Oakland City Council Concurrent Meeting – May 5, 2026

The Oakland City Council convened on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, at 3:35 PM in a concurrent meeting of the Oakland Redevelopment Successor Agency and the City Council. The meeting covered a public hearing on a major tree‑removal violation, several non‑consent items including police technology contracts and a camp infrastructure project, and a large consent calendar. After multiple roll‑call votes and extensive public comment, the council adopted staff recommendations on most items, with notable dissents on the Cellebrite and Peregrine contracts.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes approval (6.0): Draft minutes from March 3, March 16, and April 14, 2026, were approved.
• Emergency declarations (6.1‑6.3): Resolutions renewing local emergencies for the AIDS epidemic, medical cannabis access, and homelessness were adopted.
• Sale of fire boat (6.4): Authorized sale of the Sea Wolf to Azul Marine Group for $25,000.
• Community Policing Advisory Board reappointments (6.5): Confirmed reappointments of Nancy Sidebotham and Colleen Brown.
• Illegal dumping enforcement (6.6): Final passage of ordinance increasing penalties and requiring license plates on waste‑transport vehicles.
• Hoover Library property purchase (6.7): Final passage authorizing acquisition of 3105 San Pablo Ave for $3,495,000, using Measure KK funds.
• Salary ordinance amendments (6.8): Final passage adding classifications (excluding parking administrator) and adjusting salaries.
• Tyrone Carney Park license agreement (6.9): Final passage for a two‑year license with five one‑year options, $0 fee, for maintenance and workforce training.
• Homelessness Strategic Action Plan (6.10): Informational report received and filed.
• LLAD initiation (6.11): Resolution to begin FY 2026‑27 assessment process.
• MacArthur Transit Village certificate of completion (6.12): Accepted public improvements.
• Floodplain management ordinance (6.13): First reading of new O.M.C. Chapter 15.80; second reading scheduled for May 19.
• Easement at 260 Oak Street (6.14): First reading for purchase of a $255,000 easement.
• Fire Station 29 contract amendment (6.15): Increased contract with K2A Architects to $2,500,000.
• Museum of Jazz & Art exclusive negotiation agreement (6.16): Adopted as corrected (date changed to June 6, 2023).
• Surplus land declaration (6.17): Declared four city‑owned parcels surplus and prioritized affordable housing offers.
• Resilience Hub grant (6.18): Authorized $25,000 grant to Oakland Parks & Recreation Foundation for outreach.
• Library agreements with Piedmont (6.19) and Emeryville (6.20): Approved service contracts for $1,082,955 and $459,827 respectively.
• OPRF grants acceptance (6.21): Authorized accepting up to $10,000,000 in monetary grants and $10,000,000 in goods/in‑kind through 2036.
• Summer youth employment program grants (6.22): Awarded 21 grants totaling $3,192,811.60 for 2026‑2028.
• OPD Federal Task Force annual reports (6.23): Informational report received and filed.
• Ceasefire‑Lifeline contracts (6.24): Amended contract with University of Pennsylvania ($200,000 added) and awarded $150,000 grant to Faith in Action East Bay.
• Feather River Camp contract (6.25): Moved to non‑consent, see Discussion Items.
• Three lawsuit settlements (6.26‑6.28): Authorized settlements of $512,500 (dangerous condition), $695,000 (breach of contract/property damage), and $130,000 (dangerous condition).
• Ramiro G. Hernandez street renaming (6.29): Adopted commemorative renaming.
• Municipal Clerks Week (6.30): Declared May 3‑9, 2026 as Municipal Clerks Week.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 4.1 (Tree violation): 20 speakers. Most supported full enforcement of the $915,135.40 fine, citing environmental justice, wildfire risk, and the need to uphold city law. A few speakers urged a reduced penalty, noting the property owner’s attempt to comply and the outdated ordinance. Representatives from CAL FIRE (Rachel O’Leary) and Oakland Parks & Recreation Foundation (Mandelin Kadera Redmond, Dr. Arash Danesade, Emma Murfrey) emphasized the irreplaceable value of mature trees and the precedent set by non‑enforcement.
• Item 5.1 (Rule 33): 4 speakers. Some expressed distrust that the rule would be used to limit public participation, while others requested clarification on the one‑hour technology disruption provision.
• Item 5.2 (Cooperative purchase agreements): 3 speakers. Concerns raised about lack of performance evaluations and insufficient local business participation.
• Item 5.3 (Cellebrite): 21 speakers. Nearly all opposed, citing human rights abuses by the Israeli‑based company, lack of competitive bidding, insufficient data on crime‑solving effectiveness, and risks to privacy and sanctuary city principles.
• Item 5.4 (Peregrine Technologies): 21 speakers. Nearly all opposed, arguing the Palantir‑affiliated platform enables predictive policing, racial profiling, and data sharing with ICE; many urged the council to reject the no‑bid contract.
• Item 6.25 (Feather River Camp): 13 speakers. Supporters highlighted the camp’s 100‑year history, youth development benefits, and need for infrastructure repairs. Opponents questioned the cost, equity of access (noting District 7’s 2.99% participation), and the financial viability of the camp.
• Open Forum: 8 speakers addressed police commission appointments, Measure E, and alleged misconduct by council members.

Discussion Items

• Item 4.1 – Protected Tree Violation: Public hearing on removal of 38 protected trees at assessor parcel 48H‑7672‑18. Staff recommended a $915,135.40 penalty and lien. Property owner Matthew Bernard argued he acted in good faith after city guidance. Council debated for the third time. Councilmember Ramachandran moved to adopt staff recommendation; Councilmember Brown offered an alternative (Option 1 at $624,771.55). A motion to reconsider staff recommendation passed 5‑3, and then the staff recommendation was adopted 5‑3 (Ayes: Gallo, Ramachandran, Unger, Wang, Jenkins; Noes: Brown, Fife, Houston).
• Item 5.1 – Rule 33 on Hybrid Meetings: Adopted 6‑0‑2 (Houston and Jenkins absent).
• Item 5.2 – Cooperative Purchase Agreements for Public Works: Approved 8‑0 after discussion of fleet crisis and local business inclusion.
• Item 6.25 – Feather River Camp Septic and Water System Replacement: Urgency finding passed 8‑0; resolution approved 8‑0. Councilmember Houston raised equity concerns; staff committed to outreach to increase District 7 participation.
• Item 5.3 – OPD Cellebrite Contract: Adopted 6‑2 (Ayes: Brown, Gallo, Houston, Unger, Wang, Jenkins; Noes: Fife, Ramachandran). Councilmember Fife requested future reports on vendor alternatives, independent legal analysis, and data linking extractions to crime clearance.
• Item 5.4 – Peregrine Technologies Contract: Adopted 7‑1 (Ayes: Brown, Gallo, Houston, Ramachandran, Unger, Wang, Jenkins; No: Fife). OPD stated the platform enables regional data‑sharing and offers better audit controls than Crime Tracer.

Key Outcomes

• Tree violation penalty: Council adopted staff recommendation full penalty ($915,135.40) and lien, with 5‑3 vote after reconsideration.
• Rule 33: Resolution amending Council Rules of Procedure to add Rule 33 for hybrid meetings and technological disruptions, adopted 6‑0‑2.
• Public Works contracts: Approved 33 cooperative agreements up to $16,815,000, with move to RFP process noted.
• Cellebrite contract: Approved $140,000, one‑year agreement for forensic extraction devices; OPD to report back on vendor alternatives and usage data.
• Peregrine contract: Approved $1,024,000, three‑year agreement for law enforcement records search platform; OPD to provide annual reports.
• Feather River Camp: Approved $523,938.09 construction contract for septic and water system replacement; staff committed to improving district equity.
• Consent calendar: Approved 7‑0‑1 (Gallo excused) including 30 items with corrections to item 6.16.