District 5 and Citywide Achievements

As the current Oakland City Councilmember representing District 5, a former District 5 OUSD School Board Director, and a concerned elected Oakland leader, I have facilitated a major public and private investments in housing, infrastructure, economic development, jobs and workforce development, education, community services and cultural activities to serve my constituents and ALL Oakland residents and businesses.

  • Facilitated over 2,000 units of housing have been developed or are in the pipeline in District 5 by public, community development and private investors.
  • Expedited development of approximately 1 million square feet of new industrial and commercial development has been secured. Half of the space is now available, and will generate approximately 750 new jobs.
  • The Fruitvale Transit Village TOD has been fully realized; a vision which began in mid- 1990s.
  • The Latinx Cultural Zone implementation is underway, with a new Cultural Center funded by $16M in New Market Tax Credits; cultural artwork in collaboration with local Artists; expanded the annual Dia de los Muertos celebration, attracting over 100,000 visitors to the Fruitvale District.
  • The Native American Health Center is in process with the expansion of medical and dental services, 76 additional units of affordable housing, and the development of a cultural center.
  • Noel’s top priority is public safety. He has been a leader in establishing the MACRO Program, Police Commission, District 5 Police Substations, advocating for traffic enforcement, motorcycle patrols, more school crossing guards and additional funding for police and fire staffing.
  • Noel works daily with his staff to respond to encampment issues, reporting to the City for encampment debris cleanup and removal of unsafe encampments or encampments not in line with City policies.
  • Over $1million in workforce development to support social enterprise business funding and partnerships with the city.
  • Through Noel’s leadership with OUSD and the City of Oakland, fifteen District 5 schools were rebuilt or significantly upgraded.
  • Noel helped deliver over $200 million in infrastructure dollars to D5 for: Fruitvale Alive! Project which supports safe bike lanes, street lighting, the Neighborhood Bike Route Plan, street repaving, speed bumps, traffic signals, signalized pedestrian crossings, waterfront trail improvements and major sewer repairs.
  • Since 2012, Noel and neighborhood volunteers have provided weekend beautification services throughout D5, removing illegal dumping and blight abandoned cars, and graffiti. Through his D5 office budget, Noel has three dedicated staff members providing daily services.
  • Cultural Promotion and Preservation is important to Noel, he regularly sponsors the Indigenous Red Market, Aztec Scholarship Run, September 16th celebrations, and community murals and art.
  • He works closely with D5’s 11+ community service providers facilitating city partnerships and funding to maintain services and jobs. He also works with many D5’s faith leaders and organizations.
  • He was a leader of voter ballot Measures. Measure Z original and the current 2024 Ballot Measure NN to renew Measure Z include a range of public safety services such as intervention programs and community-based programs. Measure U – Affordable Housing, Transportation & Infrastructure; Measure KK to fund Oakland Park improvements; Measure FF- Oakland Minimum Wage; Measure Z- hotel minimum wages, and Measure W – Democracy Dollars.
  • He co-authored the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) policies update, including the amnesty program to legalize unpermitted ADUs. This allows many senior homeowners and families to rent out secondary property units.
  • He was a co-sponsor of forming the Oakland Police Commission, Public Ethics Commission, and the development of the Homeless Encampment Policy.