This can be accomplished by increasing the amount of impact fees payable by developers throughout Oakland. This three tiered approach only drives developers to East Oakland which in turn will drive out the working class poor and poor children and elders.

Artists, Creatives and Spiritual Communities of all sorts have made Oakland their home. With the rapid gentrification of the city and the buying up of Oakland's buildings by out of town opportunists, the culture and livelihood of countless people that give Oakland it's appeal as a destination for the arts, are being threatened. Those that are still holding on to their living and working spaces are barely doing so. The communities we have built are going to vanish all together, the art and culture along with them, if a housing solution is not found. There are many ways to provide an array of affordable housing options at different levels, so that people do not have to leave their homes and their lives. Grant programs, incentives for new owners or landlords to include lower-cost rent for artists and government subsidized housing are a few of these options. The insured inclusion of artists voices and priorities through the creation of an Oakland Arts Commission is another necessity. It is also within the power of the local government to limit the amount of city property that can be owned and\or managed by outside investors. The residents and communities of Oakland's creative communities should have priority when it comes to ownership of property in Oakland's commercial and residential zones. A way that this could become a more feasible option for more artistic folks in the city of Oakland, is through grants and incentive programs for local banks and credit unions, encouraging them to loan to creative entrepreneurs.

We need to keep working families in Oakland and need to provide apartments and condos that are big enough for 4 people and maybe have outdoor balconies or common areas where kids can play. This is needed downtown as well as in the neighborhoods.