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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Oakland Public Safety Committee Meeting - December 9, 2025

City Council — Tuesday, December 9, 2025

BodyOakland, California

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, December 9, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:12:29

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

1:35

Good evening.

1:38

And welcome to this meeting has come to order.

1:42

And welcome to the public safety committee meeting of today, Tuesday, December 9th.

1:46

The time is now six oh one p.m.

1:49

and this meeting has come to order.

1:52

Before taking roll, I will provide instructions on how to submit a speaker's card for items on this agenda.

1:57

If you are here within chambers and you would like to submit a speaker's card, please fill one out and turn it into myself before the item is read into record.

2:05

Online speaker requests were due 24 hours prior to this meeting, making that time yesterday at 6 p.m.

2:10

The meeting came to order at 601 p.m.

2:15

Speaker cards will no longer be accepted ten minutes after the meeting has begun, making that time six eleven p.m.

2:26

With that, we now proceed to take roll.

2:34

Councilmember Brown.

2:36

Sorry, present.

2:37

Councilmember Fife.

2:39

Present.

2:41

Councilmember Houston.

2:45

I apologize, thank you.

2:46

And Chair Wong.

2:48

We have four members present.

2:50

And before you begin, Chair Wong, do you have any announcements for today?

2:54

Um, just that this is the final committee meeting for uh this year, so um, let's make it a good one, team.

3:06

Thank you.

3:07

Moving to our first item, item one approval of the draft minutes from the committee meetings held on July eighth, twenty twenty five, july twenty-second, September to tenth, September the thirtieth, October the fourteenth, and the special meeting on November the eighteenth, twenty twenty-five.

3:26

And you do have one speaker for this item.

3:32

When I'll call your name, please approach the podium, Blair Beakman.

3:36

If you're participating via Zoom, please raise your hand so you're easily identified.

3:47

Okay.

3:48

Colleagues, any comments on the second.

4:04

I just moved the item.

4:06

Second.

4:08

Thank you.

4:08

I have a motion made by Councilmember Houston, seconded by Councilmember Brown to accept the draft minutes of from the committee meetings held on July 8th, July 22nd, September 10th, September the 30th, October the 14th, and the special meeting on November the 18th.

4:33

Councilmember Houston.

4:34

Aye.

4:35

And Chair Brown.

4:37

Chair Wong.

4:39

Aye.

4:36

Aye.

4:41

The motion passes for four eyes to accept the draft minutes of the committee meetings on July 8th, 22nd, September 10th, September 30th, October 14th, and a special meeting on November the 18th.

4:51

Moving to item two, determination determination of scheduled outstanding committee items, also known as your pending list, and you do have one speaker for this item.

5:00

Okay, we'll go to public comment.

5:03

Mr.

5:04

Thada.

5:08

Ms.

5:09

Sada, would you like to?

4:59

Thanks.

5:18

Okay, I'm trying to find my numbers.

5:22

Okay, yes.

5:24

So this is your last meeting, and you're going to uh court in January with the NSA.

5:32

And what's going to be presented to you before you go to the courts?

5:37

Nothing.

5:40

Okay.

5:41

Then we have uh identification of gangs in this city.

5:50

Has been really surprising to me that we have the Mexican Mafia, the prison mafia, MS 13, the cartel, and we've never had a discussion about these organized criminals in our community.

6:11

And I don't think ceasefire is gonna get this changed any if as an intervention strategy.

6:16

So we need to have a discussion about one gang, the Mexican mafia involving 24 murders in Oakland.

6:24

And I'm just hearing about it.

6:31

Okay.

6:32

Thank you for your comment, Mr.

6:33

Sada.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████60%

Workforce Development███████9%

Technology and Innovation██████8%

Procedural█████6%

Contracting And Procurement█████6%

Environmental Protection████5%

Engineering And Infrastructure██2%

Miscellaneous██2%

Personnel Matters█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Oakland Public Safety Committee Meeting - December 9, 2025

The Oakland City Council Public Safety Committee met on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 6:01 PM for its final meeting of the year. The committee approved multiple contracts and grant allocations aimed at supporting police operations, violence prevention training, program evaluation, and removal of abandoned vessels. All votes were unanimous (4-0).

Consent Calendar

Item 1: Approval of Draft Minutes – The committee unanimously approved minutes from meetings held on July 8, 2025, July 22, 2025, September 10, 2025, September 30, 2025, October 14, 2025, and the special meeting on November 18, 2025.

Public Comments & Testimony

Ms. Sada (public speaker) raised concerns about the city's lack of discussion regarding organized crime (Mexican Mafia, MS-13) and questioned whether ceasefire strategies can address cartel-related violence. She also asked about NSA compliance funding, rape kit backlogs, and the qualifications for life coaches.
Blair Beekman (public speaker via Zoom) expressed support for non-law enforcement approaches to crime and urged continued federal funding for such programs. He also commented on surveillance technology policies.
David Boatright (District 4) questioned the benefits of violence prevention spending ($5.5 million) and requested clearer evidence of outcomes.
Jennifer Finley (public speaker) was listed but her comment was not audible.

Discussion Items

Item 2: Determination of Scheduled Outstanding Committee Items – The committee accepted the pending list as amended by withdrawing Item 6 (OPD surveillance report) at staff's request. Deputy Chief Lisa Osmus explained that the surveillance use policy requires a council resolution rather than an informational report. The item will be rescheduled for early 2026. Councilmember Houston requested that future reports include data on charges and convictions, not just arrests.
Item 3: COPS Grant Allocation (FY 2024-2025) – Staff presented a combined state grant award of $1,381,009 ($850,072 for FY 2024 and $529,937 for FY 2025). Funds will support helicopter maintenance, computer/technology upgrades, crime lab equipment, training, marketing, and supplies. Councilmembers discussed using grants for officer hiring, signing bonuses, and community service officers. Staff noted that the amounts are insufficient for sustained hiring and that prior large grants caused budget issues. Officer Brandon Martin detailed helicopter maintenance costs ($850,000/year) and advocated for fixed-wing aircraft as a quieter, more cost-effective alternative. The committee approved the resolution.
Item 4: Professional Services Agreements for Training – Vanetta Thomas (DVP Training Manager) requested approval of two contracts: $75,000 with Bright Research Group for life coaching and capacity-building services, and $36,000 with ROCA Inc. for cognitive behavioral theory training. Both contracts waive competitive bidding. Chief Holly Joshi clarified that life coaching certification was developed in response to frontline workers' demands for professional training, and that the city recently graduated 12 life coaches. Councilmember Houston asked about “healthy masculinity” and motivational interviewing. The committee approved the item.
Item 5: Amendment to University of Pennsylvania Evaluation Contract – Jillian Kaplan (DVP Program Planner) presented an amendment adding $362,087 (total $439,952) and extending the term to December 31, 2028, for an impact evaluation of the Ceasefire Lifeline strategy. The evaluation will now include analysis of shooting/homicide changes attributable to the program and qualitative interviews. Lead researchers Dr. Anthony Braga and Dr. Lisa Barrow have prior experience evaluating Oakland's ceasefire. Councilmember Fife and Chief Joshi emphasized that ceasefire is not a silver bullet and that a multi-pronged approach is needed. The committee approved the amendment.
Item 6: OPD Surveillance Use Policy – Withdrawn from the agenda during Item 2.
Item 7: Abandoned Vessel Removal Contract – Officer Oscar Ryan Smith (Marine Unit) requested urgency approval for a $1,456,258 contract with Lynn Marine to remove 40 sunken and 20–25 abandoned vessels from the Oakland Estuary. The work is funded by state and federal grants and must be completed before winter to avoid navigational and environmental hazards and potential fines. The committee approved the urgency finding and the contract.

Key Outcomes

All items passed unanimously (4-0), with Councilmembers Brown, Fife, Houston, and Chair Wong voting yes.
Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 were forwarded to the December 16, 2025 City Council meeting for approval on the consent calendar.
Item 6 was withdrawn and will be rescheduled in early 2026.
Staff will provide an informational report on external funding sources for police signing bonuses, as requested by Chair Wong.
Councilmember Houston’s request for arrest vs. charge/conviction data on Flock technology will be included in future reports.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. And welcome to this meeting has come to order. And welcome to the public safety committee meeting of today, Tuesday, December 9th. The time is now six oh one p.m. and this meeting has come to order. Before taking roll, I will provide instructions on how to submit a speaker's card for items on this agenda. If you are here within chambers and you would like to submit a speaker's card, please fill one out and turn it into myself before the item is read into record. Online speaker requests were due 24 hours prior to this meeting, making that time yesterday at 6 p.m. The meeting came to order at 601 p.m. Speaker cards will no longer be accepted ten minutes after the meeting has begun, making that time six eleven p.m. With that, we now proceed to take roll. Councilmember Brown. Sorry, present. Councilmember Fife. Present. Councilmember Houston. I apologize, thank you. And Chair Wong. We have four members present. And before you begin, Chair Wong, do you have any announcements for today? Um, just that this is the final committee meeting for uh this year, so um, let's make it a good one, team. Thank you. Moving to our first item, item one approval of the draft minutes from the committee meetings held on July eighth, twenty twenty five, july twenty-second, September to tenth, September the thirtieth, October the fourteenth, and the special meeting on November the eighteenth, twenty twenty-five. And you do have one speaker for this item. When I'll call your name, please approach the podium, Blair Beakman. If you're participating via Zoom, please raise your hand so you're easily identified. Okay. Colleagues, any comments on the second. I just moved the item. Second. Thank you. I have a motion made by Councilmember Houston, seconded by Councilmember Brown to accept the draft minutes of from the committee meetings held on July 8th, July 22nd, September 10th, September the 30th, October the 14th, and the special meeting on November the 18th. Councilmember Houston. Aye. And Chair Brown. Chair Wong. Aye. Aye. The motion passes for four eyes to accept the draft minutes of the committee meetings on July 8th, 22nd, September 10th, September 30th, October 14th, and a special meeting on November the 18th. Moving to item two, determination determination of scheduled outstanding committee items, also known as your pending list, and you do have one speaker for this item. Okay, we'll go to public comment. Mr. Thada. Ms. Sada, would you like to? Thanks. Okay, I'm trying to find my numbers. Okay, yes. So this is your last meeting, and you're going to uh court in January with the NSA. And what's going to be presented to you before you go to the courts?

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