City Government

Fired Oakland Police Chief Files Whistleblower Lawsuit Against the City

Published

5 years ago

August 20, 2020

Former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick officially filed a lawsuit Aug. 19, alleging she was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for numerous whistleblower complaints regarding corruption and misconduct among police commissioners over the course of her three-year term — violating the California Labor Code and the Chief’s constitutional rights.

The lawsuit claims that Oakland’s police commissioners “routinely abuse their power,” and seek “special treatment,” as well as “frequently abuse and harass OPD staff and interfere in day-to-day operations, including by seeking unlawful access to confidential documents.” The lawsuit adds, “anybody who speaks out about these abuses is bullied, threatened, and retaliated against.”

“The city attorney has no comment at this time,” said Zoe Savitsky of the Oakland City Attorney’s Office.

In February, the Oakland Police Commission unanimously fired Kirkpatrick, “without cause,” but claimed that the decision had been a long time coming.

Following the decision, Kirkpatrick filed a legal claim against the city and said in an interview with KTVU she believed she was fired in part because she refused to fulfill special favors for members of the police commission. Most notably, because she refused to reimburse commissioner Ginale Harris for towing fees.

In response to Kirkpatrick’s claims, Oakland Police Commission Chair Regina Jackson responded in a February city hall meeting. “Kirkpatrick’s recent media games to try to attack the mayor or discredit this commission only reinforce we made the right decision…The idea that anyone would cast such a serious vote based on something so trifling as a towing fee or disagreement is quite frankly insulting.”

The commission, made up of seven Oakland residents, was established in 2016 and has been called the “most powerful and independent police commission in the country,” by Mayor Libby Schaaf, who chose to uphold the firing.

In 2019, Kirkpatrick came under scrutiny as police watchdog group Coalition for Police Accountability criticized her decision not to discipline four officers involved in the killing of 31-year-old homeless resident Joshua Pawlik on March 11.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

Published

2 days ago

May 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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IN MEMORIAM: Nate Holden, State Senator and Longtime Los Angeles Councilmember, Dies at 95

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.” Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

Published

1 week ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Former Los Angeles Councilmember and California State Sen. Nate Holden. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Nathaniel “Nate” Holden, a prominent figure in the city’s politics, passed away at the age of 95, his family confirmed on May 7.

Holden, who represented South Los Angeles for 16 years on the City Council and served one term in the California State Senate, was widely regarded as a forceful advocate for his community.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.”

Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

Holden’s journey to political prominence began in the segregated South, where he was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1929. He often recalled the childhood moment when he first heard the governor of Georgia vowing to continue suppressing Black people.

“Doing the best you can for the people. Law and order. Make sure that people’s communities are safe. I did it all,” said Holden, reflecting on his legacy.

Holden is survived by his sons, including former California Assemblymember Chris Holden, who represented a district in Southern California that includes Pasadena and Altadena in Los Angeles County and cities in San Bernardino County.

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Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

1 week ago

May 18, 2025

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.