It's someone who lives just down the street from us and he started off as being someone who was in our bicycle fix-athon getting his bicycle fixed and just sort of kept coming back almost every day asking what else is going on and so eventually we have him in a work study program now.

I am pleased to introduce our VIP speaker Mike Brown, who is a dedicated volunteer and one of our youngest committee members.

Mike lives across the street from the Crucible and goes to Lowell Middle School where he's an eighth grader.

Mike supports our expanding bike program and works in the studio three days a week.

As Mike will discuss, the Crucible classes offer more than skills.

They've taught him to be brave and to be mature.

Mike is the newest generation of artists to enrich our community, and I am so pleased to introduce him.

Please welcome Mike Brown.

What I like about the Crucible is that you get hands-on work with power tools in classes and you get to meet new friends.

You get to learn from the crucibles, such as how to control fire, maturity, because if you're playing around flames that are uh 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit and higher, you can hurt yourself or someone else.

In many ways, we're a growing program, and so we look at Mike Brown as a template for how we'll continue to grow the program.

And I really see the youth program as a continuum of services throughout a young person's time.

And so what's really exciting about Mike Brown is that we've seen the integration of young people into these classes and and really being excited about these classes.

I've taken jewelry, I've taken wood, I've taken wood shop, um, I've taken three ARC welding classes, I've done two blacksmithing classes, I've done NIG welding, TIG welding, I've done the bike shop, I've done neon, flash flame working and glass fusion.

But he's proud of himself, you know, coming here and learning things that seem dangerous, flames and hot furnaces, you know, blacksmithing and that kind of stuff, it's really intimidating when you're a kid.

But when you master it, you know, uh, you feel a lot more confident um that you can pretty much find anything difficult.

Just overcome your fears because there are people around you who are gonna keep you safe, make sure nothing happens, create a good environment for you.

And then he's he's just this awesome, awesome guy now.

Mom, if you think that it's a really good thing that I come here because like you learn new traits and everything, so like if you go out in the world, it's like you can you know get a really good job paying, you know, good money.

And if somebody enjoyed it's like whenever I enjoy it sending my mom, she's always right behind me.

To see uh Mike Brown with young people serving as an example and and being a young role model is just it's just really exciting and and it makes me really passionate about developing this program to make sure we continue to keep Mike Brown engaged when he's 16 and when he's 17 and then when we finally move him on to the adult program.

If I wasn't working here at the crucible, I would probably be living with my dad in San Jose because it's like I enjoy living in Oakland with my mom.

It's just that it's kind of dangerous because a lot of shooting and drug dealing and everything.

Right now, if you look at the situation in West Oakland, twelve to seventeen-year-olds are really committing some of the most violent crimes, and I think what the crucible offers is an alternative to those things, and and maybe they're not the ones perpetuating it, but maybe they're the ones that are victimized by that.

And so we just offer them a place where they can learn a skill, have some fun, and walk away with a new bike or maybe a new pendant or maybe a a letter opener from blacksmithing, so it's exciting, it's good.

It's just good to know that you provide safe and alternative education.

Seeing the the youth that comes in the door to create something, whether it's a pair of earrings or a pair of a bracelet or just hammering, just getting out the maybe their frustrations by doing things.

I think it for the community it's just a play another place for people to be expressive in a very positive way.

I would recommend this to other people because um it's fun and it's educational and it's uh it's a good experience because like you get to do things that you really don't really get to do with normally in life.

Like, um, do you normally ever see a 12-year-old or anything holding a blowtorch or anything like that?

The crucibles, I mean, a wonderful opportunity for people to see this type of artwork.

For me, it's a great way to become a part of a community where people kind of understand the more industrial types of art.

A lot of the arts have kind of moved away from this kind of um kind of work where it's down and dirty and like fire and hammers, and for me, it's what really gets me going.

And so it's real exciting to be in a place like this.

Often I think people don't see a lot of beauty in the things that they pick up, touch, hold, move every day, until they you know step back and see something that's actually been hand created.

So many people are used to the idea of things in their environment coming from the store, and not having any idea of where they come from, what the processes are that were to make them.

And so just to be exposed to that is it's an eye-opening experience, and it could just change your life like it did mine.

Wood is one of the most basic materials.

Uh traditionally, you know, it wouldn't take more than a handful of tools to do most furniture, and it was expected, it was even commonplace that every man would know how to do repairs around the home or uh perhaps build smaller, more simple pieces of furniture.

It is sadly uh a uh part of uh our society that has uh quieted down quite a bit.

I would argue that blacksmithing's not a dying art form.

Um, and in fact, there's been more of a resurgence of um blacksmithing in the last 20 years in this country.

Um, but there's a lot of new forms and a lot of new um uh a new visual and new aesthetic for blacksmithing that's more contemporary.

Um it's harder, it's hard to make a living as a blacksmith because of um commercial production.

Neon is kind of falling into the category of a lost art in that you simply can't pay Americans enough to do it.

A lot of the neon that you find mass produced in places like a Walmart or a Target or something like that is made in China where the neon workers are paid maybe 15 or 20 cents a piece and doing well at that.

Uh neon vendor here in the US can do I think probably fifteen dollars an hour is what it comes out to, which is not really very high pay for a for a good skill.

So, in that sense, it is kind of a dying art.

For the most part, I believe the education is going towards the three Rs of reading, writing, and arithmetic, and the trades are being pushed off on to other places.

Machine shops are all going the way of computers, but to know how to calculate and machine something so precisely that um it fits another machined object perfectly is is it is kind of a lost art.

I hope that the crucible can help to bring more interest into those areas.

I think the industrial arts are disappearing and this is a place where people can come and learn how to get these skills that they would not get anywhere else.

When you write a piece of code, it can disappear simply with a flip of a switch.

If you build something out of metal, it will outlive you.

And that's a really nice feeling.

We have always done something, you know, to commemorate our our being in existence and all the creativity that's come out of it.

And so in 2004, for our fifth anniversary, we ended up producing Dido at an AS, Henry Purcell's Baroque Opera, which was written in 1889.

The challenge really was to have what we're doing tie into the story of the opera and not be just gratuitous fire, and also tie back to what we teach, and that was really one of the big goals for me, was to really bring some theatrical light to some of these lost arts like glass working or flame working or anything like that.

So people would see it in a different light and think, wow, that's really amazing.

I have an interest in taking that.

So, some ways, you know, it's a fundraising event and it's uh awareness raising event, uh, but it's a huge outburst of a lot of people's creativity.

It was a huge challenge for us.

Uh having a 30-piece orchestra here, uh working with the San Francisco opera.

Um it was really exciting.

It's a time to really bring together a lot of the elements of that exist at the crucible.

The organization's very open and accessible for students and people to come in the door and get to be a part of it.

And that holds the same for being a teacher.

You don't have to have a master's degree, you don't have you don't need to spend a lot of money on an art degree to come and teach a class.

You need to have a passion for teaching, have a real wealth of knowledge to share and an interest in, you know, being patient with people to to teach them the hands-on skills.

We pull from uh industry a lot for our instructors and people who just love what they're doing, and it it puts a little different twist of thing uh on our classes.

Um there's less about what's happening in the modern art world and more about what the student would really like to do in a class.

So it's it's not so much of a competitive thing with the modern art world, but what people want to do and what people kind of have a vision of doing.

And then also the instructors just really pass on their love of art, you know, to the students because that's why they're there.

They're there because they love it.

I think I was most drawn to metal because it was the most difficult material for me to work with.

It's this rigid material that doesn't really move very easily and and it's just this, you know, cold, rigid material.

Um so being able to heat that material and and form it or mold it was this really beautiful process.

Um I I did metal smithing, which is more jewelry, um, welding and fabrication, which I also loved, but the blacksmithing was what was really the most beautiful thing for me because I could take this rigid piece of material, put it in the fire, and then use my hands and hammers to really form that material.

For a women's blacksmithing class, uh, the students are coming in to learn basic forming techniques of blacksmithing.

Hammering technique is really important because many of us don't know how to hammer.

So it's you know, it's coming in and picking up a hammer and trying to figure out how to hit this really small piece of steel in a big anvil.

So a lot of it's the coordination and and actually using an appropriate hammering technique.

So they're not wearing out their tendons and their muscles and their wrists, so they're using, you know, full arm techniques and appropriately hammering.

Um, and then there's the forming techniques such as tapering and twisting and bending.

A lot of the things that we think of when we think of traditional blacksmithing.

Should I hang out?

There are more and more women who are becoming involved in um in the art of blacksmithing.

Um, although, you know, I can probably count them on, maybe if I had two sets of hands.

So there are more and more, but there are are still very few in comparison to the men who are involved in blacksmithing.

The women who take my classes walk away with with more confidence and exhilaration because they've come into the studio and for a weekend do something that they perhaps were intimidated by or perhaps thought they just couldn't do, or was something that wasn't for them.

So they walk away with blisters and they walk away with with sore hands and sore arms, but but really it's the exhilaration and the confidence that that really strikes me.

My name is Kara Voss.

My fire artist name is Kay Fire, and I'm a fire dancing instructor here at the Crucible.

I started with poi, moved on to doing all sorts of fire toys, staff, and double staff, and fire eating and fire breathing.

So it's like a huge world.

You know, I'm like continuing to explore it, and the teaching element has been really exciting.

It's time, you can try again.

Just take your time.

There you go.

Toy is basically uh wicks made out of kevlar, which is a non-flammable material on chains with candles.

So you're basically spinning them around.

Uh poi, especially is just an endless learning experience.

There's just more and more levels of complexity.

Most of the school is focused on the uh industrial arts, but it's really nice that they also throw in the fire dancing element, and they're gonna be building a studio as well to accommodate that.

So it's you know, basically provided a way to share the art.

Right now I teach one class at the crucible.

It's called Cast Clip and Pour.

And it's a second-level foundry class.

So people who take the class come in with finished waxes, and I take them through the rest of the process until they come out with a bronze at the end.

With foundry, you um you go from an original to a mold to a wax to a mold to metal.

I feel like foundry work, because of how labor-intensive it is, loses a lot of people today because um so many things are you know kind of offer instant gratification, and um, but I do feel that people kind of fall in love with the process, and once they're hooked, they're gonna keep coming back and taking more classes, doing more work in cast metal.

I'm Martin Sweet.

I am the uh furniture making instructor here at the Crucible.

In the beginning class, we start from the assumption that a person has a desire to do woodworking, but basically has either very little skill or beginning level skill.

At just the angle that is required, and they want some guidance, and I'm here to provide that.

Generally speaking, people have a pretty good idea of what they want to do, and so uh we concentrate on putting the skills together that they need to have to feel confident enough to complete their given projects.

The thing that I really like to see is people just getting educated and working with their hands, and uh it it opens up so many avenues for them.

Uh it's just wonderful.

It uh you don't get everything off of TV.

Uh, you certainly can't get everything out of a book.

There comes a time when you just have to set all that down and say, gonna get messy today.

Some of the most beautiful pieces are made by people who are not counting the hours and getting paid for it.

You can't.

If you really want to make something beautiful, you've got to take the time to work the details to put those polishes on it, whatever it might be that makes it really spectacular.

If you charge by the hour, it would be pennies.

And you would never be able to make your money off it.

I just finished actually taking the claymation class, and that was a lot of fun.

So I'm really excited about getting more into that.

In the claymation class, I uh created um actually a spider, a three-legged spider that uh came out of a pot.

Our kitchen here at the crucible is used by many staff members and many students and many faculty members, and one of our challenges is keeping the kitchen clean.

So we uh grossed it up quite a bit, and uh the spider actually explodes out of this pot and then goes walking around on the stalls.

It's uh it's not very long uh of an animation, but it's it's pretty interesting to watch and a lot of fun, and the class involves mold making.

Um, probably 90% of it is making the mold and getting everything ready to put the piece in the kiln.

So I've been learning a lot about mold making, and so that we can come up with a piece of cast glass.

The process works is that you make a sculpture out of wax or a figure, a form, and um end up pouring a liquid plaster silica mold over it, and the mold hardens and you end up steaming the wax out, so it becomes a hollow mold inside of the plaster, and you end up filling it with glass, and um, you put it in the kiln.

This mold here took about 52 hours.

The glass will be stacked up in this mold and then it put in the kiln, it'll melt down, and you'll come out with something like this.

And this is this is called a reverse cast.

You have to be really careful when you're trying to take the plaster off because you don't know exactly where your form's at.

So you have to make sure that you're not breaking it apart more as you're taking the plaster off.

She came out really good.

I'm very surprised.

This piece had a lot of detail, so I was really worried if it was even gonna come out at all.

So here it is.

The crucible is really strong on collaboration and it's um people are just very welcoming for any idea you have.

I think one of the things I like the most about being here at the Crucible is that there are very few walls between our departments.

I can walk out my door and walk right over to the machine shop.

I don't have to walk across campus, everything is at almost at my fingertips.

It's a big building, but I can get to another department and utilize the tools that I need to use for the project that it is that I'm doing.

Being as my strengths kind of lie in the foundry, I end up collaborating with different fabricators or with woodworkers, um, sometimes with people in blacksmithing to work on projects together.

Um, everybody's strengths kind of lie in a different place.

So it's a good place to kind of get your heads together and work on a project.

You can always get an opinion if you feel you're outside your uh uh skills, and uh it's a very comfortable feeling.

It's a real community of crafts people.

Let's have a little one.

Fire arts festival, the crucible's uh uh annual summer event.

It's a uh celebration of creation through fire and light.

Uh the first one we did was in '99 in June.

We wanted to do a festival that really celebrated the type of creativity that was coming out of the crucible and showcase it in a different way.

We essentially take over a hundred and fifty thousand square foot yard across the street that we call the arena, and we fill it with sculpture, with art, uh, and its main uh focus of the art is fire.

We're gonna be lighting up the skies across the street with a VIP night on Thursday, the twisted fiery circus on Friday, and the high voltage chaos on Saturday.

If you haven't picked up a flyer, haven't bought a ticket, now's your chance.

We uh had a lot of people last year, and we almost sold out of tickets.

The big events are fundraising events.

Um it's exposure to um for reaching different crowds, different people.

And we're so happy that so many of you have come out tonight to see this place and see this show.

The crucible, if you look right over there, you can see the neon sign is 56,000 square feet of workshop.

You know, a lot of folks who come for the big events don't realize that we're a school.

They just see this big fire arts festival or this big um big uh show.

But it's a big fundraiser for for the school to continue.

That's a great way where people in West Oakland don't know of us know that we have this big event because they see it and you see it and you hear it and you feel it in the air.

It's it's a massive undertaking on our part.

We're needing to change gears from teaching classes to running these massive productions is quite a challenge and really interesting.

We have special workshops throughout the weekend and youth classes and field trips that associate with it.

And then it culminates in three big nights.

We have a VIP sort of preview night where we do a big art auction and we um auction off all sorts of fire-cre created pieces, so things that were, you know, ceramic fired or metal fabricated or cast or glass work, along with some really um exciting performances and demonstrations.

900 going once, 900 going twice, sold for 900 dollars.

Thank you.

The artists that we uh contract to be a part of the fire arts festival from all around the country.

Uh they fly in, they drive in.

The the Bay Area is kind of a hot spot for fire artists.

So the the uh majority of fire artists that attend our event and are part of it or are from the Bay Area.

It's just stuff that people don't get to see too much, and because of, you know, Burning Man being sort of based in the Bay Area, uh, there's a lot of people that make art for that event that can't really be shown anywhere else, and so we provide a venue for that.

What people have thought of to make this stuff is is stuff that I've never seen before in my life, and I'm a better person for having seen it.

Fire is very uh mysterious.

It's a really incredible element to work with.

Uh it's really beautiful, and it's a it's a former, it's a shaper.

It's hot.

It's it's exciting, you can do a lot with it, and you can also um you can also hurt yourself with it.

So um making sure that you know what you're doing is is uh and extremely important.

Our relationship with the fire department is really key in allowing us to do things that you know most places wouldn't allow.

And so they've they've taken a little faith with us, and we've earned their trust, I believe, and they really help us, you know, bring these really fantastic creations to the public.

It's really um great synergy of a lot of different people working together to promote something that is very unique.

Volunteers at the Crucible are pretty much key to our existence.

Um being a 501c nonprofit, we rely a lot on volunteers to keep things running.

Without them, I don't think the school would exist.

Because we need so many so much volunteer force.

Um we've provided opportunities for them such as percentages off on classes, especially with the youth program.

We absolutely need adult volunteers, and I look at the success of our summer program where we served a hundred youth and it couldn't have been done without the cadre of of volunteers we have that attend to eye scrapes and you know hurt feelings or frustration over a project.

Um, it really allows us to continue to grow the program without being afraid that we won't be able to sustain it.

There's a lot of ways to get involved.

We're always open.

Um, if someone wanted to propose a class or just come take a you know, take a class or volunteer, you can go to our website www.thecrucible.org, or you can just come down and visit us at 1267th Street and talk to any of our staff.

The Crucible is such a welcoming community.

I think there's so many different levels of involvement.

You can volunteer, you can serve on a board, you can serve on a committee, you can be a donor, you can be a friend of the crucible, a very good friend of the crucible, so there's many ways they can get involved.

I just recommend coming through the door, we'll find something for you.

The future of the crucible I see is uh very fiery and bright, of course.

Uh, but I see a lot of um connection with other organizations, um, certainly reaching out further into the West Oakland community and the Oakland community of the Bay Area.

We've been in Oakland for three years now.

We really love it.

We plan on being here a long time.

We hope you will join us not only in this evening and this weekend, but in our path uh through the future to bring creativity and arts experiences to everybody in the Bay Area and beyond.

I think there's a lot of possibilities, and Oakland is a great home for possibilities and then making things happen.

So we'll just have to see what happens, I guess.

We have folks who contact us from LA from across the country and say where where can I find this kind of organization where I where I live?

And you can't.

Yeah, there's not a place that has this same mission statement that really combines industry and arts and community.

You can't find a place that really combines all these things.

What's on tonight?

I don't know.

As long as it's not that one show that you make me watch all the time.

I've got an idea.

How about we K-top and Chill?

K- Top?

What's that?

Why, only the very best in government programming.

Live council meetings, original Oakland programs, all at our hooves.

Everything that you and your soul horse need to keep up with what's happening in Oakland.

That sounds great.

Let's get cozy and K Top and Chill tonight.

Channel ten on that cable dial and streaming on the City of Oakland website.

Oh, yeah.

But it didn't do that.

Hello, Oaklanders.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting your health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance.

It applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

And you.

Five, five, half, five, five, five, half.

Hello, Gwen Food vendors.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting human health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance, and it applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

There are four main requirements.

Number one, for to go orders, single use food or accessories like straws, utensils, and common packets must be provided upon customer requests or self-service stations only.

This way, customers can take only what they need.

Okay, I think that's a good one.

Hello, Oaklanders.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting your health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance.

It applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

And you there are three main requirements for Oaklanders to know about.

Number one, for to go orders, if you want single-use foodwear accessories like straws, utensils, and condiment packets, ask for them.

Food vendors can only provide these items upon customer request or at self-service stations.

And say goodbye to those bundled utensils, napkins, and condiments.

The law bans food vendors from distributing them.

That way, you can take only what you need.

Two, for to go orders, you can now use your own reusable containers so long as the containers are clean and can safely hold orders.

This includes using your own reusable mug for to go coffee and your own reusable containers for to go meals or leftovers.

When you go out to eat at your favorite spot, you can enjoy your food on reusable foodware.

Starting July twenty twenty-five, food vendors are required to use reusable foodware like glass cups, steel utensils, and ceramic plates for dine in service.

How can you help?

Remember to bring your reusable container when getting your morning coffee out, only take disposable items you will actually use, and make it clear if you plan to dine in so that your food is served on reusable dishware.

You can learn more about the new law by checking out Oakland Recycle dot com slash reusables.

Hello, Oakland Food Vendors.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting human health.

It's called the reusable foodware ordinance, and it applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

There are four main requirements.

Number one, for to go orders, single use food or accessories like straws, utensils, and common packets must be provided upon customer requests for its self-service stations only.

No bundling of utensils, napkins and or condiments is allowed.

This way, customers can take only what they need.

So long as the containers are clean and can safely hold food orders.

Three, use single use foodware that is not made of polystyring foam, also called styrofoam.

Not made of compulsive plastics, also called bioplastics.

This includes PLA line cups and certified as free of harmful food packaging chemicals.

If there are at least three options by product type to choose from, check the city's website for specific guidance.

All food must be served using reusable foodware like lost cups, steel utensils, and ceramic plates.

You can learn more about the new law by checking out Oakland Recycled.

Have questions or want free in-person help?

Email the city of Oakland's recycling hotline at Recycling at Oakland C A dot.

And thanks for doing your part to keep our town clean, healthy, and resilient.

The wheel.

Hello, Oaklanders.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting your health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance.

It applies to food vendors like restaurants, utensils, and food trucks in Oakland.

And you there are three main requirements, ask for Oaklanders to know about.

Food vendors can only provide these items upon customer request or at self-service stations.

And say goodbye to those bundled utensils, napkins, and condiments.

The law bans food vendors from distributing them.

That way you can take only what you need.

Two, for to go orders, you can now use your own reusable containers so long as the containers are clean and can safely hold orders.

This includes using your own reusable mug for to-go coffee and your own reusable containers for to go meals or leftovers.

When you go out to eat at your favorite spot, you can enjoy your food on reusable foodwear.

Starting July twenty twenty-five, food vendors are required to use reusable foodwear like glass cups, steel utensils, and ceramic plates for dine in service.

How can you help?

Remember to bring your reusable container when getting your morning coffee out.

Only take disposable items you will actually use and make it clear if you plan to dine in so that your food is served on reusable dishware.

You can learn more about the new law by checking out Oaklandrecycle.

Hello, Glen Food Vendors.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting human health.

It's called the reusable foodwear ordinance, and it applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

There are four main requirements.

Number one, for to go orders, single use food or accessories like straws, utensils, and common packets must be provided upon customer requests for self-service stations only.

No bundling of utensils, napkins and/or condiments is allowed.

This way, customers can take only what they need.

So long as the containers are clean and can safely hold foodwear that is not made of poly siren foam, also called styrofoam.

Not made of compulsive plastics.

Also called bioplastics.

This includes PLA line cups.

And certified as free of harmful food packaging chemicals.

If there are at least three options by product type to choose from, check the city's website for specific guidance.

Like lost cups, steel utensils, and ceramic plates.

Have questions or want free in-person help?

Email the city of Oakland's recycling hotline at recycling at Oakland C A.gov.

And thanks for doing your part to keep our town clean, healthy, and resilient.

Hello, Oaklanders.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting your health.

It's called the reusable foodwear ordinance.

It applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

And you there are three main requirements for Oaklanders to know about.

Number one, for to go orders, if you want single use foodware accessories, like straws, utensils, and condiment packets, ask for them.

Food vendors can only provide these items upon customer request or at self-service stations.

And say goodbye to those bundled utensils, napkins, and condiments.

The law bans food vendors from distributing them.

That way you can take only what you need.

Two, for to go orders, you can now use your own reusable containers so long as the containers are clean and can safely hold orders.

This includes using your own reusable mug for to go coffee and your own reusable containers for to go meals or leftovers.

Three.

When you go out to eat at your favorite spot, you can enjoy your food on reusable foodwear.

Starting July twenty twenty-five, food vendors are required to use reusable foodware like glass cups, steel utensils, and ceramic plates for dine-in service.

How can you help?

Remember to bring your reusable container when getting your morning coffee out.

Only take disposable items you will actually use and make it clear if you plan to dine in so that your food is served on reusable dishware.

You can learn more about the new law by checking out Oaklandrecycle dot com slash reusables.

Hello, Oakland food vendors.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting human health.

It's called the reusable foodware ordinance, and it applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

There are four main requirements.

Number one, for to go orders, single use food or accessories like straws, utensils, and common packets must be provided upon customer requests where it's self-service stations only.

So long as the containers are clean and can safely hold food orders.

Steel utensils and ceramic plates.

You can learn more about the new law by checking out Oaklandrecycles.

Have questions or want free in-person help?

Email the City of Oakland's recycling hotline at recycling at Oakland C A.gov.

And thanks for doing your part to keep our town clean, healthy, and resilient.

Hello, Oaklanders.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting your health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance.

It applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

And you There are three main requirements for Oaklanders to know about.com slash reusable dishware.

You can learn more about the new law by checking out Oakland Recycle.

Oh no, I think I only want to.

Hello, Oakland food vendors.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting human health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance, and it applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

There are four main requirements.

Number one, for to go orders, single use food or accessories like straws, utensils, and common packets must be provided upon customer request for its self-service stations only.

No bundling of utensils, napkins and/or condiments is allowed.

This way, customers can take only what they need.

So long as the containers are clean and can safely hold food orders.

Hello, Oaklanders.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting your health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance.

It applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

And you, there are three main requirements for Oaklanders to know about.

Number one, for to go orders, if you want single use foodwear accessories, like straws, utensils, and condiment packets, ask for them.

Food vendors can only provide these items upon customer request or at self-service stations.

Two, for to go orders, you can now use your own reusable containers so long as the containers are clean and can safely hold orders.

Hello, Oakland food vendors.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting human health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance, and it applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

There are four main requirements.

This way, customers can take only what they need.

So long as the containers are clean and can safely hold food orders.

Hello, Oaklanders.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting your health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance.

It applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

And you there are three main requirements for Oaklanders to know about.

Number one, for to go orders, if you want single use foodwear accessories, like straws, utensils, and condiment packets, ask for them.

Food vendors can only provide these items upon customer request or at self-service stations.

Two, for to go orders, you can now use your own reusable containers so long as the containers are clean and can safely hold orders.

How can you help?

Remember to bring your reusable container when getting your morning coffee out.

Hello, Oakland food vendors.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting human health.

It's called the reusable foodware ordinance, and it applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

There are four main requirements.

Number one, for to go orders, single-use food or accessories like straws, utensils, and common packets must be provided upon customer requests for its self-service stations only.

So long as the containers are clean and can safely hold food orders.gov.

And thanks for doing your part to keep our town clean, healthy, and resilient.

Well, I'll be wrong.

Hello, Oaklanders.

There's a new law in Oakland that's all about reducing plastic pollution and protecting your health.

It's called the Reusable Foodwear Ordinance.

It applies to food vendors like restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in Oakland.

And you.

Good evening.

Um, welcome.

I'm gonna call the meeting to order.

Um, uh, Commissioner Down.

Commissioner Williams.

Um, uh, Vice Chair, Commissioner Booker.

Okay, great.

So we're gonna join to close session.

Humanseo, owns.

Humanseo, non, non, non, Humanseo, I'm not.

Humanseo, oo, and so, and Humanities.

How many of us?

Let's do it.

Let'sanseo, I'm not sure.

Hum.

Hum.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh.

All right.

Redetermination of Quorum.

Um it is August 14th, twenty twenty-five.

The time is six forty-three PM.

We'll start with roll call, Commissioner Rowles.

Present.

Commissioner Dowitt.

Present.

Commissioner Williams.

Present.

Commissioner Jack.

Jackson Casting.

Myself, Vice Chair Booker here, present.

Oh, Commissioner.

Uh, alternate commissioner farmer.

Here.

And excuse is Chair of Ricardo Garcia Acosta.

Um, and before asking if there is public comment, um, I have a readout.

Is that the appropriate order, minimum?

Okay.

In close session.

Um, I have a readout from closed session on a motion made by Commissioner Rowles and seconded by Commissioner Dowitt.

The commission voted unanimously to refer the lawsuit title Ali Salim Bay at all versus City of Oakland at all.

Alameda Superior Court number two five-C V-121547 to the city attorney to respond and to serve as counsel on behalf of the Oakland Police Commission.

Um Madame Micah, is there any um public comment comment for closed session?

None for closed session, Chair.

Great.

Uh okay.

So I'm over right along.

Open forum part one.

Any comment?

We do.

We have three.

The first is Miss Mundal.

The second is Ms.

Bail, and the third is Miss Cleveland.

Yeah, President.

Yeah.

Rajny Mundal District 4.

I wanted to commend Commissioner Dowick, Commissioner Jackson Castain, Commissioner Williams, and Commissioner Booker for their insightful questions during the discussion about OPD's budget at the last meeting.

I was impressed by the preparation you had done before the meeting and your questions, because they offered insights that many members of the public benefited from.

I also want to urge the chair to follow Robert's rules of order, Brown Act and Sunshine Ordinance during meetings.

I have in the past recommended that a parliamentarian be present at these meetings.

The role cannot fall on the chief of staff.

It isn't her purview.

According to the 2020 city audit report, outside council hired by the city attorney or representative from the city attorney sat in the meetings and informed the commission if they violated the Brown Act and Sunshine Ordinance.

Then a member of the city attorney's office quit attending meetings because of a perceived lack of respect received from the commission.

If there won't be a parliamentarian at these meetings, then it falls in the chair to lead the discussions and navigate the agenda in public comments.

Utters a chair to not be bullied by the members of the coalition for police accountability.

It is their right to make public comments and bring up questions, but it is up to the discretion of the chair on whether to follow up on them or not.

The chair does not have to respond to every public speaker, and is up to the discretion of the chair on whether invited speakers should respond or not.

Not every question or issue needs to be addressed, especially if they're not on the agenda.

If the chair cannot follow the Brown Act and some ordinance, then legal counsel is required.

Thank you.

One second, Ms.

Vale.

Yes.

One second, I'm going to give you a second.

Thank you.

Okay.

Technology.

It's harder to put it in for me.

Tech drinks.

There you go.

Oh, let's hear the questions.

There we go.

Okay.

Mary Vail, I'm a 40 uh almost 40-year resident of the Glenview neighborhood in Oakland.

And we had some really hard times for community policing during a pandemic.

A lot of secretly things were discontinued, and finally we found out about it in my neighborhood in 2021 about the discontinuation, and then from the CPAB about the recontinuation.

So I meet with on behalf of my neighborhood council with our new CRO, Officer McKinney, and his new mentor, his mentor officer, Officer Lay, about nine days before they were shot at at this dispensary that have been robbed before.

Earlier this year, when the whole incident was brought up again, a promise was made that oh, eventually this department will do an after action report.

Like they did in uh after March of 2006 when four officers were killed in an incident.

And I really want you, you know, this isn't an unknown thing on the new chief's plate, but I really want to emphasize to you the importance when we have officers, one traumatized and one killed, that they do an after-action report about why these officers, why that time, because they were basically reassigned from other work.

Then I will talk about um, I'm an animal shelter supporter, and there was an ordinance passed recently to adjust their operations to the budget.

And then the next two or three days later, I read in the East Bay Times.

This, you know, oh, um, taking the animal shelter of out of OPD was so controversial or whatever.

And that had nothing to do with the budget issues, and it concerns me uh maybe the city administrator staff, but also remember the police department is doing propaganda on the job and um expressing resistance to the decision to put the animal shelter um as a small department under the um city administrator's office instead of the police department.

That's that kind of talk needs to stop.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Bale.

Ms.

Cleveland, Millie Cleveland with coalition for Police Accountability.

Um it's just a friendly reminder that uh when the public ask questions, uh, particularly during the police presentation.

If the uh officer or the chief can answer the question, to kindly ask him to answer it at that time.

If they cannot answer it, then it becomes an actionable item.

There are too many questions that get posed by the public that just fall into a black hole.

So I think the chief of staff brought that up at the last meeting.

I'd like to reaffirm the importance.

There are no more comments at this time, Vice Chair.

Great.

Moving on to the next item.

Um Oakland Police Department updates.

I'm special.

I must have a metal plate in my head or something.

All right.

Good morning, good evening.

All right, uh sworn staffing authorization is at still at six uh hundred and seventy-eight.

Filled is six fifty-one long-term leave.

We have 102 sworn employees, 66 on medical leave, 36 on admin leave.

That's broken down into six sergeants and 30 officers.

32 officers are on modified duty, and three are on uh military leave.

That puts us at a operational strength of 514.

We're communications.

Uh we're authorized at 78.

We have 65 currently filled positions with seven new dispatcher trainees starting as of the as of October 28th.

18 are currently in training.

Um dispatchers have been hired as of will be hired as of the 30th of August.

Uh in regards to the 195th Academy, which began on the 19th of July, there are currently 20 uh POTs out of the initial twenty-six currently uh still in between the uh academy for Skelly data.

Um there are 76 Scully cases.

That's down by two by subject.

There are 105.

Scully's awaiting dissemination.

Uh that's 25, there are eight more that just came in.

Uh number of hearing officers, there's uh 18, which has remained the same.

In regards to IAB cases as of 2025, Jul uh 31 July, there are 100 or 915 uh cases closed year to date.

Total cases opened by intake is 839.

Total number of cases assigned to intake was a hundred and eighty hundred and eighty-five.

Case load uh a total investigations assigned to IAB, which is the investigative side, is 129.

Um, total number of cases assigned as DLIs, which are the cases that are sent out to the field is 130.

Puts a total cases currently open at 565.

In regards to SVS juvenile cases for 2025, there have been a total of 156 juvenile arrests.

Out of those, 32 were referred to restorative justice programs, such as NOAA.

Uh there were there have been 180 832 missing person cases.

Out of those 969 have been closed.

A total of four hate crimes that have been reported and are being investigated in the 2025 so far.

Um the city uh risk management quarterly will be on the 26th citywide quarterly management risk management will be on the 26th of August.

Um, collaboration with the community we recently on the first of August had the National Latino Peace Officers Association Alameda County chapter.

Um which is basically they invited this is uh this invite is uh at the heart of our the mission building stronger more pro positive relationships between law enforcement and the community members that we proudly serve.

The presence and participation uh will help forge and a deeper connection and build uh invaluable trust.

That was uh they held a popsicle with police uh out at the the firmary park, which was uh well received and well attended.

On uh August 5th we had National Night Out, which was a big success.

Um Mayor Barbara Lee and other city ministers along with um Chief Floyd and other commanders uh attended multiple um neighborhood parties, and then uh more recently we had a Bay Area students tour of the Oakland Police Air Unit, which was uh I think they had a good time of doing that.

And moving on to Macro, as of between July 16th and the 31st, there were 70 calls referred from OPD dispatch to macro, and 65 incidents were returned from to OFD and handled by OPD, and that is it, uh madam uh vice chair uh if I might I might I have three questions I'd like to ask.

The first one is am I reading the numbers right here, sir, that the um IAB cases this year are lower than last year, total IAB cases is down?

This year is still open, sir, so um the total numbers isn't in for this year.

But year today it's lower.

Uh I I don't know for sure, so I I wouldn't be able to answer that uh positive.

Okay.

Um my other question is um it was also raised here earlier.

Um there's uh uh decision that the community ad hoc um committee of of the commission um uh has voted on that's now gone to the department around community policing, uh policies around community policing for the CRO officers, and a comment was made that there are no more community policing officers.

They because of measure double in.

Uh my understanding is that measure double in gave the department discretion more than they it had previously for the funding mechanism to decide where those funds would go, either community policing or to other items within the department.

Has there been a reduction uh in the department of funds for the CRO officers in community policing?

I wouldn't be able to speak on anything in regards to uh budgetary things.

I know that we've had a reduction in officers, but uh I wouldn't be able to speak or provide it as a deliverable to get back to that answer.

Uh lastly, uh if you could get back to us with that, if that's possible.

What specifically is the question is do we still have CROs?

Uh, is there been a reduction in uh CROs?

Just I know because of the budget.

Looking too.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

Um, then um the news has reported that there was an ice raid at a home on seventy-ninth Avenue near Hillside in Oakland, I think last week, and um I'm wondering whether the department knows whether the persons who were uh taken there had any criminal record.

Uh S B fifty four requires any involvement of uh of uh the part department with only um uh immigrants or persons who have uh any kind of criminal record.

Was there any devo involvement of the department?

Is there any record of there being any criminal person criminal activity there?

I'm not aware of any involvement by the the Oklahoma Police Department in regards to any cooperation on any level with ICE.

Thank you, sir.

Do the chair.

Thank you.

Uh actually I have some questions specifically for the chief.

Chief, do you mind uh joining us at the front of the room?

Thank you.

Thank you, good to see you.

Um we spoke uh previously about the status of the forest review board for uh the potential car chase where the person ended up uh being seriously injured.

I think it was back in March.

You said you were gonna follow up with us about that.

So I'm just following up with you about that.

What was the question?

About the person who was seriously injured when um OPD made a U-turn and was following a car, whether or not it was a chase.

You said there was a forced review board that was in progress, and that you would follow up with us on the status of that.

That occurred back in March.

So I'm just following up with that.

Yes, sir.

Through the chair.

Uh I don't know that I have received that force review board yet.

The force review board takes place, then they will complete a report and then that report would come to me for review.

Okay.

Well, I'm just following up because you said you would follow.

Okay.

And I I will I will check to see where they are in regards to that force review board and if the if that uh particular force review board is ready for my review.

Okay, thank you.

And then the other question was going back to the CMC, something that you said about uh maybe it was task forty-five or maybe it was all three tasks that are in the microscope.

Um you stated that um you weren't sure about what needed to be done in order to get us into compliance, and that you're gonna have a discussion with Chief Warshaw about that.

Could you elaborate on that?

Uh yes, sir, I'll I will elaborate uh uh as much as I can.

So through the chair again, uh, because I I think you're kind of conflating some things in regards to this, and you know and I know that any time you want to reach out to me to have a conversation, we can have a conversation.

In regards to my specific conversations with with Chief Warsaw, those conversations between he and I are conversations in regards to the pr this the specific uh questions that I asked him regarding what we need to do to gain compliance.

He did give me some direction in regards to what he thought we needed to do, and we're working on those things.

Okay, all right.

Well you mentioned it publicly, so I'm following up about that.

So that's why I'm asking you if I think it's an appropriate question.

So obviously you can talk about what you can talk about, but you uh you're saying that you did talk to Chief Warshaw and that you all are on the same page?

Yes, sir.

I I talked to Chief Warshaw, uh I and the city attorney's office are working through some of the things that he thought we needed to do and in regards to speaking publicly.

I spoke publicly about the conversations that we had in regards at the CMC.

The transcripts are out now, so if you have any specific questions about what occurred or what I exactly said at the tr at that particular trial, you can look at the transcripts.

Well that's that's my question.

I want to ask was that translated.

I don't think it's I don't think it's necessary for us to relitigate what I said there.

If you have a specific question, you know you can get a hold of me and we can talk about that.

Yeah, well, I'm not really getting anything, but thank you.

Any other questions?

No question.

Um, hey Chief.

Um I just had a question when it came to the the academies.

I know that we're seeing dwindling um, you know, officers as as they leave our department.

Um and I know that we're competing for applicants with with neighboring um cities.

Um I was I did send an email not directly to you but to your office, and I'm wondering if just to get a gut check on how you might feel about this, uh which is City of San Francisco waives um the written exam for the academy if an applicant has a bachelor's degree from an accredited university.

Um but the city of Oakland, we don't do that.

I was wondering just if you guys might uh entertain something like that as well.

Waived through the chair, they waive the written exam to get into the academy or they waive the exams through the academy.

They waive those exams to get into the academy if you have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university.

Okay, so I would have to check to see um exactly what that process is and to see, you know, because post police officers training, training and police officer standards and training requires certain written tests to be taken throughout the academy and to be certified as a police officer.

I know we go through, we look at the whole person in regards to getting them into the academy, the specific tests as in regards to reading, writing and math and things like that.

I would have to see what issues we have been facing in the past in regards to those specific things in regards to people making it through the academy because it it is like a semester of college.

So we want to make sure that we have people in there that they can uh they're able to comprehend the material and pass the test.

Okay.

Okay, cool.

Uh yeah, it's not the test are inside the academy, it's to get into the academy.

Uh, I did some emotes like maybe a day or two ago, so I'm not surprised if um you guys haven't had a chance to have a robust conversation around it.

Just since you're here, I just thought I'd just too much shot.

Yeah, oh well, and and I I apologize for that, but uh my chief of staff is actually doing his required mandatory 40 hour training.

So he's actually out of the office right now.

Yeah, I I got that as well.

That's I just wanted to ask him.

Cool.

That's it for me.

Any other statement, comments, ask questions from commissioners?

Um, Chief, you have anything else you'd like to add to offer us?

Um, don't run notes.

I know there were some questions the last time about um the reason some of our recruits had left the academy, and I I actually uh Commissioner, I thought that's that's where you were going.

Um this academy class started four weeks ago, and since then it started with 26 and we have lost six academy recruits and and the question always uh kind of uh uh to us is why are they leaving the academy?

Is it something within the academy itself or is it other reasons that that we could potentially address?

So when we look at the six recruits that we've lost in the first four weeks, which most of the most of the first four weeks is is really acclimating folks to the academy, getting them acclimated with what's going on, working on their physical fitness.

They have not taken any academic tests to this point.

Um, it's just more the onboarding.

Um so we had one one recruit that uh left it because he was the head of household and the family needed assistance from him, uh recruit number two, uh that that POT had an illness prior to entering the academy and the injury or illness uh got worse uh during the first four weeks of the academy and that person left.

Uh then we had a POT that had more additional family concerns and that required them to reevaluate their commitment to the police academy, so they left.

We had a uh uh a recruit that learned that they were not ready to sacrifice their life for someone else, so they left the academy, and we had a uh we had a uh recruit that advised that they lack the physical preparedness needed to complete the academy, and we had a recruit that due to personal reasons related to family, they became a a parent uh and they needed to step away from the academy.

So uh we we just want to make sure that that that our public and and the commission understands that we're not running people out of the academy.

We're doing everything we can to one onboard them and get them through the academy as best as we possibly can.

Starting this academy with 26 cadets, which is a lot less than we would want like to start with.

Um we wanted to start with 35, uh, but we were able to identify these 26 cadets, so this right now this has us as 20.

If you look at past uh history what that means is we'll probably graduate 18 and potentially 15 to 17 will make it through the field training process.

These the continu the the attrition rate as it stands right now is still at five and a half to six per month.

As uh Curtis said that we right now we have 651 on the police department and we continue to lose uh officers at a rate of five and a half to six uh our attrition rate is a lot higher than our arm onboarding rate uh because it takes um once they enter the academy it's going to take a full 10 months for them to get out of the academy uh when people ask me and I've had I was having a conversation earlier today the biggest threat to the police department and the public safety in the city of Oakland it is our staffing it's going to continue to be our staffing for potentially the next 18 months.

So we're doing everything we can to identify candidates to put through the academy get them through the academy and uh working with uh city leadership to uh try to retain as many people as we would potentially can to re and and look at uh potential things to reduce the attrition rate because that is going to be the key to staving off um our our current attrition rate uh the projection is this time next year um you know we're still going to be um uh attritioning down I have a question um commissioner Williams First and then Commissioner Dogley thank you through the chair I have a comment and uh question follow-up that was a great report earlier um thank you for discussing the attrition issue I think to the point about being creative about how to recruit and be competitive with other counties and agencies um is why that question was brought up but we do want the best of the best um I also wanted to comment on the um national night out and the police and popsicles I think that is um sounds like a great interaction with the community and ways to like help you community policing and engage with the community in a positive way and then I have a question about immigration are there any trainings memos updates about for officers about how in this current time how to interact with ICE agents in our city.

Yes ma'am through the chair um you know early in the year uh there was a a big push to make sure that we uh reiterated the city's policy and stance uh on on immigration uh the city of Oakland is a sanctuary city uh we do not cooperate or assist uh federal agencies in their uh attempts to identify or apprehend uh individuals regarding their immigration status um we our communications unit uh tries to track when people are in our city doing those things uh and I know there was a report uh last week about uh immigration an immigration operation in here uh we know that uh the DEA was involved in some type of uh action uh uh last week but uh we were not notified and we did not participate in the uh immigration type enforcement and we won't it it's against our our policies and procedures but yes everyone was what had to reread and re-sign off on our policies and procedures regarding immigration and and uh interacting with people regarding their immigration status.

Thank you.

Commissioner Dowley.

Yeah uh thank you chief um I had a question when it comes to the attrition I know that we are already low on officers in your mind is there a a critical bottom floor that we could be approaching um when it comes to public safety here in Oakland or are we are we already there?

I just want to get some understanding on that.

Yes sir and actually you you uh reminded me of what of something I wanted to say because we were talking about CROs.

Um we we are in a in a in a very uh um uh critical space right now and what uh I and my executive staff have done is we have actually um started to determine where we are going to consolidate uh uh uh our people so that we can keep the the the primary goal of the police department one keep patrol full as best as we can or respond to calls for service keep investigations full uh to uh investigate crimes that are happening throughout our city and also to um uh continue to maintain uh and and and achieve uh where we are in regards to the negotiated settlement agreement that is going to cause us to uh because we are attritioning down when I have a squad that has three CROs over here and two CROs over there but I've got two sergeants we're going to consolidate those folks to have six CROs under one sergeant and if we continue to attrition down they'll go to four and then three and then they'll probably be completely disbanded and and what's left is put back in control.

The same thing will happen with our traffic unit.

When we get if if we get down to the low 20s uh our six twenties uh that we we are going to have to look at how we operate and things are going to have to uh uh basically be compressed uh so we can maintain our response in the field uh it is going to take some time to get through this next uh year to 18 month rough patch until we can start seeing our academies and our staffing levels come back up okay thank you and it sounds like six twenty would be that number when stuff becomes really critical yes sir we have we have several numbers to where we're gonna start uh okay these these two units have to compress because it's from Hispanic control standpoint I I don't need a sergeant to that only has two direct reports and I have five five people over here that has uh have a direct report I can put those together and then move that sergeant someplace else okay thank you chief yes to follow up on that um what do you think um has helped contribute to the declining crime rates even with the low staff numbers yes sir through the chair I I you know th there's a couple of things that that are gonna uh contribute to our crime rate there there are natural ebbs and flows when it has to do with crime and if you we did a press conference last week to talk about when you look at the look across the nation across the nation crime has gone down there are natural ebbs and flows with with crime and and depending on what's going on with the economy and everything else aside from that when you look when you look at our specific city and our specific region has gone down across our region as well and we have been the benefactor of that we we continue to see you know double digit high 20s reduction in our in our violent crime rate.

I think it has to do with the hard work of the men and women of the Oakland police department uh our uh uh cooperation with uh California highway patrol our cooperation with Alameda County Sheriff's Office uh and the the partnerships that we have and we form with other uh regional police departments uh in including you know at US Marshals DEA things and and our federal our federal partners uh that we can work with so as as long as we continue to one use data-driven um uh information to target those people that are causing the most harm to our community uh the the guy who is committing robberies didn't start off committing robberies he started off committing property crimes so it w when we get that robbery we also reduce some of those other property crimes that go with it uh and I believe our I believe our department is one of the best at at identifying and targeting those folks that are creating harm throughout our community uh and and the people that work for your department work for our department it's just they're good and they they are invested in the city and they want to make it safer uh but that does that doesn't mean that there may not you know we had a bad weekend last weekend we had a homicide last weekend and seven no eight shot last weekend uh luckily we only had one homicide uh so we're gonna have ebbs and flows we are in the heat of summer it's it's August uh it's August the 14th if we can make it through this next 30 days hopefully that's when we ne we see that natural lull again uh to where uh crime trends go down so going into this time period right now with a 29 or 31 percent reduction in violent crime sets us up to have a good year.

Okay and the through the chair.

Uh do you think that it only has to do with your partnerships with the law enforcement agencies or would you also include what entities in the in the city would you include DVP?

Absolutely sir and thank you for throwing up that softball it's uh no yeah it it's it's our partners it's all of our partners it's our partners with the with community and neighborhood groups is our partners with DVP um uh and other city entities uh I was at a meeting today uh with uh Josh Rowland of of public works and the mayor she convened uh all of us the the DA's office uh office of city attorneys to try to address uh a bunch of the blight uh the trash the illegal dumping and and blight that's going on we are going to work hard to set up some operations to try to address those specific things and get those people that are bringing trash into our city um uh and to to stop that to so we're hitting it from several different angles uh but it it is the partnership with city departments and everyone throughout the city.

Okay thank you.

Hey Chief I have a question um I know DC has said she would bring it back as the deliverable around the timeline update regarding the extension we gave I don't know if you all have data on that yet the timeline up for the um the investigations and we extended it.

Yeah and I believe there was some there's there's some miscommunication uh on that specific topic okay because I I think you guys are talking about DLIs and that's not what that uh extension was for it was for something different and I can't think of the top of my head.

The use of force yes so so there there is um and and that does not go away if the question is is it helping us absolutely but uh it it's not the DLI.

No no it was the use of force and I think the question was it was around you were given extensions so we were curious to know are you having to give extensions past the new timeline we authorized and then how um effective has the change been for reducing stress and low um so I I can speak um with certainty that no we haven't have to extensions past that I work um I I sit in on all the force boards um and I track with uh the the Bureau of field operations on those um they have a robust tracking system in place that's following that the 92 14 uh timelines and it's been very helpful it's and actually saved the time of having to send up all the different from the prior timelines all the different um tracking this is it follows right through and it's much more smoothly and I'd I'd like to thank you guys for agreeing to it um great and then the other requests I have is if possible I know you all typically leave after your update but I know CIPR is doing a report out today and and just in case anything comes up if you could stay a little longer.

Absolutely great thank you.

Any um more commissioners before we open it up to public comment no okay public comment yes we do for this item vice chair we have miss Vail Miss Cleveland and Miss Kramer OPD five years I'm um both in relation to this item and the um you know the ongoing work of the NSA ad hoc um there's a lot of talk about culture and reforming culture and an example um was the Instagram site created by certain officers.

And virtually all of the posts were anti-black, anti-women, particularly being in the department, and anti-NSA policies, everything that have been mandated and supposedly implemented in OBD.

Everything relating to body cameras and and a whole lot of other things.

So I feel like and and no one the council doesn't talk about the level of um cultural individual officer resistance to the NSA reforms, but you've got to act with awareness, and most of you are not on the commission.

I think I've suggested previously that you get the Clarence Dyer report that was commissioned on the Instagram scandal.

Um which unfolded uh just you know in the year during the year prior to uh Chief Armstrong becoming police chief and the whole thing with the CROs.

I mean, when the two or three original parcel taxes, which I pay because I have a home in Oakland, the primary thrust was to fund community policing and um both with some civilian employees but within OPD.

And what OPD has done before, during and after the various budget crises, up to the present, is they have used the CROs as reservoir staffing for the department.

So you could have the the charter amendments because they've got to have 12 CROs and they've got eight, but most of the time they're working on other things, and um, you know, you talk about uh ballot initiatives and so that are passed by a city or by the state and then they're not followed.

Um, that's the story of community policing in Oakland.

Thank you, Miss Cleveland.

Um, Millie Cleveland with Coalition for Police Accountability.

Um, I think the issue of uh directions to OPD on how to interact with ice or not to interact with ice or what to do when ice is in the vicinity needs to be codified in some sort of memo, a written memo.

And I would like to share uh to the chief of staff for you to distribute a copy of a memo that came from the chief of police in Los Angeles that had specific directions to the area commanders, the watch commanders, the supervisors' responsibilities, um, and so I think that it's good to hear the chief say that we don't interact, but it me something needs to be codified in writing about specific directions when um ICE is in the area.

So I'm just sharing that document as an example for you to um maybe look at.

Um I was gonna say something else that you can't remember.

Oh, I also wanted to raise to the key on the the issue of uh timelines.

Um I've discovered that based on the language of the NSL NSA that refers always to department personnel that uh community complaints of misconduct against civilians working in the police department are also referred to internal affairs, and that may be part of what's creating a backlog.

So I don't know if you can talk to Warshaw about that.

An example is uh a guy wanted information from a record specialist about a vehicle, and he what it wasn't registered to his name, and the uh the record specialists refused to give it to him.

That turned into a community complaint, which went to internal affairs.

So some of that stuff is unnecessary.

Maybe you could talk to Warsaw about that, I think Miss Cleveland, Miss Farmer.

I mean, sorry, Miss Kramer.

I'm a bit confused, which happens a lot, um the issue of administrative leave, it needs to be clarified for the public.

Otherwise, we don't know what's going on, we don't know why, we don't know how.

Another contribu um all what I'm gonna say is all meshed together.

Um the attrition rate of officers.

I don't understand.

I mean, I hear a lot of reasons why, but I don't understand why, in substance people are leading the force, um, and I don't understand why there is such a low application and graduation rate of new officers from the academy.

To me, it boils down to one a real supportive sense of um community be amongst the officers themselves, so that then they could go out and establish a real working relationship with the communities that they serve.

But I I hear all of the problems and nothing being resolved.

I mean, we hear about police community relationships, that's all we hear is the word kind of bandied around.

So thank you, Ms.

Kramer.

Miss Mandal.

Thank you for adding me.

Um Rashni Mandal District 4.

Um, at the last meeting of the public safety committee, uh, the city administrator um actually gave a report that is in their agenda packet um about OPD staffing.

And what I found most important there was they interviewed all the officers leaving, all the people who are tritioning, and they were the top three reasons why they were leaving.

Number one, commute.

Number two, discipline policy, number three, NSA.

It's in that report.

Um, and then questions about if you're wondering about IAB sworn versus non-sworn cases, DLIs versus not.

Um OPD releases their IAB report as to what cases they do, the timelines, what types, um uh demographics, racial demographics they have to do it.

Um, and uh the 2023 report shows that there was over 1,500 cases for sworn officers.

Um so the data's out there, um, look for it.

And I know the 2024 report is forthcoming, and it was gonna be submitted to the court before the December date.

So thank you.

There are no more comments on that item, vice chair.

Great.

I'm sorry, good evening, Tony Lawson.

CIPRA.

Um, this should be a very brief update.

Just want to go over first with you kind of where our caseload is.

There are currently two, excuse me, 128 pending cases, that's a 10% reduction.

So we've been able to um move the process along quite a bit, although we're very shorthanded at this time.

We only have three investigators, um, and we only we've done a two-intake personnel, and I'll do what hiring shortly.

Uh, as with regard to um completed investigations, there were 23 total uh cases closed last month of those cases.

There was uh sustained allegations in just one case, and that case I think there were five allegations that were sustained.

All others were closed, either for uh unfounded or exonerated or not sustained.

Um in some cases, there were cases that were um lack specificity or were not cases that were mandated to be re-investigated by CIPRA, and then beyond that, I want to talk on three issues in terms of where we are on uh with hiring and with the AIB transition and with the mediation.

In terms of hiring, we've we presented an offer of employment to um for complaint investigator three, and they've accepted.

So we hope to get the new supervisory uh complaint investigator in the office probably next month, they're going through right now the clearance process, but we hope to have him aboard next month.

Um so we'll that's our that will be our first full-time uh uh investigator, complaint investigator supervisor in the office since I've come to the agency.

We've been dealing right now with the um contract investigator who's been overseeing investigations and intake.

Um so he's done quite a bit of work.

We've just completed the posting for uh complaint investigator two positions.

Um we had I think over close to 90 applicants, I think close to 30 of those applicants uh met the requirements for the position.

We will be doing assessments over the next three three or four weeks and probably in interviewing in September.

So we hope to get anywhere from uh two to four, maybe even five new investigators into the office by the year's end.

So we've been funded for seven uh full-time uh uh investigator two positions and and one full-time investigator three.

We hope to have them all on board by the end of this year.

Uh we're also looking to bring in a program.

Um, I mean, it's a project manager under contract probably next month.

That's the position we have approved, but to get them in more quickly, we probably wouldn't issue a contract first and then open the position up to full uh full-time hiring.

So we we're happy to say that we're we're able to now move forward and get more people on board.

We're we won't be probably fully staffed more to the early part of next year.

We will be hiring another attorney.

That's a position we haven't posted as of yet, but that is anticipated.

Um respect to uh the potential transition of responsibilities from IAB to CIPRA.

Uh we're working with the city administrators' office, and basically at this time we will be working towards creating uh a working group to deal with um, I guess look at the possibility of transition, what that would mean in terms of feasibility monetarily and in terms of uh uh human hours and whether that makes sense, and that that working group we hope to have the group together by the end of this year, this this this annual, I mean excuse me, this calendar year, and then that group will probably spend most of next year looking at um whether there should be such a transition, if so, what obligations that's the responsibility should be transitioned from IB to CIPRA.

So that group will probably consist of individuals, obviously from OPD to chief, uh, would definitely be asked to be a part of that working group, as will so will members or one at least one member of this commission.

I think we'll be looking at the city attorney and then other organizations within the city to have a working group to look at the possibility of transitioning uh IEB responsibility to CIPRA.

And then lastly, I want to talk to you about mediation.

We're working on uh the rules and procedures for mediation program.

They are roughly basically done.

I should be submitting them for review and acceptance or approval by the commission within the next week or so.

There's a few uh people we asked to look at it and should get back to me within the next week or so.

So it would be likely be on calendar either at the end of the the session at the end of this month or the latter section, a session in September, and it'd be for your approval.

And if it's approved, the next step will be um a meet conferred with the uh police officers union because this impacts the the officers that would be uh we wouldn't need to meet and confer.

But the mediation that is proposed is um is a more of a restorative justice manner, which is is not conflicting mediation, is more or less bringing the parties together to kind of get to work together and know each other better and kind of um get a better understanding from the community, what the officers do and from the officers' perspective, get a better understanding of the community field.

So we hope to get that to you and approved soon and then move forward uh with talking with the the union.

So that's uh the report from CIPRA.

Thanks, Director.

Any commission questions?

Uh thank you, Director Lawson, uh, for that report.

Um, that's amazing.

90 applicants.

Um you do an amazing job uh attracting people to come to your organization and uh actually to turn out and be qualified for the position.

That just sounds like a great statistic for me, and I want to give you a thumbs up.

Kudos for that, all the great work that you're doing.

Um what do you all do to promote like your positions?

Anything noteworthy you'd like to share.

We worked a lot with HR, it would be very helpful and because we previously posted a position before I came on as director, uh back I think in December of last year, and it was a small applicant pool when that position was not posted long, it was not posted in many locations.

So we made sure that it we extended the period by which you could submit an application, we made sure we had the application, I should say the job posting in as many places as we could.

Um we distributed to legal f legal organizations, other police uh police oversight organizations.

It just we just made sure it was a well d well distributed notice.

And when it seemed like we were maybe not getting as many people as we thought we could, we didn't extend it the period and sought other um places where we could solicit uh applicants.

So we fortunately we were able to get because uh although we had 90 applicants, only 20 plus, you know, meet the uh the requirements.

So you you really have to get it out there for a period of time and to a lot of people to to bring on uh individuals who satisfy the requirements.

Well, you did what you need to do.

It sounds like you did your due diligence, and I think also with you all just making yourselves available to the community probably helped as well, just build the brand or the name of you know the organization a little bit.

So kudos to you.

That's all I got.

Thank you.

Question questions, comment.

Um, me neither, but I do have a question, but it might be more for OPD, and I feel like I should know the answer to this.

So please forgive me if y'all, y'all, y'all know it and I don't.

Um for the sustained cases, um, is that included in the admin leave number?

If they're for the template for OPD, you know how with CIPRA we have the sustained cases.

Um asking the our officers who have sustained allegations also on the if they end up being um time off.

Yeah, I will thanks, Director.

Lost.

Um, if the question the question was if all the admin leaves are first.

No, not all of them.

But if they're the ones, the cases that are sustained and we and there is a discipline, um, and and that discipline is ten days off.

Is that included in that admin leave number?

I don't believe so.

The if they were if they're given a specific um days off, uh I it would if it falls under that time frame, I guess it could be, but usually the admin leave is like a is a longer thing and it doesn't necessarily attach to whether or not an individual is whether the investigation has come to a conclusion or not.

Sometimes it depends on what are the allegations.

Sometimes when uh an allegation is made um based off of that allegation, the chief uh will make a decision to put that person on admin leave until the conclusion of that investigation, so such as uh OIS is would be an example of that.

Uh other admin leave.

Yeah, it would it wouldn't necessarily be in regards to um like specifically a sustained if that's what the Yeah, and I mean I mean m maybe that that's a part of our template question when we get to it.

I I think it would be helpful to know of those sustained cases to have a total number of officers that are off the streets because of sustained allegations.

Um in addition to that, you know, because we we have the admin leave, but to know, you know, the we talk about the case size, so if some of that is due to that, it would be helpful to know.

Okay, I can take that as a rule.

Thank you.

Uh sorry to conflate the two, but I was looking at your report and I was just like, I don't think that's included.

So all right.

Any questions from the public?

We do have a comment from Miss Mondal.

Uh Rajny Mandel District 4.

I'm uh I would love uh to know when the SIPA annual report will come out uh for 2024, um just to see how many cases did they close last year and how many cases were closed after the 250 day deadline, which is more than the 180 day deadline for OPD.

Um, and then finally I would um also want to know why CIPRA requested 250,000 of taxpayer money from the city council to fund a study about Skelly hearings when it's really not part of the CIPRAS purview.

Um how were they able to convince council to approve this?

Um I heard that um uh council was informed that OPD has only one Skelly officer when they have right now 18.

Um, and was this money requested after discussion discussion with OPD and HR.

Who are the parties who are involved with Skelly hearings?

Thank you.

That is the only comment for that item, vice chair.

Did you write those questions down?

No.

Okay.

Um and director Lawson, you're happy.

Um you're welcome to respond if you want to, but I'm not suggesting that you do.

Um okay.

Um next item then.

We are moving right along to item number seven.

The ad hoc uh committee report out.

Um yeah, Chief, you you guys are welcome to go now if you want to, but happy to have you stay.

Um, we might we might need security.

Um staff search and evaluation ad hoc, Commissioner Williams.

Thank you.

Um yes, I'd like to report report that we had our kickoff um meeting on August 6th.

Uh we are developing the cadence.

Um, and this is ad hoc is designed to be closed to the public, but it's really important for us to get some public input.

So we are exploring um getting public comments around what should be in the evaluation, what criteria would the public like to hear um and have input on that via a survey, more to come, um more details to come on that.

I'll move right along since the next one is handcuffing.

Well, I think we need to see this um questions at the end of all of them.

All right, then.

That is true.

Okay.

Handcuffing is still under review.

We should have a date at our next meeting, and that will be uh a public facing ad hoc.

More details, Mr.

Chapdate.

Thank you.

Um, I don't really have much of an update for mine.

I've met with Dr.

Satter White earlier this week, and we'll be meeting with him again tomorrow to finalize our draft of the strategic plan for review with the other members of the ad hoc committee.

Um, and then we will bring it to the full commission.

NSA.

All right, NSA ad hoc.

We uh just re-kicked it off uh this past Monday.

Um thank you to everyone who is there.

Uh it'll be every Monday from 6 to 7 p.m.

moving forward.

Uh if you would like to come as a member of the public and ask a question, you're welcome to do that as well.

So I have he's not here, uh Commissioner Rows or Jack, do you either of you want to add anything?

It wasn't there yet.

Oh.

Uh it's uh the next meeting was scheduled for next what is it on Wednesday?

Wednesday is the third, yeah.

So it's not gonna be on Wednesday because there's going to be a discipline committee meeting that conflicts.

So the next meeting will be September third.

I think that's that following Wednesday.

Okay.

Um, uh in regards to the military equipment ad hoc.

Um we will be uh having a meeting on the 19th next week.

And uh I will be shortly uh finalizing a redraft of our statement, taking into account the comments from uh the commission about more specificity so that we will be able to uh in our uh statement back to the commission, be able to recommend approval or disapproval of various items uh in the military equipment report.

Um so that would be coming back to you after our meeting on the nineteenth.

We invite those of you who are interested to uh please attend.

And uh we've gotten comments from a lot of different sources about various pieces of equipment.

So um we will be taking all of that into account and in uh redraft of the policy to come back to the commission.

Um the next ad hoc is for the annual report.

Yes.

Um it is submitted in the packet if you want to see it as a draft for us to um take a look and offer feedback and then we will um vote on the final report in our next meeting.

Yes, and there's there's one thing uh that I saw right away is that the on page 28 the it for the inspector general it says um chief of police because I copied it from the page before.

So it has since been it has since been updated, but I truly appreciate two, four, six, eight, ten, twelve, and recardo.

Uh the that many pairs of eyes.

Yes, ma'am.

We got you covered.

Thank you.

Give us a um a deadline.

Thank you.

I'll give you the deadline.

Yeah, yeah.

I I've asked my beloveds to do that.

So it it is as it is right now, but there's uh the reason why it's there is to give you more time to kind of take a look and let me know what you see so that we can get that taken care of so that we can vote for it um for the next meeting because I'd like to be able to submit it by end of month to the mayor uh for the commission.

Quick question.

Do you have an editable version or how would you like us to submit our comments back?

Because I would definitely I'll give you access to Canva.

Oh, it's in Canva.

Yes, in Canva.

No, that's not gonna help me.

No.

Can we make it a Google Doc?

Yeah, I can I can I'll figure out something.

We'll work it out.

Yeah.

It's okay.

I can I I will send you a message.

Okay.

Every line by line.

I'll just write it out.

Okay, perfect.

No, Canvas had I mean you can put com you could put comments in Canvas.

She just has to go through every anyway.

We can sort that out later.

Um, okay, that's it for that.

So um any commissioners' comments on any of the ad hoc?

I actually do have one for Commissioner Riles.

Um for the militarized equipment ad hoc.

Are we keeping track of when we should be receiving impact reports from all the previous policies and or some of our uh state mandated reporting requirements?

Um I'm not sure what you mean about impact reports, but the department has been indicating when they have used the equipment.

Yeah, and why.

They're supposed to submit I think annual um impact reports based on what type of equipment.

And I don't think all of them are required but for some they are um anyway uh I asked that because we're not tracking it so um that's something that I need to integrate into our strategic planning.

I see so um I'm not trying to task you but I was just clarifying that so thank you okay thank you through the chair one second I like to disrupt this friendly ad hoc that's happening back there.

Can we all be included in the conversation or no is this public or closed in other words Sam you need to be in here.

Just just checking it.

Go ahead.

No I was just gonna say uh Commissioner Jackson Castain that subject has come up loosely um but uh nothing definitive has been provided yet okay I'll I'll integrate that and then get the timeline so that we know what our requirements are because they are annual I believe.

Any other uh questions for discussion public comment we do we have two one Miss Fail and one Ms.

Mondal okay Miss Vail's going to pass and Miss Mondal Rajni Mandel District 4.

I have reviewed the draft annual report and recommend that you remove page nine why oversight matters in Oakland and is never too much oversight does matter but it should be balanced and measured.

Too much of anything leads to imbalance and I disagree with the statement on page nine this statement isn't impartial or balanced and shows that the commission wants to overextend its reach at the detriment of the city.

Anybody with policy and regulatory experience knows that oversight and regulations are necessary but should never be excessive there is such a thing as too much regulation as it paralyzes function.

If this commission really feels there's no such thing as too much oversight then we'll continue to have an exodus of police officers since as I mentioned the top three reasons they leave the department or the commute excessive discipline and MSA oversight.

If this commission really feels that there's no such thing as too much oversight then you want to paralyze law enforcement in the city we're already imbalanced and if you want to tip the scales even more you should have shown your hand to be ideologues and uh not actual representatives of the city of Oakland thank you.

Miss Cleveland you can finish let me do this.

Millie Cleveland sure there you go Millie Cleveland with coalition for police accountability um I've heard from the police chief and I've heard from the public the narrative that oversight interferes with police operations.

Could you please ask the chief of police to provide at least three examples of any oversight policies that are interfering with police operations I think that would be beneficial to the public do you have a um the space now or would you like that to be a deliverable Chief Mitchell through the chair first of all again I think we started this meeting off talking about Roberts rules uh and every question that pops up in the from the audience is not one that needs to be addressed here.

Second of all, um I don't know that I've ever said that there's specific things that are happening in regards to why there's too much oversight.

So if she wants to point that out to me, or if someone from the from the diocese wants to point that out to me, then we then I'll address that specific question.

But um in regards to oversight, we I know the history here in regards to oversight and why it's in place.

And there are specific things that we need to make sure that we are doing to ensure that what happened in 2003 does not happen again or 2001 if I if I remember correctly.

So to to go through this specific question in regards to list three things.

Um I I it's not appropriate, it doesn't follow Robert's rules.

Thank you, Chief.

There are no more comments at this time, Vice Chair.

Great.

Umcoming future agenda items.

Uh yes, we have a community meeting that's going to be September 11th at Fremont High School.

Um there has been uh communications that have been sent out uh this coming week.

I'll make sure that there are public um announcements on radio for those stations that will actually publicize it for us.

Um there we plan to have information about the discipline committee process.

Um that's one of the things that has been asked of us.

Like, what is that?

What does that really look like?

Uh CIPRA is going to be presenting so that people are familiar with what CIPRA is and how they help the community.

Um we're looking to have a presentation on the IAB transition or process, and um also for mental health uh an overview of that as it pertains to the police department and why that's part of the police commission's purview.

And uh the OIG will also be introducing what they do so that the community understands why they're in place.

Uh those are the the things that we typically don't do that are going to be there, but of course there'll be um any other presentation that we might normally have, which is like OPD will provide their presentation.

Um let's see.

We are tracking the pursuit policy.

Uh recommendations from the vote for the commission.

Um the the date at first was uh no later than 9-11.

Did you want to kind of touch on that uh vice chair?

Sure.

Um the um commission and OPD have been working really closely behind the scenes with the necessary stakeholders to move this conversation along.

We do we are at a good place.

Um there are some um scheduling challenges that has come up and we do or we are aware of the 120 days.

We um understand that we are making um decisions based on that, and some um the vote will be coming up soon and September.

Um we do have the appropriate steps in place to manage the 120 day deadline that um everyone necessary to be involved is involved with that conversation and that extension.

Uh and that's all I'll say about that.

And we have one more thing that we're tracking is the OCA uh report.

They have a semi-annual report that there's to give, and I am working uh with the OCA um department or group to determine which day in September they're going to have that or for which meeting, and I'll just keep everyone posted.

That's it, Vice Chair.

Um, to add to the the it because it came up, and I don't know if it's more appropriate here or open form, but either way, it came up last meeting and came up today.

Robert's rule, getting questions answered, and um, you know, as a future thing, we are taking to account, as some of you have said, Micah is of one, and things that are not her job or not her job is a hard thing to do.

We are working behind the scenes to manage questions.

Um, we all do agree there's Robert's rules, but there's also timing and appropriateness and answering some questions and not and blah blah blah.

And so we are working behind the scenes to create a practice of tracking questions so that we can agendize them as well as have deliverables so that they're all clear so there's not this um concept of back and forth discussion.

So just know that that's already in the works.

It's not to be it's it's in in the process, and and then we'll handle that appropriately.

So that is the upcoming agenda item.

And any other commissioners like to add anything here.

Or ask, request.

Um Rajani, I love to invite you to the NSA ad hoc.

You know a lot.

So it is open, so we'd love to have you.

Um, any public comment?

Okay.

Rajni Mundal District 4.

Um, this is on topics that were brought up during the future agenda.

Um, uh portion of the meeting, last meeting.

Um, so I would like to again urge the commission to stay within its charter-defined role and not stray.

I brought up the city auditor's comments and how commissioners should not be involving themselves in administration of departments.

Alternate commissioners' farmers at the last meeting about his wellness initiative is in direct contradiction with the city auditor.

In addition, his involvement administration without approval from the rest of the commission is suspect at the least.

Finally, his comments about issuing recommendations about the police union collective bargaining agreement as part of the NSA ad hoc, are also in violation of the role of the commission.

I'll again quote the city auditor's report.

Quote, the audit found that the commission has involved itself in matters that limit its ability to address higher priority issues.

For instance, the commission has involved itself with administrative activities and has directed staff in the agency and OPD.

Much of its inability to complete all its man mandated duties stem from the commission not fully understanding its roles and responsibilities as a public oversight body.

The lack of understanding has led to the commission inappropriately directing staff and involving itself in the contracting process.

The commission's case conference statement about the NSA is another example of the commission working independently from the city administration, and it because it doesn't stay in its lane.

I recommend that the commission follow the findings and recommendations in the 2020 audit report.

Quote, the city administration and the commission need to repair their relationship without an improvement in their relationship.

Policy direction will remain unclear, conflict over roles will continue to escalate, and a lack of clarity regarding organizational direction will continue, affecting the commission's effectiveness and the public's confidence in the city.

Thank you.

Great.

Yes, we have one comment from Miss Cleveland.

No, for open forum right here.

Okay, she's passing on that now.

There are no more comments.

There are no comments for that chair, Vice Chair.

Great.

Uh meeting adjourned.

Shortly after this filming, Inspector General Michelle Phillips announced her departure from the city of Oakland.

As the inaugural IG, Michelle built the office from scratch.

She leaves behind established policies, procedures, and a path forward for the work of the Office of the Inspector General.

I wish only the very best for Michelle Phillips as she continues her work in civil service for the city of Minneapolis.

Thank you for your leadership here in Oakland.

Hello and welcome to Trail Chats.

I'm your host, Autumn King.

On today's episode, we are trekking and chatting with Michelle Phillips, Oakland's Inspector General.

Come along with us as we see what's on these trails.

It's a larger, bigger picture.

I think so too, and I think it'd be a great conversation to have.

We should talk more.

But tell me who is Michelle Phillips and how does your Oakland story begin?

I am just a public servant at heart.

I'm a people pleaser in a way that I believe that we need to give back.

When I received the opportunity living in Baltimore, I was the deputy inspector general for the city of Baltimore, and they were like, you know, we have this new office, and I talked to my daughter who's 20 years old, and she was like, Mommy, this is history.

Like, this is black history, this is woman history.

Go and show them what you can do.

Well, let's pause and say exactly what that history is.

So you are the inspector general for the city of Oakland.

It is the not only are you the first black woman in this position, you are the first person in this position.

2021 voters uh was it 2021 voters vote voted uh Oakland voters voted to expand Measure S1 and that's how your position came about?

So it was 2020 um S1 modified L.

Okay.

Um, to expand the jurisdiction of civilian oversight in the city of Oakland to strengthen it, and then to establish an office of the inspector general, which would help to supplement the community police review agency as well as the Oakland Police Commission that had already been established via Measure L.

So the OIG, the Office of the Inspector General was established to help to monitor an audit systemic issues that were potentially embedded in the Oakland police department, so we would look at patterns and practices of violations of civil rights and civil liberties of the residents that the Oakland police department serves.

So that was the charge of the office of the inspector.

Why Oakland?

Why now?

Why did the people of Oakland want this now?

Or need this now.

I think that they wanted it before now.

I think it was the time.

It was the perfect storm.

There were things happening nationwide.

We're talking about Freddie Gray to George Floyd, Brianna Taylor.

There were, you know, of course, here at BART, um, we had Oscar Grant.

So there were things that were happening.

And I think communities nationwide felt that there just was not enough transparency and accountability.

There may have been accountability embedded in police departments or in city government structures that were just not transparent to community so that folks knew what was happening and what procedures were being used to ensure that there was accountability for these individuals.

So are you shining light on the happenings within the police department, or are you working with them to to change their ways?

Tell me a little bit more about how what your day-to-day charge is in working with the police.

So I think it's it's a little bit interesting because there's not necessarily always this collaborative effort, right?

Because there is supposed to be this oversight entity.

We're supposed to oversee.

Overseeing is not interfering.

And I want folks to kind of understand that.

I am not a police officer.

We have to kind of empower the police to do what their charge is, but to ensure that they know that there is someone looking.

Got it, right?

So when you do take a misstep and you don't catch that misstep, I'm here to catch.

So you're not an enemy of the police, you're not looking for gotcha moments.

You're not an enemy of the community.

But what yours doing is just saying, I'm a third eye.

I'm okay.

I am here to understand.

Also to show community.

And on honestly, some of the police department um personnel as well, as we start to look at some of these policies that haven't been touched since the 70s, 80s, 90s, early 2000s, that really just hamper ability for community police review agency or the internal affairs division to hold officers accountable.

These the language in these policies are outdated.

There's so much information that has changed as the landscapes changed.

When we start to talk about classification of protected classes, right?

These things have evolved over time.

I didn't think about that.

And we need to think about what discrimination truly is and what it looks like.

So we're looking currently now.

I am actually working with one of the lieutenants in the police department as we start to look at what cultural accountability in the police department looks like and how we can embed that in the policies so that officers don't forget where we came from, i.e.

the writers' cases and and the trauma that is embedded in the fabric of those issues in all of Oaklanders.

Don't forget, understand that you are here to change not only that narrative but the culture within, and we'll hold you accountable to it.

So we're working.

I'm saying again, as you were talking about earlier, holding you back there.

We're not holding you accountable for those people and what they did, but we're saying that is left a mark.

Yes.

The community remembers.

Yeah.

So now your job, police officers and those who work with, is to make it better or show us that you are trying to walk a different path.

And then you are helping with that.

Yeah.

What did you feel that you learned in Baltimore that you knew and were excited about bringing to Oakland?

What did what made you say, I did this here, I can do it at this level there?

So as I rose through the ranks in Baltimore City, I started as a special agent doing line investigations and then evolved into a deputy inspector general working with counsel, working with the mayor to say, listen, to your point, we're shedding on these issues.

These are areas and gaps that is holding us back in yesterday where we cannot build that trust in community, not only with the police department, but with all areas of city government, from elected officials all the way down to the line workers.

We have to be able to build that trust.

And I think that that was something that really just was embedded in me that I was like, I can have a seat at the table when I talk, people listen.

So now I not only have the credentials and the experience, but I can take this with me everywhere that I go because I also have the passion that serves as my purpose.

I've got some questions about that.

Can we walk a little bit?

Absolutely.

All right, let's do it.

So we were talking about this being a startup, somewhat like a startup.

I told you that I read an article where you were talking about how this position had you feeling, like you were the head of a startup company.

Everything was from the ground up.

Tell me more about that.

What does that mean that this was a startup company for you?

I would tell folks like it feels like a mom and pop shop, right?

Like I'm doing everything, I'm cooking, I'm I'm running to the cashier and I'm doing this and I'm doing that.

That's definitely how it was when I started the office.

I had to stabilize it.

We needed policies and procedures to govern how we do business.

When we're talking about accountability and transparency, that's what community wants.

They want to see how you are getting at the reports, the findings, the methodology, the scope.

So I was like, okay, before we really start pushing out any types of documents or reports, we need to start level setting and letting folks know.

So that's the first thing we needed.

I was in office of one for about five months when I started.

Yes.

You had no staff.

No staff.

You were hired into the position and walked in and you had no team to support you in this.

No team.

And I think, I think the the thought process behind that was, okay, well, that when the IG comes, then the IG can hire their staff.

That's a lot on your shoulders.

That is you not only stepping into a role that needs to be filled, that's being uh uh called on to be filled by the community and saying we want this.

So they want you to get to work.

Yes.

You're also ordering office supplies, hiring people, trying to design the the culture of your office so that not only the internal people understand it, but outside people know what to expect.

What kind of weight was that for you?

How did you handle that?

It was huge.

It was a lot of mental stress, a lot of emotional stress.

I I came from Baltimore to a city I had never been to.

I'd never been to the city of Oakland.

I knew nobody in the city of Oakland, but I knew that there was a point and a purpose for me to do this, and I I believed that Oakland deserved this position, and they deserved me to be the inaugural inspector general.

So I put my head down and tried to figure out the budget process.

I was still in the pandemic.

We were just coming out of it, but people were still kind of working from home.

So I'm trying to find who's in HR so I can start crafting job specifications for my staff.

Um I didn't have any budget for supplies, no budget for supplies.

I had no paper, no pens.

So the director of finance was like, girl, let me let me help you.

And I was like, can I just get some patients?

Let's take it to a closet.

You need to go to supply.

She would let me go up there.

She was like, just whatever you need, you know, to go down there.

Um, so maybe three or four days in, I finally got an office.

Okay.

So I sat there and I was like, okay, let me work with HR to start trying to figure out what this office will look like.

What vision I want for this office?

What kind of leader I want to be in the city of Oakland?

And that's kind of really how it started having conversations with council members, having conversations with the mayor, city administrator.

Of course, talking to uh Regina Jackson, who was was the chair at the time.

She was the one who hired me.

I was hired under her tenure, and just kind of letting her know what my vision was for this office and what I wanted to bring to the residents of Oakland.

But it was a heavy weight.

Oakland hazed me.

Feels like a bit of a, you use the word, I'll say that a hazing period.

How do you maintain your mental and emotional health?

What do you do to check in on you?

So at that time, I didn't.

I needed to understand what the challenges were that were specific to Oakland.

We can talk about police oversight in general, but Oakland is very different.

Oakland has its own culture, it has its own history, you know, and it has its own traumas that have been uh put upon the residents by the Oakland police department, and I needed to understand how that rooted in the social fabric of Oakland to be able to inform my work and how transparent and in what type of way I needed to be transparent with community because everybody's like, oh, we'll just put everything out there.

No, because I'm a new office.

Nobody has no what is an inspector general?

Never heard of it.

Right.

You know, what do you do?

Well, what's the difference between you and the commission and the community police review agency?

It's all these questions.

And so you're juggling that and trying to figure out how to how to maintain you and your staff at that point.

How do you support new staff in this new culture in this new environment?

And it was very interesting because, like I said, we had um pandemic time, so of course, work from home, and I'm like, we're a brand new office.

We need office culture.

Like we need to know who we are.

Um, while I was trying to get my permanent staff, I had temporary staff members come in and we knew that they were only gonna be there for a short time, which was really kind of hard because we did really great work in the beginning, but we knew it it was one year contracts, and at some point they were gonna have to be um transitioned out.

So we sat down and we helped to frame the vision.

I had some oversight practitioners, Dr.

Lee Anderson um is an overtype practitioner in this work, and she helped me kind of frame what we wanted to do with this office.

Um, and I think that it was a lot of sitting down and putting the structures, but I had no grace period.

How many staff do you did you wind up with in your team?

So budgeted, and our first budget, I was able to get eight, and I thank city council for that because I was able to justify why I needed this, understanding the negotiated settlement agreement, the responsibilities and roles of the compliance director and monitor, and at the inception of the negotiated settlement agreement that derived from the writers' case, the monitoring team had nine.

Um actually I think they had eight.

So I asked for nine, and I was like, you know, this is what they had, and they're not doing as much as as you want me to do.

It's a whole different conversation that we should talk about.

Um and it it's not to take away from them, but they had a set of tasks, right?

I still have to put a budget in place.

I have to still hire people in a different type of way.

There are administrative functions that this office must do.

Um, and and just a different type of realm than the independent monitoring team.

And then I have to report at police commission meetings and when I need to go to council meetings and then be in community, so community knew that I was here to be transparent and let them know that I am available.

If you have a question, please reach out to me because that's what we needed to do.

You said earlier, shed light on the evolution of police oversight and policing in Oakland so that we can ensure that there is constitutional policing, that is what is needed and wanted from our residents, and that's what we want to give them.

Do you feel like you're the team that you built and taking all that time and everything that you did to get there?

Now that we're looking back, standing here today, what are the top three things that you're most proud of for that you and your team have accomplished or become since day one?

Honestly, I'm just very, very happy about the credibility that the office of the inspector general has been able to create and establish.

Um I think trust is really, really important on both sides.

Um, our internal stakeholders as well as our external stakeholders, and we've done that with transparency and consistent communication.

I'm so proud of the evolution of my staff.

They've hunkered down and they were like, okay, let's find out everything that we need to know.

Get out in community.

Fostering those relationships is very, very important.

And I'm super excited about that.

We're moving forward with the ordinance, and I think that's important.

It will help to bridge the gaps that the oversight structure had when I came in.

It's hard when you don't have a practitioner to help with legislation.

So, you know, it's some fine-tuning that needs to happen so that we can move and crowd overall, super excited about the evolution of the OIG.

I love that.

Okay, we were talking about mental house, we're talking about how you maintain emotional side, how you support your staff.

Physically, we're out here in these lovely woods.

What do you do to physically stay fit and keep yourself going?

Can we like shout out the lake?

Love the lake.

Yes, um, it's a piece.

I love our lake.

So I will go and walk the lake.

I live right downtown.

So if I need to pop those ears.

I was just gonna say that I'm telling you, it's the place for that.

It's zone out and go around being community and talk to folks.

I also have a gym in my building.

Um, so I don't really sleep that well.

So I'll be in the gym at three o'clock or four o'clock just to get it out of my system and and lay down.

Um, and I also walk to work.

I walk to work.

We should probably do some more walking because we've been chatting and standing still for a minute.

Sure.

Let's walk.

Let's walk out.

I'm here for it.

Okay.

How does that work?

And what's one of the Inspector judge?

I'm I'm ha it's happy.

I will leave it.

It's okay.

Tell me what it's talking about for the future of Oakland.

I'm really, really, really optimistic with what I have been able to do in this leadership role, what the team has been able to do with this office.

I'm very, very excited about what the future truly holds.

I think I've started something great.

There will continue to be momentum and movement as we help to build better constitutional policing.

There has been that trajectory before I came here.

We've continued that momentum, and I'm sure it'll be here for years to come.

You are the inaugural Inspector General.

Yes, ma'am.

You are the first black woman inspector general.

You are what Oakland has right now, but I'm sure this is not the end of your journey.

Once you are no longer in this role for Oakland, how do you want to be remembered here in Oakland?

I definitely want to be remembered as a trailblazer.

Put mechanisms, systems, and internal controls in place so that we can continue on the appropriate path towards better constitutional policing as well as transparent police accountability in a way that everyone in the city of Oakland can believe and trust in the process.

It's needed, it's wanted, it's now.

How has coming to Oakland changed you, defined you?

What is coming to Oakland done for Michelle Phillips as an individual?

Oakland has grown, Michelle Phillips, as an individual as a professional.

I have been challenged, I have been disrespected, I have been demeaned, and honestly disregarded at times when all I wanted to do was serve my purpose.

It made me stronger, it built a resilience in me that I already knew was here, and it unleashed a lion, a lioness that is here to protect the people.

So regardless of these barriers that people put in front of me, I push through.

I will continue to push through so that the next Inspector General has an easier, better, clear path than I had.

Thank you for all you do.

I appreciate it.

I appreciate it as a woman.

I appreciate it as a black woman.

I appreciate it as a resident of Oakland.

Thank you for what you do for our residents and for our community.

I appreciate you.

You're absolutely welcome.

And I just want to say thank you, Oakland, for choosing me when I was choosing you.

It's been really good chatting with you.

Thank you so much for trekking and chatting in this beautiful weather.

Thank you for telling me about who you are and shedding a little bit more light on the office of the inspector general.

Thank you for the opportunity.

I appreciate you as well.

Should we walk some more and chat some more?

I think we should.

Alright, let's keep going.

Come on.

I was really excited to hear you talking about some of the shifts and the changes and just it's exciting.

Like I'm really, I don't know.

I'm proud of you and proud for you.

Oh, thank you so much.

I'm really proud for Oakland, right?

My name is Erica Mitchell, and I take BART from 19th Street to Coliseum.

I'm Howard and I ride from Powell Street Station to the Berkeley station.

As a native of San Francisco and native of North Beach, I've uh ridden BART since its opening.

So that's over 50 years ago.

Voters are going to the polls in record numbers today to decide on the proposed Bay Area rapid transit system.

It was the biggest project in our region.

So not only was I observing the construction in San Francisco on Marcus Street when I was in high school and college at San Francisco State.

You could see the entire project unfolding.

It was always in the news.

I'm from DB Soakland.

I don't think I would be where I am today if it wasn't for Bart.

My early summary on Bart is going on Bart with my mom, my brother, and my dad from Coliseum to 16th Street Mission.

We went and got like these amazing burritos for the first time.

I just felt so adult going to the station in the morning with all the other commuters with my little backpack and I got to listen to music and daydream and think about the life that I want to have.

I currently go to SF State.

People always forget that BART is a very, very young system.

It's only like 50 years old.

So the system is going to be constantly evolving just like it has in London and Paris.

If I didn't have BART, I would be at home.

Like I would be sitting at home.

As a student and someone coming from an immigrant family, there was this sense of democracy, of a democratic benefits of uh a public transit where all people had access to a system which was fairly affordable.

If Bart wasn't around, I don't think this relationship would be where it is now.

I don't even think I would be where I am right now if it wasn't for BART.

Oh, man.

The time is now nine forty two AM and this meeting may come to order.

Before taking roll, I will provide instructions on how to submit speaker cards on how uh for items on this agenda.

If you're here with us in chamber and would like to submit a speaker card, please fill one out and turn one into myself or a clerk representative no later than 10 minutes after the start of this meeting or before the item is read into record.

Registering to speak via Zoom is now due 24 hours prior to the start of this meeting time.

This meeting came to order at 9 42 a.m.

and speaker cards will no longer be accepted 10 minutes after this meeting has begun, making that time 9 52 a.m.

We'll now proceed with taking roll.

Councilmember Guiles absent.

Councilmember Houston.

Councilmember Wong present and Chair Fife.

Present.

Thank you.

We have three members present, one absent, Councilmember Guyo.

Before we begin, Chair, do you have any announcements at this time?

I do have uh one announcement to make, and I see very familiar faces in the chamber.

Many of you who we've shut down this chamber on the issues of arts funding, and over the years we've seen a consistent decrease in those dollars, and it was particularly devastating when we saw the removal of the cultural arts manager from uh the budget this year.

So my announcement is that we have talked to the city administrator, worked with our budget administration, and we're bringing that uh that position back full time.

So I wanted to, I want to it's important to state that this this item, um, this particular position does bring in revenue to the city.

It also is the foundation for building relationships and fostering uh these artist relationships that are so critical to the city of Oakland.

Oakland is arts and culture, and I I think it's important to state that this is not this will not be funded by one-time revenue, it would be funded by ongoing um funds in the city of Oakland.

So we don't have to worry about that being cut any time in the future.

So I just wanted to make that announcement.

Madam Clerk, we can move on with the agenda.

Thank you all for your pressure.

Thank you.

Noting that item number one, approval of the draft minutes.

Since this is a special meeting, there are no minutes to be approved.

Item two, determination of scheduled outstanding committee items, also known as the pending list, and we do have two speakers that signed up for this item.

Okay, calling in the names that signed up for item number two, Vanessa Wong and Asada Olabala.

Good morning.

My name is Vanessa Wong.

I'm the chair of the Cultural Affairs Commission, and I just wanted to thank everyone, both in the chamber and on the dais and on the council who have worked to uh bring this position back in your infinite wisdom.

Uh, I think it is a really important move.

And I hope, in addition with that, that you will remove any strictures on the meager amount of funding that is available to the staff to allocate to the field.

And I just want to remind folks, of course.

Anything that gets allocated does go before this committee, and it does get approved by the full city council.

And I would just urge you to let the staff do their job in allocating the funds in the most effective way for what the field needs since they are the closest to the ground.

So thank you very much for your efforts.

You talk about what's devastating.

What's devastating is that we have no one who is a director of homelessness.

We don't have a director of human services, but you up here talking about how we've been accomplishing something by having somebody over a culture manager.

You need somebody in place to deal, particularly when you got people like Wong denying the homeless community in Chinatown.

That's what we need to pay attention to these over 5,000 people who've been on the street with the numbers never decreasing.

But we're gonna talk about how devastating it is not to have a culture manager.

It's too insulting that you pay and how we don't have anybody paying attention to the devastation of African Americans having 8.9% unemployment in this city.

Because you have a dysfunctional workforce and economic department who pays no attention to the African Americans in this city.

That's devastating.

What's devastating is we don't have the ability to concentrate on the racism that's going on in this city.

We have a department of a race and equity office that's underfunded.

We need to support that department, eliminating the racism and the lack of equity in the city.

The devastation is too insulting to me to be having you applauding a cultural person being here to manage culture.

And we got people dying in this city from Fentanole, and nothing's being done.

We don't have a health department in this city.

We need a health director to deal with the health devastation going on.

So all these people are applauding.

It's for them.

But when you look at the total city, what's the higher priority?

It's not culture.

Thank you for your comment, Chair.

That concludes our speakers on this item.

Thank you.

I will I I will take the uh prerogative of the chair.

And all of you all in the audience know that arts creates jobs in our community.

Arts is a big part of several organizations that I work with in District Three, several nonprofits that use arts as therapy, that use arts as healing.

I've been involved in many prison programs where we work with incarcerated folks, and arts is one of the ways that they get through every single day.

So just because some people don't know doesn't mean it's not true, and I appreciate every single one of you all for being here today.

Madam City Clerk, we can call the role the vote, the motion.

I'll move the item.

I'll make a motion.

Seconded.

Thank you.

That was a motion made by Council Member Fife, seconded by Councilmember Wong to approve the determination of scheduled outstanding committee items as is on roll, Councilmember Guy's absent.

Councilmember Houston.

Yes.

Council Member Wong.

Uh yes.

Aye.

And Chair Five.

I thank you.

Item number two passes with three eyes, one absent guy.

Reading in item number three.

Adopt a resolution honor honoring the creators of co-founders, the musical, for their contributions to Oakland's cultural and educational landscape and for enhancing the city's value of innovation, racial justice, and community empowerment through the performing arts.

And we have one public speaker that signed up for this item.

We have a brief slideshow to show as well.

And I would like to welcome after we hear from our public speaker.

Well, Councilmember Wong, do you want to um give some introductory remarks before we hear from our speaker?

Absolutely.

So uh Mayor Lee actually had encouraged all of us at City Council to uh check out this musical uh co-founders, and I have to be honest, I'm not even a musical person.

I don't generally like them, but this one was uh truly um it was astonishing.

Um I was amazed it was it could not be more the definition of musicality innovation and just um, you know, the theater, uh the stage, the the storyline was also so authentically about Oakland.

Um, and also many of the actors that I got to meet are actually living in from Oakland, and it really spoke about um you know the challenges of equity in our digital economy, um, about gentrification happening uh in West Oakland, and um we uh wanted to uh uh put forward a resolution.

Thank you, Councilmember Five for co-sponsoring this.

That way uh we have an opportunity to really feature and hopefully bring this musical to Oakland because it was out in SF, the ACT theater, but we want to see this uh musical come to Oakland and I also understand that ACT is a yes, we do, um, and it should really I think it it is the definition of Oakland pride of black ingenuity and um it was amazing and I also understand that ACT is a launching pad for uh Broadway, and I think that would be an amazing way to bring some tourism here to Oakland.

So uh that's all I have to say.

Well said, thank you.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Uh giving me a moment to be with you this morning.

This is a good news day, and I wanted uh thank uh both of you for being here today because you make us very proud, and everything that um our council members have said I associate myself with in terms of the importance of uh our arts and cultural community here, the people who uh are the heart and soul of Oakland.

Uh it the arts are force multipliers in terms of not only bringing the beauty and and the narrative about the the glass half full of Oakland to Oakland and to the rest of the country and the world, but also uh the economic benefits from uh a vibrant thriving uh arts community, and so this recognition today is really uh for me very um in a lot of ways very personal because uh it was uh a moment in San Francisco that uh we witnessed the beauty of Oakland.

And so personally, I'm saying, wait a minute, I'm the mayor of Oakland.

And so we had to figure out I want to thank uh council member Wang uh and Councilmember Five for working together to do this today to honor you, and to um just say that Oakland is a city because of you where art uh drives change.

That's right.

And uh the work is really rooted in our creative ecosystem, it's shaped by local voices and in conversation with the real issues and which uh and the communities that we face and co-founders is the perfect example of what and who Oakland is.

And so, yes, we want co-founders here in Oakland.

Uh we're talking to everybody around the country why we want it here, how much it's gonna cost, and so just know that um this is a very humbling moment for all of us, but we want to just thank you very much.

Uh co-founders was sold out each and every performance in San Francisco, and so uh Oakland deserves this also, and so just um thank you.

Uh, we're gonna continue supporting uh the arts and cultural leaders who uh challenge assumptions, who lift up underrepresented voices, and who are part of moving Oakland forward.

So thank you for being here, God bless you.

Thank you so much.

Wow, wonderful.

Oh, man.

Let me let me just oh, I was actually able one evening to present the mayor's proclamation at the American conservatory theater in San Francisco to our Oakland artists.

So let me just uh present.

Um I don't how much time am I allotted?

We'll give you five minutes.

Five minutes is excellent.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

Thank you, Mr.

Wang.

Councilmember Fife, thank you so very much.

Everybody here, all the council members, all the staff.

We are so grateful.

You know, this is an extremely humbling experience for us as well.

We stand on the shoulders of all the artists and culture makers that we've been working with for the 20 plus years of our careers.

This is the work I've been in this council chamber multiple times over my career as an executive director and an arts advocate as an advocate for youth as a young person myself over the last 30 years advocating for this exact uh change.

It is very rare that I get to come in for a celebratory moment.

And so I I just kind of want to sit in here and marinate on this moment where we are able to reinstate the cultural affairs manager position.

I celebrate you all for that.

Because we know there is no cultural department without somebody who is managing it and overseeing how money is allocated and uh to celebrate a show for which we've been working on for eight years, but really our entire careers represent in our lives here in Oakland.

I'm a third generation Oaklander.

Adisha, you're a second generation Oaklander.

First generation Oaklander, but has been here her entire life, and we have particularly dedicated our time and our careers here in the city.

As you know, most of our talent gets exported.

I just want to um highlight some wins of our show to demonstrate the capacity and the ability for shows like this for arts and culture to generate revenue, to um celebrate culture, uh, to be a signal boost to issues around equity um in our city because we know culture moves the needle because culture moves the hearts of the people.

We can make policy, we can do all the things that we need to do, we can build infrastructure, so on and so forth.

But if the heart of people aren't moved, they don't make those changes.

And so if we could please just go to our um, I don't know who has it, but if somebody has the the quick PowerPoint, I'd love to just thumb through to slide number three.

We've gotten to hear the story.

Yes, the vision.

Uh our vision for the show, uh, just so you know, is to take this show from the bay to Broadway.

Um, and our objective has been to bring uh a rich experience um to broad audiences.

We were able to impact an audience from the age ranges of eight years old to eighty-five years old in San Francisco, communities representing social and economic uh folks that you know are are really on the margins to people who are making multiple millions of dollars, sat shoulder to shoulder in the audience together.

Um, let's move on to the uh the impact.

This is what I want to show you.

We were able to see just about 10,000 patrons in the American Conservatory Theater.

We thank ACT for um their co-production and support in this effort.

The average age of our um our folks uh that came to the show was uh age 41, but again, we saw folks from age eight to age eighty-five.

We got to have 58 young black coders from black girls code come into our audience.

Um who were deeply inspired.

We uh have generated just about 792,000, 90, yeah, 792,000 in revenues and impacted uh the hyperlocal community, and this is a conservative number.

Uh, just about 300,000, and I mean just the businesses around us.

That is a one million dollar impact for a six-week production.

This is what is possible when arts and culture is rooted in a city, when there is infrastructure, when the city gets behind it to support arts and culture.

I can only imagine what could happen in a city like Oakland with this kind of investment.

We know that uh arts and culture bought 1.4 million dollars to Oakland over the last year.

Last year, that's a conservative number.

This is more than 90%.

Uh just this show was generated more than 90 percent revenues.

We can go to the next one.

Uh the streets are talking.

It's a hit.

You know, we had many, many people blow up on our social media.

You could go to the next one.

Media hits of the Wazoo.

These are some of our media features.

K-A-L-W-K-P-I-X, Cron.

You may have seen us in the Chronicle several times, the National Alliance for Musical Theater.

We did some stuff locally, but we also did things nationally.

Forbes, Bloomberg, Broadway World, you know, all reached out to us, did feature stories on our show because we were making that much noise, celebrating a show about Oakland's hustle.

It says it right there.

Let's uh move forward, please.

Thank you so much.

Oh, almost there.

Um, we were able to do this through a grassroots engagement, organic growth through community collaborations.

We spent 10 months in a warehouse that we were able to obtain for free.

For 10 months, we we produced events, hyperlocal events with partnerships from local community organizations.

East Bay Yesterday, High Wave, um uh the American Conservatory, yeah, Robot Heart, so on and so forth.

We want to move forward to the next slide, please, really quickly.

This is our path.

We've been in development since 2016.

We're hoping in 2026 that we see an Oakland presentation and an off-Broadway presentation.

And our goal is to take this from the Bay to the Broadway, but our stop has to be in Oakland in 2026.

We thank you all so much.

This is what the the cap the possibilities are with arts and culture and investment in arts and culture.

Um, and we want to make that same kind of impact in Oakland, California.

We know we can.

Thank you very much.

Shout out to the team back there, co-founder Diana Leaf, Angel Adere Kun.

Uh, we've got Joy Meads, we've got Elizabeth Newton, we've got our co-producer Anthony Beniziale in the house, uh, and my husband and my baby girl back there.

Thank you, guys.

Are there comments or questions from the committee?

If not, I will entertain a motion.

We have public speakers.

Yes, Councilmember Houston.

She said we want, right?

Why didn't we have it in Oakland?

Well, we got the we got the the the Kaiser J.

We have the Oakland Museum, and she's brilliant, and they're doing it in San Francisco.

We need to bring that revenue to Oakland to to the I went and saw Kevin Choice at Yoshi's, he's out here, right?

Um, and that was my first time seeing him.

He was brilliant, right?

I was like, damn, I'm a fan.

No, for real.

I tell him all the time.

So I'm saying we have all this art.

We have all these artists, these brilliant individuals.

We have the Kaiser J.

We got the Coliseum, we have, we need to embrace the people that are here.

And everybody knows I keep saying Oakland first, Oakland.

And the mayor's, uh, I didn't get to see the play.

Um, I want to see it, so when are we coming to Oakland to see it?

So there it is.

I just want to say, um, I should have been an artist.

My father died.

No, my father died when I was 12, and I I used to always invent.

And after he passed away, um, I got off track, but art kept me back.

So I became I started doing art with, you know, design and buildings, because that was my form of art, right?

So art does have a huge impact in our lives.

So we need to keep our artists here in Oakland.

Oakland first, Kevin Choice.

I love that that at the Yoshi's, you was jamming, brother.

So I'm gonna say this.

Let's do this in Oakland, okay?

Thank you.

Um, and then one thing I I forgot to say in my remarks before, but uh the points that the mayor made as well as um the points around moving people to define policy and make policy.

I want to stress that actually, after watching this musical, um, I think one of my takeaways was like, yeah, like there really is a problem if there's barriers to um if you if we don't have communities like the black community uh being represented in the technology economy, like the outcomes are gonna be injust.

And um, I was realizing like Asada, that might be fiction, but really there's young Asadas everywhere in Oakland, actually, and uh reach out to the hidden genius project.

Um they're actually cultivating the next young Asadas, um, to code, and yeah, I think uh we we met this last weekend, and she had some ideas on how we might support um the efforts, and so we can actually ensure that we have a more equitable tech economy, and it should be the counterpoint to what's happening in San Francisco.

So, yes, that was the policy point that was made by the play, and the musical was really heard.

Marilee.

And I just want to say this.

Uh, I have had the privilege to visit many cities around the country, many countries around the world.

Art and culture are infused in every single departments of of agencies and public entities, and so one goal I have is to look at how we can make sure, for instance, in our public works department and our housing department and our transportation department, how arts and culture uh can be integrated into our work, and that is an important uh first step here.

I think to be able to really embrace fully uh arts and culture as as the heart and soul of of Oakland.

So thank you all again.

The cultural strategist in government program that's been going for three to four years now.

Um many of these folks here, Rashida Chase back there, have been cultural strategists in government.

They have worked hand in hand with the economic and workforce development department, the the you got you all know these things.

They work with council member Fife, so on and so forth.

So the the um infrastructure is there, it already exists, and we'd love to reinstitute it.

Um, you know, with the reinstatement of the cultural affairs manager.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thank you all for turning out.

If you did not get the opportunity to speak, there will be another opportunity to speak in open forum.

Um, Madam Clerk, call the room.

Um moving to our public speaker.

Oh, we have a public speaker.

I apologize.

The hypocrisy of how you appreciate art.

The the black man, the African American gentleman who has been coming to this city for years for the jazz museum to be put in place has been ignored.

The last time he was here, it was something about the structure being too high, he would have to work on getting it down lower, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

The African American history museum down the street is struggling because it doesn't get support.

Arts and Soul Festival has been eliminated.

A lot of so-called black artists and vendors have been pushed out.

The brother that owns the lounge on 14th Street is supposed to have gotten support from the city, and y'all reneged on that.

So don't tell me about how you support black people in this city related to the arts.

When is that jazz museum gonna be built?

Uh this uh honoring, don't forget Art Shanks Jr.

You approved last June that auk Sanks Jr.

would be honored with a plaque and street changing on Mandela.

It hasn't happened.

You told his son he would have to do some things.

No, he doesn't have to do anything because the resolution said the city administrators should move forward to let it happen to that black man.

It didn't happen.

It's wonderful to see a musical that deals with uh issues and themes of racism and gender equity.

We don't have that going on in the city of Oakland.

We don't have it going on.

When you have gentrification, you mentioned wrong gentrification.

I asked you over and over to bring up the issue of gentrification and what we doing.

It's never been discussed.

And Oakland and San Francisco's number one in the country for gentrification.

You talk about uh the the issue of segregation, we got it going on in this city.

Thank you for your comments.

We have a motion made by Chair Five, seconded by council member.

I can't I I'm going to take the chair's prerogative again because there's so much disinformation going on.

I am in deep relationship with David Allen.

He's the architect of the jazz museum.

He's actually the uncle of Dominique Walker, who was the co the co-founder of Moms for Housing.

I talk to David Allen regularly.

So let's be clear.

Don't we can't just come to these meetings and put out misinformation?

If just because you're not a part of a process doesn't mean a process is not happening.

So I want everyone to understand that this is a moment of joy.

We have adopted AMLO to clean it up regularly so that they don't have to worry about the trash that is constantly floating around the AMLO.

So community ready core has adopted the space.

We've cleaned it up.

Uh I wanted to mention that.

And we are also working with artists throughout the city and black businesses throughout the city.

So if the only thing you do is come to a council meeting to complain about what's not being done, there are opportunities to work with many organizations to contribute to the beauty and the fabric of our city.

And I encourage everyone to join an organization and get involved.

Thank you.

Call the vote.

Thank you.

That was a motion made by Chair Fife.

Second by Councilmember Wong to approve the recommendation of staff and to forward this item to the September 16, 2025 Special City Council meeting.

Yes.

Councilmember Wong?

Yes.

And Chair Five.

Yes.

Thank you.

Item number three passes with three eyes, one absent.

Guile to forward this item to the September 16th, 2025 Special City Council agenda on consent.

Um uh sorry.

Reading in item number four, adopt an emergency ordinance.

One declaring a shelter crisis in the city of Oakland pursuant to the California government code section eight six nine eight and making findings that the significant that a significant number of persons order in the chambers, please, are without the ability to obtain shelter, and that the situation has resulted in a threat to the health and safety of the per those persons.

Two, for the duration of the shelter crisis, authorizing the city administrator to a suspend provisions of state or local regular regulatory statutes, regulations, and ordinances prescribing standards or procedures relating to housing health or safety for shelter facilities.

B, enter into a below market leases or licenses with homeless services, providers to land owned or leased by the city by the city for the purpose of providing emergency shelters or transitional housing, and see renew existing professional services and or grants grants agreement with homeless service providers in an amount not to exceed $250,000.

Uh $250,000 above previous years.

It providers meet performance outcomes in previous years and three making sequel findings, and we have two speakers that signed up for this item.

Before we go to the presentation of public speakers, I believe Councilmember Houston has a remark.

Yeah, just wanted to share that we got Kat Brooks in here also.

She's an artist too.

You know, she look at her plays, you know, because she she's good too.

So I I don't want to recognize my sister.

Thank you, Councilmember Houston.

We'll have our presentation.

Thank you.

Chrissy Love, community homelessness services.

I just want to touch on a few things, and one is the need for urgency.

Is that the current shelter crisis ordinance expires on September 19th, which means this needs to go to council on the 16th in order to keep it going and keep things moving along the same lines with contracting and whatnot?

And just to point out that homelessness continues to be a crisis in the city, the 2024 point in time count showed 5,485 people experiencing homelessness.

It's a nine percent increase over the 2022 count, which is it showed that homelessness, the rate is decreasing, but the numbers are still increasing.

I believe previous count was 20 something percent above the prior one.

So 9% is not too bad, but it's still bad enough.

Of those counted, 369, 67% are living without shelter, means in encampments and cars on the streets.

This is also a racial equity issue, as a majority of those experiencing homelessness are black.

53% as compared to 22% of the general population.

And just a caveat, the pit count is largely viewed as an undercount.

So the numbers are very likely higher.

And a background on the ordinance since 2017, the city has had a shelter crisis ordinance in place.

Each ordinance has been in place for two years.

Despite the number of shelter beds and resources offered by both the city and county, the need continues to exceed the capacity.

Shelter crisis ordinances have been renewed every two years as the state shelter crisis statute has been extended.

In 2024, the state shelter crisis statute was extended to January 1st, 2036, thus allowing cities to adopt longer term ordinances.

And that's my presentation, keeping it short.

Thank you for that.

Sure.

So do we have any questions or comments from the body before we go to our public speakers?

Councilmember Houston.

Public speakers is first.

Calling in the names that signed up for this item, Mrs.

Auto Olabala and Ms.

Tania Scott Smith.

Very pleasant.

Good day.

I'm not here to fuss for head start today.

I'm here as an outreach pastor and an entertainer who this year celebrated 50 years as a professional artist.

And I know firsthand, I won't be able to get through the whole letter that I have prepared to send to all the council members, but I'm going to get through as much of it as possible.

I stand firmly in favor of lifting the moratorium on group homes and shelters in Oakland, California, because far too many of our unsheltered are children and youth.

These are young people who have aged out of the cradle to carceral system or fled, unsafe environments in a desperate attempt to preserve their mental and physical health.

Oakland must become a sanctuary for those with no safe place to call home.

I know this need firsthand.

I was once a 16-year-old homeless black girl with a three-week-old baby from incest, disenfranchised and abandoned by the very systems meant to protect us.

We need more than words and well-meaning intentions.

We need safe spaces, not just to survive, but to thrive.

That's why I've been advocating for a wraparound services center modeled after CETA in Sacramento to be housed at either the old Walmart or Greyhound locations.

Such a center could serve as a hub for coordinated care, education, salute, housing, and healing.

My commitment to this work is not new, it is lived.

We've spearheaded the funding, creation, and launch of a mobile classroom to reach unsheltered families, bringing education and family support services directly to them.

I've collaborated with ICAC to help launch the Safe Car Park program, fought to secure RV homes from Governor Newsom and work to build and utilize tiny homes for housing and secure students and families at Peralta Colleges.

Since 2014, I have served as an outreach pastor walking through camps and doing boots on the ground ministry every week, every season, in every form of weather.

Please support this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That's great.

We need more people to speak up for the homeless.

So today at 3 o'clock, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors are going to be taking up Measure W and how to spend the money for homelessness.

Now, if I go to the meeting, I'm gonna tell them not to give you the money.

Because you have not demonstrated a commitment to the homeless community.

You have not made a commitment to the homeless community, and you're taking money, but you're not getting results.

That's serious.

I went and wrote down every homeless shelter that we supposedly have in this city.

Then I wrote down the districts that they're in.

And some districts take no responsibility, like yours, Wang in Chinatown for the homeless.

And you tend to have most of the homeless community and districts, your district five and district seven and six, where we have a disproportionate amount of the homeless there.

You have no homeless director.

You have a mayor that has not taken the banner up significantly.

Every time I turn on the TV, the mayor of San Jose is talking about how he is dealing with the homeless situation.

Every time I turn on the TV, how San Francisco mayor is dealing with the situation of the homeless.

So we'll continue to thank you for your comments.

Chair, that concludes our speakers on this item.

Thank you.

Are there questions?

Councilmember Wong?

Yeah.

So I think the thing that I really want to dig into here overall agree with most of the recommendations, but this is a renewal of a number of contracts.

And I'd like to understand how are you able to really distinguish?

Because I I have heard anecdotally certain providers, I'm not saying that it's necessarily true, but that uh certain providers are not providing the services at an adequate level.

And how are we really evaluating how are we really evaluating these nonprofits that are providing these services?

And my second question is I actually I do share Mrs.

Asada's concerns around the lack of a director of the department and how can we help on the hiring front?

So yeah.

I'll refrain from answering that part.

But we do each contract has performance objectives, and we do it usually by intervention type.

For instance, safe RV parking has different outcomes objectives than say transitional housing.

So they're similar but different, and we evaluate them on a quarterly basis through reports through the county system, which is based on the federal system, and we also are in contact with providers regularly, meeting with them, site visits, things like that.

And if there's an issue, we bring it up to the provider.

Look, how come you're not having enough exits to permanent housing?

And we discuss that, and we try to help or we and we listen to the challenges they're facing.

And then after the third quarter of each fiscal year, we do an evaluation for what could possibly be renewed the next year and what maybe needs to end, and then we'll plan.

If we're ending a contract, we'll plan out ideally a year, if not six to nine months of somewhat of a window, similar to what was happening with the building opportunities for self-sufficiency contracts on Wood Street.

We knew they had to end, and we planned for an entire year for that ending.

It just kind of went differently than what we had planned.

But so there is a lot of evaluation that goes into that and discussions with the providers why they're not meeting objectives or kudos for doing wonderfully.

Especially given the fact that we're about to uh work with the county on the measure W funding and the distribu distribution of that.

What have you noticed in terms of providers that do well and providers that aren't are failing to meet their obligations?

What are some things to look for?

Well, it varies organization to organization and also population to population.

It's it's very challenging to get transitional aids youth from transitional housing into permanent housing when they might be dealing with an awful lot of trauma in addition to getting support to obtain their first job.

And I don't know about anyone here, but my first job, there was no way I was able to afford to live by myself.

So what we're doing is we're asking them to the providers get these people ready to be able to afford to live on their own through mates or what their own housing, and that's quite a challenge for them.

And that's why those programs, specifically for transitional age youth, are two-year programs.

Because it takes quite some time, and you're dealing with a history of trauma in some of these young folks.

Okay.

Um, I guess this is a question to the chair, actually.

Um I have heard that there is actually a working group that is interested that one of the services that we are currently lacking, and it doesn't have to be funded through this specific pot of funding, is that we need a lot more safe parking sites, that the transition away from, for example, if you've been living in an encampment for 10 years is you need to have a graduated transition that many people are not prepared to go immediately into housing, and so I'm wondering if there's an opportunity to, you know, look at whether it's this set of funds or maybe the measure W funding to ensure that we are funding that type of um act services that we're hearing from the unhoused community that they want to see as part of their transition away from homelessness.

Well, I think the the staff that we do have in housing and community development has a lot of experience and understands that there does need to be some transition there.

Uh uh this is not necessarily an item that's currently agendized, but it is something that we should work on in partnership with our very experienced staff so that we can make sure that um whatever we're doing in the city of Oakland with the funds, you know, knock on wood, because we you know they haven't been planned for measure w yet, uh, that we're doing the right thing with those dollars.

Um I'm not sure if you had anything else to add because I do, council member, want to kind of piggyback on what you were saying about service provision and some of the complaints that we hear from providers.

Um, it's something that I've I've spoken with staff about, but I do want uh for when this information comes back in our annual report to to staff to have uh more details around what we're hearing from uh some of the providers so we can determine if there's a pattern because anecdotally it looks like there may be, but I would definitely ask for more details around um what we're hearing back from the community uh that lives in in our interventions as well as the community around those interventions, um, in terms of uh how services are being provided, because that's one of the biggest barriers for people even wanting certain interventions in their neighborhoods because it looks like the service providers that provide uh the housing and and all the wraparound services are not maintaining the space.

So when this comes back in the annual report, I would like to figure out how the staff can work around a detailed uh a more detailed analysis of service provision and what we're hearing from community.

Um Councilmember Houston.

So I like to I don't share anything if I don't have experience on it.

I just don't.

I do you'll see me sit back, but if I have personal experience, that's where I share, right?

And I'm not trying to press anyone, I'm trying to press upon you.

I stayed in the homeless encampment for a month.

This was like 2016, and I'm a subject matter expert on graffiti vandalism, illegal dumping, and homelessness with the state, the county, and the city, right?

And and we have a policy coming down the pipeline, which is the encampment abatement policy.

And I just want I'm gonna be all over the place, then I'm gonna come and hone in.

Um we they closed down um district uh um 12th Street in Wayne's district.

Those RVs came to my district, right?

And I'm getting and and I don't want district seven to take the blunt of everything as always.

We we have the the safe parkings in district, we have all these hotels in district, and I heard some people say that um the city doesn't have a health component.

Uh I just want to make sure that we understand.

I'm having a monthly meeting with Supervisor Nate Miley and uh Hubbard.

Um, health is county's responsibility.

AODs is county responsibility, mental health is county responsibility.

And I didn't know that either.

You know, I used to jam up Supervisor Nate Miley and say, Why are you not over here doing this?

Why does it not happen?

I mean, angrily like that, just like what I just did.

And he said, Ken, that's not, you know, that's not my responsibility.

These are my responsibilities.

And I was like, oh, AOD, health, mental, okay.

Now I got it.

So I'm sharing this.

I like to motion to keep this in count in the committee because I have several more questions for staff that has to be clear.

And we're having a meeting today about measure W, right, with the county, and the mayor is 10 toes down on this because I speak to her about it, and she will be addressing this today also.

Um, so I like to keep this here because I think that um however the county is going to disperse these funds.

We have 58% of the homeless in Alameda County are in Oakland, right?

And I shared about being a uh uh uh uh expert on this, being out there, Oakland should not take the blunt force of all these cities in Alameda County.

Because I can tell you people tell me, oh, they told me to come to Oakland from Castor Valley.

People tell me when I'm out there, right?

And not just Alameda County through the state.

There's people here.

I just had someone on my street that was from Wyoming, right?

So um I like to keep hold this in council because I have several more questions for staff, and I like to see what the county's gonna say today.

Um, that'll be my motion.

I hear you, uh Councilmember Houston, but there is a level of urgency if that could be explained um by staff one more time around the expiration of the shelter ordinance, if if staff could explain again why this has to move.

Thank you.

Councilmember Houston, I hear you and I understand you, but this is the last life enrichment committee meeting before the September 16th City Council.

So that's why we are asking for it to come here and then go on to council because on September 19th, 2025, the current shelter crisis ordinance would expire.

So we're trying to bring it forth prior to that, and then we can get a new one in place.

That's good.

Thank you, Chair.

So uh are the contracts basically expiring then September 19th.

All of the programs would be out of compliance with the current regulations should the ordinance expire without a new one in place.

Okay.

Councilmember.

So this is a problem I say.

What why are we coming last minute about everything?

I'm I'm I'm not I'm not being.

Things come up last minute.

I've been in office 195 days, and ever since I've been in office, it's last minute, last minute, last minute, last minute.

Then we have to make a a a movement on this.

I'm gonna say no, because um, and I want a motion to keep this in committee because it's things that we're being responsible for that we should not be responsible for.

Oakland is taking the blunt of everything that has to stop and it's gonna be a hard decision for me to make this this decision it's gonna be hard because people are going to come and say oh you you're against a homeless or whatever whatever whatever right because I'm not scared so what I'm gonna say is this is that I'm gonna make a motion to keep this in in committee because Oakland is taking the blunt of everything.

The county I want them to give us fifty eight percent if not more my district is being ravished with illegal dumping graffiti vandalism crime we just had a officer parole officer murdered in my district and then I went to a meeting the other day that I walked out of because they were saying everything was okay it's not okay I'm gonna make a motion to keep this here because I believe that everything is falling on the backs of Oakland and that has to stop.

We're bleeding thank you Councilmember Houston I will entertain the statement by uh Councilmember Wong I will say Councilmember you would need a second for that motion to pass but I do want to allow councilmember Wong to speak.

So thanks Chair um so I I share some of the concerns that councilmember Houston has I will say that I I want to see this renewed because there's an urgency to it so I will not be seconding the motion made by Councilmember Houston but can I propose a substitute motion where we renew this for six months I do want to see like I just feel like this is fifty nine million dollars I want to also no what's the total contract amount that we're that's what I see here at the end of this table.

Thank you so much through the chair um I just wanted to clarify the request today this is not for um use of any specific dollars this is not approving any specific contract to interrupt you sasha I we can't continue we don't have quorum damn we have to we need to get this renewed do we have disrict seven staff I'm not sure if the council member has left uh the meeting sorry it's okay not your fault we but we do need to renew the call we do need a renew just for clarity and chambers if we don't have quorum we can't take action and deliberate on items so we're working to find out if council member houston has excused himself from the meeting am I allowed to ask questions while we while we wait yes there the currently there is no meeting um you can you can talk to staff um but but there's no there's no meeting right now uh okay sorry could you could you just uh clarify it's not a renewal of fifty nine million dollars in contracts correct there's no financial aspect to this oh okay Okay, well, due to the absence of council member Houston and the lack of quorum for the life enrichment committee, we have to adjourn.

So I apologize.

We will hear public comments on this item, but we cannot take action at this time.

We've already heard public comment on item four.

So if you sign up for open forum and would still like to speak, um please come up to the podium if you hear your name.

Kat Brooks, Asada Olabala, Diane Sanchez, Robert E.

Badoya, and Ken Choice.

Or Kev Kevin Choit, sorry.

Oh, I'm sorry.

I walked out for a quick second.

First, I just wanted to say, um, my name is Kev Choice.

I'm uh City of Oakland Cultural Affairs Commissioner, also board member with Oakland Symphony, also president of the SF chapter of the recording academy.

Um, all these spaces I hold as an Oakland resident, uh, Oakland native, uh representative of our arts and culture community.

I want to thank uh Councilmember Fife for her efforts to help restore the cultural managers' position.

We know how important this was for our, not just for the city, also our our our sector of arts and culture.

Uh, we know that this was a difficult process.

Um, we know that there were challenges with the budget, but we have to create a new dynamic and a new new narrative where arts and culture is looked at as a core value and an integral part of every aspect of life.

Hearing the mayor say that she wants arts and culture integrated in every department is something that we have we have the uh the framework for with the Cultural Strategist Program, which I was one with the uh Office of Communications uh pushing the love life agenda.

And I think that's something that we need to revisit, but that does take funding and also collaboration.

Um, also, we just want to thank all the other council members who are in support of this initiative.

I know it was a lot going on.

Um, and I also want to uh just thank community who was deeply a part of this uh advocacy uh groups like APTP, uh Kat Brooks and Lance and all of their uh advocacy efforts to rally us to uh to get us together to come to meetings or rather rally rally community, uh all of uh the cultural affairs commissioners who also set up meetings individually with different council members.

Um, and also just announced, you know, that we've had a huge coalition of arts and culture organizations, grassroots and large organizations from the Symphony to Black Arts Movement directive that has kind of arisen from this advocacy and will continue.

Um, also just want to I know I only got a couple of seconds, but I just want to show love to uh co-founders, those are my sisters.

They are amazing.

It's good to see them get their flowers.

Let's continue to uplift our artists and um in community.

That's what's possible when we give support.

It was it, good morning.

My name is Kat Brooks.

I'm the co-found executive director of the Anti-Police Terror Project, and I'm also a playwright and actress, a director.

Um I've been an artist my entire life.

And so that's just like the least angry I've ever been standing at this platform.

Um, I really just came to thank Councilmember Fife for working with community to get this done.

Um, it's it's critical.

Arts as as Kev just pointed out, that it's not a luxury, right?

It's a it's a necessity.

It's a mandate.

And some of the folks that that were here cheering on co-founders and and and are now acknowledging, right, that are as important, also voted to get rid of that money.

And so I'm not here to talk smack today.

Today, but we got people on tape talking about how important art is.

And so I I do, I mean, I believe in the power of people to change, otherwise I wouldn't be an organizer.

So I I my sincere hope is that this process opened folks' eyes to the importance of art, all art, but specifically black art and black art in Oakland, California, and who we are to the rest of this country.

What we do here reverberates around the world, and you need to understand that.

Look at the the artists that this town produces.

Ryan Coolish, I can't, Kev Choice, Ryan Nicole, right?

That's what we do here.

I wish he hadn't left, right?

But you're talking about the disasters that are running on these streets.

Part of that's because we've divested from arts and culture.

Part of it is because every time there's a problem, we throw the money at the cops to solve it.

They got a four to six percent solve rate.

Period.

In the discussion, that's a fact.

Look at the data.

Four to six, but that's who we give all the money to.

We do, we're in a budget crisis.

I understand that.

I'm I'm not, I'm I'm a rational logical person.

I also understand that bazillions of dollars go to a failed system.

We could take a fraction of that and reinvest it in arts and culture, particularly black arts and culture, we would see an immediate turnaround in the in the tone, tenor, fabric feel of the city immediately.

He lifted up the big folks.

I gotta talk about Oakland Theater Project, I gotta talk about lower button players, I gotta talk about Malonga, right?

Folks that are getting by on nada, nothing to bring arts and culture.

Hello, I'm Roberto Doya, former cultural affairs manager.

I want to thank you, uh, Councilmember Five for your effort to uh bring restore that position, unfreeze it, it's really important.

Uh I think it speaks to the power of our cultural community.

They've been out here advocating for weeks on end.

Kev's a great example of sort of raising uh the visibility of the sector and its power, as when I was a manager, you know, my job was to raise money.

So I brought in over seven million dollars during my tenure there.

But one of the most important things that we did was support the cultural strategist and government programs, an innovative program.

So when the mayor was talking about um the uh uh artists in the city hall, we did it.

We've done, we did three rounds.

Ryan is uh widening the report on the final round.

So that's really an indicative that in our artist community, they not only make objects, they make policy arguments that are manifest to through demonstration projects around homelessness, around education, about prison reform.

So this is the richness of Oakland's cultural life.

That we're not like, they're activists, the cultural activist community, and at the end of the day, the division um is a small monies.

I was joking with Ryan.

It's that small monies that I give that artist 10,000 or they give that artist 10,000.

But content providers, we are the content providers for those creative voices that animate our city.

And so I thank you for understanding that and bringing that to the foreground, and hopefully we'll we'll get across finish line.

Thank you.

So I'm reading this article in the post about how the mayor is uplifting, we're gonna be doing pedestrian infrastructure with some funding.

So you're giving the message that we're gonna be able to repair sidewalks with some money that's being made available.

That's not true.

The responsibility for sidewalks are the responsibility of those who own private property.

The city of Oakland is only mandated to repair property that is public property.

What happens is if the city of Oakland deems sidewalk property that is private property to be a threat uh to safety, they will repair it, but the city will demand reimbursement from the property, private property owner.

Misleading information.

That's what y'all do.

You did the same thing with the vacant property tax.

Vacant property tax is supposed to be based on the value of the property assessed.

What you did is you passed a law for all property, regardless of the value of the property to be anywhere from $6,000 or some other number.

Misleading information that people are not well informed about.

Same thing happened with the so-called transaction and sales tax that you put on the ballot to be a sales tax.

Now that you're trying to deal with it, you're recognizing that it's a transaction and sales tax, mostly used when you do sales outside of the city of the state of California, mostly online sales.

Misleading the public.

You did the same thing with Measure U.

Misuse funds for Wong's district for the Lincoln Rec Center to get 32 million dollars when the organization said they were going to raise the money.

Thank you for your comments.

Chair that concludes um speakers for open forum.

Thank you all for coming out.

See you next uh September.

Today we are going to hear from some real Oaklanders, individuals that are products of this city, that love this city, individuals that are elected or part of our elected body, uh, leaders, advocates, those that are on the on the front lines of what happens here in the city of Oakland.

So I trust that you're all here because not for the cameras and not for anything other, but but we're here because we believe in Oakland.

We believe in the leadership of Oakland, we believe in the power of Oakland, and we believe that Oakland is not on the decline but on the uprise.

I serve as district director for our Congresswoman Latifah Simon, and I'm honored to be here this morning and to read this statement from the Congresswoman.

The president's threat to send soldiers into our city is not a response to need, it is a deliberate attempt to target black mayors, black representation, and the communities we serve.

Victims of crime deserve swift justice, real accountability, and the care that only comes from coordinated local action.

Under Mayor Barbara Lee's leadership, public safety is a top priority.

Violent crime in Oakland is down nearly 30% this year because of a comprehensive strategy that brings law enforcement, service providers, and the faith community together to prevent harm and respond when it occurs.

Federal overreach will not make Oakland safer, it will undermine the local partnerships that are delivering results.

I stand with Mayor Lee and Governor Newsom in defending our right to govern our city and our own state.

We will continue to protect our residents through trust, collaboration, and accountability, not through the militarization of our streets.

Thank you.

First of all, let me just thank uh Congresswoman Latifa Simon's office, Eden and the Congresswoman, and we will have statements from uh Senator Adam Schiff and Senator Alex Padilla.

I want to thank them for their statements.

Uh, Supervisor Nikki for two Fortunato Bass.

She should be here shortly, and our council members.

Uh let me thank our NAACP, uh Jamaica Moon for uh local 21, uh IFPTE.

Uh, and I want to thank uh where's Nicholas Brennaker, who uh is from Central Legal and is uh council for uh our immigrant communities, which are under threat as a result of this uh terrible action that has taken place.

And uh a couple of things.

Uh I hope you all know and believe that uh President Trump's characterization of Oakland is downright wrong.

It's wrong.

It's fear mongering, not facts.

Uh, we're making real progress on public safety.

Oakland has achieved a 28% overall crime reduction in the first six months of 2025 with significant decreases in violent crimes and 46% decrease in auto thefts.

And of course, we have more work to do.

But we're doing the work.

All of us are doing the work.

All of our neighborhoods deserve public safety, and so what he is doing again is diversionary and is fear mongering and it's wrong.

Uh, and so we're not gonna back down, and I want to thank everyone for being here because uh let me just say no one knows this president's uh playbook better than I do, better than I do.

I was served in Congress 27 years, four years of those 30 27 years were when Donald Trump was the president.

I was sitting on the floor of the House of Representatives on January 6th, mind you, when he sent in those people to thwart the peaceful transfer of power.

I was on the appropriations committee, and I visited all of the detention centers, and I worked to try to make sure that we could unify children with their parents who he had taken away from their parents, and those um memories stick with me today just in terms of our uh immigrant communities, and so our legal team also is uh analyzing the constitutionality of all of these threats.

We're coordinating with state and local allies and also working with other mayors.

Uh, and we're also who are also dealing with very uh similar circumstances.

We're providing support just as it relates to our immigrant communities, uh, to families affected by ice and are working with Central Legal to ensure immigrants know their rights.

Oakland remains a city of refuge.

We are a sanctuary city now.

Trump is proposing and threatening to militarize cities, which is, you know, unconstitutional.

It's no coincidence though, that these are cities that are have large populations of black and brown people.

These are cities, all of these cities where the crime rates are going down.

These are the cities that happen to be led by black mayors.

What is this about?

What is this about?

His motives are fear mongering and diversionary.

When Donald Trump threatens our communities, we stand up, and I stood up to him before over and over and over again.

And as mayor, I will continue to stand firm with you.

Uh we'll ensure that Oakland remains a place of refuge, justice, and opportunity, and not allow the possible and proposed militarization and occupation of the cities which he called out to provoke any reaction that gives them an opening to come in here.

And so I want to thank everybody for being here because together, and I talked about this early on during the campaign.

We may disagree on a variety of issues, but on our common values and on our common love for this city and our communities.

Oakland is unified.

We believe in hope over fear and community over conflict.

So thank you all again for being here, and I look forward to the rest of our speakers.

Good morning, Mayor Barbara Lee, good morning, council members, good morning, everyone.

My name is Nikki Fortunato Bass, and I'm proud to serve as your supervisor on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.

I'm also proud to have served alongside many of you as an Oakland council member and council president.

And I'm even prouder that I've raised my family here in Oakland.

I want to be clear that I love Oakland, like everyone in this room, like many who are watching us today, because we believe that anything is possible.

We stand on the right side of justice, and we are resilient and we have each other's backs.

Trump is wrong about Oakland, and we know the truth.

That truth is that we have been doing the real and hard work together to make our city safe and thriving for our residents, our businesses, and our visitors.

We have built, alongside many of you, Mayor Barbara Lee, our city council, our public safety chiefs.

We have built a comprehensive community safety infrastructure that combines effective and accountable law enforcement with community-centered violence interruption and alternative crisis response.

And our reinvestment and refocusing in that system and structure meant that in 2024, crime went down.

In 2025, today, crime continues to go down.

And we recognize that there's more work to do, and we are here standing together because we are laser focused and making sure that we get the job done under the leadership of our mayor, Mayor Barbara Lee.

And as your supervisor, I want to share that I am working to strengthen the county's partnership with the city of Oakland to address the root causes of poverty and violence and our fundamental rights to education and housing.

In June, our Board of Supervisors approved a five-year plan to distribute over 200 million dollars in Measure C funding to expand access to early child care and education in Alameda County.

And in July, with the advocacy of our mayor, our council members, and many, many across Oakland and the entire county, our board approved a historic 1.4 billion, 1.4 billion in investments of Measure W funds for homelessness solutions across the county.

And the majority of these funds will be invested right here in Oakland because Oakland has our largest number of unhoused residents.

And we are also going to make sure those investments address racial inequities and homelessness.

So let's be clear today that Trump's threats and his deployment of the National Guard are not about safety or law.

This is about fear and control, and it is a blatant abuse of power.

With the that is right.

And with the passage of the big brutal budget, I want to be crystal clear that this administration is looting and dismantling our safety net.

It is shredding decades of progress, and it is leaving local governments just like ours to pick up the pieces as they strip away health care, as they strip away food security and so much more.

And with the threats to our immigrant communities, I also want to be clear that we condemn Trump's scapegoating and attacks on immigrants.

We will stand with our immigrant community as ICE continues to sweep across the country and our state.

We will make sure that we stand together and reminding our families that our families belong together.

Everyone belongs right here.

And we all have constitutional rights, the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, the right to freedom of speech.

And later this afternoon at 3 o'clock, I will be chairing our Alameda County Together for All committee.

That committee is charged with making sure that we are analyzing the specific threats to our communities by this federal administration, its policies and its budget, and we are standing up and we are fighting back and we are protecting our communities and our safety net.

And lastly, I want to concur with the mayor.

We will not be misrepresented or bullied.

We will speak truth to power, especially when our most vulnerable are being attacked and abandoned by this administration.

We will fight for justice for dignity and the basic promise of our right to housing, health care, food, and a safe community.

Today we stand together, we will continue to stand together and take action because literally everything is on the line.

I look forward to continuing to partner with all of you to build a stronger Oakland in Alameda County.

Thank you.

And so, as we've heard already from our mayor and our federal leadership, they've really made clear that you know Trump's rhetoric is not by any means representative of who we are.

And it does not define Oakland now or the future that we are working on creating together.

Trump made the statement that Oakland was so far gone, naming us alongside other historically black and brown cities like Chicago and Baltimore.

And as was mentioned, this is clearly no accident.

This narrative draws from a long, harmful pattern where leaders distort the truth about majority black communities to justify federal overreach, aggressive policing, and the erosion of our civil liberties.

And so let's be clear this is not about public safety.

It's about power.

But we know that Oakland, like many cities across the country, are make is making real genuine progress and change for towards community safety.

And each and every one of us in this room are fully focused on advancing policies and initiatives that focus on making Oaklanders safer and uplifting the vital work of our community-based organizations and all of the many government partners that share the same vision.

And so our city, as was mentioned, has never been defined by fear, but is defined by ourselves, working together for a brighter future.

And so, yes, we have some challenges, but you know, all of us are really working to face those head on and will continue moving forward with determination, despite those who seek to underestimate the strength and resiliency of our city that we love so much, Oakland.

Good morning, everyone.

Before I get started, I wanted to just remind people here today and the individuals watching that it is the 90th anniversary of the Social Security Act in the United States of America.

My name is Carol Fife, and I'm the elected representative of Oakland's District 3, where City Hall is located.

And the reason I mention Social Security is because that is the leadership that a president who cares about the interests of his constituents will provide.

The social safety net that Social Security created for millions of Americans has been eroded, and we're talking about having a president who had Oakland's name in his mouth about crime, who is a convicted felon, a convicted felon, trying to talk about Oakland.

I'm offended.

But because Oakland is doing the things to get us on the right track.

Under the leadership of Mayor Barbara Lee and so many community leaders that I see in this room today, we are making real changes.

We, for the first time, as we heard from our supervisor, have funds coming in to deal with the issue of homelessness that we've never had in the city of Oakland before.

We have partnerships that are growing that we haven't had or have been frayed in the past.

So we are making the changes necessary and getting back to the basics of what it means to take care of our communities.

And we have to consider that bringing in the National Guard to the city of Oakland and the other places that the president mentioned, I even hate saying that.

I even hate saying, President, that this authoritarian in the White House is doing as saying that needs to happen is the direct opposite of what we need.

134 million dollars was spent in Los Angeles to bring in the National Guard to sleep on floors because there was not the so-called work to be done to protect law and order in Los Angeles.

134 million dollars.

What could Oakland do with 134 million dollars?

If you care about safety, Mr.

Convicted Felon in the White House.

If you can if you care about law and order, you would know that the safest cities have the most resources.

It comes from protecting our seniors.

It comes from investing in education.

And one of the first things he did in office was to sign an executive order and kick out the Department of Education.

So don't tell me that you care about crime.

And don't tell me that you care about American citizens when you're arresting hardworking American citizens every day because they immigrated to this country for a better life, typically because the United States was involved in undermining their countries.

Let's talk about that.

Let's talk about the United States creating wars and undermining countries and creating coups, which we saw on January 6th, and no National Guard was called in for that.

Can we talk about that?

Can we talk about how law enforcement officers were killed in this country?

And law and National Guard was not called in for that.

So let's be honest.

Yes, Oakland has work to do, and we are doing that work.

And we are doing that work better resource than ever, and we will continue on that path.

But this, what we're experiencing is grooming.

It's grooming.

He knows something about that.

Grooming is to prepare us for an abusive relationship that he wants to have with the American people.

And if you do it little by little, you will prepare all of us by saying, Well, it's for those people, it's for the criminals, it's for the homeless, it's for the immigrants.

When we lose our freedoms in this country, little by little, they will erode for all of us.

So we have to know an injustice to one as an injustice to all.

And we stand united with Baltimore.

We stand united with Chicago.

We stand united with Los Angeles, and we stand united with every single city in America, whether it has a black mayor or not, who is standing on the right side of justice.

And we will continue that fight in Oakland is ready because we stay ready.

So bring it on if you think you want it.

Good morning, everyone.

My name is Jenny Ramatran, City Council Member representing Oakland's District 4.

President Trump's attack on strong blue, democratic and dare I say progressive cities like Oakland is nothing but a distraction from the train wreck of an administration that is falling apart at the seams.

Oakland is not your scapegoat, Mr.

President.

And we are not gonna let you use us as a distraction for the things that you actually have to deal with.

Like covering your name up in Epstein files, shaming our reputation internationally, not helping end war, certainly, and fueling the flames of violence in this country and abroad, starting tariff wars and economic wars that are harming the people you claimed to represent American businesses and workers.

Talk of imposing the National Guard in a city like Oakland that is proudly on the rise is nothing but outlandish.

I am proud.

I am so proud to be serving alongside a mayor and council that is actually putting in the real work.

Work that is yielding results, especially when it comes to fighting crime and improving our economy, revitalizing Oakland.

No, we have a long way to go, but the trends, the data, the mood in Oakland, come here for yourself.

Go to our beautiful urban Redwood Forest, take a walk around Lake Merritt, shop, go to a sports game, see for yourself how Oakland is on the up and up, not the housecape that you pretend and you would like for Oakland to be.

So if you want to continue, Mr.

President, to support Oakland's rise.

Help us fund our schools.

Help us fund our roads.

Help us fund our fire department.

Dare I say, help us fund our police department, help us fund our homelessness services, help us fund affordable housing, help us fund the things we need to continue to be on the up and up, not the things that will step back progress.

So, Mr.

Trump, either work with us with the city of Oakland and the things that we still need help in, or leave us alone.

Thank you.

The NAACP National President and CEO, Derek Johnson released the following statement in response to President Trump's announcement that he would deploy the National Guard to Washington, D.C.

The statements of National President Johnson apply equally to the threat to deploy the National Guard and Oakland.

President Johnson said this: the brave men and women who make the up the National Guard are our country's defense against domestic emergencies and natural disasters, not weapons against American citizens.

Deploying the National Guard in this way is not only disgraceful to our troops, but it is a waste of taxpayer dollars, and it is built on a lie.

Trump says rising violence in the Capitol endangers the public, but the Department of Justice reported that violent crime is down 35%, a 30-year low.

So why would he deploy the National Guard?

You may ask, to distract us from the alleged inclusion, from his alleged inclusion in the Epstein files, to rid the city of unhoused people.

DC has a right to govern itself, and it doesn't need this federal coup.

This president campaigned on law and order, but he is the president of chaos and corruption.

And let me add these personal comments.

Wake up, America.

Wake up and recognize this move by President Trump for what it is: a direct attack on our democracy.

These kinds of actions threaten all of us, not just the cities he's named or identified.

And no real patriot would ever so blatantly trample on our constitutional rights.

Only a person who is intent on destroying America from the inside would engage in the kind of conduct we have seen from this administration.

Dr.

Martin Luther King admonished us, it may well be that we have to repent in this generation, not merely for the vitriolic words of the bad people and the violent actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people who sit around and say wait on time.

Dr.

King told us we must realize that the time is always right to do right.

The NAACP has already brought numerous lawsuits against this administration.

The NAACP will not sit by in silence.

We will continue to fight for justice and freedom, as we have done since our founding in 1909.

We hope all of you will join us in this fight for the very soul of our country and for the very soul of our city.

We will not back down.

Donald Trump is not concerned about the needs of Oakland residents.

Trump's actions are rooted in racism, establishing an authoritarian regime, and white nationalism.

Over the last year, crime rates have significantly declined in Oakland.

And the National Guard is not warranted.

These actions are self-serving and seek to distract residents from important constitutional and budgetary issues.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, and um, and thank you, uh Mayor Lee.

Um, I know you've been uh champion for immigrants your entire career, so thank you for um for your work defending immigrants.

Also thank you, uh Supervisor Bass for uh for championing and um and working with the county uh to um help us get assistance for for the work that we do.

Um we also invite the city uh to uh to enter dialogue and continue dialogue with us to uh build our resources um to be able to rise to this occasion.

Um we have an immense challenge.

Um our attorneys at a CELAP and Centro de la Legal de la Rasa were uh we're stretched thin.

Um I haven't been sleeping many hours responding to to the many ICE arrests.

I've been going almost daily to the uh ICE uh field office on Samsung Street in San Francisco.

Um people are just traumatized.

Uh they are being held in deplorable conditions um that are completely in violation of human rights and frankly decency and morality.

Um I I go there and I I talk to people.

You all have heard the story about the child who was uh who was detained along with um five of his housemates and family members.

Um and I speaking with a child who's going through that.

I have um it's it's just about as excruciating as you can imagine.

Um he's you know, he was terrified, he was in tears.

Um I had to explain that his um family members had been transferred, he just were down in tears um, just feeling left behind.

Um, and it was clear that ICE was completely unprepared to hold a uh to hold a child.

He had to be in this um holding cell, and let me describe it to you.

It's um it's just a bare floor, cement floor.

Um they are just given a piece of plastic to use as a blanket.

Um there are often multiple people held in this holding cells.

I've heard from uh arrested persons, up to five um uh in in one small holding cell.

Again, just a concrete floor toilet just exposed there.

Um, so you have to go to the toilet in front of all these other uh people.

Um it's it's inhumane and it should not be happening uh anywhere in the world, let alone in the Bay Area.

Um, so I'm here also to answer questions about the um about the arrest uh and the raid of uh of the six uh who uh who were held at the Ice Field Office, including the child, as well as a uh person with down syndrome.

Um a child and a person with down syndrome should never be detained.

Point blank.

They should not be held in a detention center, much less in a detention center that isn't even built to hold anyone more than than a few hours.

Um so I I again I I call on um on the city to continue dialogue with us to to build the resources.

We are worried about not just responding to the current challenge, but as it was already mentioned uh with the uh the reconciliation bill will uh send 76 billion dollars to ICE.

That's it's an enormous challenge, and frankly, we are uh we are worried uh to how we are going to rise to this challenge.

Um we we need attorneys, social workers, um response staff to to be able to uh to deal with this.

We are looking into filing a habeas petition uh and uh TRO motion for uh for people who have been detained.

We we have the tools, but we need the resources to uh to be able to fight back and to uh to defend our community.

One in three Oakland residents are foreign-born.

So it doesn't just affect the um the family of the person of the persons who were arrested, and I I've spoken with the uh the mother and aunt several times, and and she's you know broken down.

She is completely terrified how they are going to make ends meet, how when she is gonna see her loved ones again.

Um it doesn't just affect the family members of the persons who are arrested, it affects the whole immigrant community uh in Oakland.

So again, one in three people are foreign-born.

I guarantee you that none of them are going to sleep comfortably tonight.

And I guarantee you, so many of them will lie awake tonight worried about what's gonna happen with them, with their children, with their neighbors and and friends and family members.

So uh I I can I can take some questions.

Um, if uh oh, not right now.

Okay, my bad.

Um so uh y'all thank you all for for coming here.

Uh it does give us support to see, uh, just give us hope to see this support in in the community, and uh thanks again to to the mayor uh and to everyone here, Supervisor Bass for being here, and um yeah, I look forward to to working together with you all.

Hi, good morning.

Is it still morning?

I'm Jamaica Moon and I'm raised in Oakland and currently a public work supervisor.

Um my job, we sweep the streets, pick up illegal dumping, and we keep our neighborhoods clean and safe every day for our residents and for our visitors.

And while we go block to block to keep Oakland beautiful, we see how every block is home to vibrant, hardworking, and powerful communities.

I want to tell every Oaklander that city workers, we have your back.

And let's call it like it is.

Trump's agenda is a disaster for working people.

And now he wants to point fingers and create fear.

We reject his cruel deportation machine, we reject his fascist occupations.

We reject his racism, and we reject his lies.

Trump is picking on the wrong city.

We're going to keep moving Oakland forward and we're gonna keep standing tall.

Thank you to everybody who spoke, and proud to be standing up here speaking with you all.

Thank you.

So again, I am Danielle Motley Lewis, president of the Bewapa Oakland Berkeley chapter that's black women organized for political action.

I won't stay long.

I'm just gonna continue to set the record straight as my colleagues and friends have already done.

Oakland is not in a crisis.

We are in a transformation.

We all need to share stories of progress, unity, and that transformation, not headlines.

As our mayor has reported, violent crime is down 28% from the previous year, with major drops in homicide, assault, rape, and even robbery.

These gains are real thanks to community leadership and smart partnerships with law enforcement.

Trump's recent remarks paint a false narrative of our city using the same tired, racially charged stereotypes that have been used against black and brown, black-led democratic cities for decades.

But as my our uh my sister, um Rowina Brown and our council member has said, we reject that fear-based uh narrative.

Oakland's future depends on facts, not fear.

It depends on unity, not division.

Whether you're in the media, a pastor, a politician, law enforcement, a teacher, a business owner, an artist, or an activist.

Oakland's success is all of our responsibility.

And we are grateful for Mayor Lee's leadership, her courage, and her vision as we move forward together.

Fear does not define Oakland.

We all do.

Thank you.

So to all of you, I want to encourage you.

This is the season, this is the time.

This is the era, this is the moment that we all must begin to lift up Oakland, promote Oakland, invest in Oakland, live in Oakland, work in Oakland, and most of all, celebrate Oakland.

Thank you so much for coming.

God bless you.

This is this is Oaklanders on the line.

Oaklanders, we are so back for another episode, the second to last episode of this limited series, Oaklanders on the line.

I'm your host as always, Noel California, and let's get into it.

Episode one, we got to ask people why Oakland, why they chose to be here, stay here, move here, why they defend Oakland, why they represent Oakland, just why in general.

And on this episode, I want to ask people, what is Oakland?

What does it mean to them?

How do they define it?

So let's pick up the phone and get Oaklanders on the line and have them paint a picture of what the town is.

Yo, who we got on the line right now, who we listening to.

Hey, right now you're listening to Corey Johnson, aka Sunspot Jones.

How y'all doing?

Doing great.

Glad to have you on the line.

While I got you here, in your words, what is Oakland?

Please define it for us.

I feel like there's so many people that know about the Bay.

I go to place I go to Norway, I go to Germany, I go to Australia, I go to Bali.

Like people know Oakland.

They people know the music that's come out of Oakland, they know the art, they know all the different things that have been created to show the world that it's it's just a magical, beautiful place in a celebrational art experience here.

Once again, that's my brother Matt Corey.

He's a fellow cultural strategist in government working with the mayor's office.

And a resident of district eight.

Just think of 2017 Raiders vs.

Jets.

It's a nice Sunday afternoon.

You got Marshawn on the sideline.

You got Kick to Sneak playing in the whole stadium, and you got Marshawn turning up a whole stadium of 60,000 people in the Coliseum.

That's what Oakland is.

So I feel like Oakland, you go anywhere, you see it, you smell it.

It's the art, it's the sounds.

I feel like that's the real inspiration.

That's the real heart of Oakland.

And like despite all the crazy shit that go down, there's real beauty, there's real culture in Oakland that people need to put that shit on a pedestal instead of like, oh, businesses are closing down, oh, people bipping too much.

Like, nah, you need to put the love for Oakland on a pedestal.

And Marco's right.

I'd bet you five bucks.

If you type in Oakland news, you'd probably find a negative article.

And while we're portrayed one way, we still find ways to thrive.

It's dynamic, it's complicated, it's frisky, it's gritty, it's uh, it's real.

There's a deep sense of beauty and justice that's important to how the city presents itself.

As a cultural affairs manager.

I look at like the many ways our cultural community celebrates and honors and brings beauty to life.

That's Roberto.

He works in cultural affairs.

We had a conversation recently, and we both agreed that there needs to be an attempt to revitalize Oakland.

Our next resident on the line is Kev Choice.

He's a former cultural strategist in government.

We have a wide influence around the world for such a small compact area.

I feel like this is a place that is often, you know, looked down on, underestimated, but we always continue to rise.

That's Billy Joe Agin Jr., co-owner of the store club.

And he told me a lot about what he thinks Oakland is, and he believes the city can get better.

I think Oakland is that one city that can't really be described unless you experience it.

And everyone that I've ever introduced to the town has always been amazed by what they found.

That's Emiliano Via.

He's a producer, model, actor, singer.

And we met through our media line of work.

Something that I think is uniquely Oakland is the sense of community here.

Um it's the number one quality that stands out to visitors.

Anywhere that you go, that is a social place.

Oaklanders are gonna be welcoming with a smile, dancing, having a good time.

I think that's something that is part of our identity here growing up, and I think it's something that we want to spread to other people.

Dear Oakland, I love you for all your magic, diversity, beauty, and history.

Thank you for being home and always being there.

I'll see you at the lake.

Love, Emiliano.

Because of the personal attention given every caller, you might experience a brief delay.

Please remain on the line.

A representative will assist you shortly.

This is Emiliano Villa, and you're listening to Oaklanders on the line.

I've already read I thought you were going to want to be a little bit more than a thoughts about that.

I do think these are the recording all day.

We've already been in the I have a lot of work.

Yeah.

Well that's perfect.

I'm supposed to be around.

Okay.

Go to Ballard.

Oh, yeah.

I think that's a good thing.

And then you can find things like that.

Hello, Ktop.

We'd like to share our screen.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

I would like to call the meeting to order.

Um, welcome to the Cultural Affairs Commission meeting.

And um, can I have the roll call?

Commissioner Austin.

Commissioner Choice.

Commissioner Easton.

Commissioner Lee.

Commissioner Lipset.

Present.

Recording in progress.

Commissioner Ludlum.

Present.

Vice Chair Owen.

And Chair Wong.

Present.

So we don't have quorum at this time, but um I think we want to get started.

And can I ask.

Can I ask Commissioner Ludlum to read the land acknowledgement?

Our land acknowledgement on behalf of the Cultural Affairs Commission and Public Art Advisory Committee.

We are part of those of us on the land we now know as Oakland and lands all the way up to Albany, RN.

Is it whoon, the unceded territory of the Chochanyo speaking confederated villages of Lishan Aloney?

We stand with the Lishan people and their right to legal recognition and benefits from the US government.

Thank you very much for that.

And we also open all of our meetings as well with the Love Life Acknowledgement.

For those of you who do not know what that is, the motto of Oakland is Oakland Love Life.

Author, the author, of the Love Life Acknowledgement.

Commissioner Choice, who was a cultural strategist in government in the second round of that program.

And this was a product, one of many.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I did author this, but I will say I did get community input at the time.

I let some community stakeholders take a read and kind of edit it along with me.

But thank you for the opportunity to read it tonight.

The Love Life Acknowledgement, we acknowledge that in service of our beloved city of Oakland, we all as citizens to our citizens adhering to the city of Oakland's official motto, Oakland Love Life.

We enter into this space committed to embody love as the guiding principle.

We acknowledge love life as our motto as we denounce violence in all forms and the conditions that create it.

We acknowledge that when we demonstrate love, we also exhibit respect and kindness towards each other.

We commit the acts of love as an intentional force to generate tangible solutions in regards to all of our actions.

We recognize as leaders we must set an example and a precedent for those in community who have entrusted us with these duties.

We welcome and appreciate all contributions to this space, and even when expressing disagreement, we request that you lead with love in your heart.

We seek to find common ground and tangible solutions that demonstrate love for our city, its residents, and all constituents.

We acknowledge that when we lead with love, we are able to uplift a thriving city rooted in equity, equality, justice, inclusion, and opportunity for all.

We commit to the action of love life as our model and mantra.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And that was that was actually written um as kind of guiding values and premise of all of our work here in the city.

And it was written for all of public meetings.

And we're very happy that it's been read at uh when we first came back from COVID at the first city council meeting, as well as mayor inaugurations.

So yes, we thank you very much for that really significant and deep reminder to all of us about why we serve and how we should serve.

Thank you very much.

And with that, I want to go to the actions and the special orders of the day.

So this part of the agenda is for um ceremonial presentations and proclamations and recognitions.

And we have been joined.

Nope, not yet.

This is for uh sorry uh agenda number four, agenda item number four, and it's here.

Welcome, Commissioner Easton.

We now have quorum.

Wonderful.

Okay, and and with this, um, I'm going to take the privilege of the chair to uh acknowledge the service of um the man sitting next to me who has served the commission uh for it will be almost six years at the end of September.

Um yeah, how long is it?

Yes, two terms, two full, two full terms, and thank you for actually holding over for some time.

And uh I do want to say that we have a mayor's proclamation for you for your service.

Um I will read a little bit of it, but I'll let you enjoy the rest of it at home because I want to make sure that there's enough time for um other commissioners to uh to say what they would like.

But whereas Kevin Choice is an Oakland native composer, PNS MC producer, band leader, side man, music historian, and dedicated educator who has served as a fierce advocate for Oakland's arts and culture locally, statewide and nationally, and whereas during his term as commissioner from October 1st, 2019 to September 30th, 2025, Kev proved critical to reanimating the City of Oakland's Cultural Affairs Commission after it's being on a long hiatus and served expertly as the new commission's first vice chair, centering artistry and equity consistently in the work of the commission and supporting the cultural affairs division.

Whereas Kev lent his prestige as a celebrated musician and community leader to the commission and the division, contributed a wealth of knowledge and experience to the city of Oakland and its rich cultural sector, and made it his mission to spotlight the work of Oakland artists in commission and other city meetings, whereas in response to violence against our Asian community during the pandemic have led efforts with other cultural affairs commissioners to lift up the history of cooperation between African American and Asian American artists and communities in the virtual town hall stories of solidarity, API, and black artists in Oakland Unite and organize other cultural town halls during and after the COVID lockdown.

This goes on and on and actually isn't it isn't even a modicum of all of the things that Kev has done for us on this commission with Cultural Affairs Division and for the city, and I have no doubt he will do even more.

Um, but I want to open it up to other comments from commissioners, and I just uh it's killing me.

It's very hard for me to imagine the commission without you, Kev.

I'm gonna just say, y'all keep this brief because y'all gonna make me blush, and we all know we got work to do.

We got work to do.

Um, I'll go first.

Because I think I maybe have known you the least amount of time.

Um, but it has been such an honor to serve on this commission and learn from you and see how much um joy and leadership and wealth of knowledge you bring to the entire community and um the way that you bring community together, that you uplift community, and I remember um my first commission hearing.

Well, actually, the first one was on Zoom.

So the first one in person, um, you had been organizing the artist spotlights, and it was um a youth choir that sang, and it just it brought tears to my eyes, and I was like kind of didn't hadn't known exactly what I was getting myself into by joining this commission, and that just brought a whole new layer of what it actually means, um, and that's you, and that's your fingerprints all over that.

So, thank you for everything that you have done and continue to do, and um yeah, look forward to continuing to being in community with you.

Thank you.

Mike, got it.

Okay, fellow freckle fam.

Um, okay.

Well, we've served together.

I mean, the three of us are the uh the the long-termers now, and um I don't know what to say.

I I do know what to say, and I don't know how to say it succinctly, so I'll just say I have never seen somebody bring such joy about what you do um at a dais before.

You embody why we all do what we do uh as a musician and as an artist who stands up and speaks on behalf of the arts, and that is um that's not a trait everybody has, and to have you here in our first iteration of the arts commission back from hiatus and with Roberto um and Diane and the whole crew, I think you really modeled um what we could be and really jumped in and did things that we didn't think we could do.

So I just want to thank you for your leadership and inspiration to myself and I'm sure all the rest of the commissioners, and I will truly miss you, but I will buy the tickets and come see you.

And I know I'll run into a festival or two, so thank you.

Thank you.

Um so we have so many rich legacies and tradition in Oakland that fuse together arts and culture with social justice and equity and the actual manifestation of power to the people on all days and in all ways, and what you bring to the table as part of this commission, but in your work in various other capacities, and as an educator and as a member of our community, you bring the love and the strength, um, and the joy and the inspiration and this first commitment to our responsibility to serve and to remember that those parts are interconnected, and to be somebody who knows you and loves you and calls you a brother, and to watch you grow and develop and continue to rise as a leader and to give of yourself in ways that not everybody on this commission would know.

Not everybody in the community would know, but 24 hours a day that you are working for us in Oakland, and I honor you for that.

I uplift you for that.

I thank you for that.

And I look forward to continuing to be in partnership with you in a multitude of different ways, but just like you shine.

And you're brilliant.

And we're in deep gratitude for not just your service on this commission, but for the human you are, for the black man that you are, for the leader that you are.

Thank you for your service.

Those are some hard uh acts to follow there.

Um Kev, I just I took a minute and really read the words that you wrote or wrote within community that you just read for us, and and just thought like I don't know if anything else in any other city in the country or even in the world exists like that.

A motto that's about centering love and even within conflict and all the different forms of violence that we're trying to fight against in our city.

And so just appreciate you for those words.

Uh I appreciate you for your passion.

And you know, not everybody with your uh resume and talent and busy schedule would give up their time the way you have.

Because we ain't getting nothing for being here.

We're getting less than nothing for being here.

We're giving up stuff for being here.

And you've given up a lot to be here for not just six years, but beyond that, and then your work uh in the city as well, um, with the you know, the cultural uh I always forget what we call it, cultural.

Thank you.

Um, and just you know, I'm thinking of just last month, whenever it was out front and appreciating you as a musician and improviser, being able just to speak in front of everybody with such heart and such passion.

And um, yeah, just I I was just recollecting like running into you at uh Oakland School of the Arts when I had some long-term residencies there and just kind of meeting you there, and then we have our time here and running into you at the farmers market or at a coffee shop.

And I just hope now that uh our time at this table is done, we get some excuse to make some music together.

That would make me very happy.

So thank you so much.

Um it's it's some very, very, very big shoes to fill to have this vice chair in front of my name or under my name here after all that you've done here.

So I hope I hope I can call on you and get your help and advice as we try and all three of you that are transitioning off in the coming months.

We have a lot to do.

The rest of us that are here.

So thank you so much.

Appreciate you.

So you get to pick which one you can.

All right.

Yes.

Excellent.

Just thank you all.

Um I love you all.

I appreciate you all.

I'm an Oakland native.

I served on this commission because I wanted to represent the artist community.

Um I wanted to be engaged in these conversations.

I wanted to um to help uplift the amazing artists uh that are my colleagues that are my friends, and I consider my family.

Um, and just to be in this space is an honor, and I take it very seriously, and I think that's why I work so diligently because I know for some people this life or death, for some people they don't have a voice, for some people never make it into these rooms.

Some people don't feel comfortable in these rooms.

Uh, but I was groomed to be in this space by my my elders, my all the way from Brookville Elementary up to Skyline High School to Zebra University to Southern Illinois to here in Oakland and all the artists I've worked with and continue to work with.

Um so it's it's an honor to be in this space and to to speak up, and I've I have had to learn to grow because this is not actually the comfortable space for me.

I'm comfortable behind a piano or in the studio on stage at Yossey's or that Fox or this is not a comfortable space for me but I've learned to grow into the space and I hope to continue to work with y'all and represent for y'all in uh Oakland as an artist.

So y'all ain't gonna see the last of me and uh it's been great to I always remember the words Diane uh our our first here told us like she just wanted us to be in a conversation and have a seat at the table.

I feel like we've shown that we have grown to have a seat at the table and be a part of the conversation as artists uh advocates in in the city of Oakland and we're gonna continue that and I'm gonna push y'all and be here to support y'all to continue that.

So yeah thanks.

Appreciate y'all thank you so much and I know you're not going anywhere.

Um and um I want to uh we had the record show that we now have quorum right yeah okay so um I do need to make a slight modification to the agenda because of um because we also want to be honoring um mush Lee who um was her flight was uh canceled and she had to get on another flight from Chicago and she's making her way here and I know she was hoping to be here by now um but I with luck expect her um any moment but uh I would like to maybe move to delay that part and uh go to our first action item which is to approve the meeting minutes so um I think I might need a motion to oh I think you have public comment before that for that ah yes oh I'm so sorry yes so um why don't we uh so the the new order will be um public comment the action item and and then um hopefully uh Commissioner Lee will arrive but we will postpone her acknowledgement until she is in the room so uh can I have a motion for that change moved.

Okay and second.

Second thank you and all in favor.

Okay thank you.

And so we'll move to public comment.

So um do we have folks who signed up for public comment yes we have two so far and if anyone would like to make public comment on anything on the agenda if you can just fill out um a speaker card and then you can give that to us after you um speak.

So far I have Roberto Badoya and Iende So there's no open forum with straight to public comment which means there's no open forum um is at the end of the meeting.

So public comment um is for anything that is agendized uh so uh you sign up for an item that's on the agenda and then open forum is is just what it says any anything you would like to say to us uh my name is Robert Tubadoya Kev.

Uh I love you you've been a great voice in this com this community.

So I think the I but was thinking about what can I say?

When Diane and I and Mayor Shaff were trying to put together the first cohort group of commissioners, uh, nobody debated your value, and so in some ways we'll blame it all on Libby Shaff.

Dumb lemon on me, baby.

Uh, but uh, but more than anything else, I think the word I want to talk about, they talked about leadership, and that's very important, and you've demonstrated it.

But more than that, you've been principled leadership.

You understood the power of art, your ethics are profound.

The fact that the city has love life as its motto is part of your civic imagination that you bring to the table every time you you've been here.

So um, I sorry, Mush is not here, but when you did that incident, I'm not the that town hall, black and Asian things.

I love the fact that you guys were just leaning into me.

How much can we do?

What can we get?

Yada, yada yada yada.

And I said, let's just do it.

Let's let's what did they say that you don't ask permission, you ask for forgiveness.

So I got all I got away with a lot that time, but uh because it was it was the right thing to do.

So it's all about aesthetics and ethics, and you ultimately about lifting up the aesthetic speech of this city.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Apologies for the confusion I just noticed in the printed agenda that it said open forum.

So no, no, our our bad.

Sorry about that.

No problem.

Yeah.

Um, so did you want to comment on as on something now for the um that's agendized?

Or yes, yes, okay.

Please do.

And uh you have two minutes.

Thank you so much.

And first of all, I'd like to congratulate the brother.

Thank you for your service.

Um I noticed on the agenda we were talking about the workforce development and the economic development.

I have been to all the meetings, so I'm not somebody who sat at home and didn't check out the meetings.

But one thing I find about these meetings as they relate to culture, is that there's a white woman who's the head of both of them who's never been in our community.

We don't know her, we don't know either one of them, and what they have to do with economic development and or community development.

So I'm that's the number one mistake.

Number two, the misnomer that, or misguided information that homelessness and crime are Oakland's problem.

No gentrification is Oakland's problem, but unfortunately, we have gentrifiers that are now trying to come up with the answer to a problem they caused.

I'm asking this committee to stand up for the culture in Oakland and rectify what happened in Chinatown, and it wasn't no black Chinese garbage, it was actually gentrification that came in here now.

Chinatown looks like a bomb hit it.

And that's a city that that's a part of town that's very much near and dear to my heart, but no one's doing anything.

And another thing that culture and this gentrification affects is the fact that on Juneteenth, police can surround Lake Merritt and nullify a celebration of African culture.

Now, 37 times I've been violent with the police.

I have no problem with that.

That would have been a 38th if I wasn't in Baltimore.

But that disrespect to Chinatown, that disrespect to Oakland culturally, and this is where you guys come in.

Somebody should have stood up with the police department and said, hold it, that's a cultural insult to the African community for you guys to block off, and I don't care what the white reasoning was.

For you guys to block off the lake and not allow African people to celebrate was insulting.

I think the Cultural Affairs Committee, and I am urging you to please stand up when you see cultural insults of whatever culture come about, because I feel what's happening in Chinatown, what's happening with Juneteenth is a straight-up insult.

And I gotta guarantee you, and I will guarantee you that it won't be as peaceful next year because I'll be in town, I'll make sure of it.

But you guys standing true to your commitment, supposed to be about peace, it's supposed to be about love, but that wasn't an expression of love to say that Chinatown was a black and brown thing, or to cut off our lake so we can celebrate during our holiday.

So, in order to avoid my type of violence, I'm asking you guys, because somebody said, Well, let's go to the Cultural Affairs Committee.

I'm asking you guys to please step in.

But when you see wrong, step on it.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comments.

Um, we'll get these pieces of paper.

Thank you.

Do we have another speaker for public comment?

Can I go kim?

I don't I don't see are you supposed to be probably agenda?

I don't know who you have.

Um, if there's an item that you wanted to speak on that's on the agenda, you're welcome to do so now, or if you have it.

Um yes, it can be any any item.

Yeah, so nice.

I hope everybody's having a good day.

Yes, thank you.

You'll have two minutes, two minutes.

Yeah.

When we put the timer on it, yeah.

I um we how you good.

Um anyway, my my main concern is only three things.

Um how you define culture.

Secondly, how you get on get on the whatever what's the name of y'all thing group here?

The commission, the cultural affairs commission.

Uh-huh.

How you define it?

How you get on it.

And what are what are your paperwork on it?

You know, what's written up?

That's all I need.

Oh, and how can I get there?

How can I get the information?

Okay, you got everybody have reason or some definition to be on here.

Right.

Oh, you just appointed.

Help me out, y'all.

How do you get on this board?

That's all I'm asking.

Yeah, no, we uh we can we can let you know, but this is really for just your comment right now.

Oh, okay.

So can't nobody answer that's what you're saying.

You don't have a little piece of paper say just like we had agenda, usually have codes and things of that nature.

You don't have any of that on paper.

Is that what you tell them?

I can't find it anywhere since I'm participating.

Yeah.

Thank you, ma'am.

That's it.

Yes.

Sorry, thank you.

Okay.

Are there any more public comments?

No.

No.

Okay.

Thank you.

Yes, we can answer.

Yeah.

We've we I'm I I'm sorry.

Um, just like all of the commissions, there's a there's information on the website how you can apply for any commission.

Um, just like for our commission as well.

If you go to the Cultural Affairs page, you can submit there.

You want to email me, if you have choice at email, I'll probably answer you and give you advice on how to.

Some of us are terming off, and we do need more commissioners to step into space.

Um, and there is a process of of hiring that we all have to go through.

Uh and then you have to get approved by the council and the mayor after that whole process.

So just a little bit of that information, but yeah, I don't think it's this uh it's a secret, it's a way to do it through the website and also just do talking to people on a commission and the people in the department, cultural affairs department uh can also be a resource as well.

I would call it.

I'm sorry.

Yes, thanks to that.

Um actually, in terms of process, and sometimes I think the the city website can be a well kept secret.

Um it's not always the easiest thing to navigate.

Um there's an area called boards and commissions, um, where you can submit an application, you can look at the the functions and the responsibilities of the different boards and commissions.

Um we try to have some geographic um as well as other uh forms of representation um on the commission.

The mayor nominates folks for the commission and the city council approves.

So that's uh yeah, anyway.

That's the official process.

Um I just wanted to add in the agenda, um, at the bottom of the on page three.

There's contact information for staff as well a phone number and an email.

So if that's easier for you to follow up that way than to try to navigate through the website, that's the best way to contact us directly, and we could share more about that process with you.

Okay, and that's for everybody's information.

Um we'll move on to our action item to approve the minutes both from April 28th, 2025, and our last meeting, May 19th, 2025.

I'm hoping that everyone had a chance to go over the minutes.

Are there any um edits, amendments, corrections?

A motion to approve the minutes.

Thank you.

Do I hear a second?

Second.

Thank you.

All in favor.

Okay, thank you.

So we don't have much.

Ooh-hoo.

Um, so why don't we go to our first presentation?

If that's uh, yes, we have both folks here.

So this is uh a present informational presentation about phase two of the Oakland general plan.

Uh and I think I have an old forgive me.

Um no.

Could you introduce yourself, please?

Thank you so much.

Happy to.

Is this on?

Can you all hear me?

Great.

Okay.

Um, my name is Bibi Lagarder.

I'm a planner too on the strategic planning team.

Is that BB Lagarder?

BB.

Yes.

Thank you.

Okay.

Yes.

Okay.

Good evening, commissioners.

Um, as I just said, my name is Bibi Lagarder.

I'm a planner on the strategic planning division of Oakland's planning and building department.

Um, I'm also joined this evening by my colleague Khalila Haynes, who's right here.

Um, can you move to the next slide, please?

Oh, so sorry.

Yes.

Sorry, new to the new to the microphone.

Um, okay.

So in today's presentation, we will be giving an overview of phase two of the general plan update, and then at the end, we have a um a few discussion questions around some key ideas and you know input we want to hear from you for phase two of the general plan update.

Uh next slide, please.

And next slide again.

Thank you.

Okay, so what is a general plan?

Many of you are probably familiar with the general plan, but basically it's the guiding document for the physical growth of the city over the next few decades.

Unlike previous general plans, a key focus of this one is racial equity and inclusive engagement.

Uh next slide, please.

Um, so how does the general plan affect Oakland?

The general plan affects Oakland in many ways, from enhancing parks and recreational spaces to nurturing cultural and natural resources, creating more livable neighborhoods, and more.

Uh, next slide, please.

Thank you.

Um the general plan is being updated in two phases.

Phase one started in 2021 and was completed in 2023.

Phase two kicked off in fall of 2024 and is expected to continue through 2026.

Um next slide, please.

So in phase one, uh, we created a new housing element, a new safety element, and a new environmental justice element.

The housing element serves as a blueprint for housing all of the city's residents.

It presents an inventory of sites suitable for residential development in Oakland, an assessment of financial and programmatic resources, and an analysis of constraints, both governmental and non-governmental to housing production in Oakland.

The safety element is a policy framework to guide the public decision-making process on addressing natural and human-caused hazards.

And the environmental justice element serves as the foundation for achieving equity and environmental justice when planning for future growth and development in the city.

Um, this is the first general plan element of its kind adopted by the city.

Um, next slide, please.

Um, as I mentioned before, racial and social equity is a guiding principle for this update process, both in phase one and in phase two.

We have a robust community engagement plan to achieve more inclusive engagement.

Um we really want to focus on learning from Oakland's most impacted residents, uh, such as environmental justice communities, communities of color, and youth.

And to achieve these goals, we are conducting a range of engagement strategies, including neighborhood workshops, tabling at community events, social media outreach, and all of the other events you see on the slide.

I also want to add that we learned from our engagement efforts in phase one and are refining our strategy in phase two to make sure that we are providing really meaningful opportunities for engagement in this process.

Next slide, please.

Okay, and next slide again, sorry.

Okay, so that brings us to phase two.

So far in phase two, we have developed different options for structuring growth in the city based on the feedback we've heard so far from engagement with the public, government departments, and other stakeholders.

These options will be shared with the public later this week, and they're really meant as a jumping-off point.

They are not final in any way.

But yes, they will be shared with the public later this week alongside a survey where community members will be able to share what works, what doesn't work, and was missing from these options.

The survey will open on July 30th and will be available to respond to until September 24th.

We hope you'll, everyone in this room will provide feedback through this survey.

And then based on the feedback we receive through survey responses and other engagement activities, a preferred option will be developed.

And that preferred option is really the foundation for more detailed policy development associated with each of the elements in phase two.

Next slide, please.

So the elements to be updated or created in phase two include the loot, which is the land use and transportation element, the open space conservation and recreation element, which we call the Oscar, the noise element, and then a new infrastructure and public facilities element.

Next slide.

The goals of the loot are to create more livable and walkable neighborhoods with easy access to everyday services and resources, sorry, services and resources, to build a transportation system where everyone has access to safe and reliable options to get them where they need to go, and to support a strong, strong economic base in the city, including future industries and small businesses.

Okay, next slide, please.

The infrastructure and public facilities element will create a policy framework for building and maintaining resilient and high quality public systems that protect Oaklanders from adverse climate impacts and improve utility services.

And this element will also support an equitably distributed and maintained network of public facilities like libraries, fire stations, and recreation centers.

Next slide, please.

Aims to maintain and strengthen Oakland's network of open spaces and to build an equitable park system that meets the needs of all residents.

And then next slide, please.

And lastly, the noise element, which aims to minimize the adverse effects of noise pollution from activities like roadways, rail operations, industrial facilities, and except and other noise-producing activities while promoting a high quality of life for residents.

Next slide, please.

Okay.

So that's a brief overview of what the general plan is and the phases and elements.

We have some discussion questions to go through with you all here, and just to kind of get you all thinking about how the Cultural Affairs Commission can shape the second phase of the general plan update.

So I'll read them through quickly and then we're happy to take questions.

So, first off, how do you see the general plan addressing key issues that the arts and culture community is facing?

How can we prioritize development of culturally competent and inclusive public spaces for Oaklanders?

What could be the role for arts and culture in dealing with issues such as climate resilience?

And lastly, what are creative ways to support Alts and Culture as an economic engine for the city?

Um, so I will leave it there and take any questions.

I just want to acknowledge that we've been joined by Commissioner Lee.

Thank you for making it here.

Thanks so much.

And um, and yes, um, these are a lot of questions, and they could take a very long time to answer.

Um, so maybe my first question is what other opportunities do we have to actually give substantive answers to these.

Yeah, I just want to also hi, good afternoon, Khalila Haynes Planning Building, hi there.