Oakland Public Safety Committee Meeting - May 26, 2026
Oakland Public Safety Committee Meeting - May 26, 2026
The Oakland Public Safety Committee met on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 6:07 PM. The committee approved minutes and the schedule of outstanding items, and considered several major agenda items including the 2026-2030 Community Violence Reduction Plan (CVRP), a false alarm reduction contract, a local hazard mitigation plan, and a background investigations contract. All items were forwarded to the June 2 City Council meeting with various recommendations.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1 (Approval of Minutes): The draft minutes from the committee meeting of May 12, 2026, were approved by a vote of 3 ayes (Brown, Fife, Wong) with 1 excused (Houston).
- Item 2 (Determination of Schedule): The schedule of outstanding committee items was accepted by a vote of 3 ayes (Brown, Fife, Wong) with 1 excused (Houston).
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 2: Rajni Mandal (District 4) spoke on the NSA update, noting that for the first time in history, OPD has reached compliance with all 51 tasks. She thanked leadership including Mayor Barbara Lee, Chief James Beer, and others.
- Item 6: Three speakers addressed the Community Violence Reduction Plan:
- Colleen Brown (Chair, Community Policing Advisory Board) expressed concern that the final plan removed language regarding CPAB and changed "shall" to "may" in community outreach provisions. She urged reinstatement.
- Gabriel Garcia (Policy & Advocacy Director, Youth Alive) commended the comprehensive plan but emphasized the need for a cohesive Oakland youth prevention strategy and highlighted Oakland's leadership in victim services (hospital-based intervention, Qaddafi Washington Project). He cited data: gunshot wound survivors are 60 times more likely to experience homicide; violently impacted individuals are 28 times more likely to perpetrate violence.
- Rajni Mandal (District 4) voiced support for the plan, commended OPSPOC and staff for building a new governance framework, and raised a governance question about council's ongoing role after approval.
Discussion Items
- Item 3: Resolution to waive competitive bidding and authorize a 5-year professional services agreement with PMAM Corporation for administration of the Pulse Alarm Reduction Program, total not to exceed $1,127,115 (approx. $225,423/year). Councilmember Brown noted the program is a revenue-generating fund (false alarm fines). The item was forwarded to consent calendar.
- Item 4: Resolution adopting the 2026-2031 Oakland Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP) as an amendment to the Safety Element of the General Plan, with appropriate CEQA findings. Presentation by Veronica Cole (Emergency Planning Coordinator, OFD) highlighted new equity analysis, updated hazard rankings (earthquake, severe weather, wildfire at high level; drought, flood, landslide, sea level rise at medium; dam failure, tsunami/seiche at low), and 72 mitigation actions. FEMA approval received May 1, 2026. The plan enables eligibility for post-disaster funding (potentially reducing local cost share from 25% to 0% under AB 2140). Councilmember Fife questioned use of CalEnviroScreen vs. local environmental justice element; staff confirmed they used a more comprehensive local tool. The item was forwarded to council as a public hearing.
- Item 5: Resolution to enter into a 3-year (plus 2-year extension) professional services agreement with Elite Corporate Service Solutions LLC for pre-employment background investigations, total not to exceed $500,000. Michael Hunt (OFD) presented; the RFP process selected Elite over two other vendors. Councilmember Brown noted discrepancies in the cost table (apparently showing $500k per year vs. total). Chief Covington clarified they expect ~$50k-$60k annually for 50 backgrounds, and the total of $500k covers the entire contract including extension. Councilmember Houston requested that future contracts require a return to council for updates. A motion passed to forward the item with a request for a supplemental report correcting the table data.
- Item 6 (major item): Resolution approving the 2026-2030 Community Violence Reduction Plan (CVRP) as required by Measure NN (passed 2024, raising ~$24-47 million/year). Presentation by OPSPOC Commissioners (Yuana Chukleva, Julia Owens, Carrie Gutierrez) outlined the four-year goals: reduce homicides and non-fatal shootings by 10% annually through 2030; reduce domestic violence/sexual exploitation by 10%; improve clearance rates by 10%; improve feelings of safety; answer 90% of 911 calls within 15 seconds by 2030; achieve 5-minute response times for violent crimes; maintain at least 700 sworn police and 480 firefighters. Twelve strategies were described, organized under direct intervention, strengthening systems, and emergency response. Deputy Chief Tedesco (OPD) stressed that reaching 700 officers is critical and the plan supports retention/recruitment. Chief Covington (OFD) noted the plan’s flexibility. Chief Joshi (DVP) welcomed the plan’s focus. Extensive council discussion: Councilmember Wong emphasized 911 response time improvements (citing a personal five-minute wait) and urged more investment in next-gen 911 technology. Councilmember Brown supported the plan and asked about community engagement (listening sessions held in Fruitvale, West Oakland, etc.) and noted desire for CROs and youth programs. Councilmember Houston raised concerns about accountability of CBOs (suggesting a 25% penalty for non-performance) and that tier-one individuals in D7 are not being served. Councilmember Fife questioned how “feelings of safety” will be measured, expressed concern over misinformation from OPD, and noted a funding gap for OPD recruitment. Director of Finance Brad Johnson clarified the plan sets strategic framework but does not allocate specific dollars. The committee voted 4-0 to forward the item to the June 2 City Council on non-consent with no recommendation.
Key Outcomes
- Item 3: Forwarded to June 2 City Council on consent (4-0).
- Item 4: Forwarded to June 2 City Council as a public hearing (4-0).
- Item 5: Forwarded to June 2 City Council on consent (4-0), with a request for a supplemental report correcting the cost table.
- Item 6: Forwarded to June 2 City Council on non-consent (4-0).
- The committee adjourned into a special city council meeting due to the presence of Council President Jenkins.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to the public safety committee meeting of Tuesday, May twenty sixth, two thousand twenty-six. The time is now six. Oh seven PM, and this meeting may come to order. Before taking roll, I will provide instructions on how to submit speaker cards for items on this agenda. If you're here with us in chamber and would like to submit a speaker card, please fill one out and turn one into myself or a clerk representative no later than ten minutes after the start of this meeting or before the item is read into record. Registering to speak via Zoom is now due twenty-four hours prior to the start of this meeting time. This meeting came to order at six. Oh seven PM, and speaker cards will no longer be accepted ten minutes after, making that time six seventeen PM. We'll now proceed with taking role. Council members Brown present. Present. We have no speakers. We just need a motion. Second. Thank you. That's a motion made by Councilmember Brown, seconded by Councilmember Fife to accept the appropriate accept the draft minutes from the committee meeting of May 12, 2026. On roll council members Brown. Aye. Five. All right. Houston's excuse and Chair Wong. Aye. Thank you. Item number one passes with three eyes, one excused Houston. Reading in item two, determination of schedule of outstanding committee items. And we have one speaker that signed up to speak. Okay. Colleagues, city administration. Do the chair. I have nothing. Okay. Thank you. Move approval of the um pending list. Okay. Great. Second. Yes, we'll go to public comment. Thank you. Calling in the name that signed up to speak on item number two, Rajni Mandal. Rajni, you can unmute yourself and begin your comments. Rajni Mandel District 4. This is regarding the NSA update. For tomorrow's federal court hearing on Oakland's negotiated settlement agreement. I wanted to take a moment to recognize something important. For the first time in the history of the NSA process, OPD has reached compliance with all 51 tasks. A milestone that reflects years of work and more recently, extraordinary collaboration. I want to acknowledge the leadership and efforts of Mayor Barbara Lee, Chief James Beer, Assistant City Administrator Michelle Phillips, Deputy Chief Lisa Osmus, Deputy Chief Baron Smith, City Attorney Ryan Richardson, Bridget Martin, and many staff across OPD, the City Administrator's Office, City Attorney's Office who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Tomorrow's hearing will likely focus not on whether progress has happened, but whether it can last. I hope we recognize how much hard work has gone into reaching this point and continue supporting the leadership and collaboration that have brought Oakland here. Thank you.
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