June 16, 2022
Dear Friend,

This Sunday is Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of the great stain on America - the institution of slavery. Observed on Monday as a federal holiday, Juneteenth honors the memory of those kept from freedom for so long, and recognizes the great contributions of Black Americans to this nation. This weekend, there will be a variety of events around the Bay Area including a Food and Music Festival on Friday at Liberation Park and the Afrocentric Oakland Festival at the Lake Merritt Amphitheater on Saturday and Sunday. As many people gather together to celebrate this important holiday, please remember that coronavirus infections remain high, so be safe this weekend!

Welcome to the Mayor’s Weekly Briefing, your weekly Oakland news roundup. You can read, subscribe, and catch up on past newsletters at our newsletter homepage on the City of Oakland website.

In solidarity,
—Libby
MAYOR LIBBY SCHAAF
Housing: 17k/17k Update + $37.5m in Funding
In 2016, Oakland began the 17K/17K Plan, an initiative created by my Housing Cabinet which seeks to protect 17,000 low-income households from displacement and produce 17,000 new homes, including 4,760 income-restricted affordable homes, by 2024.  A recent report provides an update on the plan's progress. Here are some highlights:

  • 35,565 low-income households protected from displacement, exceeding the initial goal of 17,000 households by 2024.

  • 16,770 total homes produced, almost reaching the 2024 goal of 17,000 two years early.  

  • 2,449 income-restricted affordable housing units produced, more than triple the amount produced during the previous five years, the largest share of which were restricted for those with extremely low incomes, like our unhoused neighbors.

And continuing our focus on the affordable housing and homelessness crises, Oakland recently awarded approximately $37.5 million to support the development of 249 deeply affordable housing rental units. These units will serve low and extremely low-income Oakland households earning between 20-60% of Area Median Income (AMI), including 133 units of Permanent Supportive Housing/ Homeless units to help those Oaklanders experiencing homelessness.

Oakland will continue our aggressive push to build more affordable housing, and more housing overall, for our growing population. The progress of the 17k/17k Plan, along with these most recent housing awards, impact all corners of our city and help all of our households, including the most vulnerable.
Advocating for Housing and Infrastructure in D.C.
Photo via Twitter
Teamwork makes the dream work! This week I visited Washington, D.C. to fight for more federal funding for affordable housing and infrastructure for Oakland and our region with fellow MTC commissioners. Partnerships with other local and regional advocates, like Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin and Union City Mayor Carol Dutra-Vernaci, are vital to the progress of the Bay Area's housing and infrastructure needs.
6 Days Left to Vote on the City Challenge Oakland 
 
The Oakland City Challenge is a competition in which residents submitted ideas to address our City's biggest challenges. In total, we received 237 ideas from Oaklanders describing how they want to help improve the city!

 
Until June 21, please share the ideas with your networks and to vote on what you think are the most important and practical solutions. Vote here!
Public Safety: Ceasefire Receives $6m Grant
In March, after its progress stalled during the pandemic, we announced that Oakland Ceasefire was returning to full operation with increased services. This week, the City of Oakland is excited to announce that it has received a three-year grant for $6 million from the CalVIP program to strengthen Ceasefire's social services. The grant will fund:

  • 6 family coaches to implement a prevention and intervention family systems approach, with 192 high-risk individuals and their families in 6-month cohorts, seeking the goal of improving family communication and cohesion to prevent future violence.
  • Street outreach workers who will perform relentless outreach with high-risk individuals to proactively mediate conflicts and engage individuals in services.
  • Outreach workers who will identify aspects of the built and natural environment that support gun violence and work with city departments to remediate them. 

For years, Oakland has been committed to Ceasefire as the primary way of addressing gun violence in this city. Using relentless communication and outreach to those in our communities who are at the highest risk of being involved in gun violence. and offer of services, resources, and life coaches, Ceasefire has helped Oakland make incredible progress in reducing gun violence. This grant has the potential to help us return to that progress, and stop the tragic violence that we have seen in our community.
Town Nights Begin this Friday!
Image via City of Oakland
When community gathers at night, violence drops. This Friday, and for the next three Fridays, nine sites across Oakland will host "Town Nights" offering free food, games, entertainment, and more. Town Nights are a partnership between the Adopt-A-Spot Program and the Oakland Department of Violence Prevention, and are a community-based approach to public safety, and along with the food and games, community organizations will host weekly clean-ups at the nine sites. Come eat and play games, enjoy the good weather, and help make our communities safer!

PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Image via OUSDNews
Oakland residents can now sign up for the Oakland Public Library Summer Reading Program! There are three free programs this summer:

  • Kids Summer Reading, kids (0-14) who complete 20 days of reading during the summer can choose a free prize book and are eligible to win other prizes. Prize books (courtesy of the Kenneth Rainin Foundation) will be distributed beginning June 18, 2022. The Grand Prize raffle winners will be drawn Friday, August 12, 2022.

  • Teen Summer Program, teens (12-17) can win prizes for doing what they already love to do: reading, writing online reviews, playing games, hanging out with friends, attending library programs, volunteering, and more. Grand prizes for teens include a Nintendo Switch Lite, a Chromebook, an electric guitar, Bose earbuds, and gift cards.

  • The Adult Summer Program offers adults (18+) chances to win a prize, including gift cards or vouchers to local restaurants and venues, for reviewing books and movies or logging activities. Adult Summer prizes are offered to participants 18 and over. Grand prize winners will be announced after August 6.
COMMUNITY EVENTS AND RESOURCES
  • Calling all festival organizers! The City of Oakland is now offering grants to support festivals and festival culture in our community, helping to highlight the cultural expressions, stories, histories, and heritage of our many communities and neighborhoods. Applications are being accepted through July 7.

  • The City of Oakland’s Summer Food Service Program is resuming with the addition of new partner sites and locations.  All kids 18 and under, and adults with disabilities enrolled in a school program can receive meals. Here's the full roster of Summer Food Service Program sites as of May 31. Free food distribution sites can also be found by using the CA Meals for Kids app.

  • BART is taking submissions for a short story contest, with story finalists to be featured on BART's website and in BART platforms. Find more details and submit your story here, and read the Chronicle's coverage of the contest here.

  • The City’s Economic & Workforce Development Department has launched a permanent business support program in Oakland’s neighborhoods. The Neighborhood Business Assistance program has added a sixth location and opened appointment dates for Oakland entrepreneurs and business owners to get advice and support. Appointments can be booked online at this link or by calling (510) 238-7398.

  • REMINDER: Even though the federal moratorium has ended, Oakland's eviction moratorium remains in place. Find rental resources here.

OPPORTUNITIES

  • #OaklandUndivided is excited to announce its first paid internship opportunity. If you’re an Oakland public high school student interested in helping bridge the digital divide and can commit to a 3-month internship starting on July 25th, we encourage you to learn more and apply here. 

  • BART is accepting applications for Part-Time Station & Rail Car Cleaners by Sunday, June 19. Part-time starters get promoted to full-time whenever such opportunity opens up, and in past few months, many full-time cleaners at BART have moved up to becoming and/or training for station agents and train operators. Applicants can apply here.

  • The City of Oakland is accepting applications to fill vacancies on the Mayor's Commission on Persons with Disabilities (MCPD). The MCPD represents and addresses the concerns of the disability community, acting as the City’s designated advisory body for ADA compliance. Applicants should live or work within the City of Oakland and demonstrate relevant professional and/or personal expertise to advise the Mayor and the City Council on matters affecting the rights of persons with disabilities in Oakland. If this sounds like you, find more information here!

  • The Oakland Police Commission is accepting applications until June 30th, and interested applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.


  • This summer, several Bay Area community colleges are offering free or low-cost summer learning opportunities for high school and middle school students. Find more info here.

  • The Girl's Equity Movement is accepting applications to their 2022-2023 Refined GEMs Program cohort in the US. Girls Equity Movement aims to catalyze change by equipping young women with the networking, training, and leadership skills they need to change the world. 9th-12th grade high school girls are encouraged to apply here!

  • Reading Partners San Francisco Bay Area is recruiting 42 AmeriCorps members to serve for 11 months during the 2022-23 school year in various positions to support students, schools, and communities. The term starts August 23rd - apply now to start your work in education and hear back with a final decision within 7 business days.

  • The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration is looking to fill its field offices across the state with full-time entry-level hires. View the job posting directly here.

  • Interested in serving your city and contributing to a holistic, comprehensive, vision of public safety? Consider a career with Oakland Police Department at opdjobs.com
 
  • Are you committed to fair housing and rent regulation in Oakland? The Housing, Residential Rent and Relocation Board (aka the Rent Board) enforces the Rent Adjustment Ordinance and fosters fair housing for a diverse population of renters, hears rent adjustment appeals, and develops regulations for the Rent Adjustment Program. This is a great opportunity to learn more about rent regulation in Oakland as well as serve the community! You can learn more and fill out an online application here.

  • The City of Oakland is looking for qualified applicants to fill positions in our Planning & Building Department. Work with our experienced staff in the Strategic Planning or Zoning Divisions or our Digital Unit. Learn more and apply here.

  • Oakland residents have access to 5,000 free online courses in multiple languages to help advance your career of prepare to return to work. Learn more here.


  • Oakland Unified School District is hiring for a variety of roles! Find out more at the OUSD Jobs Portal.

  • AC Transit is hiring bus operators. Jobs start at $22.11/hour after paid training. Learn more about further opportunities here.