CITY OF OAKLAND
CITY HALL • 1 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA • OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94612
City Council
November 1, 2022
1 Date: October 20, 2022
To: Members of City Council and Members of the Public
From: Councilmember Fife
Re: Beach Street And Mandela Parkway Unhoused Interventions
Dear Colleagues and Members of the Public,
The lar ge-scale evictions of unhoused individuals from the Wood Street encampment by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) over the past several weeks has intensified Oakland’s humanitarian crisis of homelessness and has placed many unhoused individuals in an even more precarious position.
In response to these evictions, in addition to the subsequent evictions from surrounding parcels, the City reactivated the lease agreement with Caltrans to utilize the Beach Street parcel, allowing people in Recreation Vehicles (RVs) to move onto the lot starting on October 12, 2022. However, unhoused persons with vehicles other than RVs have been denied access to the Beach Street lot.
This has led to those denied access looking for other public and private spaces to occupy throughout West Oakland. The proposed resolution seeks to lift this restriction to allow all vehicle types access to the Beach Street site to serve individuals displaced from Wood Street. Many homeless individuals reside in cars, vans, and trucks and limiting homeless interventions to RV- dwellers perpetuates inequity in our approach to addressing homelessness, particularly with regards to the current emergency we are facing.
Additionally, with the understanding that the Beach Street parcel is very limited in space, this resolution also directs the City Administrator to pursue an agreement with Caltrans to establish a homeless intervention on Caltrans right of way located on Mandela Parkway, n orth of 34th Street and identify and secure the necessary funds for establishing the site and providing services.
It is estimated that this new potential site can accommodate 60 -75 vehicles and can serve up to 100 households.
The emergency created by the Wood Street evictions and the overall growing crisis of homelessness in our City, particularly in District 3, requires us to expand existing interventions as well as explore new options. I respectfully request your support for this resolution.
Sincerely,
Councilmember Carroll Fife