More than 300 community members filled the pews at Imani Community Church to hear Oakland Vice Mayor Henry Chang answer tough questions on his views on affordable housing. Oakland Community Organizations (OCO) and ACORN organized the March 5th event attended by Chang and City Councilmember Jean Quan, who has been a supporter of affordable housing. 

While Chang said he supports working families in Oakland having a place to live in the city, he has voted in the past against a proposal that would require developers to build more affordable units and in support of a proposal allowing apartment to condominium conversions.

Chang changed his tone at the meeting with OCO and ACORN, saying that he would support an increase in spending on housing for low-income families by contributing 35 percent of the city's redevelopment money to such programs. He also committed to supporting a plan to require developers to make at least 15 percent of their projects affordable, a concept called inclusionary zoning. Finally, Vice Mayor Chang supported a cap of 200 apartment-to-condo conversions every year, unless the number of affordable units built under an inclusionary zoning policy surpassed that mark. 

Although Chang's stance still differs somewhat from Mayor Ron Dellums' proposals, OCO leader Rev. Valerie Miles-Tribble said Chang's support for inclusionary zoning and a cap on condo conversions represented a "major victory" for housing activists.

For more information on OCO, visit www.oaklandcommunity.org

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