PHHP is one of the few parks in Fruitvale, meaning that it provides crucial green and recreational space for nearby residents. As discussed on the Present Day Inequities page, this is a re-occurring challenge for low-income communities of color in Oakland. PHHP itself faces unique challenges in its ability to fund and continue its operations; the park is one of five managed by non-profits on behalf of the city and the City of Oakland provides approximately $70,000 annually to the Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park non-profit to manage the park. This sum falls severely short of the budgetary needs of the PHHP; forcing the park to be reliant on grant funding for its operations and expansion. Grant funding, while certainly welcomed, tends to be prescriptive in how funding can be spent, ultimately requiring considerable staff knowledge and time for their application process.

Despite the aforementioned challenges, PHHP continues to plan for and engage with innovative approaches to the green space challenge in the community. Fruitvale is currently home to several designated "Slow Streets" and housing accompanied by yard space, both of which have potential to expand local green space. See this page for one such idea for 34th street.

The regional housing crisis is a top concern for Fruitvale residents. The high cost of living has manifested in various renters’ strikes, tenant unions, and advocacy at city hall regarding the issue (Orenstein, 2021). Many residents, who have long celebrated Fruitvale for its chicano/a cultural heritage, are concerned that the gentrification and displacement wage is coming to their neighborhood.

In 2018, the Urban Displacement Project released an updated displacement risk assessment for the San Francisco Bay Area. Their findings indicated that Fruitvale is less susceptible to gentrification and displacement than other lower-income neighborhoods in Oakland (Chapple et al., 2021). Nevertheless, disparities exist within the neighborhood, in which census tracts north of International Boulevard are seen at risk of gentrification while those south of it have no strong signals of it.

While research indicators of displacement leave open questions for the community, we do know that a high percentage of Fruitvale residents are rent-burdened, a contributing factor to the growing problem of overcrowding experienced in the neighborhood today (PennPraxis, 2020). Given increased sentiments of "lacking breathing room" by children and adults alike, public spaces such as PHHP are as crucial as ever in providing opportunities to work, learn, and play outside the home.

As examined earlier on the Historical Inequities page, long-term exposure to extreme pollution levels has translated to adverse health impacts for many East Oakland residents. However, less often discussed by political leaders are the mental health impacts of living in an environment that has experienced severe levels of environmental degradation. Environments that are hospitable for pollinators also support positive mental health outcomes for humans (Lanza, 2021; Kelleher, 2018).

Given this context, it is more crucial than ever for civic leaders to invest in environmental restoration to contribute to better overall community wellbeing. PHHP is at the forefront of working with community leaders, artists, activists, and children to collaboratively create culturally-sensitive projects such as native pollinator gardens and art installations that work towards such outcomes. Undoubtedly, grassroots art creations and community gardens are a form of environmental justice.

The COVID-19 Pandemic is as much of a socioeconomic challenge as it is a public health one, highlighting disparities related to race, income, and occupations.

Many East Oaklanders have expressed frustration early in the process of implementing the Slow Streets program, since programming intended for communities with large work-from-home populations, such as Rockridge, are not well-suited for communities with many essential workers, such as those in East Oakland (Darden, 2020).

As a result of COVID-induced municipal budget challenges, the Oakland Board of Education proposed earlier this year that they were intending to either close or merge 15 public schools in the city, including Manzanita Community School and Fruitvale Elementary (Sciacca, 2022). This proposal sparked outrage among parents and advocacy groups who consider the schools selection process to be a racist strategy to repair the district’s fiscal mismanagement at the expense of people of color and low- income children. Following weeks of protests and activism, the board decided in February to reduce the proposal from 15 to 7, including the removal of the Manzanita and Fruitvale Elementary from this list (Rançano, 2022). For many community organizers, the only acceptable number is zero.

In light of these circumstances, PHHP has been actively engaged with civic leaders and nearby residents to create adaptive responses to the COVID crisis that serve the needs of the community, including amplifying food distribution services for families and offering educational programs for children.

In addition to more traditional problems in green & recreational politics, the issue of illegal dumping is also seen as a serious issue in Oakland. This is especially true for Fruitvale residents, who have expressed frustration to media outlets about how their neighborhood is often treated as an open dumping ground by residents and businesses elsewhere in the city (Baustin, 2021). Large bulk waste items on sidewalks and open spaces pose trip hazards, reduced accessibility for persons with disabilities, and eyesores for residents. The issue of illegal dumping is complex in Oakland. Although the city also allows renters to request free annual dumpster pickups, the collection rates for businesses set by the city's waste contractor are some of the highest in the nation. This has prompted many residents and businesses to pursue illegal dumping. This issue is one such contemporary example that illustrates the pervasiveness of racism and environmental injustices that impact marginalized communities in the city.

Although the issue of illegal dumping is first and foremost a political challenge that requires collaborative and participatory decision making at the city level, there may exist opportunities in the interim for community leaders and PHHP to pursue such as distributing educational materials or community-led neighborhood clean-ups.