Updates on Blight Complaints

Inoperable Vehicles

There were a smattering of nine inoperable/abandoned vehicles in North Oakland that were reported quite some time ago, but were not either tagged or towed. Working with the Oakland Police, it was determined that there were some operational issues with the tow company. All nine vehicles have been tagged and the property owners notified. If the vehicles are not made operable or properly stored they will be towed within 10 days of tagging. In the vast majority of these cases, it appears that the tow companies were provided a junk slip but never towed the vehicles. The Abandoned Vehicle Detail will now be on-site waiting for the tow company to ensure the vehicle has been towed. We appreciate the efforts of Sergeant Steinberger and the Abandoned Vehicle Detail. Approximately 100 abandoned and inoperable vehicles have been removed from North Oakland since We Fight Blight begin its efforts last spring/summer.

Caltrans Right of Way

On January 7, 2009, we sent a letter to Caltrans Executive Director, Will Kempton, identifying a long list of problems with the underpasses in North Oakland and the highway onramp at 51st Street. This included overgrown vegetation, excessive litter, debris and refuse, excessive graffiti, homeless encampments, uneven and failed pavement, damaged guardrails, dead and dying landscaping. All of these issues contribute to the appearance of blight and pose a safety hazard to the traveling public. We requested that the issues be addressed in a timely fashion. We did get an immediate response from Director Kempton indicating that the matter was being delegated to District 4 Executive Director Bijan Sartipi. We also observed that a portion of the damaged guardrail on the highway onramp was fixed. However, to date we have not gotten any response from Director Sartipi or his Deputy Director for Maintenance, Nader Eshqipour. We are ware that Mr. Eshqipour was recently appointed to the position of Deputy Director for Maintenance and that he prides himself on being responsive to public concerns. Nevertheless, we have yet to hear from either Mr. Sartipi or Esqipour. We Fight Blight will wait unitl February 7, before we send another email request to Director Kempton. We feel one month is sufficient time for Caltrans District 4 to acknowledge our concerns and identify a plan to remedy them.

Shattuck Avenue--the City of Oakland Maintains Blight

The purpose of the City of Oakland's Blight Ordinance is to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens by requiring a level of maintenance of residential, commercial, and industrial property which will protect and preserve the livability, appearance, and social and economic stability of the city and which will also protect the public from the health and safety hazards and the impairment of property values which results from the neglect and deterioration of property. (Ord. 12046 § 1, 1998: prior code § 15-1.01)

Shattuck Avenue, between Woolsey Avenue and 60th Street in North Oakland has a large number of potholes and cracked surfaces in violation of the City's Blight Ordinance. When driving down Shattuck Avenue it feels like a third world country with pothole, after pothole, after pothole. Why does the City of Oakland feel that it is exempted from its own Blight Ordinance and is allowed to maintain many of our streets in conditions that are unsafe and contribute to the appearance of blight? According to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the City of Oakland has some of the worst street conditions among all communities in the nine Bay Area Counties (99 out of 107). We think this is completely unacceptable.

The following request was sent on January 4, 2009 to the City of Oakland Code Enforcement Officer:

Shattuck Avenue, between Woolsey Avenue and 60th Street in North Oakland has a large number of potholes and cracked surfaces in violation of the City's Blight Ordinance. In part, the City's Blight Ordinance defines blight as parking lots, driveways, paths, and other areas used or intended to be used for commercial and industrial business activities including, but not limited to, selling, manufacturing, processing, packaging, fabricating, treating, dismantling, processing, transferring, handling, transporting, storing, compounding, or assembling which are inadequately maintained and pose a risk of harm to public health or safety including, but not limited to, unpaved surfaces which generate fugitive dust and paved surfaces with cracks, potholes, or other breaks. Shattuck Avenue is a paved surface with cracks, potholes and other breaks and it is used for commercial and industrial purposes--transporting goods and people. We are requesting that the Code Enforcement staff open a complaint against the Public Works Department and enforce the City Blight Ordinance. The potholes, cracks, and other breaks on Shattuck Avenue create a public safety issue and contribute to the appearance of blight in North Oakland.

We do not think that the City of Oakland Code Enforcement has the chutzpah to actually enforce the Blight Ordinance against a sister department. However, we are willing to push this issue because we believe that it is vital to the economic prosperity of the City. Well maintained streets are a signal to the business community and residents that Oakland cares and is willing to invest in its infrastructure and support the efficient distribution and transportation of goods and people.