Oakland City Council Concurrent Meeting – June 16, 2026

The Oakland City Council, sitting as the Concurrent Meeting of the Oakland Redevelopment Successor Agency / City Council / Geologic Hazard Abatement District Board, convened at 3:41 PM on June 16, 2026, with all eight council members present. The agenda was modified to hear Item 5.2 (Charter Reform) before Item 4.1, and to continue Items 6.1 and 6.2 (GHAD budgets) to July 7, 2026. The meeting adjourned at 8:11 PM.

Consent Calendar

• Items 6.1 and 6.2 (Leona Quarry and Oakland Area GHAD Annual Budgets for FY 2026/27) were continued to the July 7, 2026 meeting by a unanimous 8‑0 vote.
• Consent Agenda Approval: The remaining consent items (6.3–6.25) were approved as a bloc, with Councilmember Fife excused (vote: 7‑0). Notable individual votes: Item 6.10 (Becker Boards Agreement Adjustments) passed 5‑3 (Brown, Gallo, Houston, Ramachandran, Wang aye; Fife, Unger, Jenkins no). Item 6.25 (Bike Share Franchise Amendment) passed 5‑2 (Brown, Gallo, Ramachandran, Unger, Jenkins aye; Houston, Wang no; Fife excused). Several council members registered no votes on specific items during modifications to the agenda.
• Key consent items adopted without separate discussion: Declarations of local emergencies (AIDS, medical cannabis, homelessness); Master Fee Schedule for FY 2026‑27 (final passage); property tax cost‑of‑living adjustments for Measures M, N, C, NN, D, Q, AA, Y, MM; Municipal Code Chapter 3.08 amendments; settlement in City of Oakland v. Steven O. Von Querner ($5,000,000) and associated lease; settlement in Raven Luque v. City of Oakland ($160,000); OaklandConnect Fiber Network Partnership with Sonic.net and Monkeybrains; vacating utility easement at 747 52nd Street; purchase of three sewer cleaners ($2,500,000); MLK Jr. Way Streetscape Improvements contract award ($26,499,339.50); Oakland Ice Center Lease and Capital Project; General Plan and Housing Element Annual Progress Reports for 2025 (received and filed); Camps in Common rental agreement ($197,432); Multipurpose Senior Services Program vendor additions; and Bike Share Franchise Amendment.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 5.2 (Charter Reform): 33 speakers testified. Supporters included representatives of the Alameda Labor Council, League of Women Voters, Spur, Faith in Action East Bay, and numerous residents, who emphasized the working group’s extensive community engagement (over 750 participants, 14 sessions) and the need for clear lines of accountability. Opponents, including some residents and members of the public, argued the process lacked transparency (e.g., no Brown Act compliance), preferred a council‑manager system, or raised concerns about mayoral veto power and the potential for concentrated power. Some speakers urged placing both strong‑mayor and council‑manager options on the ballot.
• Item 4.1 (Planning Code Amendments): Three speakers addressed the ADU code updates. One speaker from the Wood Street People’s Collective expressed concerns about displacement of unhoused residents; another objected to fire‑safety bus route descriptions being misleading.
• Item 5.1 (Parking Division Reorganization): Six speakers, including city employees, criticized the administration’s handling of the reorganization, citing lack of staff consultation, insufficient investment in frontline customer service, and the removal of experienced managers. Others questioned the lack of public awareness of parking revenue data.
• Item S5.3 (Community Violence Intervention Grants): 58 speakers testified. Many representatives of community‑based organizations (e.g., Boss, Safe Passages, Missy, Youth Alive, Dream Youth Clinic, Bay Area Legal Aid) urged approval of the grants, stressing the life‑saving impact of violence‑intervention work. Several speakers from East Oakland organizations that were not funded (e.g., Mentoring Center, GCA – African immigrant services) asked the council to find additional resources to prevent service disruptions. Concerns were raised about the RFP process, geographic equity, and the need for more investment in prevention rather than reaction.
• Consent Calendar and Open Forum: Multiple speakers addressed the Becker Boards agreement (supporting the free‑ad program) and other consent items. During Open Forum, speakers raised issues about the Laurel Business Improvement District, the legality of Measure A’s tax, and funding for African immigrant communities.

Discussion Items

• Item 5.2 – Proposed Ballot Measure to Reform Oakland’s City Charter
  • Mayor Barbara Lee presented the charter reform measure, which would create a strong‑mayor system with council confirmation of key department heads, an independent budget and legislative analyst office, mayoral veto (line‑item for budget) with a six‑vote override, full‑time council members, and salary setting by the Public Ethics Commission. She emphasized the working group’s unanimous recommendation after extensive public input.
  • Councilmember Houston offered amendments to require council approval for removal of the city administrator and to require the mayor’s physical attendance at meetings preceding a veto. The city attorney ruled the administrator‑removal amendment outside the noticed scope; the attendance amendment was allowed.
  • Councilmember Wang proposed an amendment to allow the council (by future ordinance) to hold informational vetting sessions for department heads appointed by the mayor (post‑ or pre‑appointment). After debate, Councilmember Brown’s motion to adopt the mayor’s supplemental legislation (dated June 12, 2026) – which included several technical amendments – was tied 4‑4 (Brown, Fife, Wang, Jenkins aye; Gallo, Houston, Ramachandran, Unger no). Mayor Lee cast the tie‑breaking vote in favor, and the motion carried 5‑4 on final passage.
• Item 5.1 – Reorganizing of the Parking Division
  • Brad Johnson (Finance Director) presented an informational report on moving parking operations (enforcement, collections, meter management) from the Department of Transportation to Finance, as approved in the budget. The council received and filed the report on a 7‑0 vote (Houston excused).
• Item S5.3 – Community Violence Intervention Grants 2026‑2029
  • Department of Violence Prevention Director Dr. Joshi and Deputy Chief Jenny Lynch presented the RFP process and recommended 21 grantees for a total of $38.1 million over three years. They explained the need for multi‑year funding stability and performance management tools. The Public Safety Committee had previously amended the contract length to two years and requested a six‑month report back.
  • Councilmember Wang moved to adopt staff recommendations as amended (two‑year term, supplemental legislation from June 11, 2026). The motion passed 7‑1 (Houston no). Councilmember Houston urged finding additional funding for East Oakland organizations that were not awarded grants.
• Item 4.1 – 2026 Miscellaneous Planning Code Amendments
  • The public hearing was opened, and two people spoke. Councilmember Unger moved to approve staff recommendations and close the hearing; the motion passed 8‑0. The ordinance was approved on first reading and scheduled for final passage on July 7, 2026.

Key Outcomes

• Charter Reform Ballot Measure (Item 5.2): Approved 5‑4 (Mayor Lee breaking the tie). The resolution placing a strong‑mayor charter amendment on the November 3, 2026 ballot, as amended by the mayor’s supplemental legislation (including Councilmember Wang’s vetting option), passed. Councilmember Houston’s attendance‑based veto amendment was incorporated.
• Parking Division Reorganization (Item 5.1): Informational report received and filed (7‑0).
• Community Violence Intervention Grants (Item S5.3): Approved 7‑1 (Houston no) with a two‑year grant term (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2028) and a requirement for a six‑month report back on service impacts of funded and unfunded organizations. Total annual amount: $12.7 million; total not to exceed $25.4 million (adjusted from three‑year $38.1 million).
• Planning Code Amendments (Item 4.1): Approved on first reading (8‑0), final passage scheduled for July 7, 2026.
• Consent Calendar: Adopted with noted individual votes. Becker Boards agreement (6.10) passed 5‑3; Bike Share Franchise Amendment (6.25) passed 5‑2.
• GHAD Budgets (Items 6.1, 6.2): Continued to July 7, 2026 (8‑0).