City Government

Oakland Police Commission Will Be on November Ballot

Published

9 years ago

July 29, 2016

Council members on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a November ballot measure to change the city’s charter in order to create a citizen Police Commission, which will have the power to investigate and impose discipline for misconduct committed by Oakland police officers.

As the decision came down to the wire last week, the City Council was under intense behind-the-scenes pressure, negotiating with the mayor, Oakland Police Officers Association and its supporters, as well as hearing from large numbers of community members who were determined to stop the commission proposal from being watered down.

Ultimately, the measure that will be on the ballot could give Oakland the strongest police oversight it has ever had but falls short of creating a public body community members were hoping to see – a commission that is completely independent of the political influence of the mayor and City Council.

Councilmember Noel Gallo co-wrote the resolution with Councilmember Dan Kalb. Over the course of many months of negotiations, they were involved in rewriting the wording of the measure more than 30 times.

“For me establishing a police commission is the right thing to do for the City of Oakland,” said Gallo, speaking at the council meeting. “We’ve been under federal oversight for 13 years, (at a cost of) millions of dollars that you and I as taxpayers have been paying for that oversight.”

If passed in November, the seven-member commission would have extensive powers to oversee the Oakland Police Department including the ability to review and propose changes to department policies and procedures, and remove the Chief of Police with at least five commissioner votes.

The measure also would give the commission subpoena power, which means officers and other witnesses could be required to testify. The commission would replace the existing, weaker Citizens’ Police Review Board.

In the final measure that will go to the voters, four members of the commission would be appointed by a nine-member selection panel appointed by the mayor and City Council. The mayor would appoint the three remaining commission members.

Councilmember Gallo said he agreed with community members who wanted all seven of the commissions to be independent of direct political influence but said that it was not possible to win that position on the council at the present time.

Rashidah Grinage of the Coalition for Police Accountability, who has being working on police accountability for more than 20 years, said the overwhelming sentiment of the community was in favor of a completely independent police review commission, but there was not sufficient support for that position on the council.

However, she said other parts of the measure are strong and constitute a victory for the community.

“It is important to understand that police commission is a measure created by charter amendment,” said Grinage. “If it passes, the council cannot eliminate it. It will require the voters to reverse it,” she said.

“The commission takes power over police discipline out of the hands of the city administrator, who is appointed by the mayor, and transfers that power over to Oakland residents, who are volunteers,” she said. “That is the central piece.”

Grinage agreed with those who say the commission is not strong enough. “There is no perfect solution that can be achieved in a single pen stroke,” she said. “There will have to be a sustained effort for a series of changes. This is an important first step.”

During the debate over the measure at the council meeting, Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan and Desley Brooks unsuccessfully attempted to amend the proposal to remove the power of the mayor to appoint commission members.

“I received many calls and emails from people asking that the commission be entirely independent of politics, and asking that all the appointments be made by the citizen group,” Kaplan said.

Brooks criticized council members for refusing to back their amendment, saying “there has been a buy off” of the council to give the mayor the power to appoint commissioners.

Many of the speakers at the meeting blasted council members for giving the mayor so much influence.

“We do not trust the mayor to make these appointments,” said community activist Cat Brooks of the Anti Police-Terror Project.

Said Rev. Ben McBride, “I am very frustrated, even with this passing and we’re glad that it’s passing – that you’ve taken the power out of the measure for community members to appoint people (so that) we can have some accountability. (Letting) the mayor appoint a civilian board is not sufficient.”

“I think we are still fundamentally misunderstanding the moment that we are in, (here) in this city,” said McBride. “We have young people of color in this city who are raped, sexually exploited and oppressed by a government that is supposed to protect them.”

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

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

Published

7 days ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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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

2 weeks 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.

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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

2 weeks 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.