City Government

Mayoral Candidates Back Measure Z for Public Safety

Published

11 years ago

October 15, 2014

Five candidates for Oakland mayor held a press conference to express their unanimous support this week to support a “Yes” vote on Measure Z, Oakland’s public safety tax measure.

Measure Z is designed to replace Measure Y, which is expiring.

Speaking in favor of the measure at Measure Z campaign headquarters in Old Oakland were mayoral candidates Bryan Parker, Jean Quan, Joe Tuman, Libby Schaaf and Rebecca Kaplan. Dan Siegel also has endorsed Measure Z, though he could not attend Monday’s press conference.

Measure Z will increase public safety without increasing taxes, according to supporters.

If passed on November 4, Measure Z will continue an existing measure to fund 50 police officers along with critical anti-violence programs that have been successful in reducing violent crime in Oakland.

“We all need to look long and hard at what Measure Z will do – provide vital dollars and services to keep our city safe,” said candidate Bryan Parker, an Oakland businessman.

The measure will also continue funding for community programs that protect at-risk youth and the re-entry population.

Mayoral candidate and Oakland City Councilmember Libby Schaaf addressed critics of the measure who associate it with the challenges of Measure Y. She said Measure Z has much stronger accountability.

“Measure Z is better in two ways,” Schaaf said. “Measure Z will have tighter accountability with an independent citizen’s commission and it has wording to guarantee actual (police) boots on the ground, not just called for in the budget.”

Added Joe Tuman, mayoral candidate and professor at San Francisco State, “If we don’t pass Measure Z, that’s 50 police officers we lose and we can’t afford that. For those who say this isn’t perfect and let’s start over, that’s too risky and it will take too long. Let’s start moving forward and, whoever is elected mayor, hold their feet to the fire to make Oakland safer.”

“Measure Z is funding the most effective programs to keep our city safe,” said Oakland Mayor Jean Quan. “More than 80 percent of young people in the Ceasefire program do not go back to jail. It’s recognized nationally as a successful anti-violence program and it will continue to be funded with Measure Z.”

For those who say they are voting reluctantly for Measure Z, mayoral candidate Rebecca Kaplan said thank you.

“That’s fine; let’s just vote for Measure Z,” said Kaplan, an Oakland City Councilmember. “We need more than what Measure Z calls for, but let’s be clear: If we don’t pass Measure Z we will be cutting officers and vital services. It’s vital – and we need more.”

Measure Z is supported by The League of Women Voters Oakland, the Democratic Party, The Central Labor Council (including Oakland Police Officers Association, IFPTE, SEIU, International Association of Fire Fighters Local 55), The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, The Pastors of Oakland, and The Oakland Board of Education.

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

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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

4 weeks ago

December 21, 2025

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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.