Oakland Life Enrichment Committee Meeting - December 9, 2025
Oakland Life Enrichment Committee Meeting (December 9, 2025)
The Life Enrichment Committee of the Oakland City Council met on December 9, 2025, at 4:02 PM. Four members were present (Councilmembers Gallo, Houston, Wong, and Chair Fife). The committee approved draft minutes, discussed outstanding items, introduced a new Human Services Director, and voted on grant agreements and an informational report on Head Start. All motions passed 4-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 2 (Schedule of Outstanding Items): A public speaker (Asada Olabala) criticized conditions at McClymonds High School, citing toxic soil, broken scoreboard, non-functional PA system, rats, lack of ADA accessibility, and inequitable treatment of Black students. The speaker urged the city to address disparities for African Americans.
- Item 3 (Peralta Hacienda Grant): Four speakers (Miguel Lopez, Xavier Beckett, Carmelita Andrews, Jai Wen Lee) expressed strong support, describing the program's positive impact on youth leadership, confidence, and community service. One speaker (Asada Olabala) questioned why this organization receives independent funding while others must apply through competitive processes, and highlighted lack of support for African American institutions.
- Item 4 (USF Nursing Affiliation): Two speakers (Asada Olabala, Samuel Raimi) raised concerns: Olabala asked about coverage of chronic conditions (hypertension, diabetes), inclusion of homeless seniors, and projected numbers; Raimi emphasized the need for professional, educated nurses and criticized systemic inequities.
- Item 5 (Head Start Report): Speaker David Boatwright praised the report and suggested tracking long-term outcomes for program participants. Speaker Asada Olabala voiced concerns about travel expenses, lack of staff inclusion, allegations of mistreatment, and lawsuits, and said she could not fully support the program until issues are resolved.
- Open Forum: Latanya Simmons thanked the committee and proposed a pilot program using trail cameras to combat illegal dumping, noting cost-effectiveness. Asada Olabala criticized Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) for avoiding school closures and mismanaging resources, calling for action on McClymonds.
Discussion Items
- Item 1: Approval of Draft Minutes – Minutes from October 14 and November 18, 2025, were approved unanimously.
- Item 2: Schedule of Outstanding Committee Items – The committee approved the schedule. Chair Fife introduced the new Human Services Director, Dr. Jason Lester, who shared his background and vision. Councilmember Gallo motioned to invite OUSD to present on its financial condition and investments in East Oakland schools.
- Item 3: Peralta Hacienda Grant Agreement – The committee heard a presentation from Pamela Mateira (Acting Cultural Funding Coordinator) on the two-year, $91,800 grant to support youth programs, cultural events, and maintenance. Youth speakers highlighted personal growth and community impact. Councilmembers praised the program. The item was forwarded to the City Council consent agenda.
- Item 4: USF School of Nursing Affiliation – Anna Bactus (Human Services Manager) presented an addendum to the existing affiliation agreement, enabling nurse-led and public health initiatives for older adults, with in-kind services valued up to $150,000/year for three years. The program includes health screenings, fall prevention, and nutrition education. Councilmember Wong commended the effort. The item was forwarded to City Council consent.
- Item 5: Head Start Informational Report – Staff presented a comprehensive report: the program achieved non-competitive renewal status and six strong practices designations in a federal review; a compensation study found salaries 13.54% below market; and enrollment data showed 23% of children experiencing homelessness. Councilmembers discussed the salary gap, federal compliance requirements (must match school district salaries by 2031), and program options (center-based, home-based, family child care). Chair Fife raised concerns about federal funding threats and attracting staff. The report was received and filed.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1: Approved draft minutes (4-0).
- Item 2: Approved the schedule of outstanding committee items (4-0). Chair Fife directed staff to invite OUSD to a future meeting.
- Item 3: Approved the resolution to enter into a grant agreement with Friends of Peralta Hacienda Historical Park and forwarded to the December 16 City Council consent agenda (4-0).
- Item 4: Approved the resolution to accept in-kind services from USF School of Nursing and forwarded to the December 16 City Council consent agenda (4-0).
- Item 5: Received and filed the informational report on Head Start services (4-0). The committee noted ongoing challenges with staff salaries, recruitment, and facilities.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to the sorry life enrichment committee meeting of December ninth, two thousand twenty-five. The time is now four or two PM and this meeting may come to order. Before taking role, I will provide instructions on how to submit speaker cards for items on this agenda. If you're here with us in chamber and would like to submit a speaker card, please pull one out and turn one turn one into a clerk representative no later than ten minutes after the start of this meeting or before the item is read into record. Registering to speak via Zoom is now due twenty-four hours prior to the start of this meeting time. This meeting came to order at four four oh two PM, and this and speaker cards will no longer be accepted ten minutes after, making that time for twelve PM. We'll now proceed with taking role with members present. Council membersgaillo. Council Member Houston. Here. Council Member Wong, present. And Chair Five present. Thank you. We have four members present. And before we begin, Chair, do you have any announcements at this time? No, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you. Reading in item number one, approval of the draft minutes from the committee meeting. Committee meetings held on October fourteenth, two thousand twenty-five and November eighteenth, two thousand twenty-five. I do not see him logged on Zoom. So that would conclude our speakers. I'll entertain a motion on this item. Thank you. We have a motion made by Councilmember Gaio, seconded by Councilmember Wong to approve the committee draft minutes from October 14th and November 18, 2025. As is on roll councilmember Skyo. Aye. Councilmember Houston. Aye. Councilmember Wong. Aye. And Chair Five. Aye. Thank you. Item number one passes with four eyes. Reading in item two. Determination of schedule of outstanding committee items. We do have one speaker that signed up to speak on this. Well, take the public. To say that the life enrichment for students at McClyman's High School is almost non-existent. McClyman's High School is going to the state championship this coming weekend. And they played on a field that was toxic soil. They were not allowed to play most of their games there because the soil is toxic. They didn't have the whole uh football season a working scoreboard. It would stop, it wouldn't work. So last week they rented a scoreboard instead of replacing a scoreboard. The PA system doesn't work. We have rats in the kitchen. The flow system, water flow system, we don't have it. We don't have an intercom system.
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