By Ritvik Misra
In Oakland, the opioid crisis has deepened, with fentanyl deaths skyrocketing across neighborhoods in the 94612 ZIP code, like Uptown and Lakeside. In 2021, these neighborhoods recorded 8.2 fatal overdoses per 10,000 residents, compared to Alameda County’s average of 1.1 per 10,000.
Against this backdrop, local officials, state legislators and federal policymakers are deploying a suite of interventions, from methadone access reforms to millions in settlement funds to confront the epidemic, but residents warn that bureaucratic hurdles threaten to blunt their impact.
With these large long term effects, the question is: on the higher level what are our local legislatures doing to help fix this grave issue.
Law expands methadone access
Oakland’s efforts received a significant boost with the 2024 passage of AB 2115, authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney. The bill aligns California with federal DEA guidance, allowing clinics to dispense 72‐hour take‐home methadone. This enable patients to begin treatment during evenings, weekends and holidays.
Haney underscored the urgency, saying to CBS News, “Dealers are much better at getting fentanyl and heroin into people’s hands than we are at getting them addiction medication. We have to reverse that entirely if we want to save people’s lives.”
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors, citing a doubling in opioid overdose deaths since 2017 and severe racial inequities in mortality, formally backed AB 2115 to expand treatment access.
“Expanding access to methadone for vulnerable populations is essential to addressing the overdose crisis,” said Eileen Ng, Policy Director for Alameda County Health.
Alameda County stands to receive approximately $40 million from national opioid settlements. In public listening sessions, Oakland residents conveyed frustration with the slow allocation.
“It breaks my heart to see what East Oakland looks like … I beg for a liaison… help us help us,” said Sonia Reed, a lifelong resident and founder of a local recovery nonprofit, told Oaklandside.
Reed proposed turning vacant buildings into “recovery cafés,” yet pointed to the challenges nonprofits face in navigating grant bureaucracy.
Harm reduction on the ground
Oakland has also recently backed harm‐reduction tactics including pharmacy naloxone availability and a field program enabling EMTs to administer buprenorphine, the first knowninitiative of its kind in California, a large step taken by the city to tackle the issue.
Meanwhile, Alameda County narcotics teams seized 28 kg of fentanyl and $155,000 in cash in East Oakland, one of several major busts aimed at disrupting local drug supply chains.
Federal policy influences local action
At the federal level, the 2018 SUPPORT Act infused nearly $9 billion into opioid treatment and overdose prevention programs across states. Meanwhile, the proposed Modernizing Opioid Treatment Access Act in Congress mimics state efforts by calling for retail pharmacy distribution of methadone, creates a potential future lifeline for Oakland residents
awaiting local clinic access.
Voices of concern
Local health leaders warn that policy must be matched with on‐the‐ground resources. Dr. Kathleen Clanon, Alameda County’s medical director, told news group Oaklandside, “The numbers will continue to go up unless we’re able to really turn them around”.
Reed added that without ditching red tape, “our torn‐down community” risks continued neglect.
Outlook: Ambition meets execution
Oakland’s policy framework, spanning AB 2115, settlement allocation and
harm‐reduction pilots, is more robust than ever. However, translation of laws into lives saved depends on efficient deployment and equity‐focused implementation.
With fentanyl still killing by the pound, local leaders are pushing to ensure that reforms reach East Oakland’s vulnerable populations quickly and meaningfully.
As Haney put it, “We have to reverse supply with medication” a goal that we see being tackled by our representation on a legislative level, but now its time we tackle this goal on a community level.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
