Some good news! From the Chron: https://www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/dumping-trash-oakland-crankstart-22298389.php

Some choice snippets:

"Barbara Lee lands $9.3 million philanthropic boost for Oakland anti-dumping efforts

Crankstart, the foundation funded by venture capitalist Michael Moritz, will spend $9.3 million in Oakland over the next three years to help Oakland crack down on illegal dumping, Lee announced on Thursday. 

The money from Crankstart won’t fund what Measure E would have — instead, it will be used on tech-focused enforcement initiatives and a few prevention programs. For example, the funds will expand the city’s illegal dumping camera network from 35 cameras to 85, and help pay to continue an AI-assisted drone pilot program that the council funded earlier this year. 

But catching the dumpers is still a challenge, and technology to monitor illegal dumping has provided mixed results in the past. A recent city audit found that, in the five months between November 2024 and March 2025, staff issued just 10 citations based on the 30 surveillance cameras around the city.

Garland said that’s changing. The number of citations has increased since the city installed new license plate recognition software about six months ago. In the first three months of using the software, the team issued about 50 citations. 

Lee came into office pledging to use her network to help raise philanthropic funds for the city. In January, she announced that Kaiser and Pacific Gas & Electric would pay $900,000 to reestablish the city’s police cadet program. The Kapor Foundation has also given the city some $2.1 million to pay for science and technology education."