More than 60 years after Alameda County cleared Russell City, former homeowners from the unincorporated community near Hayward will start receiving compensation. The East Bay Times reports that the Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to authorize payments of up to $25,000 per household from the Russell City Redress Fund.
What happened in Russell City
Russell City was home to more than 1,400 people, most of them Black and Latino. It was known for music venues where artists such as Ray Charles and Big Mama Thornton played. In the early 1960s, the county declared the area blighted and took property by eminent domain. Hayward later annexed the land for an industrial park. The paper reports that owners got an average of $2,000 for their homes, according to the Russell City Reparative Justice Project, and some got as little as $250.
Hayward apologized in 2021 and Alameda County in 2023. The paper says the joint fund now totals about $1.4 million: $950,000 from county supervisors, $250,000 from Hayward and $100,000 from the Alameda County Office of Education.
Who can apply now
The city's Redress Fund page says Phase I is open to people who lived in and personally owned a home in Russell City between Jan. 1, 1961, and Dec. 31, 1964, and whose property the county took by eminent domain during that time. Payments are made per household. If several owners lived at the same property, each can apply, and the payment is split equally. Applicants need a valid ID and proof of ownership and address. The city page includes a guide to searching county recorder records for 1960s deeds.
Applications are due Nov. 2. They can be emailed or dropped off during in-person office hours at Hayward's Downtown Library and Weekes Branch Library. The East Bay Times reports that once living former residents are paid, eligibility will expand to descendants and other family members.