The Weekly Wrap: In Oakland, An Experiment in Community Traffic Enforcement

Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental and social justice.

Oakland Will Test Community Traffic Enforcement

Oakland’s city council approved a pilot project that will use resident knowledge to add traffic and safety barriers to city streets, Oaklandside reports. Two pilot projects will be rolled out, one in East Oakland and one in West Oakland, where residents will apply for “encroachment permits” that allow them to make changes to the right of way using signs or safety cones. The city will then study the results of both projects to determine if they increased safety. Residents of Oakland had been taking on the task themselves in an unofficial capacity, as groups like Traffic Violence Rapid Response used chalk to paint temporary crosswalks in front of Oakland Technical High School. Thirty-three people died in traffic collisions in Oakland in 2023, according to Oaklandside.

New OSHA Regulations Will Require Shade, Water and Heat Checks for Workers

OSHA has released new rules governing worker safety in extreme heat, Grist reports. The rules require employers to implement heat injury prevention plans that include access to water, shade, a rest area and breaks when temperatures are 80 degrees Fahrenheit or above. Supervisors would also have to be trained in recognizing heat sickness. More rules would kick in when temperatures reach 90 degrees, including more breaks and monitoring of heat illness. OSHA has jurisdiction over most private employers in the United States.

A Repeal of Rent Control Restrictions Backed by GOP?

The Frisc reports that a ballot measure that would repeal a 1996 law limiting rent control is facing criticism in San Francisco’s city council and among YIMBY groups. Opponents argue that the ballot measure’s wording is so vague that it can be weaponized by suburban homeowners to block any new housing. They argue lawmakers in the suburbs can issue dramatic rent control for any new construction that would disincentivize any new building. The concerns began when a GOP lawmaker began touting the bill, arguing that it “gives local governments ironclad protections from the state’s housing policy,” although there is disagreement that the law would have such an effect. There’s another big housing measure on November’s ballot: Frisc reports that voters will decide whether to allow the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority to issue $20 billion in bonds to construct 90,000 units of housing, including 45,000 units of affordable housing over the next decade.

FEMA Will Factor Climate Change Into Flood Planning

A new standard at the Federal Emergency Management Agency will let the agency factor in climate change and the likelihood of increased flooding when it reconstructs infrastructure, Grist reports. The standards will help FEMA decide how to make infrastructure more climate resilient when it repairs damaged structures after a disaster. (Previously, the agency relied on historical data to determine flood risks.) The new regulations will cost the agency only $150 million over 10 years, a small portion of FEMA’s $3 billion annual budget.

Baltimore Parents Could Get $1,000 When Their Child is Born

A ballot measure in Baltimore could award new parents with a $1,000 cash stipend upon the birth of their child, NPR reports. The measure was added to the ballot after a group of activists, led by teachers, secured 10,000 signatures. It’s based on a similar program in Flint, Michigan that awards prospective parents $1,500 mid-pregnancy and $500 monthly for the first year of their child’s life. The program is intended to address child poverty. Local governments have had to pick up the slack after the federal government scaled down its role in addressing child poverty: a 2021 increase to the child tax credit that was part of the American Rescue Plan helped bring child poverty to a record low, but Congress did not renew the expansion, opting for a smaller version instead.

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Curated by Deonna Anderson

MORE NEWS

• Residents of an Oakland encampment are fighting eviction in one of the earliest tests of the Supreme Court’s ruling. KQED

• A “conservative” estimate of the death toll in the genocide in Gaza could reach 186,000, or 8% of Gaza’s 2.4 million people, according to an analysis by scientists who model how war affects health. The Lancet

• The IRS says it has collected over $1 billion in back taxes from millionaires since last fall. CNN

• A New Jersey judge ordered one of the state’s richest towns to build affordable housing in its downtown. This comes after three years of resistance from local officials. Gothamist

RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES

• Artists for Radical Imagination — a network of artists working in liberation spaces supported by the nonprofit Forward Together — is looking for people to join. Learn more here.

• Brookings Institute Fellows Lyneir Richardson and Tracy Hadden Loh penned the Playbook to Buy Back the Block. It’s a practitioner’s guide to help community leaders identify and develop commercial real estate opportunities. Access the playbook here.

• If you’re looking for your next professional opportunity, check out Next City’s job board.

EVENTS

• July 18 at 5 p.m. Central: Reckon’s editor-in-chief Ryan L. Nave is sitting down with authors Deesha Philyaw and Kiese Laymon for a conversation as they launch their new podcast, “Reckon True Stories,” a deep dive into the world of essays and non-fiction and how they shape our culture. Register here.

• August 8 at 11 a.m. Pacific: The Othering & Belonging Institute hosts a monthly public webinar series that focuses on the edge of innovation in urban planning and policy. The next discussion is about urban planning and its relationship to land. Register here. Access recordings for past conversations about the state of the practice, advocacy in the field, and more here.