REMINDER! Important Reports Scheduled for 10/11 Finance and 10/12 Public Safety Committee!

This week, our Finance and Public Safety Committees will receive important informational reports from the City Administration. At the Monday, 1: 30 PM Finance Committee Meeting, we will receive an update on the City’s work to improve Contracting Opportunities For Local, Small, Women And Minority- Owned Businesses and creating a New Multi-Service Public Buildings, and Relocation of PAB and Fire Stations in Central and East Oakland.

Monday Oct 11, 1: 30 PM Finance Committee Meeting

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89670650974

Agenda: Link

On Tuesday, 1:30PM Public Safety Committee, the City Administration will provide informational reports on the status of implementing MACRO and transferring Special Events Permitting out of the Oakland Police Department to civilian control. Council member Fife and I have also asked for the outcome of the investigation of the OPD Instagram Case.

Tuesday, Oct 12, 1:30PM Public Safety Committee

Zoom Link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83853066942

Agenda: Link

City’s Work to Improve Contracting Opportunities

At the September 21, 2021, Oakland City Council meeting, I asked the City Administration, who is responsible for implementing the Council’s directives, to provide an important informational report on the status of several vital community grants that were previously council approved -- many since early this spring. Many of these grants were funded with the $10 million that I allocated back to the city as a board member for the city on the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority. These grants are time sensitive as they provided direct funding for vital community needs, such as COVID vaccination outreach, and work to ensure opportunity for minority contractors.

I grew concerned as some of the grantees notified me that they had not received the funding from the city and were being asked to resubmit documents that they had previously provided. At the September 21, 2021, Oakland City Council meeting, the City Administration confirmed that there was a separate subcommittee they created that meets to review certain selected city contracting and grants. The purpose of those meetings was unclear, as it seems only minority contractors were sent for extra delay.

I am concerned with the extra process that some grantees were made to go through as they are primarily African American Businesses. We know from Oakland's Disparity Report that this is an urgent issue to be addressed, I will continue to advocate and ask for a transparent, timely, and fair city contracting process for all.

Item: Link

Creating a New Multi-Service Public Building in East Oakland

I am proposing that we construct a new multi service building in East Oakland, which would provide for equitable public access to Fire, Police, MACRO and many more services. Since 2017, the City of Oakland has been studying the feasibility of a new Police Administration Building (“PAB”), with this agenda item we will be discussing options for new multi-service public facilities, to better provide service and safety to the public, and improve opportunity and vitality, including fire stations, police administration, and other services, and making the best use of public land, and freeing up a vital city owned site at 7th and Broadway to become a more welcoming, pedestrian oriented and active use including housing for all.

Item: Link

MACRO

I, along with my colleagues on the Public Safety Committee have asked that the City Administration provide the implementation of previous Council directives and create a way to continue to fund Oakland's civilian crisis responders --MACRO. In July, the City Council accepted and allocated $10 MILLION of additional state funding, which I successfully requested on behalf of the MACRO. This funding will allow Oakland to better launch MACRO as a well-resourced program of civilian crisis responders and allow the Oakland Police Department (OPD) to answer violent priority calls.

After listening to much community input, our request for an update on MACRO will include:

1) Include A Community Advisory Board For The Purpose Of Serving As An Advisory

Partner To The Oakland Fire Department As Council Expressed Its Intent To Create In

Resolution Number 88553 C.M.S And To Return To Council If Necessary With

Appropriate Legislation;

2) Ensure A Competitive Salary And Wage Structure For Jobs, Meaning Jobs For

Frontline Responders And Bringing Them On As Soon As Possible;

3) A Plan To Expand MACRO To A 24-Hours A Day, 7-Days A Week Program;

4) Strategy (And Staffing) To Pursue Additional Funds To Continue/Expand MACRO;

5) Revised Spending Plan

Agenda: Link

Moving Special Events out of OPD

I, along with Councilmember Fife, have scheduled a report from the City Administrator on the status of implementing the July 2020 Council directive, which I introduced, to transfer Special Events Permitting out of the Oakland Police Department to the October 12, 2021, Public Safety Committee meeting. Several community members and organizers have shared their strong support of removing Special Events Permitting out of OPD due to the expensive police fees. Additionally, I have continually called for OPD to focus on responding and investigating crime and missing persons. As reported by KQED, “ Critics of the current policy are frustrated: In the years prior to the pandemic, Oakland used as much as 84% of its festivals and fairs fund to pay the police department for security instead of directly supporting artists and cultural institutions. This police-led permitting system is cost-prohibitive and inequitable, critics say. They argue it hurts opportunities for artists and small businesses, hampers Oakland’s arts and culture and related industry, and slows recovery from pandemic restrictions.”

City staff is has created a draft of a “one-stop shop special event permit application”

and a survey. They are seeking community feedback on the new application are available here:

https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2021/seeking-community-feedback-on-updates-to-the-specialevents-permitting-process. Staff intends to use the feedback in the fall of 2021 into the final application.

Item: Link

OPD Instagram Case

This report will provide information on the investigation and findings from the use of an Instagram account by current and former Oakland Police Department (OPD) officers. The Instagram account contained deeply offensive content that was sexist and racist, but was ignored by management who reviewed it until investigative journalism brought these actions to public attention. Read the articles on this important issue: Link & Link

Item: Link

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) portal opened, October 1. Tenants and property owners in need of financial assistance for past due rent may be eligible for the Emergency Rent Assistance Program. Oakland residents in need of help paying rent and property owners whose tenants have refused to apply for rental assistance are encouraged to apply for emergency rental assistance.

To apply:

• Tenants: visit www.hpp.bayareacs.org or call (510) 899-9289
• Property owners: visit bit.ly/Oakland-rent-help or call (510) 238-6182

General questions: email housingassistance@oaklandca.gov

Application assistance and translation services are available.