City Government

Commissioner Claims City Administrator and City Attorney Are Obstructing Police Commission

Published

7 years ago

April 25, 2019

The Oakland City Administrator’s Office has prevented the Oakland Police Commission from fulfilling certain elements of the Police Commission enabling ordinance, the law that grants the Commission its legal status and powers over the Oakland Police Department, according to public statements by Police Commissioner Edwin Prather.

Prather spoke during a public comment period at a Public Safety Committee meeting April 9, bluntly describing City Administrator Sabrina Landreth’s actions as “dilatory and obstructive.”

He also called Landreth’s report “offensive.”

Prather’s comments followed an oral report by Stephanie Hom, deputy city administrator, outlining Office of the City Administrator’s interactions with the Police Commission, including the posting of job notices for key positions at the commission – the Inspector General and Independent Legal Counsel.

Council President Rebecca Kaplan, a member of the City Council’s Public Safety Committee, also had unusually harsh words for the City Administrator’s report, saying that it “almost seems like an attempt to deceive the public.”

The most contentious issue in the report centered on the ongoing power struggle around the hiring of the Inspector General, a Police Commission position specified in the council-approved enabling ordinance.

Prather claimed that the commission crafted the position according to the language in the enabling ordinance, which puts the Inspector General position under the control of the commission, and then sent the job description to Landreth’s office in October 2018.

According to Prather, Landreth’s office did not reply until February 2019 and then sent back a significantly altered job description. The commission balked at agreeing to the changes, and the position has remained in limbo since then.

The enabling ordinance passed by the council contains no ambiguity about the job description and hiring being under purview of the Police Commission, even noting that background checks can only be submitted to the commission.

Prather also said that the City Attorney’s Office has put similar obstacles in the way of the Commission’s independent legal counsel hiring specified by the enabling ordinance. He also said the current counsel, who reports to the City Attorney, shared privileged information from a closed session with the City Attorney against the express instructions of the Commission.

Prather added that the commission’s administrative assistant has been instructed by the City Administrator’s Office to forego attendance at the commission’s twice-monthly meetings.

Hom explained that Landreth, following City Attorney Barbara Park’s opinion, said that the Inspector General position violates the Charter and chose not to follow the enabling ordinance as passed by the council.

The City Charter in two different sections, however, directs the City Administrator to enforce and carry out laws as passed by the council.

This ongoing power struggle arises from the contentious efforts to pass the enabling ordinance, which fleshes out the powers in the voter-approved Measure LL, creating the Police Commission as an amendment to the City Charter.

The process has taken years: first delayed by “meet and confer” requirements with the Oakland Police Officers Association (OPOA), which was required by the City Administrator and lasted nearly a year.

In another delay, the City Attorney declared the Office of the Inspector General position was illegal as defined by the charter. The legislation finally made its way to full council in June 2018 where, despite the ongoing opposition of the City Attorney and the City Administrator, the Council voted 6 to 1 to accept the enabling ordinance with the Office of the Inspector General, including making the position independent of the city administration.

At the time, Landreth took the unusual step of prefacing the second reading of the vote in favor of the enabling ordinance with a prepared statement sternly warning against passing the ordinance.

As Kaplan noted, and Hom corroborated, the legal opinions upon which Landreth is currently basing her findings are the arguments the City Attorney offered in 2018. Those were rejected by the council when it passed the enabling ordinance.

As Kaplan also stressed, during a period between June 2016 and January, 2017, Landreth functioned as interim Police Chief after the resignation/firing of Sean Whent during the Celeste Guap rape scandal.

If Landreth’s interpretation of the role of Inspector General were to be enacted, she would have the power to supervise or fire the official who could investigate events that happened during the City Administrator’s time as chief.

The committee voted unanimously to submit a resolution to the immediate Rules Committee on Thursday, April 11 for scheduling as an item on the next City Council agenda, obligating the City Administrator to release the job positions as the Commission intended.

At the meeting, the City Attorney requested time to review the legality of compelling action from the City Administrator. She agreed to complete the process in time to place the issue on the April 30 City Council agenda.

Jaime Omar Yassin

Posts by Jaime Omar Yassin

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

4 days ago

December 25, 2025

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

Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Black Arts Movement Business District Named New Cultural District in California

Located in the heart of District 3, the BAMBD is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most important centers of Black cultural production — a space where artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and cultural workers have shaped generations of local and national identity. The state’s recognition affirms the district’s historic importance and its future promise.

Published

1 week ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Carroll Fife celebrates major milestone for Black arts, culture, and economic power in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) has been selected as one of California’s 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, a distinction awarded by the California Arts Council (CAC), according to a media statement released by Councilmember Carroll Fife.

The BAMBD now joins 23 other districts across the state recognized for their deep cultural legacy, artistic excellence, and contributions to California’s creative economy.

“This designation is a testament to what Black Oakland has built — and what we continue to build when we insist on investing in our own cultural and economic power,” said Fife.

“For years, our community has fought for meaningful recognition and resources for the Black Arts Movement Business District,” she said. “This announcement validates that work and ensures that BAMBD receives the support it needs to grow, thrive, and continue shaping the cultural fabric of California.”

Since taking office, Fife has led and supported multiple initiatives that strengthened the groundwork for this achievement, including:

Restoring and protecting arts and cultural staffing within the City of Oakland.
Creating the West Oakland Community Fund to reinvest in historically excluded communities
Advancing a Black New Deal study to expand economic opportunity for Black Oakland
Ensuring racial equity impact analyses for development proposals, improving access for Black businesses and Black contractors
Introduced legislation and budget amendments that formalized, protected, and expanded the BAMBD

“These efforts weren’t abstract,” Fife said. “They were intentional, coordinated, and rooted in a belief that Black arts and Black businesses deserve deep, sustained public investment.”

As part of the Cultural District designation, BAMBD will receive:

$10,000 over two years
Dedicated technical assistance
Statewide marketing and branding support
Official designation from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030

This support will elevate the visibility of BAMBD’s artists, cultural organizations, small businesses, and legacy institutions, while helping attract new investment to the district.

“The BAMBD has always been more than a district,” Fife continued. “This recognition by the State of California gives us another tool in the fight to preserve Black culture, build Black economic power, and protect the families and institutions that make Oakland strong.”

For questions, contact Councilmember Carroll Fife at CFife@oaklandca.gov.