LOCAL

Fighting Food Deserts: Launch of Oakland's 2045 General Plan Update Phase Two

Residents remain concerned that the city’s promise to fight food deserts is not materializing into visible change.

2 minute read

Display of tropical fruits including cactus pears, mandarins, jicama, mangoes, and pineapples in a colorful market with large plastic water jugs on a shelf above and hanging piñatas overhead.

Fresh produce in Supermercado Mi Tierra, located on International Blvd and 96th Ave.

By Lili Euzet
Photography by Kristi Ko

December 2024

As Oakland moves into phase two of its General Plan Update (GPU), which outlines the city’s 20-year plan of action to address issues including housing, public safety and food access, residents in East Oakland remain concerned that the city’s promise to fight food deserts is not materializing into visible change.East Oakland is one of 41 areas in Oakland that have been designated food deserts, meaning residents are more than half a mile away from the nearest grocery store. In a Sept. 26 Zoom call held by the city to get feedback on the plan, 57% of the 82 attendees said that having more neighborhood grocery stores is a priority.

Map showing San Francisco, Oakland, Alameda, Emeryville, and San Leandro with highlighted areas and a search bar at the top left corner.

Oakland’s 41 food desert areas. Source: city of Oakland. Last updated April 10, 2024

In the first phase of the GPU, which started in November 2021, the city adopted a variety of broad measures, meant to be implemented during phase two, to improve food access in Oakland and “ ensure that more neighborhoods are within walking distance of a grocery store.” The city conducted 90 community outreach events, trying to engage with “low-income communities of color” by partnering with the Deeply Rooted Collaborative, a collective of 13 community organizations. But in East Oakland, which has the most food deserts, residents don’t feel included. Most said they were unaware about the General Plan Update and the discussion over food deserts.

“We really feel left out,” says Ernesto Martinez, 47, a resident of Elmhurst. “It seems like the city doesn’t want to help. I know it’s not the case, but that’s how they make us feel.” The closest place Martinez can get fresh produce is a Safeway almost three miles away from his home.

When residents have to drive to shop, parking can also be an obstacle to accessing food, says Maria Suarez, 54. She says she tried to drive to Fruitvale’s farmer’s market but couldn’t find parking, and so gets her produce from the Trader Joe’s across town.

Most grocery stores in a walkable distance from people living in food deserts are liquor and corner stores, which rarely store fresh food but often are the primary food access points for them. Acknowledging this issue, the city vowed to implement a program to “assist business owners in stocking fresh and healthy food at affordable prices,” by funding refrigeration equipment and technical assistance.

Map of Oakland showing food access with locations of grocery stores, food markets, and farmers markets marked by red, green, blue circles, and orange squares with 0.5-mile radius blue circles indicating grocery/supermarket coverage.

Food access points in Oakland mapped for the General Plan Update. Source: city of Oakland.

Better access to affordable food is a priority for Martinez.

“When you’ve got to decide, ‘Do I pay the rent or do I buy food?’ I’m always going to buy food, no matter what,” he says. The median income per capita in East Oakland is $31,534, and drops to $21,849 for Hispanic residents, who make up almost half of the area’s population.

Diego Garcia, an East Oakland resident who lives 15 minutes away from the nearest grocery store, believes the stigma around public safety in Oakland is a reason why businesses don’t settle in the area.

“Every other day I hear about stores closing. Everybody’s leaving and I don’t see nobody coming in, because I don’t think the city is promoting it,” he says. Garcia wants the city to help deconstruct the idea that Oakland is unsafe. He believes deploying more police to protect new coming stores would ensure their viability.

Empty market stall with green table covers and pigeons eating peanuts on the table.

The discussion over the way to concretize the guideline actions adopted in the GPU is still ongoing at the city level, and no tangible project has been announced.

“I wish they were a bit more open with their projects, you know. That would probably give us a little hope,” Martinez says.