Housing

Nuisance Eviction Ordinance changes regarding sex workers upset advocacy groups

Sex worker advocacy groups in the Bay Area have taken to social media and traditional media methods to express their outrage over Oakland’s recent updates to an existing “nuisance eviction ordinance” for housing. Advocates believe that the newest addition will allow landlords to unfairly evict those who are voluntarily working as sex workers in commercial and residential spaces. Oakland’s city council unanimously voted on October 21 to amend an existing eviction ordinance—originally instated in 2004—to allow landlords and/or the city…

Tenant protection ordinance passes at Oakland’s city council meeting

“Hey hey, ho ho, it’s time to pass the TPO!” The chant rang out in front of Oakland City Hall, inside the building itself, and in the city council chambers as marchers in support of the Tenant Protection Ordinance made their way to Tuesday night’s council meeting. At the council’s final meeting before the November election, they considered the Tenant Protection Ordinance, passed another ordinance that will protect unaccompanied minors at risk of deportation, and discussed updates on the Coliseum…

Uptown named one of the “Great Places in America”

The American Planning Association recognized Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood as one of the “Great Places in America” in a ceremony yesterday. In the warm afternoon sun, APA Board of Directors member Kurt Christiansen and Hing H. Wong, president-elect of the organization’s California chapter, lauded the neighborhood’s homegrown artistry, entrepreneurialism and diversity. They also praised its revitalizing planning efforts, which have been 15 years in the making. “As a teenager, I lived less than a mile from this location and have seen…