City of Hayward and Alameda County Supervisors Elisa Márquez and Nate Miley have announced the creation of a $900,000 redress fund for former residents of Russell City, a historically multi-ethnic community displaced in the 1960s for industrial development.
Roughly 1,400 people were forced out and 700 parcels seized as part of a controversial redevelopment push. Russell City, once an unincorporated area of Alameda County, was annexed into Hayward in 1964.
“This is the direct result of the reparative justice project started in 2022, following the city council’s apology for the wrongful taking of property,” said Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas. “It is imperative that we do what we can while the owners are still living.”
The newly announced Russell City Redress Fund will be housed at a local foundation, with $250,000 contributed by the City of Hayward and $650,000 from Alameda County—$400,000 from Supervisor Márquez’s office and $250,000 from Supervisor Miley’s.
The fund will provide one-time direct payments to living former residents whose properties were seized. While not intended as full compensation or reflective of current land value, city officials say they hope that the payments mark a step toward restitution. Eligibility details and distribution timelines are still being finalized.
“This is a fundamental step toward repair and healing,” said Supervisor Márquez, who recalled first learning about Russell City’s history while attending elementary school in Hayward.
Miley, who chairs the County’s Ad Hoc Committee on Reparations, added: “I am proud to collaborate with my colleague to provide some measure of redress to the former residents of Russell City.”
The initiative builds on a 2021 formal apology by the Hayward City Council and ongoing recommendations from a community-led steering committee that included former Russell City residents.
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