Politics for the People | Town Politics Podcast – Episode 5 (Season 1 Finale)

Protect our tax dollars!

Episode 5 out now!

Do democrats advance solutions for working families?

Episode 5 now streaming!

Politics for the People | Town Politics Podcast – Episode 5 (Season 1 Finale)

In the Season 1 finale of Town Politics, hosts Pecolia Manigo and Chaney Turner of Oakland Rising Action sit down with Kimi Lee, Executive Director of Bay Rising Action and Bay Area Representative for the Working Families Party, for a wide-ranging conversation about the state of progressive politics in the Bay Area. Together, they unpack the current political reality facing progressives—from working families and grassroots organizers to progressive voters and elected officials who are truly for the people. Against the backdrop of a escalating right-wing federal government and an increasingly moderate climate in local politics, this episode explores how hard-won victories are under constant threat. Policies like rent control, worker protections, and basic social safety nets are no longer guaranteed, and its falling to progressives to actively defend them. Pecolia, Chaney, and Kimi discuss what it means to hold the line against political rollbacks while also pushing beyond the bare minimum. The conversation digs into the tension between progressive values and moderate governance, the risks of compromise in moments that demand bold action, and the responsibility of movement organizations to create political space for deeply progressive solutions. At its core, this episode asks: how do progressives not only survive this moment, but organize to shape what comes next? Please note: This episode was filmed in August 2025, and some political context may have shifted since then.

Self Evictions out number 'legal' evictions in Oakland

We're not over this episode! Our guest, Valarie Batchelor, was speaking facts on evictions!

Housing for All | Town Politics Podcast – Episode 4

In Episode 4, hosts Pecolia Manigo and Chaney Turner of Oakland Rising Action bring together two brilliant powerhouse organizers Vanessa Riles and Valarie Bachelor, for a raw, real, and grounded conversation.  Affordable, stable, dignified housing is becoming harder and harder to access for working families, people with disabilities, and long-time Oaklanders. For too many, it’s already out of reach. In this episode, we break down why that is, and what it will take to build a future where everyone has a home. We get into all of it: * The history of disinvestment that shaped today’s housing landscape * How political decisions fuel displacement * The real drivers of homelessness—not the myths * Why Black and Brown communities hold the deepest impacts * And most importantly: what real solutions look like We name the problems—the systems that create and exacerbate the problems—but also the solutions that our elected leaders could and should invest in. Through organizing, city accountability, and prioritizing people over profit, we can dig ourselves out of this affordability hole and have a community where everyone is housed. All we need is the political will and the investments our community deserves.  About Our Guests  Vanessa Riles Campaign Coordinator at the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy. Vanessa is looking forward to ensuring that there is visionary, equitable development in Oakland that ensures that people have a say in what happens in their own neighborhoods. Vanessa is also a generational Oakland resident and was born and raised in the Town. Valarie Bachelor, Director of ACCE Oakland, a non-profit that works and organizes with low-income people of color throughout Oakland's diverse communities. Valarie was born in Bolivia and immigrated to the US East Coast in the 90s. She was a union organizer for the California Federation of Teachers and has been active in the labor movement for 15 years. Valarie is a passionate activist and community organizer who gives her all to the people of Oakland.  Support the Podcast Like, follow, and subscribe if you’re here for political education rooted in community power. Your support helps us keep producing this work. If you made it to the end of this description, drop a comment and tell us about your relationship with housing in Oakland! About Oakland Rising Action Established in 2010, Oakland Rising Action (ORA) forwards a vision of Oakland that realizes our shared dreams of health, happiness, safety, and opportunity for all. ORA engages in voter education and GOTV operations that encourage Oakland’s working-class, immigrant, and communities of color to think critically about voting for or against issues, policies and candidates based on our shared vision and values for an Oakland for all. Oakland Rising Action is a community-led political organization focused on supporting candidates and issues that drive a progressive agenda for Oakland’s working-class, immigrant and communities of color living in the flatlands of Oakland.