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Hopes Dashed For Oakland Affordable Housing
Big Monied Interests Squash Proposals To
Fund Future Affordable Housing For Oakland.
Fund Future Affordable Housing For Oakland.
Hopes Dashed For Oakland Affordable Housing
By Lynda Carson 11/04/01
Oakland,Ca-Under the radar of this Nations concerns over terrorism, last Tuesday, October 30th 2001, the Oakland City Council (a.k.a. the Imperial Court)
was again corrupted by bankers, developers, and big labor, in their bid to block efforts of creating more affordable housing units in Oakland. After 2 years of negotiations to find a way to come up with funds for affordable housing, including a Task Force of Jane Brunners, and a years worth of staff research in creating a plan called the Nexus Study, it was finally ready to be unveiled to the public and voted upon by the full City Council. After all that work, it took Councilman (tricky) Dick Spees less than five minutes to rip the Nexus Study to shreds in an effort to please the interests opposed to the affordable housing plan that was before them, known as Agenda Item 14-B the Housing Nexus Study.
Before the final vote it took nearly an hour for all the interested parties to state their case and make argument for or against the agenda Item 14-B. There
were the poor, the disabled, the organizers for the non-profit Housing Organizations such as E.B.A.L.D.C. and E.B.H.O, the Sierra Club joined in, the Clergy Caucus and the Oakland Coalition of Congregations, all supported the Nexus Study proposals. The Nexus Study determined that if a $6.00 per square foot linkage fee was tacked onto new commercial developments being created in Oakland, that the funds could be set aside as an annual resource of $18 Million per year or more to be used to build affordable housing units meant to accomodate some of the known 5,000 homeless Oaklanders lacking housing. Figures reveal that the $6.00 linkage fee would average out to only an extra 2% cost increase at most in new construction costs, and is considered reasonable because this is still lower than the other Bay Area Cities doing the same to raise money for affordable housing.
Despite the strong persuasive arguments in favor of voting on the $6.00 linkage fee known as the Nexus Study by some of Oaklands finest, the dregs of the earth climbed out of their holes to thwart the proposal as fast as they could.
One developer after another scrambled up to the podium, claiming that they were all in favor of affordable housing, while doing their best to scuttle the deal at hand meant to create more affordable housing. It was an obscene display of bold faced liars, talking out of both sides of their mouths at the same time, doing their best to make sure their profits would never reach those in need. Councilwoman Nancy Nadel nearly puked at the parade of rich hucksters lined up at the podium pleading poverty, as she stated that they all should be ashamed of theirselves. Fat cats from the Oakland Chamber of Commerce even showed up for this one, such as Dan Chase, making a plea to spare the rich developers from any responsibility in the creation of an affordable housing fund such as the Nexus Study plan. The moneymen were out in force, and the likes of
Prentice Properties had Charlie Sumner giving the pitch to dump the Nexus Study, appearing as though he was wearing a million dollar suit.
Like a well read Dickens Novel about the plight of the poor, most of Tuesdays City Council Members took to their roles with ease as one after another took up the cause of the rich versus the poor routine, as the bystanders idly sat there observing how it was all being played out. Councilwoman Brunner knew a rigged game when she saw it, and made a motion to drop the linkage fee from $6.00 to $3.00 in a bid to save the evening from a total disaster. The rich and their shills on the Council were not about to hear any of that, then or ever. As it turned out, Council Members Nadel, and Brunner, made their passionate pleas with gusto to sway the rest of the Council Members to vote for Item 14-B (Nexus Study), while Councilman Mayne seemed lost in the ozone, De La Fuente expressed contempt as he claimed Oakland has done it's share to build affordable housing, Reid made his customary snide remarks against Brunner as a side show to divert attention away from his position, Wan was the indecisive one, and Spees the unabashed shill for the Land Baron's. In the final tally of the vote, it was Councilman (tricky) Dick Spees making the motion to shred the Nexus Study in favor of a new study he proposed to let the developers off the hook. In a 4 to 3 vote in favor of the Spees proposal to shred the Nexus Study for a new diversion, Item 14-B went down in flames to the delight of the big monied interests sitting in the Council Chambers. A new study now is to take place to find different ways to finance affordable housing in Oakland, and the Spees Motion is to return back to the City Council during the next 6 months, despite staffers claiming that it would take 8 months to a year to devise a new plan that Spees insists upon.
On a different front, Councilman (tricky) Dick Spees created a Rent Board Task Force recently to promote the landlord agenda, and Oaklands annual 3% annual cap on rent increases is under attack as a result.
A Press Conference/Rally to support Oakland renters and the annual 3% rent cap is scheduled for Wednsday, Nov 21, at 5p.m., upon the steps of Oakland City Hall. Guest speakers shall include; Wilson Riles Jr., James Tracy of the Coalition On Homelessness, Rob Rooke of the Campaign for Renters Rights, Beverly Blythe a community activist/business woman, Edwin Wilson a peer counselor/film star of CHALK, John Reiman an union activist/writer for Labors Militant Voice, Kendra Wilson a housing activist, Gabriela Maltz Larkin a Chicanna Actress, Yessenia Rios a family advocate with Jubilee West, and with Jim Lynch of Compumentor as the MC for the Press Conference. A host of friends and supporters of renters rights are being urged to join in to save the annual 3% cap on rent increases from the chopping block before the Council votes on it Dec 11. The Dick Spees Task Force Proposals are a recipe for creating homelessness, and all Oakland renters are being urged to contact their Council Members in an effort to save the annual 3% cap on rent increases.
By Lynda Carson 11/04/01
Oakland,Ca-Under the radar of this Nations concerns over terrorism, last Tuesday, October 30th 2001, the Oakland City Council (a.k.a. the Imperial Court)
was again corrupted by bankers, developers, and big labor, in their bid to block efforts of creating more affordable housing units in Oakland. After 2 years of negotiations to find a way to come up with funds for affordable housing, including a Task Force of Jane Brunners, and a years worth of staff research in creating a plan called the Nexus Study, it was finally ready to be unveiled to the public and voted upon by the full City Council. After all that work, it took Councilman (tricky) Dick Spees less than five minutes to rip the Nexus Study to shreds in an effort to please the interests opposed to the affordable housing plan that was before them, known as Agenda Item 14-B the Housing Nexus Study.
Before the final vote it took nearly an hour for all the interested parties to state their case and make argument for or against the agenda Item 14-B. There
were the poor, the disabled, the organizers for the non-profit Housing Organizations such as E.B.A.L.D.C. and E.B.H.O, the Sierra Club joined in, the Clergy Caucus and the Oakland Coalition of Congregations, all supported the Nexus Study proposals. The Nexus Study determined that if a $6.00 per square foot linkage fee was tacked onto new commercial developments being created in Oakland, that the funds could be set aside as an annual resource of $18 Million per year or more to be used to build affordable housing units meant to accomodate some of the known 5,000 homeless Oaklanders lacking housing. Figures reveal that the $6.00 linkage fee would average out to only an extra 2% cost increase at most in new construction costs, and is considered reasonable because this is still lower than the other Bay Area Cities doing the same to raise money for affordable housing.
Despite the strong persuasive arguments in favor of voting on the $6.00 linkage fee known as the Nexus Study by some of Oaklands finest, the dregs of the earth climbed out of their holes to thwart the proposal as fast as they could.
One developer after another scrambled up to the podium, claiming that they were all in favor of affordable housing, while doing their best to scuttle the deal at hand meant to create more affordable housing. It was an obscene display of bold faced liars, talking out of both sides of their mouths at the same time, doing their best to make sure their profits would never reach those in need. Councilwoman Nancy Nadel nearly puked at the parade of rich hucksters lined up at the podium pleading poverty, as she stated that they all should be ashamed of theirselves. Fat cats from the Oakland Chamber of Commerce even showed up for this one, such as Dan Chase, making a plea to spare the rich developers from any responsibility in the creation of an affordable housing fund such as the Nexus Study plan. The moneymen were out in force, and the likes of
Prentice Properties had Charlie Sumner giving the pitch to dump the Nexus Study, appearing as though he was wearing a million dollar suit.
Like a well read Dickens Novel about the plight of the poor, most of Tuesdays City Council Members took to their roles with ease as one after another took up the cause of the rich versus the poor routine, as the bystanders idly sat there observing how it was all being played out. Councilwoman Brunner knew a rigged game when she saw it, and made a motion to drop the linkage fee from $6.00 to $3.00 in a bid to save the evening from a total disaster. The rich and their shills on the Council were not about to hear any of that, then or ever. As it turned out, Council Members Nadel, and Brunner, made their passionate pleas with gusto to sway the rest of the Council Members to vote for Item 14-B (Nexus Study), while Councilman Mayne seemed lost in the ozone, De La Fuente expressed contempt as he claimed Oakland has done it's share to build affordable housing, Reid made his customary snide remarks against Brunner as a side show to divert attention away from his position, Wan was the indecisive one, and Spees the unabashed shill for the Land Baron's. In the final tally of the vote, it was Councilman (tricky) Dick Spees making the motion to shred the Nexus Study in favor of a new study he proposed to let the developers off the hook. In a 4 to 3 vote in favor of the Spees proposal to shred the Nexus Study for a new diversion, Item 14-B went down in flames to the delight of the big monied interests sitting in the Council Chambers. A new study now is to take place to find different ways to finance affordable housing in Oakland, and the Spees Motion is to return back to the City Council during the next 6 months, despite staffers claiming that it would take 8 months to a year to devise a new plan that Spees insists upon.
On a different front, Councilman (tricky) Dick Spees created a Rent Board Task Force recently to promote the landlord agenda, and Oaklands annual 3% annual cap on rent increases is under attack as a result.
A Press Conference/Rally to support Oakland renters and the annual 3% rent cap is scheduled for Wednsday, Nov 21, at 5p.m., upon the steps of Oakland City Hall. Guest speakers shall include; Wilson Riles Jr., James Tracy of the Coalition On Homelessness, Rob Rooke of the Campaign for Renters Rights, Beverly Blythe a community activist/business woman, Edwin Wilson a peer counselor/film star of CHALK, John Reiman an union activist/writer for Labors Militant Voice, Kendra Wilson a housing activist, Gabriela Maltz Larkin a Chicanna Actress, Yessenia Rios a family advocate with Jubilee West, and with Jim Lynch of Compumentor as the MC for the Press Conference. A host of friends and supporters of renters rights are being urged to join in to save the annual 3% cap on rent increases from the chopping block before the Council votes on it Dec 11. The Dick Spees Task Force Proposals are a recipe for creating homelessness, and all Oakland renters are being urged to contact their Council Members in an effort to save the annual 3% cap on rent increases.
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Yeah...Why not...Greg, your invited to be the first to leave town, and don't forget to close the door behind you...Marx was right. The capitalists really are dumb enough to sell the rope to hang them...This system is ripe to fall due to the lack of sanity in it's population.
The day the renters all unite to withold the rents, will be the day most landlords are forced into receivorship,
and a whole new perspective shall be gleaned.
What do you believe Greg? Does the thought of a total rebellion get your attention?
somehow landlords have fallen under a stereotype of being greedy, unjust, rich pigs- and it's fun and feels good to side with the 'poor' and be against these exploitative snobs, right? did you ever think that these fatcats might actually be poor also?! my mom is a landlord- she also works full time and struggles to pay the bills. she doesn't raise the rent unless she really must. her tenants often take advantage of her leniency about rent coming in late, getting the deposit back even if they left the place a mess, etc.
i'm sure there are PLENTY of bad landlords, but before you talk smack about landlords as a whole, consider that doing so doesn't do justice to my MOM and others like her who provide cheap housing for people that usually don't appreciate it. and yeah, yeah- i know you deny being anti-landlord or what not, but i've heard so much crap from people that i'm fuckin' tired of it and that's who i'm talking to.