Judge says real estate firm can evict homeless Oakland moms

A California judge ruled on Friday that six homeless women who’ve drawn national attention by squatting in an empty Oakland house since November must vacate the property because they have “no valid claim of possession to” the thee-bedroom home.  

The decision means the women have less than five days to leave or a local sheriff can force them out, according to the court order.

Sam Singer, a spokesman for Wedgewood, the real estate firm that owns the home, said the company “takes no pleasure in having the sheriff enforce the court’s order to evict the squatters,” adding that “we urge the squatters to leave voluntarily and peacefully.”

The women, who have banded together under a group called “Moms 4 Housing,” moved into the home on Magnolia Street in West Oakland after saying they couldn’t find affordable housing in the Bay Area. The women believe they should be allowed to purchase the property, but Judge Patrick McKinney disagreed.

“These squatters, as heartfelt as they are, are taking something from someone else, and that goes against the very grain of our society and civilization,” Singer said. “Wedgewood has said publicly that it sympathizes with the squatters who broke in, but it doesn’t condone the theft of property.”  

Moms 4 Housing sounded a defiant note after the court ruling, tweeting that “the moms, and the community behind them, will not leave the property.”

Dominique Walker, one of the moms in the home, said Friday that she intends to stay despite the court’s decision. “Today is not a defeat – it’s the beginning of a movement,” she said in a press conference held on the porch of the home, flanked by the other women. “We never thought we’d win in an unjust system. We’re up against corporations who are willing to put mothers out on the street.”

Falsely accused?

Wedgewood buys, renovates and sells foreclosed homes mostly on the West Coast, but the firm also has properties in Florida and Texas through its subsidiaries. The company, which held almost 100 properties in Oakland alone last year, bought the West Oakland home on July 31 for $501,078 in a foreclosure auction. 

Wedgewood executives visited the property soon after the purchase and saw that the utilities were on, a sign that squatters had occupied the home, Singer said. Finalizing the paperwork took longer than expected, so Wedgewood didn’t legally become the owner until November 20 — two days after the women had already moved in, Singer said. 

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, left, talks with Misty Cross, second from left, Tolani King, center, Sharena Thomas, second from right, and Dominique Walker, all from the group Moms 4 Housing, at a rally outside of City Hall in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. Jeff Chiu / AP

Singer said Wedgewood has been falsely labeled by critics as a company that buys foreclosed homes and holds on to them for years. The company planned to immediately renovate the Oakland home and try to sell it to a first-time homebuyer, he said. 

Since the case drew national attention, Wedgewood decided to donate half the profits form selling the home to a non-profit that helps at-risk you in Oakland, Singer added.

A larger housing issue

The fight for 2928 Magnolia St. has thrust Oakland and California’s housing crunch into the national conversation, particularly at a time when state and local politicians are pitching novel ways to combat homelessness.

Homelessness is growing in Oakland for many reasons, chief among them the rising cost of homes and rental properties, officials and housing advocates say. The median home price in Oakland was $654,000 in January 2017, but by last fall that had surged to $758,000, according to Zillow data. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment as of November was just over $2,500. 

Oakland’s homeless population grew from a count of 2,191 in 2015 to 2,761 in 2017, city officials estimate. In 2019, the city had 4,071 homeless residents, according to a report last year from homeless advocacy group EveryOne Home, which pushes to end homelessness in Alameda County. 

“The court recognizes the importance of these issues but, as raised in connection with Ms. Walker’s claim of right to possession, finds that they are outside the scope of this proceeding,” Judge McKinney wrote in a court order.

California wants to use vacant land to house the homeless

The problem in Oakland and across the Golden State has gotten so bad that Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday commanding state agencies to find vacant land that could hold temporary homeless shelters. Newsom has also placed a rent cap on certain California properties. 

Meanwhile, Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan said in December that the city should use a cruise ship to house 1,000 homeless people. 

Singer said it’s honorable that public officials want to help the homeless, but “the solution to Oakland’s housing crisis is not going to be allowing illegal break-ins by squatters.”