Oakland Rules and Legislation Committee Meeting - December 11, 2025
Oakland Rules and Legislation Committee Meeting - December 11, 2025
The Rules and Legislation Committee met on Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 10:31 AM to consider scheduling items and recommendations from other committees. The meeting covered new scheduling items requiring bypass of committee (Rule 24), forwarded items from subcommittees, and a discussion on the Flock automated license plate reader contract. A special council meeting was announced for December 16, 2025, at 1 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Numerous items from the Finance and Management Committee, Public Works and Transportation Committee, Community and Economic Development Committee, Life Enrichment Committee, and Public Safety Committee were approved to be forwarded to the December 16, 2025 City Council agenda (mostly on consent). Key approved items include: performance audit of the Kids First Oakland Children's Fund (3.7), salary ordinance amendments (3.8, moved to consent), HDL software tax solution contract (3.9), sustainable fleet transition grants (3.13), grant agreements for Peralta Hacienda Historical Park (3.23) and others. The following amendments were adopted: for the salary ordinance (3.8), the minimum wage rate was raised from $16.89 to $20.00; for the Francisco and Associates engineering services contract (3.11), the waiver of local/small local business enterprise requirements was stricken.
Public Comments & Testimony
- On Flock camera contract (Item 3.2): The majority of public speakers opposed the contract, citing concerns over mass surveillance, data sharing with federal agencies (including ICE), security vulnerabilities, lack of transparency, and the vendor's ties to far-right billionaires. Speakers noted that the contract failed in the Public Safety Committee and the Privacy Advisory Commission. Some speakers supported moving the item to full council for broader discussion. Councilmember Houston and staff from Councilmembers Wang and Ogre spoke in favor of forwarding the item to the full council. Rajni Mandal (District 4) later in Open Forum supported the committee's decision to advance the Flock item and criticized what she described as misinformation and intimidation tactics by opponents.
Discussion Items
- Item 3.2 – Flock Safety Contract: Councilmember Fife reiterated her position that she supports community safety cameras but opposes this vendor due to concerns about transparency, data sharing, and the vendor's track record. She noted the item failed (tied) in the Public Safety Committee and should return there for further deliberation. Staff from OPD argued the contract is urgent because the current CHP agreement has expired, and without a new contract the city would lose access to the camera system.
- Other new scheduling items (3.1, 3.3–3.6): Staff provided Rule 24 urgency justifications. Item 3.1 (resolution honoring Coach John Beam) was bypassed to consent. Item 3.3 (cooperative purchase agreements for public works) was justified for winter break work. Items 3.4–3.6 were scheduled for future committee dates.
- Item 4 – Draft Agendas: Administration requested removal of two items from the Life Enrichment Committee pending list (SSBT informational report and SSB advisory board grants). The January 13, 2026 Finance Committee meeting was cancelled.
Key Outcomes
- Vote on new scheduling items (Item 3 – motion to forward): The motion passed 4–1, with Councilmember Fife voting no specifically on Item 3.2. All other items were approved as scheduled. (Councilmembers Brown, Ramachandran, Jenkins voted aye; Fife voted no on 3.2.)
- Item 4 (draft agendas) approved as amended (4–0, with all present aye).
- The Flock camera contract will be placed on the December 16, 2025 special City Council agenda for full discussion and vote.
- The next Rules and Legislation Committee meeting was scheduled for December 18, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. And welcome to the rules and legislation committee of Thursday, December 11, 2025. Before I call roll, I will go over speaker card instructions. If you'd like to fill out a speaker's card on any item on this agenda, please do so before the item is called for discussion or 10 minutes after the start of this meeting. This meeting started at 10 31. So your last opportunity to turn into speakers card will be 1041 a.m. If you were looking to turn in an online speaker card, they were due 24 hours before the start of this meeting, and that time period has passed. On roll. Councilmember Brown. Present. Councilmember Fife. Present. Council Member Ramachandran is excused. Chair Jenkins. Present. Showing three members present at this time. Before we get on with the agenda, do you have any announcements? Yes, sir. December 16th last meeting of the year. Special council meeting will be held at 1 p.m. Noting that there will be a special council meeting on October. I'm sorry, December, December 16th starting at one, therefore canceling the regular scheduled meeting at 3 30 p.m. Going on to item 2. There are no minutes for this um agenda, so there is no motion. Going on to item three, new scheduling items starting with item 3.1. Adopt a resolution honoring the extraordinary life and lasting legacy of Coach John Beam on the December 16th City Council agenda on consent. Do you need urgency finding? So rule 20. So these items typically bypass committee. Awarding a two-year agreement to flock safety for acquisition of automated license plate reader and pen tilt zoom cameras operating system technology and related services at a cost not to exceed $2,252,500, waiving the competitive multiple steps solicitation process required for the acquisition of information technology systems and waiving the local and small local business enterprise program requirements. This is asked to go before the December 16th. There we go. Um Dr. Carlo Beckman. I'm a project manager uh too at the Oakland Police Department, and I have our Rule 24 finding uh the flock contract has expired, and without a contract, OPD cannot pay the vendor uh and will be unable to continue to utilize the flock camera system. Uh we argue that Oakland's public safety will be severely impacted without the use of these cameras. Thank you, sir. Going to item 3.3, a resolution approving ongoing cooperative purchase agreements exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Broken public works bureau of maintenance and internal services, commodities and services contract as set forth in table one in an amount not to exceed $3,500,000 and adopted, excuse me, in adopting appropriate sequel findings. This is asked to go before the December 16th. Now special city council agenda on non-consent. This will also need a rule 24 reason for bypassing committee. Good morning. Uh Craig Pond, Building Services Manager, Public Works Facility Services. Uh, our Rule 24 funding is the urgency for to do to conduct work during the uh winter break and as soon as possible on building facilities and properties and components of building uh components and systems. Um, and that's uh our finding. Thank you. Going to item 3.4, an information report on the proposed 2026 state and federal legislative agenda. This is asked to go to the January 8th rules and legislation committee agenda. Item 3.5 adopts a resolution authorizing an agreement with Montclair Village Association for the operation and management of the LaSalle Garage located at 6235 LaSalle Avenue and the Scott Loutlook Scott Lout, excuse me, Scott Lop Lot located at 2250 Mountain Boulevard for a period of five years at an annual compensation amount of 295,200, including 275,000 in reimbursement reimbursable operating expenses and 20,200 in management fees and customer service incentives for a total amount not to exceed contract amount of one million four hundred and seventy six thousand dollars, waiving the local small local business enterprise requirement, and waiving the competitive proposals for solicitation requirement and adding excuse me and adopting appropriate sequel findings on the January 13th public works and transportation committee agenda.
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