El Tímpano

Poisoned Pipes and Painted Walls: Oakland’s Pervasive Lead Problem

Jasmine Aguilera, Cassandra Garibay, Hiram Duran

Most rental houses in Oakland, California, likely contain lead-based paint. That’s true even though in 2014, the city and Alameda County were allocated about $24 million in combined settlement money that could be used for remediation. El Tímpano journalists spent four months investigating why little has been done to address the issue and pushing for answers to questions about what has happened with the money. 

Journalists also engaged community members by sending text message callouts, organizing library information booths, and going door-to-door. El Tímpano reporters and UC Berkeley’s East Bay Academy of Young Scientists hosted a community workshop to educate residents about lead exposure and offer free soil testing. 

That focus on community engagement and education boosted the project’s impact, one judge said. “Plus, this approach of working with the community to continue coverage and be … a watchdog is an original way to do the work of local news,” a judge said.

Read the Winning Work

Poisoned pipes and painted walls: Oakland’s pervasive lead problem