Oakland Public Safety Committee Meeting - February 10, 2026
Oakland Public Safety Committee Meeting - February 10, 2026
The Public Safety Committee of the City Council met on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 6:08 PM in the council chambers. Chair Wong presided with Councilmembers Brown, Fife, Houston, and Wong present (four members). The meeting covered approval of minutes, a determination of schedule, a resolution for firefighter mental health services, the appointment of a vice chair, and public comment on various safety issues.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1: Approval of Draft Minutes – Approved minutes from the January 13 and January 27, 2026 committee meetings. Motion by Councilmember Brown, second by Chair Wong, passed 4-0.
- Item 2: Determination of Schedule (Pending List) – Accepted the pending list as presented. Motion by Councilmember Houston, second by Councilmember Brown, passed 4-0.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Open Forum (16 speakers) – Residents and members of ACE raised concerns about the Flock surveillance contract, urging cancellation after Santa Cruz, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, and Richmond canceled theirs due to ICE access despite state law. Multiple speakers called for a proactive rental inspection program, citing mold, pests, and landlord retaliation. Others highlighted illegal dumping, abandoned vehicles, and lack of street lighting, especially affecting seniors. One speaker, Paula Hawthorne, distributed copies of Darwin BondGraham's book "The Writers Come Out at Night" and urged support for the Police Commission.
- Public Comment on Item 4 – Paula Hawthorne spoke in support of Councilmember Houston's appointment, citing his integrity and work ethic.
Discussion Items
- Item 3: Evergreen Counseling Contract for Oakland Fire Department – Assistant Chief Chris Foley presented a resolution to authorize a professional services agreement with Evergreen Counseling to provide behavioral health services for OFD from February 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028, at a cost not to exceed $450,000, with two one-year extension options at up to $150,000 per year, for a total contract amount not to exceed $700,000. The contract is funded through 1010 (Measure Z). Four respondents were received in the RFQ process; Evergreen was the only local provider. The department reported 744 clinical visits through the existing contract. Councilmembers questioned the funding source and raised concerns about the lack of diversity among Evergreen's clinicians (98% female, no persons of color). Chair Wong requested a conversation with Evergreen about clinician diversity. The item was approved and forwarded to the February 17, 2026 City Council consent agenda.
- Item 4: Motion to Designate Councilmember Houston as Vice Chair – Councilmember Houston spoke about his long-standing commitment to public safety, including graffiti abatement, illegal dumping, and encampment policies. Councilmember Fife expressed concerns about the rule change creating vice chairs, stating the chair could already designate a presider. Chair Wong requested that if appointed, Houston attend meetings in person rather than remotely. The motion was approved 4-0.
Key Outcomes
- Item 3: Approved to forward the Evergreen Counseling contract to the February 17, 2026 City Council consent agenda (4-0).
- Item 4: Appointed Councilmember Houston as Vice Chair of the Public Safety Committee (4-0).
- The meeting was dismissed after public comment. Chair Wong noted an upcoming report on overtime at the March 10, 2026 Finance and Management Committee meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Good evening and welcome to the Public Safety Committee meeting of Tuesday, February 2, 10, 2026. The time is now 6 0 8 PM and this meeting may come to order. Before taking role, I will provide instructions on how to submit speaker cards on items on this agenda. If you're here with us in chamber 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 6 0 8 p.m. And speaker cards will no longer be accepted 10 minutes after making that time 6 18 p.m. We'll now proceed with taking roll Council members five Council member President council member Houston president and chair Wong Present. Thank you. We have four members present before we begin chair. Do you have any announcements at this time? I Don't I will ask for some just gonna ask people to keep it down in the chamber I know everyone's excited about the disparity study but just if we can go ahead and proceed with this so no announcements except and ask for order in the chamber thank you reading in item number one approval of the draft minutes from the committee meeting held on January third come on you go 2000 okay I'm sorry we need some order in the chamber I need voices to lower down and if you have a conversation please have it outside of the chamber so everyone can look can hear and listen to everyone thank you thank you I get approval of the draft minutes from the committee meeting held on January 13 2026 in January 27 2026 and there are no speakers on this item I'll move approval okay I'll second that thank you that was motion made by councilmember Brown seconded by chair Wong to approve the draft minutes from the committee meetings held on January 13th and January 27th 2026 on roll council members Brown I council member 5 council member Houston I and chair Wong I thank you item number one passes with four eyes reading in item 2 determination of schedule about standing committee items is also known as your pending list. There are no speakers that signed up. I do want to comment on the pending list. I know that there's been a report that has come out around some troubling overtime published in the Oakland side recently. We do have that report being scheduled to the March 10th Finance and Management Committee meeting. I invite anybody on this committee who wants to listen to that to come to that meeting. So that's going to be March 10th, 9.30 a.m., colleagues. And anything from the administration? No, thank you so much, Chair.
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