In response to astounding rates of inhumane evictions, armed with a vault of knowledge from our Evictorbook project, and invigorated by the release of Worst Evictors NYC, we set out to compile a list of the most frequent evictors plaguing the Bay Area, namely San Francisco and Oakland, since 2017. Using a variety of data sources, tools, and techniques, we attempted to compile a list which encompasses the most comprehensive review of evictors in the Bay Area, as well as provide resources that encourage and mobilize the local community to fight back. 

Methodology

Data Sources

Our list relies on a variety of data sets and sources. The data used in our analysis can be categorized in two groups: outputs from the Evictorbook database, and qualitative investigative research conducted in partnership with the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition.

Evictorbook is a tool, also created by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project, used to research and evaluate the complicated webs of corporate property ownership. Main sources of Evictorbook data include the City of Oakland Planning Department, California Secretary of State, and the Alameda County Assessor Office.

Within Evictorbook, raw data is processed to establish connections between the often anonymized business entities and the individuals and corporations behind them. These data points from the above sources are connected using common addresses, owners, and business entities. Connections are made between properties evictions/evictors and properties, properties and business entities, and business entities and properties, through the property ownership data.  For more details on Evictorbook's methodology, please check out the methodology page on the site.

This project, the Worst Evictors of San Francisco and Oakland, uses various outputs from Evictorbook to link evictions with individuals and business entities. The initial set of outputs used here are created using cypher queries on a finalized Evictorbook Neo4J database. Additionally, some outputs used in our analysis are created as byproducts of the Evictorbook data pipeline by compiling various raw data inputs. 

Working Community Knowledge

In addition to the physical data sets, we contrasted our results against on-the-ground understanding of evictions and Evictors in the Bay Area. Through various conversations with housing activists and organizations within the area, we collected a few “community appointed” worst evictors who for one reason or another are missing from the quantitative analysis.