The North Hills Community Association (NHCA) serves approximately 10,000 residents of Oakland’s North Hills communities (an area roughly contiguous with the Oakland Police Department’s Beat 13Y) and adjacent areas of Berkeley.
Your Support is Vital
NHCA is a 100% volunteer-driven community organization. All residents within our area are automatically members. To function effectively for the benefit of our neighborhood, we rely upon your financial support and involvement.
We are grateful for your donations to support our work!
The WPZ is the part of the Oakland hills classified by CalFire as a very high fire hazard severity zone. There are about 25,000 parcels in this area.
What is the WPZ Ballot Measure?
The WPZ ballot measure will fund the ambitious 2024 Vegetation Management Plan. It’s a special tax of $99/parcel (or the pro-rated equivalent for multi-unit or commercial properties), with exceptions for low-income owners.
Why do we need this measure?
Wildfire has periodically ravaged our East Bay ecosystem, most tragically, the 1991 Tunnel Fire that killed 25 and destroyed 3,000 homes. There have been seven major fires in the last 124 years within the proposed Zone area, a 17-year frequency. The risk is immense. To avoid catastrophe, we must manage all our vegetation. Complying with property inspections is important but insufficient. If Oakland’s public lands, parks and roadsides remain unmanaged, we are at risk of another deadly inferno.
How will the funds be spent?
This Special Tax will create a dedicated funding source to support the City’s efforts to address wildfire risk by:
• Implementing a comprehensive vegetation management plan
• Expanding roadside clearing to protect emergency evacuation routes
• Enhancing fire patrols on high-fire danger days
• Expanding goat grazing fuel reduction efforts
• Performing annual inspections of all parcels in the WPZ
• Providing public education efforts to help residents, businesses, and property owners protect themselves in their neighborhoods
• Providing community oversight and annual auditing of the funds
Why doesn’t Oakland already do this?
The city will continue to do what might be considered the bare minimum and pledges to do so in the ballot measure. Most people recognize that more resources are needed to do a good job, yet wildfire prevention activities compete with other public safety priorities, like crime prevention and response, and other city services, like paving, economic development, and housing. The tax funds will provide a dedicated source for the functions listed above.
Didn’t we already pass a measure like this?
There was a successful assessment district after the 1991 Tunnel Fire. Its renewal was defeated ten years ago by only a small number of votes. The most important improvement is a very robust Vegetation Management Plan, so voters will know what to expect from their investment. Other shortcomings of the original measure have either been addressed or are being given more attention, such as: improved contracting processes, staffing the Fire Prevention Bureau and the inspection processes, and insufficient support from the Fire Chief and his Chief of Staff. The most prominent criticism was lack of coordination among city departments; this was addressed by the passage of a Wildfire Prevention Priority for all city departments and the creation of an interdepartmental task force that has streamlined and improved the results. Less evident in the after-action report, but disappointing to community members, was the lack of communication and accountability for the expenditure of the funds.
Can we expect better communication and accountability?
In contrast to previous measures, community representatives will receive an independent audit and an annual report on the activities undertaken, and will make annual recommendations directly to the City Council.
How can I help this to pass?
Public education and communication are essential. If you’d like more information or want to participate in the campaign, please send an email to stage@berkeley.edu. Would love to hear your ideas about how to improve this “one-pager.” We’re working on a catchy name, a website with more information, and a process to sign-up to help. All suggestions are welcome!
MORE FIRE PREVENTION
East Bay Wildfire Alliance
In another long-sought step forward, regional cooperation for wildfire prevention has become a reality! Oakland has joined Alameda County, many East Bay cities and fire departments to form the East Bay Wildfire Alliance. Our own Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran is vice-chair. We can now work towards uniform fire code regulations and quality inspection standards across the East Bay. Bringing long-term regional planning to fruition has been a dream of the NHCA and sister neighborhood organizations since the 1991 fire. Our NHCA Board member Elizabeth Stage will provide Q&A on the topic at the September 26th NHCA Public Safety Community Meeting.
In tandem, our invaluable Oakland Firesafe Council (OFC), led by Elizabeth Stage, provides multiple resources and “How to” guides. OFC fosters Firewise Communities, including a new one organized around Kaiser School. Find out how neighbors made their area safer and won potential discounts from insurers. https://oaklandfiresafecouncil.org/
INSURANCE
Our region's struggle to secure insurance is intimately linked to our vulnerability to fire. Our efforts to manage vegetation should be recognized and rewarded by insurance companies. We have supported the “Disaster Resiliency and Coverage Act of 2024,” proposed federal legislation that would provide homeowners in disaster-prone regions with broad incentives to harden their properties against wildfires and other risks.
The NHCA collaborates with United Policyholders (UP) to address problems with the insurance industry in the broadest sense. UP helped many survivors of the 1991 wildfire to win fair settlements and is in the forefront of the struggle to secure insurance coverage at affordable rates. We channel their suggestions to our community! An excellent resource is their Wildfire Risk Reduction and Asset Protection (WRAP) Resource Center. There you can find out what insurance companies are looking for in terms of hardening your home, how to get insurance discounts, and where to look for coverage if you are having trouble with your carrier.
Oakland has a new police chief, Floyd Mitchell, and recently restored its Ceasefireprogram, successful in reducing violent crime in past years. Ceasefire focuses intensively on the few hundred individuals and gangs responsible for the most violence. It offers them resources and incentives to stop engaging in violence. Clearly a key part of crime reduction is to offer jobs, hope and a productive future. We must make sure this program remains active despite budget woes!
NHCA joined Councilmember Ramachandran’s successful push to preserve the Community Safety Ambassador program in next year’s budget. Oakland’s police currently fall short of providing us with the protection we need and deserve. North Hills residents need to do what they individually can to reduce crime, such as reducing vulnerability by having locking mailboxes made of steel, not leaving valuables visible in cars, parking cars in garages, and participating in Oakland’s Neighborhood Watch program. NHCA’s Public Safety Committee meets regularly and offers residents a chance to meet with police, like our OPD Area Captain Lisa Ausmus who attended our recent Public Safety meeting, along with Councilmember Ramachandran.
Our longtime and magnificent Public Safety Committee chair, Carolyn Burgess, has moved away—a big loss for our community! Miki Chan is taking over as the new chair, thank you Miki! Carolyn and Miki are pictured above with OPD Police Chief, Floyd Mitchell.
We know that many neighbors are concerned about crime and would like to find a way to help. Please consider becoming active in our Public Safety Committee. Carolyn and Miki are happy to let you know what’s involved and help get you started. Building community solidarity is vital to reducing crime and that is what the Public Safety Committee is about! The next meeting will be September 26th.
NHCA has joined the Pinewood Homeowner Association (HOA) to demand immediate repairs to collapsed portions of Tunnel Road at Bay Forest, which is down to a single lane. This is an immediate threat to life in case of an emergency such as a fire. There is much more work needed to repair our deteriorating infrastructure. Many streets are in deplorable condition, potholes abound. Emergency routes remain undefined and unmarked. Parking regulations, designed to ensure these routes are unobstructed, are rarely enforced. The NHCA continues to call the City’s attention to these gaps in our safety net. Look to Open Forum for updates from neighbors about infrastructure and environmental issues.
GARDENS
Many neighbors have admired and worked on the two gardens we administer, the Gateway Emergency Preparedness Exhibition Center and the Firestorm Memorial Garden. Volunteers have been hard at work weeding to keep both gardens fire-safe. We are intent upon restoring the Gateway Exhibition Center garden to its original purpose, to be a fire-resistant demonstration garden, modeling appropriate plants and mulches, to showcase how a local garden can be both gorgeous and fire-resistant! The structure at the Gateway Center needs repair after decades of exposure to the elements. We will need many hours of work and money if we hope to achieve this transformation.
Our current schedule is for work parties from 9-11 AM on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Please consider joining us for a weeding party or donating desperately needed funds to restore and maintain our North Hills gardens! You can make online donations in support here.bit.ly/NHCAdonate
CITY OF OAKLAND
We are fortunate to have an excellent City Councilmember for our 4th Council District, Janani Ramachandran. She is a breath of fresh air in City Hall, asking questions, pursuing positive solutions in the functioning of the city bureaucracy, and bravely standing up for sound financial policy. She listens and gives voice to our concerns. Her newsletter is invaluable for staying in touch with key issues that matter to Hills residents. Sign up to receive it!
