Oakland City Council
November 1, 2022

APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY ________________________ CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S. INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER CARROLL FIFE RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO (1) EXPAND ACCESS TO THE EXISTING BEACH STREET HOMELESS INTERVENTION SITE (CALTRANS LEASE AREA 04-ALA-580-38 & 39) FOR ALL VEHICLE TYPES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, TRUCKS AND VANS AND IDENTIFY THE NECESSARY FUNDS TO SERVICE THE SITE; AND (2) NEGOTIATE A LEASE AGREEMENT WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CALTRANS) TO ESTABLISH A NEW HOMELESS INTERVENTION SITE ON CALTRANS RIGHT OF WAY PARCELS LOCATED NORTH OF 34TH STREET ON MANDELA PARKWAY AND IDENTIFY THE NECESSARY FUNDS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS TO SERVICE THE SITE WHEREAS, the Wood Street encampment located in West Oakland is the largest encampment in our City; and WHEREAS, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) began evicting unhoused persons from the Wood Street Encampment on their right of way on September 9, 2022; and WHEREAS, the large-scale removal of people from the Wood Street encampment has spurred a humanitarian crisis that has placed many unhoused individuals in an even more precarious position; and WHEREAS, in May 2019 the City executed a lease agreement with Caltrans for the freeway lease area located between Mandela Parkway and Beach Street (04-ALA-580-38 & 39) for a monthly rent of $1.00 and annual $500 administration fee for a one year term with two 1-year extensions until April 30, 2022, and on a month to month basis thereafter, pursuant to California Streets and Highway Code Section 104.24 and Resolution No. 87403 C.M.S. utilizing Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP) funding to operate the Beach Street Safe RV Parking Site (Beach Street) located at 3499 Beach Street beginning in September, 2019; and WHEREAS, on March 1, 2022, the City awarded a professional services agreement to Operation Dignity in an amount not to exceed $200,000 to operate the Beach Street Safe RV 2 Parking Site (Beach Street) for 17 Recreational Vehicles (RVs) for a grant term of July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, pursuant to Resolution No. 89057 C.M.S.; and WHEREAS, in response to the Wood Street evictions and the subsequent evictions from surrounding parcels, the City has reactivated Beach Street, pursuant to its existing month to month lease with Caltrans and an emergency agreement with a service provider to manage and provide security at the site, allowing RVs to move on to the lot starting October 12, 2022; and WHEREAS, the cost for services for approximately 18 RVs at Beach Street is an estimated $500,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year; and WHEREAS, unhoused persons with vehicles other than RVs have been denied access to the Beach Street lot; and WHEREAS, those turned away are forced to scatter throughout West Oakland and are occupying whatever space they can; and WHEREAS, many homeless individuals reside in cars, vans, and trucks and limiting homeless interventions to RV-dwellers perpetuates inequity in our approach to addressing homelessness; and WHEREAS, the Council finds that the City of Oakland must work to ensure as many displaced unhoused individuals as possible have a safe space to be and that requires that homeless intervention sites not be limited by vehicle type; and WHEREAS, the City must identify the necessary funds to provide services at Beach Street for both RVs and other motor vehicles; and WHEREAS, the Beach Street site is limited in space and other sites need to be activated to meet the level of need; and WHEREAS, in addition to Beach Street, Caltrans owns a large parcel on Mandela Parkway, north of 34th Street, that can serve as a new homeless intervention site; and WHEREAS, at the October 18, 2022, Special City Council meeting the City Administrator reported that Caltrans is willing to make the site available to the City pursuant to a new lease agreement, pending the necessary approvals from Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration; and WHEREAS, the City estimates that this new potential site on Mandela Parkway, north of 34th Street, can accommodate 60-75 RVs and other vehicles and can serve up to 100 households; and WHEREAS, the City must identify funds to enter into a new professional services agreement with a service provider to manage and provide security at the site at an estimated cost of $650,000 for the remainder of the fiscal year; and 3 WHEREAS, 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; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED: That the City Council directs the City Administrator to expand access to the Beach Street homeless intervention site and allow unhoused persons in all vehicle types, including but not limited to, trucks and vans on to the parcel and identify the necessary funds to provide expanded services at the site; and be it FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council directs the City Administrator to pursue negotiations for a new lease agreement with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to establish a homeless intervention on Caltrans right of way parcel(s) located on Mandela Parkway north of 34th Street and identify the necessary funds and service provider to establish and service the site. IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE: AYES - FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS NOES – ABSENT – ABSTENTION – ATTEST: ASHA REED City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the City of Oakland, California