Phil Matier: Oakland Mayor Touts Plan To Bring In New Residents
OAKLAND (KCBS) – In the same vein as Jerry Brown before her, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan is unveiling her own 10,000-resident plan, aimed at bringing new residents to the East Bay.
Governor Brown, who served as mayor of Oakland from 1999-2007, launched a 10K plan, which is often credited with bringing in businesses, especially to the Uptown area of Oakland.
Now, before her State of the City speech on Thursday evening, Quan is proposing her own plan, with a focus on bringing in residents not only Uptown and downtown, but across the entire city.
Quan, who is running for re-election in 2014, is hanging her hat on bringing in new housing units, similar what Brown did during his time as mayor. But the question remains, will this newest plan be enough to have people forget about other issues, like crime, the police department having an acting police chief, and City Manager Deanna Santana leaving her post?
Quan said she hopes the plan will bring in 7,500 additional residential units in Oakland.
But it is expected to face plenty of opposition, with many calling this the latest gentrification in the city, where residents are being squeezed out due to higher rent and home costs, while the city looks to attract a wealthier crowd.
You can hear Phil Matier's comments Monday through Friday at 7:50am and 5:50pm on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.