Natalie’s reporting has also appeared in The J Weekly, The San Francisco Chronicle and elsewhere, and she’s written about public policy for a number of research institutes and think tanks. Natalie lives in Oakland, grew up in Berkeley, and has only left her beloved East Bay once, to attend Pomona College.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Cities can punish homeless people for sleeping outside, Supreme Court rules
The Grants Pass v. Johnson decision upholds an Oregon city’s outdoor sleeping ban. It’s unclear if it will change Oakland’s approach to the homelessness crisis.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
$20 billion in new funding for Bay Area housing will be on November ballot
Voters will decide on an unprecedented bond to build and preserve affordable housing in the region. Oakland could get $720M if it passes.
Posted inCity Hall
Kings of trash: How the Duongs built a business empire in Oakland
The family at the center of an FBI investigation has spent decades collecting cardboard and local politicians.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Why has housing construction slowed to a snail’s pace in Oakland?
From building costs to crime concerns, developers explain why the cranes are gone.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
‘Pro-housing’ advocates take reins of small but powerful Rockridge group
A Rockridge Community Planning Council election saw a decisive victory for a group focused on building up the affluent area. Their opponents say they want housing too—but not at any cost.
Posted inHealth & Environment
Are Oakland hills homeowners willing to pay a tax for fire prevention?
Voters might be asked in November to resurrect a special fund to pay for brush clearing and boosted fire patrols.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland closed 537 homeless camps in 3 years. 1,500 remain
The first review of the city’s controversial 2020 encampment policy shows a massive gulf between the number of unhoused residents and available shelter.
Posted inNosh Features
Meet the Oakland grandma teaching authentic Cambodian cooking on TikTok
A survivor of the Khmer Rouge, Sovanna Chan raised her family in East Oakland, where she and her husband own a donut shop. In recent years, she’s also found stardom on social media.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
East Oakland renters sue landlord after fire left them without electricity
Expenses have piled up and renters say they’re breathing fumes from a generator. The property owner says he’s doing everything he can to fix the problem.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Housing construction slowed in Oakland in 2023
Homebuilding reached an eight-year low in the city. Officials say new funding sources and project proposals could revive the market in 2024.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Brooklyn Basin: More homes or a bigger park?
Developers say it makes sense to build 90 homes on a waterfront property set to become green space. Estuary Park advocates are incensed.
Posted inCity Hall
California attorney general orders nonprofit Neighbors Together Oakland to cease ‘all operations’
Founded by activist Seneca Scott, the group wants to be the “most powerful voting bloc in Oakland.” A nonprofit law expert called the violations “pretty serious.”
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Homelessness grew 9% in Oakland—but it’s slowing down
5,490 people are living in the city without a permanent home. Officials say new shelters and services are helping.
Posted inNosh Features
‘Battle after battle’ for a North Oakland meal program modeled on the Black Panthers
The Self-Help Hunger Program has served food to the people for 15 years. From bureaucracy to neighborhood concerns, it hasn’t always been easy.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland’s Jack London Inn is becoming a homeless shelter
The Lake Merritt Lodge, a COVID-era shelter, is closing. But using a $6.8 million grant, the city plans to move its residents to Jack London Square.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Water, trash, PG&E: Who’s responsible for paying utilities in Oakland rentals?
Laws regarding utility bills can leave tenants and landlords with questions. We have some answers.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
California homeowners took out hefty loans. They say contractors fled with the money
Over 100 families protested at the Oakland offices of Solar Mosaic, a lender they say took advantage of them.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Affordable housing breaks ground by Lake Merritt after a decade of ‘twists and turns’
The city-owned E. 12th Street lot has been the site of a homeless camp, a shelter, and ill-fated plans for a market-rate tower.
Posted inHousing & Homelessness
Oakland Home Histories: Borrowing from the future in the Lower Bottoms
A new homeowner’s family has been in West Oakland for three generations. The Italianate house he’s renovating has been there even longer.
