East Bay Today • Mon, Jun 2

• The City of Berkeley faces lawsuits as it attempts to clear homeless encampments.

• A beloved Oakland public school teacher was just killed in a CHP car chase.

• Alameda County will be distributing millions of diapers to low-income families.

• Tacos El Último Baile plans to leave Oakland for SF, citing a hostile business environment.

But first, a quick correction: Last week’s edition erroneously attributed the source of a report — which found that the Republican budget bill in the House of Representatives would increase the deficit by $3 trillion — to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). That report was actually from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), an independent think tank. The actual CBO estimated that this number could be closer to $3.8 trillion. My apologies for any confusion!

EAST BAY WEATHER

This week’s forecast is a bit cooler than last week’s, with sunny skies and temperatures hovering in the high 60s and low 70s in the inner East Bay. As usual, Eastern Contra Costa County will be about 10 degrees warmer. Anyone up for a game of ultimate frisbee, once I’m out of bed? 🥏

TOP STORIES

1) Berkeley is facing lawsuits over homeless encampment closures

Berkeleyside reports that homeless advocates filed new motions in federal court last week seeking to block Berkeley from sweeping two major homeless encampments — at Eighth and Harrison streets and at Ohlone Park — as the city prepares to clear both sites. The filings by a group called the Berkeley Homeless Union include requests for preliminary injunctions and emergency restraining orders, arguing the planned evictions would violate residents’ constitutional rights and the Americans with Disabilities Act. These federal court motions come after a temporary restraining order protecting the Eighth and Harrison encampment expired Friday, removing a key legal barrier for the city. At Ohlone Park, where closure was expected as early as May 28, U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam declined to immediately block the city but ordered a rapid briefing schedule, with a hearing set for May 30. (I have asked city officials for an update on the situation and have yet to hear back, so this story is still developing.) Advocates say the city is failing to provide adequate shelter or disability accommodations, while city officials cite mounting complaints from neighbors over crime, sanitation and safety. The legal battle underscores the growing tension between civil rights protections and neighborhood demands for cleaner, safer public spaces amid a persistent regional housing shortage.

Even if the camps are cleared, it’s unlikely that the problem will improve in the short term, given that experts anticipate the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to federal housing assistance will increase homelessness and housing insecurity at the local level. All serious, verifiable research into homelessness and housing insecurity has reached the same set of conclusions: homelessness is directly correlated with high rents, and the only solution known to work long-term is to build more housing. I first got involved in Berkeley politics nearly 10 years ago, when I saw multi-millionaire landlords virulently opposing new housing construction while calling themselves “progressives” — and fortunately, city leadership has since turned the tide and embraced evidence-based policy, with predictable results. But one city can’t do it alone, and without the state and federal government aligned, all the evidence suggests that things may get worse before they get better.

Our local CBS News station reported on the Ohlone Park encampment on May 14. (Video: KPIX CBS News Bay Area via YouTube)

2) Alameda County launched a major diaper initiative

The Mercury News reports that Alameda County has launched a $5.8 million initiative to distribute 15 million diapers and 37 million baby wipes over the next three years, aiming to relieve rising childcare costs for low-income families. In partnership with nonprofits like SupplyBank and First 5 Alameda County, the program will operate at dozens of sites including libraries, clinics, schools and family resource centers, with the potential to serve up to 10,000 families — making this one of the largest “diaper banks” in the country. Leaders say the effort responds to surging diaper prices, which have jumped 35% since 2019 and now constitute the fourth largest household expense for many families receiving public assistance. County officials emphasized in their announcement that inadequate diaper access is not just a financial burden but a public health concern, contributing to tens of thousands of avoidable emergency room visits annually. This initiative is designed as a long-term support system resilient to state budget fluctuations, and advocates hope it will help struggling families remain in our high-cost region.

Our trusty CBS affiliate channel, KPIX, is back with a report on the new diaper bank. (Video: KPIX CBS News Bay Area via YouTube)

3) Oaklanders are mourning a Castlemont High teacher killed in a Highway Patrol chase

The Oaklandside reports that community members gathered Friday evening at 12th Avenue and East 21st Street to honor Marvin Boomer, a beloved Castlemont High School teacher who was killed Wednesday when a driver fleeing from the California Highway Patrol struck a fire hydrant that fatally injured him. The vigil — one of the largest recent gatherings in Oakland to mourn a victim of traffic violence — brought together over a hundred mourners, including students, educators, neighbors and elected officials, to grieve and share memories. Boomer, originally from Memphis, was celebrated for his warmth, mentorship and dedication to Oakland’s youth — many of whom spoke about how he changed their lives, as flowers and handwritten tributes piled up near the crash site. While some called attention to the police pursuit that preceded the crash, organizers emphasized that the gathering was meant to honor Mr. Boomer’s life and legacy.

While this tragedy involved state troopers rather than local police, it’s still likely to cast a long shadow over the recent proposal from the Oakland Police Department to loosen some restrictions around car chases, which we covered in this newsletter last week.

ABC7 reports on the deadly crash. (Video: ABC7 News Bay Area via YouTube)

4) One popular Fruitvale taqueria is moving to San Francisco, citing Oakland’s bad business environment

NOSH reports that local chef Dominic Prado is relocating his beloved East Bay restaurant, Tacos El Último Baile, from Oakland’s Fruitvale Public Market to San Francisco’s new Saluhall food hall at Ikea. He blames a lack of marketing services, economic support and public safety in Fruitvale as key reasons for the move. Prado, who briefly ran for Oakland City Council last year, has struggled to recover financially post-pandemic and says city leaders and the Unity Council (the nonprofit that operates the Public Market building) have done little to support small businesses like his, particularly after an ongoing construction project forced the restaurant to shutter its outdoor seating area. This led to Tacos El Último Baile closing entirely last July; since then, the business has largely been sustained with catering. The new location will operate on a four-month trial, with a rotating menu of guisados and smoked meats, though Prado is still seeking a separate space to do the prep work. He ultimately hopes to return to the East Bay and open a brick-and-mortar barbecue spot.

Normally, one taqueria closure wouldn’t warrant a mention as a top local news story, but this one touches on so many issues covered in this newsletter that I just had to dive in, even though I’ve never even been to this restaurant. I broadly agree with Mr. Prado’s criticisms of Oakland, and I think there are even more basic policy failures holding back neighborhoods and businesses. It’s true that Fruitvale is not marketed as a destination, even though it arguably boasts the city’s best and most diverse cuisine. I have made a point to bring visiting relatives out to some of the best Mexican restaurants and taco trucks, but the fact that even my Mexican relatives who know San Francisco through and through had never heard of Fruitvale before validates Prado’s frustration. 

But Prado also points to a more nuts-and-bolts cause for his move that city leaders should pay close attention to: the lack of administrative capacity to shape a functional, thriving commercial district. Berkeley is having a similar problem with large construction projects. My perspective on this is also shaped by spending part of my childhood in Mexico City — which has its fair share of problems, to be sure, but a taco shortage is not one of them. Aside from the construction project blocking El Último Baile’s outdoor seating, Oakland and other cities around the region have generally had a bumpy relationship with the pandemic-era resurgence in enjoying the great outdoors. To be fair, Oakland has been better at this than most of its neighbors, ultimately making its Flex Streets Initiative permanent — but clearly, some cracks in the pavement remain. 

In part, certain cities have struggled with making popular pandemic adaptations permanent because their permitting processes frame the lost parking permit revenue as an overriding opportunity cost — effectively making outdoor dining as time-consuming and expensive to permit as it would be to reserve a parking meter in perpetuity. But municipalities and business owners alike too often fail to see the upside of more foot traffic meaning more customers and higher revenues, all while improving public safety. In Mexico City, pedestrianizing just one street in the city center was shown to increase commerce while virtually eliminating violent criminal gang activity in the area. While some of Fruitvale’s architecture reflects the Mexican-American community’s deep roots in the area, it’s worth remembering that Mexico City is still a real place with its own government making efforts to improve residents’ lives — and some of these are clearly worth emulating!

Consider also how the narrow, one- or two-lane city streets of Tokyo, where the Japanese government requires motorists to provide private off-street parking spaces for every car registration, help keep pedestrians safer and small businesses busy at all hours. These cities both have lower median household incomes than Oakland, but have lively commercial districts and street food that are the envy of the world. What if the city followed global best practices and narrowed East 12th Street in front of Fruitvale Plaza to, say, one or two lanes to allow for more street commerce? Would the loss of street parking and faster driving compare to the economic gains? I can only hope that someday, California’s political leaders recognize that the cities they love to visit on vacation have become cherished destinations for Americans in large part because they are willing to prioritize public space for people over cars. Surely BART Board Director Victor Flores can’t be the only one to recognize the great marketing potential for local businesses here...

Watch this profile of El Último Baile from six years ago, when they ran a pop-up stand on Telegraph Avenue. (Video: Hyphen Productions via YouTube)

CLIP OF THE WEEK

Rapper Too $hort performed and filmed his latest music video at a recent Oakland Ballers baseball game. (Video: KTVU Fox 2 San Francisco via YouTube)

That wraps it up for me this week. Don’t forget to keep your vaccinations up to date, and go enjoy some of the East Bay’s great tacos!

Take care,

— Diego Aguilar-Canabal

About me: I was born and raised in Silver Spring, MD, and have also lived in Mexico City. After coming to the Bay Area in 2010, I have dabbled in fields such as journalism, music technology and social services, but I most recently served as a legislative assistant with the City of Berkeley. I am currently studying accounting because I enjoy learning about how things work. 

Please send any questions, comments, criticisms, tips, cool photos or curry recipes to me directly at d.aguilarcanabal@gmail.com.