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Raymond Nemaia
Renewable Energy
Solar energy is the way to go, as it’s a good choice for our current environmental situation. Solar panels for low-income families are currently state-funded by the Solar Access For All Initiative and Grid Alternatives, and it would make renewable energy affordable for all.
(Press Secretary, “FACT SHEET: Administration Announces New Initiative to Increase Solar Access for All Americans.” ObamaWhiteHouse, 07 Jul. 2015)
Policies
Illegal Dumping:
Whenever you see it, report it, and you’ll be rewarded, knowing you’ve helped clean up the community. We will also place large dumpsters in certain areas where people can put their excess trash, and they’ll be emptied each week. This will reduce pollution through runoff and harm done to animals who come across trash.
Greentumble, “HOW DOES ILLEGAL DUMPING AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT?”. 03 Sep. 2016
Food Deserts:
We’ll work with organizations like People’s Grocery to bring healthy food to everyone, no matter where they live. Public gardens will also be started, and food pantries will be more supported, and they will offer free food to those who cannot provide for themselves. An abundance of healthy food will improve health in lower-income areas, and reduce the rates of obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Brittany Schell. “Stories on the intersection of health, wealth and race in Oakland neighborhoods.” The Pulse of Oakland. 2013. Harvard T.H. CHAN, “Improving Food In the Neighborhood.” Obesity Prevention Source.
Green Spaces:
We’ll partner up with organizations to bring more parks, hiking trails, and forests to Oakland. Regulations will be put in place to make sure that the green spaces will stay clean and cared for. Voters have also generated plenty of funds for parks and green spaces.
"How Cities Use Parks For: Smart Growth." Smart Growth. Accessed 11 May 2017.
Tech Boom:
We believe that housing prices go up and become too expensive due to the technology companies moving into the Bay Area and providing tech jobs to be filled by wealthier workers that outbid residents who do not earn as much as them. This leads to some class clash, and it reduces the amount of diversity in different work forces. This is the anti-diversity we want to push out of Oakland. We’re losing our culture and our community. Oakland should respond to tech companies by emplacing more aggressive housing and safety regulations, more expansive rent-control laws, and more affordable housing projects in Oakland. We would like to change the Oakland law stating that landlords can increase rent by 10%, we would like to lower this number to around 5%.
Housing Crisis:
To solve this problem of the cost of living in Oakland for most residents who can’t afford typical essentials, we’ll be providing jobs in areas where convenience and liquor stores are common. We will be inputting supermarkets and grocery stores around these areas where people can apply to work in these stores. We’ll be also joining the Tiny House Movement, where people choose to decrease the size of their house to around 400 or 100 square feet to decrease the cost of housing and living essentials.
Immigration/ Sanctuary Cities/ Multiculturalism:
We will continue to declare ourselves as a sanctuary city, and will not be checking paperwork for those coming into Oakland. We sympathize with those who are coming here because they don’t have any other choice, and will not throw out innocent people seeking asylum. If a crime is committed, they will be charged for it as usual, but will not be deported. As for the problem of funding, we will use taxpayer money and have businesses located in Oakland fund the programs that have had their federal funds blocked.
Homelessness:
Homelessness is very common in the poorer communities of Oakland, and we think that there are multiple solutions. We can have groups of people that make small shelters that contain basic living needs that people would need, so that people who are homeless won’t be out on the streets. This is similar to the “Tiny House Movement”, but will be modified for homeless shelters. In general, shelters and encampments will be improved to meet the needs of the homeless community in Oakland. For those who want to get back into the workforce, we’ll be working with a nonprofit organization called Rubicon. Rubicon gives shelter and mental aid to the homeless, and trains them for employment. (http://rubiconprograms.org/)
Sex Trafficking:
We will create shelters for kids before, during and after they may go through human trafficking. It will be an informative place that will educate kids about the dangers of social media, immigration, and kidnapping. All of these things can lead to sex trafficking. This will also be a safe place for people to go to if they feel trapped in human trafficking. This place will provide them help, education, and the tools to help them get their life back together. Sanctuary will be provided for those who need it, and it will be protected.
Police Brutality/ Reform:
Our solution to improving the situation of police brutality is giving police officers background checks and social training. De-escalation of situations, recognizing signs of intoxication or addiction, and realizing one’s own bias will create a deeper understanding of who they’re dealing with, and will aid police officers when trying to rehabilitate those in need.
Education Reform:
The school-to-prison pipeline is a system that definitely should be corrected. It’s plainly expecting the worst, as the amount of 3rd graders who cannot read is the projection of those who will end up in jail. If those who are in need of more education support can be provided with it, then they will be capable of earning a high school or college diploma, and will not have to resort to illegal methods of earning money, therefore saving them from a life of imprisonment. We plan to provide extra support programs to those who need tutors and more help in any stage of learning, from elementary school to high school.
Prison Reform:
Instead of going straight to prison, people that need help or support should be going to rehab or probation instead of imprisonment. Mass incarceration isn’t working, and to keep trying it is the definition of insanity. Convicts should get the proper help that they need, being in prison won’t change much. Rehabilitation is also much more time-efficient and less expensive. We could use the money that’s been pouring into the prisons for more productive matters, like providing backup funding for the federally-funded programs that would go broke in sanctuary cities. For those who are already in prison or on probation, we will be partnering with programs such as Bay Area Youth Arts for those in juvenile hall, and we’ll be forming our own program that will aid adult convicts with rehabilitation for different addictions, and community service/ volunteer work.
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