City Government

Alameda County Superior Court Rules Measure AA Illegal

Published

6 years ago

October 17, 2019

The Alameda County Superior Court on Tuesday invalidated the City of Oakland’s action to declare that Measure AA had passed.

Last December, the City Council convened a special meeting to certify passage of Measure AA, the Oakland Children’s Initiative to support early childhood education, even though the measure failed to receive the two-thirds vote that the city attorney said was necessary for passage at the ballot box.

The Jobs and Housing Coalition and other plaintiffs filed suit. The court agreed with the plaintiffs that the city could not change the vote requirement after the election.

The court also ruled that the city’s actions violated constitutional provisions that require two-thirds vote to levy parcel taxes on taxpayers.

“This was a victory and demonstrates that our commitment to good government was well founded. It is unfortunate that we had to safeguard Oakland businesses, residents and taxpayers through litigation,” said Greg McConnell, president and CEO of the Jobs and Housing Coalition.

“Regardless of the merits of the measure – and who doesn’t like children – the city’s decision to ignore the will of the voters is a stunning rebuke to the democratic process, and represents a huge breach of trust to businesses, residents and taxpayers,” McConnell said.

The coalition of plaintiffs included the Jobs and Housing Coalition, several homeowners, and landlords owning property in the city.

For District 6 Councilmember Loren Taylor, the judge’s decision provides clarity to prevent a future occurrence.

“I am grateful that we are getting greater clarity from the courts that will help us know for sure where we stand if a similar situation were to come up again,” said Taylor.

Council President Rebecca Kaplan, who last spring had urged her colleagues not to collect the tax said the litigation outcome is in alignment with her proposal to the council.

“Despite heavy pressure to collect the tax during the ongoing litigation and the summary judgement it is a good thing that the city hadn’t already collected a bunch of taxes. I am thankful that the City is now not wasting vast sums of money and trouble in having to deal with a refunding process,” said Kaplan.

The League of Women Voters of Oakland Chapter Legislative Policy Analyst Mary Bergan agreed with the court’s decision.

“We are pleased that the court agreed with us that the Council action to declare Measure AA as passed was in correct,” said Bergen. “Our concern was that the public had been informed of the 2/3rds vote of the people and it was not right to change the rules. Trying to declare it passed when it was not, was a fraud on the people.”

Post Staff

Posts by Post Staff

Related Topics:Alameda County Greg McConnell Loren Taylor Measure AA Illegal OaklandCity Council

Up Next

Dr. Nontsizi Cayou, 82

Don't Miss

Photographer Rhett Jones Captures Timeless Moments

Post Staff

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 18 – 24, 2026

Published

3 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

CITY OF SAN LEANDRO STATE OF CALIFORNIA PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ENGINEERING DIVISION NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III

WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Oakland Post

PROJECT NO. 2020.0050

BID NO. 25-26.011

BID OPENING: The bidder shall complete the “Proposal to the City of San Leandro” form contained in the Contract Book. The proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. Incomplete proposals will be considered non-responsive. Sealed bids containing the completed Proposal Section subject to the conditions named herein and in the specifications for ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III/PROJECT NO. 2020.0050 addressed to the City of San Leandro will be received at City Hall, 835 East 14^th Street, 2^nd Floor San Leandro at the office of the City Clerk up to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at which time they will be publicly opened and read.
WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.
OBTAINING THE PROJECT PLANS AND CONTRACT BOOK: The project plans and Contract Book may be obtained free of charge from the City’s website at:https://www.sanleandro.org/Bids.aspx Bidders who download the plans are encouraged to contact the City of San Leandro Public Works Department Engineering division at 510-577-3428 to be placed on the project planholder’s list to receive courtesy notifications of addenda and other project information. Project addenda, if any, will be posted on the website. A bidder who fails to address all project addenda in its proposal may be deemed non-responsive.Bidders may also purchase the Project Plans and Contract Book from East Bay Blueprint & Supply Co., at 1745 14^th Street, Oakland, CA 94606; Phone Number: (510) 261-2990 or email: ebbp@eastbayblueprint.com.
PRE-BID CONFERENCE: A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM and on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM as follows:
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM
Zoom Meeting ID: 883 8752 6074
Passcode: 502955
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/88387526074?pwd=hZ5rjB8AWdLAUem3CtByFiZxqKarHj.1
And
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM
Zoom Meeting ID: 898 2672 0472
Passcode: 091848
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/89826720472?pwd=JgZX2nXMpLSRM5xDPr7EJUxl7QIznr.1The information presented at the conferences will be identical, all bidders must attend one of the pre-bid conference and sign the attendance sheet. A firm that didn’t attend the pre-bid conference isn’t qualified to bid on the project.Questions regarding the plans and specifications may be submitted in writing to the project engineer until 5:00 p.m. five (5) days before, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, bids must be received by the City. The City will not respond to oral questions outside of the pre-bid conference. The response, if any, will be by written addendum only. Oral responses do not constitute a revision to these plans or specifications.
VALUE OF WORK: The Engineer has estimated that the value of work is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000.
SAN LEANDRO BUSINESS PREFERENCE AND PARTICIPATION GOALS: The work performed under this contract is subject to Section 1-6-225 of the San Leandro Municipal Code regarding local business preference and participation. A list of companies that hold a San Leandro business license is located on the City webpage under the finance department, here: https://www.sanleandro.org/340/Business-License
SAN LEANDRO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENT: The work performed under this contract is subject to the Community Workforce Agreement adopted by City Council Resolution 2015-104. Contractors attention is directed to Section 10.