{"id":301487,"date":"2026-05-05T22:08:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T22:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/301487\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T22:08:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T22:08:09","slug":"oakland-could-fine-property-owners-nearly-1-million-for-tree-removal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/301487\/","title":{"rendered":"Oakland Could Fine Property Owners Nearly $1 Million for Tree Removal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ramachandran told KQED that since the meeting, she\u2019s received a flurry of messages from constituents responding to what happened. She said that out of the hundreds of messages received from Oakland residents, \u201cnot a single email, not a single phone call, not a single DM, not a single text message\u201d favors \u201canything less than the full fine\u201d for Bernard.<\/p>\n

Bernard and Warner declined KQED\u2019s requests for interviews.<\/p>\n

But during the April hearing, Bernard told the council that he and Warner did \u201ceverything in [their] willpower\u201d to follow the law in the plan to develop the property. Ramachandran was not convinced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a knowing violation of our Tree Protection Ordinance and we need to comply with our existing law and fine him the amount as recommended by city staff,\u201d she told KQED.<\/p>\n

During the hearing, Councilmember Carroll Fife pushed back on whether the tree protection law was being enforced fairly.<\/p>\n

Fife asked \u201cwhy a Black man should be the first to receive consequences for things that white people have been doing for centuries,\u201d referring to the region\u2019s history of racial segregation based on legal measures, like redlining.<\/p>\n

\"\"A property on Claremont Avenue across from Garber Park in Oakland on May 4, 2026. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

Bernard is a Nigerian immigrant. Earlier, his partner Warner had alleged to the council that when they initially purchased the property, other residents in the neighborhood had made racist comments and threats to Bernard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI \u200adid not want to bring up race, but goddamn it, it is a part of what we\u2019re discussing,\u201d Fife said, though she clarified that she did not agree with Bernard\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n

Fife was not available for comment before publication.<\/p>\n

The April hearing drew over a dozen members of the public to the podium.<\/p>\n

Among them was Saumitra Kelkar, a biologist and science educator, whose Instagram posts<\/a> about the removals have garnered thousands of views. He said the native oak trees in the city\u2019s hills create a unique microclimate that holds onto moisture and resists burning.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a natural shaded fuel break, which was going to severely impede the ability of a wildfire to travel through that area,\u201d Kelkar said. Now that the trees are gone, he said, it\u2019s going to be\u201cmuch easier for a much faster fire to burn much hotter, and cause a lot more destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelkar, who recalled coming to the location as a college student to forage for edible mushrooms and spot native wildlife like salamanders, said it was \u201cgut-wrenching\u201d to revisit the site in advance of the April hearing.<\/p>\n

\"\"Councilmember Carroll Fife speaks during a press conference at Oakland City Hall in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2025, condemning President Trump\u2019s recent remarks about Oakland. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201dEven if Matthew Bernard is required to reforest that entire hillside, it\u2019s going to take decades or centuries for the populations of [wildlife] to actually return,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The vote in April ended in a tie, with Ramachandran, Kevin Jenkins, Zac Unger and Charlene Wang supporting the resolution and Fife, Rowena Brown and Ken Houston voting against it.<\/p>\n

Mayor Barbara Lee refused to break the tie. The council tried again later in the meeting to pass a reduced fine, and the vote failed.<\/p>\n

Councilmember Noel Gallo was not present for the vote and was counted as a \u201cno,\u201d but he told KQED he plans to support the full fine Tuesday evening.<\/p>\n

Ramachandran agreed that the situation and Oakland\u2019s historical context presented racial equity issues.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aWe have a very racist history in the hills. I certainly would not have been able to be [a] councilmember of this district as of not that long ago,\u201d she told KQED.<\/p>\n

However, she said, the city council should uphold the law as it\u2019s written, and she stands by her commitment to the full penalty.<\/p>\n

\"\"Janani Ramachandran speaks with campaign organizers in Oakland on June 26, 2021. (Beth LaBerge\/KQED)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m Indian, my husband\u2019s Nigerian, and our son is both,\u201d Ramachandran continued. \u201cAnd the three of us would not be able to live in my district at all, given the legacy of redlining. That doesn\u2019t mean that we should give a pass to people that look like us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramachandran told KQED she\u2019s considering revisions to the tree protections with the rest of the council \u2014 including a statute of limitations to help the city address violations in a timely way.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aI really do think that city staff messed up and dropped the ball back in 2021 when they had first found out,\u201d she said. \u201cRight then and there, they should have issued this notice of violation and brought it to council and brought forward the charges.\u201d<\/p>\n