After taking corresponding public comment, the Oakland Police Commission has adjourned into Closed Session and anticipates starting meeting at 6:30 pm
Now Commission is back, and taking open forum comment.
In the current item, newly hired Inspector General Michelle Phillips, who moves from a similar position for the City of Baltimore, is being introduced to the Commission and public
In his report back, Chief Armstrong saying that Court asked OPD to create new anti-discrimination policy, risk assessment and social media policy. He also says that the Court asked the City to start creating a plan to transfer Court oversight to City oversight.
On Public Defender issue, Armstrong says they've implemented the recs put forward by PD. He also says that that he's putting data together to review the changes in the future. Armstrong says PD sent an email to Chief saying that it looks like the recs are in process.
Armstrong mentioned a decline in overall stops, as well as discriminatory ones. But the OPD's numbers still look awful, and discriminatory, according to OPD's own data.
One very arguable thing that happened is that OPD told their officers to reduce their stops in general. They did, the data shows, but not in a way that significantly prevents racism in the remaining stops
I am signing off on this Police Commission meeting.
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Why I'm relentless on Oakland news purveyors being trash: Seen any article about the Equitable Business Tax Taskforce? In September, the body recommended to Council a ballot measure that could increase yearly Business tax revenue to $32MM. Council will consider it Tuesday.
I am sure the only reporting anyone has seen has been on my twitter timeline. You'd think it'd be important as it contemplates adding an additional $320 MM to the City's coffers over the next decade, & 1.2 B over the next 40 yrs. Dwarfing any benefit provided by Howard Terminal.
Not surprisingly, the Schaaf Administration opposes the potential ballot measure, claiming it will cost Oakland jobs.
Colbruno was fined 10 K for not reporting his lobbying work right before he was reappointed to the Port Commission, just FYI. He was Jean Quan's campaign director when he used his position as a Port Commissioner to send mailers boasting of her achievements.
To a certain extent, Colbruno embodies the Mayor and Council's view of appointing members to the Port board who absolutely don't belong there because of their many conflicts, hand in hand with the Treasurer of the ALCO Building Trades, and the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce
Recently, ALCO Building Trades Treasurer and Port Commission President Cluver argued that emission limitations that would spare the health of thousands of BIPOC residents would harm plant workers and owners income, and should be watered down.
Redistricting Commission Update: City Attorney filed the mandated petition to state court last Friday [excerpts below]. It requests court delay making map until early February, to give Commission time to pass a map w/super-majority vote before end of January. Failing that... 1/5
...the City Attorney would then file the petition, asking the State use whatever Commission map has the most commissioner support by then, subject to legality, instead of the Court drawing its own boundaries... 2/5
...Commission would continue to try to pass a super-majority [9 of 13 votes] map by April 17. If they succeed in doing so, that map would be the City's final district map, super-ceding whatever map the state was going to use by then. 3/5
Oakland City Council Special Meeting, 12/7. Council President Bas opens by reviewing order of business, will take 2 ceremonial items first, before moving on to public comment. There's several public hearings today. Measure Z and academy budget resolution will be taken together.
Bas says that the academy vote is about filling police positions that were already budgeted in June. [but the academies and associated costs were not budgeted, I have to add]
As far as Bas' comments go, she's right. Even with the most optimistic [and apparently false] estimates, OPD doesn't get beyond the sworn staffing budgeted for 21-22 until June '23. The sworn staffing for 22-23 is actually higher than 21-23, so they'll still be "under-staffed"
Last four meetings counting down at redistricting commission. After tonight there's only three meetings left. Here's the maps being considered by the commission oaklandca.gov/topics/distric…
There's a never-ending succession of white people repping D6 since 2018. It gets larger and larger while actual voices of Black and Brown people seem to diminish at these meetings.
Gail Wallace of League of Women Voters is reminding Commissioners Redistricting is ultimately their decision and that public comment can be diverting and misleading or irrelevant. She's responding to a commissioner's statement last meeting claiming that it was public's decision