Oakland City Council Meeting – May 19, 2026: Resolutions, Consent Calendar, and Public Comment
Oakland City Council Meeting – May 19, 2026
The Oakland City Council met on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 11:30 AM. Six members were present, two were excused. The meeting covered three non-consent items, a 33-item consent calendar, council announcements, and open forum. Key actions included renaming a plaza, approving a retired annuitant appointment, authorizing $200 million in borrowing, and adopting resolutions on affordable housing, illegal dumping enforcement, and other state legislative positions.
Consent Calendar
- Items 6.1–6.33 were approved as amended. Notable items:
- 6.5 (Easement at 260 Oak Street): Continued to the June 2, 2026 council meeting.
- 6.6 (Floodplain Ordinance): Adopted as an emergency ordinance to maintain FEMA compliance; deadline was May 25, 2026.
- 6.15 (Affordable Housing Month): Recognized May 2026 as Affordable Housing Month.
- 6.18 (Gary Payton Commemorative Street Renaming): Honored basketball legend Gary Payton.
- 6.26 (Illegal Dumping Expenditure Plan): Approved $1.1 million for enforcement, though councilmembers expressed concerns about fine levels and data collection.
- 6.31 (Ceasefire Lifeline Contracts): Contract renewals for violence intervention.
- Motion to approve the consent calendar (as amended) by Councilmember Brown, second by Councilmember Houston. Passed 7-0 (one excused).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 5.1 (More Hope Plaza): Multiple speakers, including former Commissioner Olabala, celebrated Peggy Moore and Hope Wood. One speaker urged recognition of Moore as a Black woman, not just a "woman of color."
- Item 5.2 (Retired Annuitant John Monetta): Mr. Olabala objected to any Army Base work due to contamination (lead, arsenic, asbestos) and health risks.
- Item 5.3 (Tax Revenue Anticipation Notes): Mr. Olabala questioned repayment sources, noting the $200 million must be repaid within 15 months using future revenue (e.g., Measure E funds).
- Consent Calendar:
- Speakers supported Affordable Housing Month (Carla Guerrera, East Bay Housing Organizations) and the Gary Payton renaming.
- Mr. Hazard critiqued procedural violations related to a prior tree ordinance vote.
- Dwayne Nelson opposed the illegal dumping expenditure, demanding KPIs and outcome urgency.
- Open Forum: Over a dozen speakers, primarily youth from La Clínica’s Healthy Homes Initiative, advocated for lead abatement programs using settlement funds. Residents highlighted unsafe housing conditions (roaches, broken railings, lack of bathroom bars). Gregory Slaughter praised councilmembers for addressing Oakland Station conditions.
Discussion Items
- 5.1 – More Hope Plaza Renaming: Councilmembers Brown, Wong, Houston, and Ramachandran shared personal tributes to Peggy Moore and Hope Wood. A video clip of Moore’s interview was shown. The resolution passed 7-0.
- 5.2 – Appointment of Retired Annuitant (John Monetta): Staff explained the need for continuity on the Oakland Army Base project (critical state grant, Costco negotiations). Councilmember Houston noted Monetta’s 26-year service and past cost savings. Motion to approve by Councilmember Guyo, second by Ramachandran. Passed 7-0.
- 5.3 – $200 Million Tax Revenue Anticipation Notes: Treasury Director David Jones outlined the borrowing for cash flow and a CalPERS discount. Councilmember Guyo queried repayment timeline (~15 months) and usage (general fund operations). Motion by Ramachandran, second by Guyo. Passed 7-0 on first reading; second reading scheduled for next month.
- Consent Calendar Discussion: Councilmembers Brown, Houston, Guyo, and Wong debated illegal dumping enforcement, calling for stronger penalties, dedicated OPD officers, and accountability for previously budgeted positions. Councilmember Wong also raised the need for graffiti enforcement. The consent calendar was approved as amended.
- Council Announcements: Councilmembers noted the 20% reduction in homelessness (point-in-time count), honored victims of the 85th Avenue tragedy (Robert Dixon “Frog”, Charles Blackman, others), and recognized Affordable Housing Month, AAPI Heritage Month, and Women’s Health Month. Adjournments were made in memory of Wilson Riles Jr., Christopher Buckley, and Edam May Johnson.
Key Outcomes
- Item 5.1 – Approved (7-0): Resolution renaming plaza near LGBT Center as "More Hope Plaza."
- Item 5.2 – Approved (7-0): Appointment of John Monetta as retired annuitant to continue Army Base work.
- Item 5.3 – Approved on first reading (7-0): Ordinance authorizing $200 million in tax revenue anticipation notes for FY 2026-27.
- Consent Calendar – Approved as amended (7-0): Including emergency floodplain ordinance and continuation of item 6.5.
- Referrals: Councilmember Wong suggested adding a full-time OPD officer for illegal dumping and graffiti. Councilmember Houston promised to bring roach samples to the next meeting to highlight poor housing conditions.
- Next Steps: Second reading of item 5.3 will occur at the June meeting. Staff directed to provide updates on lead abatement settlement funds and illegal dumping expenditure plans.
Meeting Transcript
Yes. Good afternoon and welcome to this council meeting. It is Tuesday, May 19th, and this meeting shall come to order. Before I call roll, I would like to give instructions on how to submit a speaker card for items on this agenda. If you are here in person participating and would like to submit a speaker card, you must fill out a speaker card on the table in the middle of the room and turn it into a clerk representative across from the table, either before the item is read into record or two minutes, two hours after this meeting began. Unger, my apologies. Present. Thank you. Councilmember Wong. Present. And Chair, Council President Jenkins. Present. We have six member present to two excused. I will now go to our first item, item number three, modifications to the agenda. Any modifications to agenda? CNN. Or is there anything from the administration for modifications to the agenda? Thank you for that. I will now go to our um we have no uh item four, we have no uh public hearings at this time, so we will order item five, which are non-consent items starting with item 5.1. I will read this item into record. It is a resolution commemoratively renaming the plaza, a public right-of-way at the Oakland LGBT community center as More Hope Plaza. I do have three speakers for this item. Thank you. Councilmember Brown. Excellent. Um so I'll go ahead and uh speak first and then turn it over to Councilmember Wong. Um, so um I am beyond uh honored and humbled to be a part of the renaming of the plaza near the Oakland LGBTQ cultural center in the heart of the cultural district. More Hope Plaza. This renaming honors the lives and legacy of Peggy Moore and Hope Wood. These two women were trailblazers in the Bay Area through their passion for social justice, advocacy, and community organizing. Tragically, they were killed in a car accident May 2024, leaving behind uh just a huge loss here in Oakland and beyond. And so for those of you who don't may not know uh who was Peggy, um, but I'm confident that many of you have so many stories to tell about her visionary leadership. Peggy was someone who worked on both uh the Barack Obama campaign and Hillary Clinton presidential campaigns, and also ran for Oakland City Council, a seat that I currently hold and mentored so many of us finding our way in public service and organizing. I even had the opportunity to volunteer on one of her campaigns while learning my own path forward. Peggy was a fierce advocate for marriage equality and worked really work alongside countless community organizations and initiatives across the East Bay in pursuit of social justice. That same passion and fire is exactly why Peggy and her partner Hope Wood were such a perfect match after meeting in 2008 while working on the Obama campaign. Hope was someone who also had uh accomplished a lot, um, as well as attending the Harvard Kennedy School, Color of Change and Courage of Courage and the Courage campaign. Together, Peggy and Hope created their consulting firm, Hope Action Change, and continued to shape movements and communities throughout the East Bay for many years. And so this tragic, this sudden and tragic loss of Peggy and Hope was deeply felt across the entire city of Oakland and the LGBTQ plus community as well as BIPOC communities. So the renaming of this plaza outside the Oakland LGBTQ cultural center is more than just a ceremonial recognition, it is a commitment to honoring the legacy of two women who fought tirelessly to create a more equitable and just world. More Hope Plaza will stand as a lasting reminder that queer history cannot and will not be erased in Oakland. And then lastly, I do want to thank the leadership uh from the Oakland LGBTQ Cultural Center, Jeff Myers, Joe Hawkins, Brandon Horami, for their partnership and leadership. Um, in addition, I also want to thank the Department of Transportation team, uh, of course, the city attorneys, the Office of Mayor Barbara Lee, and my colleague Councilmember Wong for all of your support and helping bring this vision to life. And so uh tears to the newest plaza in Oakland, More Hope Plaza. And so I'll tend to turn it over to Councilmember Wong, who I believe is gonna share a video. Is that a motion? Yes, all right, councilmember Wong. Uh first of all, I'm just so uh privileged and proud to be the council member that um is not only a queer woman of color, but also represents the LGBTQ uh cultural district, um which is just such an icon, and for uh Peggy Moore and Hope Wood to be celebrated, um, you know, in spite of the horrifying loss of their lives due to this uh due to traffic violence, um, but um I'm glad we can we can celebrate. So this is what I see as a celebration of their lives. Um I did want to just fill in a few other things that weren't uh noted that um Peggy Moore was also the co-founder of Sisters, Steppin' in Pride.
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