Leonard Powell’s Fight to Save His South Berkeley Home
Leonard Powell speaks to the Berkeley City Council on June 11, 2019. Credit: Christine Schwartz
Leonard Powell, an African American senior, veteran, and retired postal worker, who has lived in the same home in South Berkeley for 45 years recently almost lost that home in a nebulous web of bureaucracy called receivership. In 2016, the City mandated renovations to bring Mr. Powell’s home up to code. They were initially estimated at $180,000 but by the time the City’s process ended, they had been run up to $780,000 due to extensive, expensive and extravagant renovations.
Mr. Powell’s family was forced to move out during renovations, including his brother suffering from COPD, now hospitalized, his daughter who has been on home dialysis for years, his granddaughter who administers her mother’s treatment, and one of his sons, James, who is now deceased. Mr. Powell slept on a relative’s basement floor.
Meanwhile, the house’s “new” exterior paint started peeling off after 6 months, the downstairs kitchen cabinetry is unfinished, and the “new” space heaters are inefficient, dangerous for children, and space-sucking. And the bill for the work was increasing with every day Mr. Powell couldn’t come up with the money. Mr. Powell’s neighbors stood with him. The Oakland Post publicized his case. FOA members went with him to court hearings. He worked hard to procure City and Veteran’s Administration loans. And over 1,800 people donated money necessary for him to return to his home. Now Mr. Powell and all of us need to make sure no one else faces this situation.
Two City Commissions called on the City to investigate Mr. Powell’s case and prevent future displacement of vulnerable populations by having equitable standards for code enforcement and due process. The City Manager said there was no need, because the City did everything right. On June 11, the City Council voted to refer the recommendations from the 2 commissions to a City policy committee, to put strict controls on the use of receivership, and to send City representatives to any future court hearings.
Mr. Powell’s fight has received extensive media coverage:
Oakland Post, April 2019: Join Leonard Powell as He Goes to Court To Fight To Stay In His Home
Oakland Post, May 2019: Opinion: Neighbors Care About the Fate of Homeowner Leonard Powell
Oakland Post, June 2019: Veteran Leonard Powell Wins Victory, Moves Back into His Home
Oakland Post, Dec 2018: City Agency Set to Seize Black Veteran’s Home
Oakland Post, Dec 2018: Black Veteran Wins Temporary Reprieve in Fight to Save His Home
The Berkeley Daily Planet, March 2018: Berkeley: City with a Heart…of Stone