City Attorney Barbara J. Parker

The Oakland City Council approved this week settlement of the City’s lawsuit against California Waste Solutions, Inc. (CWS) after years of litigation to recover for Oakland ratepayers approximately $6 million in overcharges for bringing recycling carts at multi-family buildings out to the curb ( “backyard service”). The settlement requires that CWS refund approximately 2,000 multi-family building owners for those years of overcharging, and lower their rates for backyard service for recycling carts going forward. The settlement will make these Oakland ratepayers whole, remedying the harm they suffered for years as a result of CWS’ overcharging practices.

City Attorney Barbara J. Parker has filed a lawsuit charging the leaders of a prominent local real estate and taxi empire with systematically violating the rights of tenants at buildings owned by their family companies.

Five major oil companies knew for decades that their products caused climate change and posed "catastrophic" risk, but lied to consumers and continued to make enormous profits