Dangerous Ideas

Chin Jurn Wor Ping (CJWP) and our allies are organizing an event to commememorate the 4th anniversary of fight to keep affordable housing at Chinatown’s Pacific Renaissance Plaza. Here’s info from the pdf of the flyer. The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) has put together a PDF showing the time line of the PacRen struggle.

Pacific Renaissance Struggle … 4-Year Commemoration ————————————–

• Pacific Renaissance Plaza
• Oakland Chinatown
• 9th St, between Webster + Franklin
• Saturday, April 28, 2007
• 10:30 am

For more information, contact Eric Chang :: wokwhiz@sbcglobal.net :: 650.580.7719

Dear Community Ally,

Four years ago, Oakland’s social justice community came together to support the Pacific Renaissance Plaza families who were being evicted from their homes. Please join us as we commemorate the fami- lies who stood up for housing rights and as we recommit to realizing justice for the Pacific Renaissance tenants and Oakland Chinatown.

It’s been four years since tenant families, community groups, and the City of Oakland sued the Pacific Renaissance developers. Last May, the parties entered into a tentative settlement agreement that would have resulted in preserving the 50 affordable housing units as permanently affordable housing for the Chinatown community. Yet the wheels of justice currently turn slowly, while many of the Pacific Renaissance families face uncertain futures.

The Pacific Renaissance units represent the last remaining option for affordable housing in Chinatown—a community that is experiencing a serious affordable housing crisis. It also represents unmet promises made to Chinatown. Beginning in the 1970s, community leaders fought to secure community benefits from the Pacific Renaissance project, which received over $30 million in public subsidies. With the docu- mented loss of thousands of Chinatown’s affordable housing units due to redevelopment, affordable housing at Pacific Renaissance was a key community demand.

With your continued help, we will write a different chapter of history on the treatment of Chinatown residents and realize justice for the Pacific Renaissance families. We look forward to seeing you on April 28th.

In peace and solidarity,

Chin Jurn Wor Ping, Oakland Tenants Union, Just Cause Oakland, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, East Bay Asian Local Development Corp, East Bay Asian Consortium, ACORN, East Bay Community Law Center, East Bay Housing Organizations, Movement Strategy Center, Alameda County Central Labor Council, Urban Strategies Council, Siegel & Yee; California Affordable Housing Law Project, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky, & Walker LLP; Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, SEIU Local 1021, League of Women Voters, East Bay Alliance for Sustainable Economy

The issue of low-income housing at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland Chinatown may be nearing a close. PacRen has been put up for sale and the bids are coming in. And it’s not just affordable housing that’s on the line any longer, it’s also the commercial property as well. PacRen is a prominent fixture in Chinatown, and upcoming decisions by the City of Oakland will determine how much affordable housing will remain in the complex, and also the type of merchants that will be housed there. This could turn into a really positive thing – imagine a place where individuals and families with low incomes can afford to live in Chinatown, living in a plaza that includes locally owned shops true to the character of today’s Chinatown. Of couse, it could turn out differently, too, with affordable units being reduced or eliminated, and local merchants being pushed out, a story that’s repeated in so many communities these days.

Please take a moment to ask Oakland city council members to help preserve the character of Oakland Chinatown. Here’s an action alert from the SCEC:

STOP CHINATOWN EVICTIONS COMMITTEE —————————————-

(Asian Pacific Environmental Network, CJWP, Just Cause Oakland, Oakland Tenants Union)

COMMUNITY ACTION ALERT: OAKLAND CHINATOWN AFFORDABLE HOUSING HANGS IN THE BALANCE

ACTION NEEDED: Contact Oakland City Councilmembers and Mayor Dellums to Request that No Council Decision be Made at the February 20, 2007 Closed Session that Would Result in the Sale of ANY of the Pacific Renaissance Affordable Housing Units.

City Contact Information:

• Mayor Ron Dellums, 238-3141, officeofthemayor@oaklandnet.com
• Dist. 1: Jane Brunner, 238-7001, jbrunner@oaklandnet.com
• Dist. 2: Pat Kernighan, 238-7002, pkernighan@oaklandnet.com
• Dist. 3: Nancy Nadel, 238-7003, nnadel@oaklandnet.com
• Dist. 4: Jean Quan, 238-7004, jquan@oaklandnet.com
• Dist. 5: Ignacio De la Fuente, 238-7005, idelafuente@oaklandnet.com
• Dist. 6: Desley Brooks, 238-7006, dbrooks@oaklandnet.com
• Dist. 7: Larry Reid, 238-7007, lreid@oaklandnet.com
• At large: Henry Chang, 238-7008, cityochang@aol.com

Please call and email the Mayor and councilpeople today. The message is simple: In their closed session on the 20th, only approve bids that will preserve ALL 50 of the affordable housing units at Pacific Renaissance.

COMMUNITY STRUGGLE BACKGROUND: Four years after the Oakland Chinatown and housing rights communities have been fighting to preserve the Pacific Renaissance affordable housing units, and three decades after Chinatown activists worked to secure these same units, we are close to securing permanent affordable housing for Chinatown’s low-income and elderly residents. Some of the key aspects of the struggle include the following:

• In the 70’s and 80’s, Chinatown activists worked to secure the Pacific Renaissance 50 affordable housing units in response to the devastation of thousands of affordable units in Chinatown due to City redevelopment efforts. The City of Oakland provided over $30 million in public subsidies to the Pacific Renaissance developers, including a $7 million loan for the affordable housing.
• In April 2003, the Pacific Renaissance developers attempted to evict all 50 families, mainly low-income, immigrant elders. The Oakland progressive community organized in support of these tenants. Community groups and tenants filed a lawsuit against the developers and compelled the City of Oakland to sue the developers for defrauding the City and tenants that resulted in the loss of the City’s $7 million loan and the 50 affordable housing units.
• In May 2006, on the eve of trial, the parties entered into a tentative settlement agreement that would result in the preservation of the Pacific Renaissance affordable housing units. The settlement provided for the City to purchase the commercial property, affordable housing, and parking spaces for $40 million. The City could then sell the commercial property and parking spaces to another buyer for a higher price. The City has been working to find a buyer for the property and set a deadline of January 31, 2007 for all bids.
• The community has made clear, again and again over the years, its support for retention of all 50 affordable apartments at Pacific Renaissance. They are central to meeting the housing needs of low-income residents as well as to the vitality and character of Chinatown.

WHAT’S AT STAKE: City Council Decision at the February 20th Closed Session Could Result in the Sale of Some of the Affordable Housing Units

• The City is trying to recoup its costs of the lawsuit by selling off some of the affordable housing units. We need to make sure our elected officials know that the housing rights and Chinatown communities do not want any of the units to be sold.
• Creative options exist to help close any money gaps that the City has including renegotiating the sales price of the Pacific Renaissance property, allowing a nonprofit housing developer to purchase the affordable units, and deferring the City’s attorneys fees. The City must get back into negotiations with the Community and Tenant Plaintiffs to work out a solution.
• This is a closed-door meeting with no public comment. We need to make our voices heard NOW to impact the decision on Tuesday.

Please call and email the Mayor and councilpeople today.

The message is simple: In their closed session on the 20th, only approve bids that will preserve ALL 50 of the affordable housing units at Pacific Renaissance.

Thank you for your crucial support.

For More Information Contact: Just Cause Oakland, 763-5877; victory@justcauseoakland.org

For more info on the web, http://www.cjwp.org/stopevictions.html

It’s sad when people who build a place get pushed around and eventually can’t afford to live in the neighborhood they made a desirable destination. CJWP has been involved in the effort to get low-income housing reinstated at the Pacific Renaissance Plaza. Many of the people who were displaced were elderly, disabled, poor, and/or monolingual. Their homes at PacRen were important not only because they were affordable housing, but because they were in the heart of Chinatown, where they could see doctors, friends, and others who speak their language. The tenants’ battle has made some great progress, but it’s a complicated situation. From the Oakland Tribune:

The city purchased the space — plus 50 affordable residential units — for $40 million as part of a settlement agreement to end a drawn-out lawsuit with developer and owner Lawrence Chan.

The city hopes to retain the 50 affordable units, but needs to recoup its expenses — not only the $40 million but also several million dollars in lawyers fees, said Carl Chan.

The article talks about how some commercial tenants hope to buy the property but that it might be hard for them to compete with large developers:

If they go with the highest bidder — (possibly) an outsider with deep pockets — rent will increase and we cannot afford to stay here, said Wong, who hopes the city will give current tenants a chance to buy the property, even if they are not the highest bidder.

Wong and others point to Lawrence Chan as an example of an outsider — a Honk Kong-based developer — who doesnt have the communitys interest at heart. The business owners — many of whom own and work at their shops six or seven days a week for long hours and are familiar with the community — want to keep the plaza a vibrant center of Chinatown.

Ever been at a demonstration, march, or rally and wanted to make more noise? A group of people at CJWP have gotten together with some others to form a new drumming group. The idea is to practice together regularly (in Oakland) until we get good enough to make a good showing at rallies, marches, and other events.

You can sign up for the list at http://lists.jooksing.com/mailman/listinfo/cjwp-drumming.

Looks like Ron Dellums won the election for Oakland mayor outright. I guess this means that progressives will be able to focus on electing Aimee Allison to Oakland City Council (District 2) in the November election.

I’ve worked on campaigns in San Francisco and Oakland, and I have to say that Oakland has a much more personal feel. When I volunteered on Matt Gonzalez’s campaign in S.F., he seemed a bit removed from us. Last year, though, I, along with several others from CJWP, helped organize one of several candidates forums for the District 2 Oakland City Council election. The candidates were approachable, and I got to talk to Aimee Allison a bit and helped with her campaign during the final days (I didn’t want to commit to a candidate before our forum took place). She came in fourth last spring, but this year she’s in the runoff for the D2 seat. One of my fellow organizers of the D2 forum was Andre Spearman; this year he’s the mayor elect’s campaign manager.

Oakland’s slightly larger than half the size of San Francisco, but so far it feels like it’s easier to talk to civic leaders. This gives me a lot of hope that we’ll have positive meetings with leaders when we try talking to them about low-income housing in Oakland, with particular regard to the PacRen evictions in Chinatown.

I was at yesterday’s May Day march in San Francisco. Quite a turnout! And a very different demographic than the ones against the Iraq war (although, of course, there’s noticeable overlap). I marched with a group of Chinese immigrants and children of Chinese immigrants, including some friends from CJWP. I also met my friend Thu at Civic Center – that was an interesting challenge!

Here’s a photo of marchers (from my cell phone camera):

!Photo of march for immigrant rights.

I read a few news articles after the march. It sounds like several businesses were affected, including a few that had to close down operations. Hopefully, this will ultimately result in positive change, such as HR 4437 being replaced with something saner (e.g., something that’s not as crazy as deporting 11 million people or charging teachers as criminals because their students might be undocumented immigrants). Of course, there’s always danger of backlash. And, in an election year, some politicians may be using some pretty weird logic in coming up with their positions.

Several progressive API Bay Area groups got together to send a delegation to the WTO meeting in Hong Kong in December. The group included some of my fellow CJWP members. Here’s an except from the flyer:

Hong Kong Anti-WTO Bay Area API Delegation Reportback ——

Friday, February 3, 2006
6-8 p.m.

Asian Resource Gallery
310 8th St.
Oakland, CA

Come hear about the WTO protests in Hong Kong and watch exclusive video footage of the protests and actions. Hear from the delegation of displaced garment workers, youth, activists, and organizers that went from the Bay Area to stand in solidarity with the worldwide opposition to neoliberalism and corporate globalization. There will also be a silent auction and this is a fundraiser for the worker delegation memebers of the Chinese Progressive Association.

The Year of the Dog begins tomorrow … Hope everyone is having a Happy New Year’s eve! I spent the day with other CJWP’s New Year’s Eve celebration. It was pretty small since New Year’s eve is traditionally a family day, and some people have family locally.

I made a vegan interpretation of a cucumber, agar agar, and chicken salad my Grand Aunt used to make.

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Sun Lin Fai Lok!

I had hoped to have my blog up by the time my friends and fellow members of CJWP arrived in Hong Kong, but I’ve only managed to get it up now that they’re on their way back. Not that I could add much to what they (and others who went with the Bay Area WT-NO contingent) have already written about the Hong Kong WTO meeting. The posts there are great. A lot of CJWPers have friend and relatives in Hong Kong, so it’s interesting to hear not just activist accounts, but also see how Hong Kong residents feel about this.