Oakland Mayor Thao issues executive order aimed at clearing homeless camps

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao issued an executive order on Monday aimed at clearing the city's homeless encampments more thoroughly and with more alacrity.

In a news release and video statement, Thao said that in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision granting cities more power to dismantle homeless camps, she is ordering all city departments "to fully execute the Encampment Management Policy" that the city council approved in 2020. 

While citing some recent examples of the city's effort to clear camps and connect inhabitants with homes and services, she said her order directs the city to focus on camps that encroach on safe routes to schools, tot lots, and playgrounds or impede access to small businesses. 

Also, prioritized will be camps that block traffic lanes, bike lanes, or sidewalks, impede first responders, create fire hazards by blocking hydrants, burning fires within 30 feet of structures or illegally tapping into electrical wires, pose risks to things like freeway overpasses or BART tracks, contain combustible materials like gasoline and propane or if biological waste from a camp poses an environmental risk to drains and waterways, Thao said. 

"Being unhoused is not a crime in Oakland, but it does not give anyone the right to break other laws," she said. "We must return public spaces to the public -- and do so with compassion." 

Thao also mentioned that she was homeless and living out of her car with her young son for a time but said she never sought to "pitch a tent" but "sought affordable housing and services, for which I was deeply grateful."  

Ant Moreno lives under the overpass near the Oakland Police Department headquarters.

When asked what he would do if workers swept his encampment - "Wouldn't be the first time," he said. 

He added that he doesn't have a place to go. 

Thao's order also states that a camp found to pose an imminent risk of serious injury or death, is damaging critical infrastructure, or obstructing traffic and bike lanes can be broken down with less than 12 hours' notice, according to the order.

Camps posing other problems, such as obstructing sidewalks or hosting disease or vermin infestations, can be cleared with a 24-to-72 hour notice.   

Camp residents will be offered temporary emergency shelter space but "in no case, will emergency or urgent closures be delayed for shelter unavailability," according to the order. 

Shasma Clarke lives in Section 8 housing thanks to help from a health center called Lifelong Medical Care. 

"I was homeless for 12 years. I want to see some crew or a crew of 20 come out here or some outreach, psychologists, counselors, doctors," said Clarke. "It's sad to see [Thao] be so ignorant. She doesn't understand. She doesn't understand, people don't want to live outside, this is a mental health issue."

"The City of Oakland's encampment management team is already hard at work implementing the Encampment Management Policy adopted by our City Council, and this year alone has already accomplished numerous closures and guided scores of unhoused residents into programs and shelter," Assistant City Administrator Harold Duffey said in a news release. "With Mayor Thao's executive order we have a clear mandate to step up these efforts." 

The Oakland Police Officers Association issued a news release in response. They called this effort on Thao's part a "last-minute political stunt before voters decide to recall her on Nov. 5."

They also claimed the Oakland Police Department has not been notified about these plans and that the police force are an instrumental component when it comes to clearing homeless encampments. 

It's statement to KTVU read in part: "The mayor and the city of Oakland has exactly two (2) officers assigned to the encampment unit. There will be many more of us required to fully carry out this "order" – where are they coming from? The already understaffed patrol beats?"

Tamie Canalan, who is formerly homeless, was visiting friends at an encampment near the Home Depot located on Alameda Avenue. 

"You do have to clean the streets, because it's ugly," said Canalan. "This is the Bay Area, this is supposed to be where [visitors] come to vacation, but it's kind of hard to say, ‘look at the Bay Area’ and it's a mess." 

KTVU staff and reporter Betty Yu contributed to this report.