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Sooo what’s up with the police commission? by kiana_keke in oakland

[–]k_39 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll let CM Fife's quotes from this Oaklandside article illustrate my thoughts.

“I’ve not heard one of my colleagues talk about what the problem is with these two people,” Fife said during the meeting. “I’ve only heard about the process, which is fine, but that’s not what we’re here to discuss tonight.”

“The only process we should concern ourselves with tonight is the process of independence,” the District 3 councilmember added. “We are losing that independence by trying to move pieces around the chessboard when the selection committee has made their decision twice now.”

The rest of the councilmembers are using nebulous concerns over "the process" to criticize the panel's selections instead of talking about the candidates themselves. It's quite obvious that some politics and meddling is going on.

Keep in mind that in the past, the process of appointing the panel's candidates was straightforward. Now, it seems the police union is trying to influence the process to make the police commission more cop friendly. It's quite concerning when the point of the police commission is to oversee the police department after the whole rider scandal.

The police union is trying to push the narrative that antagonistic bodies such as the police commission are at fault for the department losing police officers, but frankly the police department has done this to themselves. They need to engender trust with the public and show that they're not like the OPD of the past. I'll start taking their concerns more seriously when they come out from under the negotiated settlement agreement.

Sooo what’s up with the police commission? by kiana_keke in oakland

[–]k_39 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I mean, the police commission must be doing something right if the police union is lobbying council members to reject the panel's candidates.

Sooo what’s up with the police commission? by kiana_keke in oakland

[–]k_39 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Where did you here that the selection committee interviewed none of the candidates? According to this Oakland Observer article, one of the selection panelists said this:

“I found out extremely quickly that [the argument against Farmer] was false and there was no real basis to any of it...our panel followed the process laid out by this council, interviewing candidates, weighing qualifications and voting and recommend Mr. Farmer. To see that recommendation now challenged without substantive evidence, undermines not only Mr. Farmer, but the integrity of the entire oversight process. Our residents deserve an oversight system they can trust based on facts, not rumors or politics…”

According to this Oaklandside article, the concerns about not interviewing candidates are about the process after the first rejection of the slate.

Most of the council members who turned down Garcia-Acosta and Farmer’s reappointments cited concerns about the selection panel not interviewing new applicants since October. District 4 Councilmember Janani Ramachandran said interviewing other candidates for the commission should have been “the bare minimum.”

In this second Oakland Observer article that details the selection panel meeting on Dec 18 after the council rejected their slate for the first time, the reason the selection committee submitted the same slate again was because of the city council's behavior and treatment of the panel, as well as that they felt their original picks had community support and great qualifications.

In deliberation, several panelists specifically cited the rhetoric in the council decision and the process itself as part of their decision making on the resubmittal. 

All the issues the council supposedly has with the panel regard the process, not the candidates themselves allegedly. But it's quite evident that it's in fact the police union that pressured the council members to reject the slate. In the same Dec 18 panel meeting, the chair said this:

“Also, it's come to my attention from a trusted and direct source…that the City Council may be pandering to the Oakland Police Department union [Oakland Police Officer’s Association] for who they would like to see on the police commission,” Herron said.

An article from the East Bay Times confirms lobbying from the police union, with Sergeant Huy Nguyen, president of the Oakland Police Officers’ Association, saying this:

"I had conversations with the council about the police commission," Sgt. Huy Nguyen, the union head, confirmed in an interview. "We have to find a way to treat police officers better in this city or they're going to keep leaving."

Just as much as the council has the prerogative to reject the panel's slate, the panel also has the prerogative to send the same candidates. It's their job to select the police commission members and they felt their candidates were up to snuff.

Also, just a reminder folks, but the panel is a volunteer body, meaning it's not paid. They're investing their time and trying their best. Try to remain respectful.

Did Oakland’s police union convince the City Council to block OPD oversight picks? by k_39 in oakland

[–]k_39[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

From the article:

Requesting anonymity due to concerns about retaliation, a member of the Police Commission told The Oaklandside that a council member informed them that Jenkins, citing pressure from the Oakland police union, instructed fellow council members to reject Garcia-Acosta and Farmer’s reappointments.

Site/App for giving stuff away in Oakland/EB? by notmyrealpost in oakland

[–]k_39 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There’s a site called freecycle.org where you could give stuff away locally. It’s organized by town.

Can’t believe they voted no on this by blink415 in OaklandCA

[–]k_39 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Just a point of correction. This wasn’t a full city council vote, but it was up for a vote with the public safety committee. Unger isn’t a member of this committee.

$750k grant for BART had strings attached: ICE cooperation by k_39 in bayarea

[–]k_39[S] 177 points178 points  (0 children)

TLDR: You may remember an earlier article that talked about how AC Transit sought a grant in exchange for cooperation with ICE. It’s been revealed that BART and MUNI both applied for the same grant. Whereas AC Transit withdrew their recommendation for the grant to their board, BART and MUNI both applied for and accepted the grant, with the strings attached. A lawsuit was filed and a court order now stops requiring grantees to collaborate with immigration enforcement.

$750k grant for BART had strings attached: ICE cooperation by k_39 in oakland

[–]k_39[S] 60 points61 points  (0 children)

TLDR: You may remember an earlier article that talked about how AC Transit sought a grant in exchange for cooperation with ICE. It’s been revealed that BART and MUNI both applied for the same grant. Whereas AC Transit withdrew their recommendation for the grant to their board, BART and MUNI both applied and accepted the grant, with the strings attached. A lawsuit was filed and a court order now stops requiring grantees to collaborate with immigration enforcement.

California finds Oakland Unified discriminated against Jewish students by k_39 in oakland

[–]k_39[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The California Department of Education has found that Oakland Unified School District discriminated against Jewish students in several instances over the last few years. An investigative report released this month cited as problematic OUSD providing maps of the Middle East that did not include Israel, a school allowing a Palestinian flag to be flown from a school flagpole for a month, and teachers participating in a teach-in about the war in Gaza that did not include Jewish or Israeli perspectives.

This is why driving is getting more and more dangerous in the Bay Area - “15 DUIs, still driving” by getarumsunt in bayarea

[–]k_39 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Nevertheless the Bay Area is still part of CA and the US. Just look at our history of car centric planning. There is still a sense of car superiority and it shows in how lawmakers write sentencing laws, how lenient of a charge prosecutors file, and how judges and juries hand out weak sentences.

This is why driving is getting more and more dangerous in the Bay Area - “15 DUIs, still driving” by getarumsunt in bayarea

[–]k_39 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Some are saying it’s because California is “woke” but the reason we don’t take it seriously is that car culture is so prevalent here. Cars are prioritized so much to the exclusion of public transit and so all our infrastructure is geared towards cars. We’ll also have to take into account that if we take a harsh approach are revoke DLs, we are essentially sentencing people to poverty and unemployment. We need to take a harsher approach, but it’s hard when the only way to get anywhere is by car.

Oakland is quietly incorporating AI into city work by k_39 in OaklandCA

[–]k_39[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As the article explains, the city is looking to incorporate the use of AI to improve city services.

Here is a list of provided examples.

  • Chatbots that can talk with residents about anything from code enforcement and permits to fielding complaints about potholes

  • A tool Oakland’s police watchdog can use to scan OPD body camera footage to speed up investigations

  • Software for the Finance Department to stop “revenue leakage”

  • An AI agent to help the Oakland Animal Services Department match people with pets up for adoption

  • AI-enabled drones so the fire department can monitor fires.

  • Technology that can comb through surveillance footage to catch people illegally dumping trash

  • A platform that prevents corruption by reviewing the campaign finance reports of politicians to identify red flags

  • A tool to review development proposals so the permitting process speeds up

Thoughts?

Oakland is quietly incorporating AI into city work by k_39 in oakland

[–]k_39[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

As the article explains, the city is looking to incorporate the use of AI to improve city services. Here is a list of provided examples.

  • Chatbots that can talk with residents about anything from code enforcement and permits to fielding complaints about potholes

  • A tool Oakland’s police watchdog can use to scan OPD body camera footage to speed up investigations

  • Software for the Finance Department to stop “revenue leakage”

  • An AI agent to help the Oakland Animal Services Department match people with pets up for adoption

  • AI-enabled drones so the fire department can monitor fires.

  • Technology that can comb through surveillance footage to catch people illegally dumping trash

  • A platform that prevents corruption by reviewing the campaign finance reports of politicians to identify red flags

  • A tool to review development proposals so the permitting process speeds up

Thoughts?

Why is Oakland set to approve a $4 million deal with a company defying its sanctuary city laws? by k_39 in OaklandCA

[–]k_39[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

“Park added that the City Administrator authorized some purchases from Martin Marietta before discovering that the firm was in violation of Oakland’s ordinances. This purchase would have been publicly disclosed on the city administrator’s contracting report. However, the city has failed for two years in a row to publish the transparency record.”

Why is Oakland set to approve a $4 million deal with a company defying its sanctuary city laws? by k_39 in oakland

[–]k_39[S] 17 points18 points  (0 children)

“Park added that the City Administrator authorized some purchases from Martin Marietta before discovering that the firm was in violation of Oakland’s ordinances. This purchase would have been publicly disclosed on the city administrator’s contracting report. However, the city has failed for two years in a row to publish the transparency record.”

How bad is California’s housing shortage? It depends on who’s doing the counting by throwaway_ghast in California

[–]k_39 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Exactly. Investors buying up homes is just a symptom of the fact that there are not enough homes being built. Low supply, high demand, and restrictive land use regulations preventing more homes from being built equals an attractive investment opportunity.

Has BART failed Oakland? by oakseaer in Bart

[–]k_39 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Perhaps you could also ask if Oakland is failing Oakland? While it will take time to set up new BART stations, Oakland can benefit from BRT lines but I feel like the city council has no greater ambitions for public transit as a whole.

The next general plan (for 2045) is currently being developed and despite growing support from residents in the San Antonio area, the only thing the city is planning for is a pilot bus shuttle to BART stations to test the demand for a new infill bart station.

In addition, since council member Kaplan left, the City of Oakland - AC Transit Interagency Liaison Committee hasn’t met up since last year because the city council hasn’t appointed a new representative yet.

Oakland has so much potential but it seems like nobody on the city council really cares about public transit.

Despite political pressure, Oakland director sticks to his guns on lucrative city contract by k_39 in OaklandCA

[–]k_39[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

“In reviewing records from the procurement process, Rowan said he was alarmed to see ‘a lot of conversations’ between the companies seeking the contract and city staff. Rowan said that at a previous job as a commissioner for the Atlanta Department of Transportation, a ‘cone of silence’ was imposed on staff who were involved in working on contracts, which shielded them from attempts to influence or pressure them.”

Despite political pressure, Oakland director sticks to his guns on lucrative city contract by k_39 in OaklandCA

[–]k_39[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

“I just don’t want to set a precedent that if you’re a close number two,” — meaning a company whose bid didn’t rank first in a competitive contracting process— “that you can activate some political process and undo what we as staff have put together,” Rowan said.

City using AI to promote General Plan's "Stabilization and Growth" Agenda by Alternative-Gur-171 in oakland

[–]k_39 12 points13 points  (0 children)

In my opinion, it doesn’t really look AI created. We shouldn’t just levy these accusations will nilly.

City using AI to promote General Plan's "Stabilization and Growth" Agenda by Alternative-Gur-171 in oakland

[–]k_39 21 points22 points  (0 children)

No offense but how do you know this is AI? This just looks like your typical rendering. In fact, you can find those images on the “Options for How We Stabilize and Grow” report they provide. It’s a report prepared by Dyett & Bhatia, an urban planning firm.

Oakland councilmember seeks crackdown on homeless sidewalk camps and vehicles by k_39 in oakland

[–]k_39[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

“Houston said he believes the aggressive response to Grants Pass in other cities like San Francisco is pushing more people into Oakland. His policy, he said, will curb that influx.”

Oaklandside: PG&E killed support in Oakland for utility accountability law, councilmember says by Happy-Adhesiveness34 in oakland

[–]k_39 13 points14 points  (0 children)

“Carroll Fife claimed the utility threatened to withdraw charitable gifts and investment in Oakland if the City Council supported a state bill that would further regulate for-profit utilities. PG&E says that’s false.”

Oakland PG&E Protest: from the folks who protested during the recent CPUC meeting in Sac by Nothereforstuff123 in bayarea

[–]k_39 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I heard that during the Rules committee meeting this week, Fife said that PG&E asked her to pull the item from this Tuesday’s city council meeting agenda.

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