Oakland City Council protects People and Property

Recent protests in Oakland have included broken windows, graffiti, fires and violent attacks on people.  Earlier this week the Oakland City Council voted 5-0 with one abstention to Prohibit the possession of Tools of Violence and Vandalism during a Demonstration.

This ordinance clarifies what steps the Oakland Police Department (OPD) can take to prevent personal harm and property damage.  Once enacted no one is permitted to carry or possess a club, fire accelerant, fireworks, painting device, paint projectile, shield, sling shot, hammer, or wrench while participating in any demonstration.

Supporters of the measure, including the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, expect the ordinance to help OPD protect everyone, including peaceful protestors, from anyone intent on causing harm to others.

Before it becomes effective the ordinance will have to be approved again at the next City Council meeting which is scheduled for September 17.

 

 

Now is NOT the time to abandon good budget policy

The City of Oakland has unfunded pension liabilities (approximately $1.5 billion) and negative fund balances (approximately $100 million).  Health care costs and other required payments to the State of California are forecasted to go higher in the coming years. 

And while the current two year budget cycle appears susceptible to balance, it should be noted that in the three years that follow (FY 2015-18) every annual budget shows a NINE FIGURE DEFICIT, ranging from a low of $111 million to a high of $200 million.  

Just four years ago this Council recognized the folly of spending windfall revenues to fund on-going obligations.  With that in mind the Council passed a rule about the Real Estate Transfer Tax.  Any revenue above $40 million in one year was to go to a reserve or to pay down negative fund balances or paying for capital improvements.  In adopting the rule the Council recognized that responsible fiscal planning required using one-time funds to pay down debt and not create new continuing obligations.

It would be a mistake to abandon this policy the first time it would actually take effect. And yet the City Council is considering that very move today.

To abandon the rule demonstrates a lack of fiscal discipline.  A rule was set to show responsibility - it is a good rule and to abandon it the first time it would apply shows the same old spend whatever we have even when we are in debt. 

Further it leads to the likelihood of repeating past mistakes.  The City got in a tough spot in past years when it took a spike in certain income (particularly real estate transfer taxes) and spent it as ongoing income.  It was wise to set a rule saying any income above some amount will be used to put our long term finances in order NOT to leverage us up further.

The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce urges the City Council to maintain the real estate transfer tax policy it adopted just four years ago,  thereby demonstrating a your commitment to responsible budgeting and to serving all the citizens of Oakland.

 

OPD Chief Jordan gets strong Council support

An Oakland City Council that will work together in the face of a boisterous opposition seems to be developing.  Last night the council approved four measures to support public safety.  These measures include (1) approving a consulting contract with former LA and NY police chief Bill Bratton to develop a Crime Reduction strategy; (2) approve financing for a "3rd" Police Academy to start in September 2013; (3) hire 21 civilian police department employees to improve service and free sworn officers for other duties; and (4) contract temporarily with Alameda County Sheriff to bring 10 sheriff deputies to Oakland two days a week for 3 months. 

The last three of these four resolutions passed on an 8-0 voice vote.  Only the Bratton contract received any opposition on the Council, and that a no vote from Desley Brooks.   Mayor Quan demonstrated leadership on these issues as well issuing a letter of support for the Bratton contract last week and attending the Council meeting last night.

Get More Police Officers on the Streets of Oakland

That was the message at the Oakland City Council Finance and Management committee on Tuesday.  Chairperson Libby Schaaf, along with Council President Pat Kernighan and President Pro Tem Rebecca Kaplan (fourth committee member Desley Brooks was absent) voted unanimously to approve the resolutions that will authorize the expedited hiring of 20 police technicians and one fingerprint examiner; bring eleven Alameda County Deputy Sheriffs on patrol in Oakland two days a week; and commit needed funds to begin to prepare for a Police Academy that would start in September 2013 (it would be the third Academy to start since September 2012).

All three matters now go to the full Council for approval on January 22.  All three resolutions were authored by Schaaf and Vice Mayor Reid and supported by Police Chief Howard Jordan, City Administrator Deanna Santana and Mayor Jean Quan.
 
It was noted that all three resolutions are meant to get more patrol officers on the streets.  By hiring more technicians the hope is not only that more evidence will be gathered and hence more crimes solved, but also that sworn officers now handling those tasks will be able to return to patrol. 

By authorizing preliminary steps needed to start an Academy in September the City sticks to its commitment to run academies for the foreseeable future.  With a current sworn staff at OPD of 613 officers and attrition averaging 4.25 officers/month new officers are needed.  Academy’s start with 55 trainees and usually graduate about 409 who then need 6 months of field training.  This means two academies a year would produce about 80 new officers, replacing 51 who would retire or otherwise leave the force. 

Given the low number officers (OPD was at 803 officers just about 3 years ago) and the time it takes to staff up the third item, a temporary agreement with the Alameda County Sheriff to bring officers on patrol in Oakland is timely.  And police staff noted that the deputies will be deployed to areas and at times identified by crime statistics as especially in need of additional law enforcement attention.

 

Inside Info for Tonight's District 1 City Council Debate

Candidates for Oakland District 1/North Oakland City Council Seat will Debate Tonight in Rockridge

After filing the papers indicating their intention to run earlier this month, the seven leading candidates for Oakland’s District 1 City Council Seat will debate tonight in an open forum at the College Avenue Presbyterian Church (CAPC), located in Rockridge.  The debate, produced by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Committee starts at 6:30pm and is free to attend. Doors open at 6pm, and questions will be solicited from the audience.

The boundaries of District 1 encompass the vast North Oakland area, including the Rockridge and Temescal neighborhoods and portions of Piedmont Avenue. The District is sometimes characterized on the council as more affluent and politically connected to the city power structure than other Oakland council districts.

The role of the Oakland City Council is to be an elected governing body representing the City of Oakland. There are seven council districts in Oakland, and one at-large member for a total of eight seats. If needed, the Mayor serves as the tie breaking vote. Since 1998, Oakland has had a strong mayor form of government. The mayor is elected for a four-year term and council members serve staggered four-year terms. Oakland's Mayor is subject to a tenure limited to two terms. There are no term limits for the city council members.

The job of council member for District 1 has been most recently held by Jane Brunner, for nearly 16 full years (4 consecutive terms). Ms. Brunner is stepping down at this end of this term (Dec ember 2012) to concentrate on her campaign for City Attorney for Oakland.  By many accounts, Ms. Brunner has been a reliable and dedicated council member, and she is widely viewed as a policy and “big picture thinker” in the areas of labor relations and community development, citing the development of the Oakland Army Base as one of her  many accomplishments. Most recently, Councilmember Brunner has chaired the influential Community and Economic Development Agency (CEDA) committee of the council. She has been a Rockridge neighborhood resident of Oakland for 35+ years.

 

Many political consultants consider this year unique for the Oakland City Council in that it will have at least three new council members after the November election, a turnover unseen for 16 years. The existing council is characterized as having “fractious dynamics” and even some seated council members themselves are excited for a chance to change the tone of the conversation.

This debate will likely cover (but won’t be limited to) several critical issues concerning the Northern part Oakland, including the pending Safeway store development, gang injunctions, schools and property values. What do you think are the biggest issues facing District 1 in the next four years? Please attend and submit a question for the candidates. Or let us know your comments by following the event on Twitter tonight @oaklandchamber and using the tag #oakdebates.

 

Candidate Backgrounds (Alphabetical by First Name)

Amy Lemley

Amy Lemley lives in North Oakland with her husband and two daughters. In 1998, she co-founded First Place for Youth in Oakland, which provides affordable housing to hundreds of youth and young adults. Ms. Lemley holds degrees from the University of Chicago and UC Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy and has served on the Measure Y Oversight Committee.

 

 

Craig Brandt

Craig Brandt has been a District 1 resident for 28 years.  Mr. Brandt is a trial lawyer in private practice and a Board Member and Secretary for the International Center for Integrative Medicine, a 501(c)(3). He holds a masters in Community Planning from Antioch University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration also from Antioch University.

Dan Kalb

Dan Kalb has been the California Policy Director at the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Chapter Director of the Sierra Club. Mr. Kalb also co-led the Isaiah Project, and currently serves on the Youth Leadership and Community Safety Strategic Planning Task Force for the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth. Mr. Kalb holds a B.S. in Conservation of Natural Resources from UC Berkeley and a Masters of Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.

 

 

 

 

Don Link

Don Link joined the Shattuck Corridor Neighborhood Watch in 1991, and chaired Oakland’s Community Policing Advisory Board from 1999 to 2008. Mr. Link is an electrical contractor specializing in energy efficiency for his company, Controlled Energy.  He holds degrees from UC Santa Barbara (AB) and UC Berkeley (CPh).

Don Macleay

Don Macleay owns and manages a computer networking business in Oakland; East Bay Computer Services, Inc. Prior to that, Mr. Macleay has spent over 24 years doing industrial work, 19 of them as a general machinist/millwright and as a member of the machinist union (IAM) and IAM shop steward.  Mr. Macleay got a GED in California and went on to graduate from Laney and then San Francisco State (Phi Beta Kappa).

Leonard Raphael

Leonard (Len) Raphael is the co-owner of Car World in Temescal and has been a staff auditor and tax accountant for Price Waterhouse and Deloitte.  Mr. Raphael has been the Treasurer Temple Beth Abraham and on the board of directors of the Oakland Food Pantry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard Raya

Richard Raya lives in North Oakland with his wife and four sons. Mr. Raya is currently the policy director for California Forward. He sits on the Board of Directors for two Oakland-based organizations, Youth Radio and TransForm, and has previously been the budget director for the Alameda County Public Health Department, an analyst for the Alameda County Administrator, and an auditor for the City of San Jose. Mr. Raya holds two degrees from UC Berkeley, where he earned a B.A. in English and a Master’s in Public Policy.

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Chamber Support

The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (OMCC) public policy committee does not endorse political candidates, but there is a separate political action committee OakPAC that does.  For more information on OakPAC, please contact Paul Junge, OakPAC Executive Director at pjunge@oaklandchamber.com 

Full Debate Schedule

Tonight’s District 1 debate is the third of six debates in this series. The full schedule is posted below; all debates are FREE and begin at 6:30pm.  All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

 

Possible Oakland Law Discourages Investment

The Oakland City Council is considering a bill that would put new regulations and fees on the purchase of residential investment property.  Proponents of the measure acknowledge it is meant to place controls on who can invest and how much they can invest in Oakland.

It’s called Non-Owner Occupied Residential Building Registration, and it would require owners to register each residential building with the City which is not occupied by the owner and pay substantial fees to be determined by the City.

The registration requirement will include providing a written Property Report in an approved format to the City by an approved local individual or firm.  The report will include an interior and exterior inspection of the premises attesting to the conditions of the property including readily apparent violations of various City codes.

The failure of an owner to comply with the provisions of these new requirements will receive violation notices for each building immediately subject to abatement actions and fees, assessment of penalties and fines, and collection actions. Each and every day a violation of any provision of this proposed law exists would constitute a separate and distinct offense.  The penalties in this new law are in addition to and do not supersede or limit any other remedies, whether civil or criminal, including demolition or receivership by the City.

 The matter was heard yesterday by the Community & Economic Committee.  Many objections were raised and further consideration of the ordinance was postponed to September.

Plans at Lake Merritt BART, Cultural Arts Grants and Measure Y Review

Oakland City Council Committees meet Tuesday, March 13th.  Three particular items may interest Chamber members:

Community & Economic Development  2pm    Jane Brunner - Chair

A Report on the Draft Preferred Plan for the Approximate Half Mile Area Surrounding the Lake Merritt BART Station, which Contains Concepts and Strategies for Land Use, Open Space, Affordable Housing, Historic Preservation, Circulation, Streetscape, and Building Heights; and Will Be the Basis for a Draft Station Area Plan, which Will Be Studied in an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

The Draft Preferred Plan projects that between 3,700 and 5,600 new housing units, up to 5,755 new jobs, 412,000 square feet of additional retail space and 2.1 million square feet of additional office space will be created in the Planning Area by 2035. It also identifies near-term and long term improvements related to public safety, recreational and open space opportunities, transportation, and lighting.

The plan is available on line:  www.business2oakland.com/lakemerrittsap go to Reports.  This could be a great opportunity for positive projects in the heart of the city.  There are some frustrations being expressed about height limits, affordable housing requirements, community benefits and other issues.

Life Enrichment   4 pm      Desley Brooks - Chair
Approximately $850,000 in Cultural Arts Grants supporting 52 Oakland non-profits and artists are on the agenda for Council approval.  Chamber members receiving grants include: Civic Corps Schools, Contare Con Vivo, Friends of Peralta Historical Park, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, Oakland Ballet, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Prescott-Joseph Center for Community Enhancement, Pro Arts and Stagebridge.  Congratulations to them and thanks for their good work in our community!

Public Safety   5:30 pm   Patricia Kernighan - Chair

Measure Y requires an annual report identifying (a) the amount of funds collected and expended; and (b) the status of any project required or authorized to be funded.

Patel & Associates, an independent accounting firm and subcontractor, performed the Measure Y - Violence Prevention and Public Safety Act of 2004 financial audit for the year ending June 30, 2011.

Summary of spending by category:

Community &             Hire and keep 63 officers assigned to:                       $ 5,238,568

Neighborhood             Neighborhood beat officers, school safety,

Policing                       crime reduction team, domestic violence

                                    and child abuse prevention and officer

                                    training and equipment

Violence Prevention    Expand preventive social services by the                   $ 6,086,416

Services – emphasis    City or add capacity to community based

Youth & kids              nonprofit programs – Youth outreach

                                    Counselors, in and after school programs,

                                    domestic violence and child abuse

                                    counselors and offender/parolee

                                    employment training

Fire Services                Maintain staff and equip. for 25 fire engine               $ 4,000,000

                                    Companies and seven truck companies,

                                    expand paramedic services and establish a

                                    mentorship program at each station

Program Audit            1 – 3% of Measure Y funds for the purpose of          $  479,985

& Oversight                independent evaluation of the program, including

                                    the number of people served and the rate of

                                    crime or violence reduction.

Total                                                                                                                $15,804,969

Should the Parcel Tax pass next month?

Should the Parcel Tax (Measure I) pass next month, the City Council has a plan to spend it.  The five year tax would raise about $11 million/year.  On Tuesday the Council voted that for the first two years they would spend about half of that amount on the Police Department.  Street repair and Park maintenance would each get a little over $1 million.  Spending on information technology, a summer jobs program and senior centers were the other categories receiving over $300,000. 

The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce supports Measure I and will continue to urge the Council that the vast majority of those funds should be used for Police services!

Public Safety Requires Immediate Attention

Below is a letter the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, the Airport Area Business Business Association, the Jobs and Housing Coalition, the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce, the East Bay Rental Housing Association, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have drafted to City Council in regards to Oakland's Public Safety Issues.

3 October 2011

Dear Council Members:

Public Safety requires immediate attention.

The signatories to this letter represent a broad based coalition of Oakland businesses ranging from small businesses to the largest corporations, and include rental housing providers and Ethnic Chambers of Commerce. 

We believe Oakland is a great place to live and do business. There is, however, one issue that detracts from this positive picture. While in many categories of crime there is progress, the headline grabbing homicide rate is on the rise and there is still far too much violence on our streets.  This is first and foremost a personal tragedy for the victims and their families. But study after study shows, and empty storefronts reinforce, violent crimes impact the business climate as well.  For both reasons, we have united to urge you to find ways to address the problem. 

In tight budget times we still need to find ways to avoid ever decreasing police staffing levels. Tools such as gang injunctions, curfews and anti-loitering measures have been suggested by expert criminologists and we believe they should be used.  We also support the use of other recommended technologies such as surveillance cameras, shot spotter audio systems, better street lighting and laptop computers in patrol cars.  When neighborhoods and businesses are safe, people shop in those neighborhoods and tax revenue increases. 

It is in this spirit of coming together for this important cause that we call on all members of the community and our political leaders to put aside past differences and support measures that can help police in their efforts to stop violence. We need more police officers and we need to support them. We urge the Council to come together in the best interest of the entire Oakland community and not be overly concerned about a few loud voices who have dominated the debate.  The time for talking and protesting has passed.  We need to come together and solve this problem now.

Concern for the safety of innocent law abiding citizens who have every right to live free of the fear of crime must be our primary focus. We urge all advocates to respect their colleagues as we work through these issues.  And we urge you to act quickly, with one voice to let everyone know we stand against crime and for the rights of people to live safe and productive lives with their loved ones here in our great city.    

Sincerely,

Theo Jackson                                                   Joseph J. Haraburda

President                                                          President & CEO        

Airport Area Business Association                    Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce 

Gregory McConnell                                          Wil Hardee                              

President & CEO                                             President & CEO                                

Jobs and Housing Coalition                               Oakland African-American Chamber of Commerce     

            

Bill Bagnell                                                       Jose Duenas

President                                                          President & CEO

East Bay Rental Housing Association                Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Alameda County

* The Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce also supports this letter and stance on Public Safety issues in Oakland.

                                                                       

Public Safety dominates Council Agenda Tomorrow Night!

A loitering ordinance, a youth curfew and extending the gang injuction are all included on the City Council Agenda Tuesday Night (10/4).  They are agenda items 13, 14 and 15 respectively.  The meeting is scheduled to start at 5:30 pm but these items are not likely to come up in the agenda until 7pm at the earliest.  If you’d like to attend the Council meeting and speak on these topics you will need to fill out a Speakers Card.  You can fill out the Card in person or on-line.  One other Public safety measure on the agenda is award of a shot spotter contract that will help police quickly and accurately identify where gunshots have been fired.  This contract award is part of the consent calendar, is not expected to be controversial and will come up before the other public safety issues.

Also on the Council Agenda tomorrow night the Council will consider recommendations to make Building Inspections more consistent from one city inspector to another.  And two recommendations by the Mayor for new Port Commissioners. Victor Uno would retain his seat and Jakada Imani would fill a seat currently held by Margaret Gordon.

To watch a live broadcast of the City Council Meeting, visit the City's Live Video webpage.