Rules and Legislation Committee Meeting – March 19, 2026
Rules and Legislation Committee Meeting – March 19, 2026
The meeting was called to order at 10:31 AM. Roll was taken with Councilmembers Brown and Five present, Councilmember Ramachandron excused, and Chair Jenkins presiding. The Chair opened with a brief acknowledgment of Founders Day and then proceeded through a series of administrative announcements and a lengthy interview with the Director of Race and Equity.
Opening Announcements
- Chair Jenkins provided extensive instructions on recycling, composting, and trash disposal for office staff, including a detailed list of materials that go in the trash (soft plastic, food wrappers, used pens, styrofoam, batteries, etc.) and the proper disposal process.
- A public service announcement for Peralta Colleges was read, promoting enrollment at Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Merritt College.
- A representative from Children’s Fairyland described the park’s history and the Storybook Puppet Theater, emphasizing its role in fostering imagination and child-friendly spaces.
- A wastewater treatment plant operator from East Bay Municipal Utility District gave a warning against flushing “flushable” wipes, explaining that they clog equipment and harm San Francisco Bay.
- Ethan Beery, co-founder of Ethan Berry Inc., described the Code Forward Academy program at Different Park Recreation Center, which teaches coding and literacy skills to students K–college. Rondolyn McClintock (founder of the Scholarship Club) and 14-year-old Marlani Williams (Oakland Technical High School student) also spoke about the importance of digital literacy and science education.
- My Lane Garcia, the City’s online engagement manager, interviewed Darlene Flynn, Director of Race and Equity. Flynn discussed her background growing up in a mixed-race family in Seattle, her early work in community advocacy and land use, her role in starting Seattle’s race and equity initiative, and her current work in Oakland. She noted that Oakland is a “movement city” and that the primary challenge is aligning government structures with community activism. She highlighted the willingness of city staff to engage in equity work but cited the need for more capacity (the department has only two staff members). Flynn stated that systemic racism has life-threatening effects and that her team’s work is ultimately life-saving.
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes, resolutions, or referrals were taken during this meeting. The discussion consisted entirely of informational announcements and a staff interview. No consent calendar or public testimony was presented.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. And welcome to the rules and legislation committee of Thursday. January 15th. Before I call roll, I will give speaker card instructions. If you would like to speak on any item on this agenda, please fill out a speaker's card and give that card to a cleric representative before the item is called. Or 10 minutes after the start of the meeting. This meeting started at 10 31. So your last opportunity to turn into speaker's crowd will be at 10 41 a.m. Or before the item is called for discussion, whichever comes first. Our role for this meeting are Council members Brown. Present. Councilmember Five. Present. Councilmember Ramachandron. Excused. And Chair Jenkins. Do you have any announcements before we begin? Yeah, happy founders say it's all my favorite AKAs. That's it. Now that we've sorted out everything that can be recycled or composted, let's cover what goes in the trash. Soft and flimsy plastic, like food wrappers, used pens, sticker labels, label backings, loose plastic bags, and plastic food wrap. Plastic utensils, straws, coffee cup lids, sauce packets, and styrofoam also go in the trash. So should rubber and plastic gloves, hair nuts, disposable masks, and cleaning wipes. Used batteries are collected separately, and these better receptacles. When better receptacles get full, concept your custodial supervisor for proper disposal. Office staff are expected to empty their own dust side receptacles into larger shared recycle compost and trash bins. It feels good to compost and recycle and to put your trash where it belongs. And it's so easy. This website link, Oaklandrecycles.com, has all the information you need, including resources and more details about Oakland's compost and recycling program. If you have any questions, you can always contact the recycling hotline at recycling at Oaklandca.gov. Or 510-238 save. And if you're not sure where something goes at home or at work, check out the resource website for disposal resources across Alameda County. How can you make an impact and change the world? One way to do that is through education and learning about issues that affect you. At the Gralta Colleges, we have hundreds of classes to choose from. Start by enrolling at one of our four Bay Area campuses, Berkeley City College, College of Alameda, Laney College, and Mary College. Become part of the change in the world. Classes are available online. Enroll today at Peralta.edu. Like your future at the Peralta Colleges. Boys and girls, families and friends, the puppet show will begin in 15 minutes. Just follow the yellow and ground past the Apple City stage to the storybook puppet theater on your right. I am Randall Metz. I'm the uh director for the Storybook Puppet Theater here in Children's Fairyland. I think the big power in Fairyland and the big power in the puppet theater is imagination. And as long as we have kids, we're gonna have imagination. We have the wall. Mainly here at Fairyland we do stuff from uh fairy tales, children's literature and things. Lewis, he used to travel the world every year. He went away to a different country, and he'd come back and he'd say, okay, we're gonna do something from Poland now.
openpublica.com