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Alameda County

Oakland Youth May Be Able to Vote in the Upcoming November School Board Elections

Four years after passing Measure QQ, which advocated for youth voting in school board elections, Alameda County is progressing towards granting 16 and 17 year olds the opportunity to vote for their district directors in the upcoming November election.

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Oakland Youth First students and volunteers at the Oakland City Council meeting where members passed an ordinance that allows 16- and 17-year old teens to vote in the upcoming school board election. Photo courtesy of Oakland Youth First.
Oakland Youth First students and volunteers at the Oakland City Council meeting where members passed an ordinance that allows 16- and 17-year old teens to vote in the upcoming school board election. Photo courtesy of Oakland Youth First.

By Magaly Muñoz

Four years after passing Measure QQ, which advocated for youth voting in school board elections, Alameda County is progressing towards granting 16 and 17 year olds the opportunity to vote for their district directors in the upcoming November election.

The process for this outcome has been frustrating and somewhat slow for those who advocated for the measure. Two school board elections came and went since the measure was passed by 67% of the vote in 2020- one in 2022 and a special election in 2023- with many saying that would’ve been the perfect opportunity to test out the voting process.

At the time of the fall special election, the county Registrar of Voters (ROV) missed the deadline to introduce new voting systems, which were required in order to register the eligible teens for the election.

Sources told the Post that there had been considerable back and forth between the ROV and the city council, who needed to pass an ordinance to authorize teen voting, about when they would see tangible plans to make this happen. The ROV had allegedly not been very communicative with the city.

Now, the council has passed a first reading of the ordinance, and should everything run smoothly, eligible students could vote for one of the four school board seats in the fall.

Sam Davis, Oakland Unified District 1 director and board president, represented the students who participated in the voting initiative at the city council’s meeting. He told the Post he’s advocated for this measure since the beginning and is excited to see their years of efforts come to fruition.

“There’s been some different hoops to jump through, but it makes it all the more rewarding that this actually happened,” Davis said.

Davis explained that lowering the age to 16 and 17 will allow teens to get a sense of how the democratic process works before they get to vote in larger elections once they turn 18. He said with the current political climate, it’s important that teens know how to make informed decisions about their representatives.

Lukas Brekke-Miesner, Executive Director of Oakland Kids First (OKF), the group that assisted in pushing the 2020 measure forward, told the Post that he won’t feel real victory until everything is set in stone and students are standing in the voting line.

He said the teen voting was vital because it allows students to hold the board accountable when making decisions that directly affect them. Students have shared with him that they often have felt like their words were going through one ear and out the other when addressing the board, but this new voting changes how their voices are heard.

In 2022, Measure S for noncitizen parent voting, passed by 66% of the votes, but as of today, no word has been given on when that will see implementation in the city.

In 2016, San Francisco passed a similar measure for non-citizen school board voting but was quickly met with a lawsuit by the United States Justice Foundation and the California Public Policy Foundation, that is still ongoing. Results of that case will help determine what will happen in Oakland school board elections.

Domenichi Morris, lead organizer with OKF, said they try to involve undocumented parents’ voices as often as possible through community forums because they value the care and input parents have in their child’s lives.

With the ordinance now approved, Oakland will enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the city of Berkeley, who also passed youth voting in 2016. The MOU states that the city of Oakland and Berkeley Unified School District (BUSD) will take on the primary costs of youth voting.

While costs may vary depending on how many voters are registered or by type of election, standalone or special, the November election could cost Oakland $20,672 – $22,848, based on current pre-registered voters. This number is expected to fluctuate now that youth voting is beginning its implementation in the city.

The MOU also states that Oakland and BUSD would be responsible to pay any litigation costs Alameda County might incur if sued for anything related to youth voting. The county would in turn compensate both parties due to Alameda’s negligence or willful misconduct performing its duties.

A second reading of the ordinance in order to solidify teen voting in Oakland is scheduled for July 16.

Activism

Outgoing D.A. Pamela Price Releases Report on County Gun Violence Epidemic

The 84-page report is divided into two parts: the Public Health Impact of Violence and the Contribution of Structural Inequalities; and the Public Safety Impact of Gun Violence and the Regulation of Firearms. Each section documents trends in rising gun violence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to the rise in gun-related deaths of women and children in Alameda County. Each section advises innovative approaches for the County to address gun violence and build safe communities.

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Exclusive interview with County D.A. Price days before recall election. Photo by Ken Epstein.
Pamela Price was recalled in the election on Nov. 5. File photo.

By Post Staff

Criminal Justice Reformer District Attorney Pamela Price, who is leaving office this week after losing a recall election, released a comprehensive report on the gun violence epidemic and public health emergency in Alameda County: “Tackling Gun Violence Epidemic in Alameda County: A Public Health Emergency (2019-2023).”

This report represents an unprecedented collaboration between public safety and public health partners and provides data and recommendations to guide the County’s continued work to reduce violence while advancing justice reform.

The 84-page report is divided into two parts: the Public Health Impact of Violence and the Contribution of Structural Inequalities; and the Public Safety Impact of Gun Violence and the Regulation of Firearms.

Each section documents trends in rising gun violence in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with special attention to the rise in gun-related deaths of women and children in Alameda County. Each section advises innovative approaches for the County to address gun violence and build safe communities.

“Between 2019 to 2023, an average of three residents were killed by firearms each week in Alameda County, and behind every statistic is a shattered family and community,” said Price.

“Under my administration, the DA’s office has taken bold steps to combat gun violence while promoting equity and healing for survivors,” she said.

The report highlights strategies for keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people. Last month, the DA’s office secured a $5.5 million grant from the California Judicial Council to help improve compliance and case management for gun cases and gun relinquishment orders —the removal of guns from people prohibited from possessing a firearm – with law enforcement and court partners.

This effort builds on Price’s work in 2023 and 2024 in attacking the gun violence epidemic.

“We launched an innovative Gun Violence Restraining Order Outreach Project to educate communities about the availability of tools to remove guns and ammunition from people who are a danger to themselves and others and the intersectionality of domestic violence and gun violence and convened gun violence roundtable conversations with our law enforcement partners and collaborated with the Alameda County Public Health Department to produce this comprehensive report,” she said.

“We supported Oakland’s CEASEFIRE program through its transition and implemented a pilot Mentor Gun Diversion Program with our collaborative court partners, offering non-violent youth in possession of a gun pathways to interrupt the potential for escalating harm.” added Price.

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Activism

D.A. Pamela Price Receives Hugs from Teary-Eyed Supporters as She Leaves Office

Crowding the sidewalk around Price were many teary-eyed supporters and well-wishers, who embraced her and carried homemade signs, singing, and chanting in recognition of her brave work as a champion for justice with compassion.

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While holding a bouquet of flowers, District Attorney Pamela Price waves goodbye to supporters as she leaves her East Oakland office. Courtesy photo
While holding a bouquet of flowers, District Attorney Pamela Price waves goodbye to supporters as she leaves her East Oakland office. Courtesy photo

By Ken Epstein

District Attorney Pamela Price left her office near the Oakland Coliseum Thursday afternoon for the last time after losing the recall election in November.

Crowding the sidewalk around Price were many teary-eyed supporters and well-wishers, who embraced her and carried homemade signs, singing, and chanting in recognition of her brave work as a champion for justice with compassion.

The crowd shouted and chanted, “We love you D.A. Price,” “You’re our hero,” and “We will not give up.”

They also sang: “We love you; we love you, Pamela Price.  Just like a tree that’s planted by the water, we shall not be moved.”

Signs read: “Pamela Price: The D.A. who fought for us all:” and “Thank you for standing for justice. We love you.”

One man in the crowd said, “I’ve opposed pretty much every D.A. I’ve encountered.  I guess that’s why they got her out.  They can’t stand having a district attorney that believes in justice for everyone.”

After leaving work, she went to the Claremont Hotel in Oakland, where she was scheduled to receive an award from Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA).

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Alameda County

Councilmember Carroll Fife, on Track to Win Reelection, Looks to Oakland’s Progress

District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife, though outspent by hundreds of thousands of dollars and facing a bitter campaign of slander, misrepresentations, and physical threats, seems to have emerged with a fairly comfortable lead in her reelection bid, well ahead of her nearest competitor (44% to 30%). In an interview with the Oakland Post Thursday, Councilmember Fife said she is hopeful that Congresswoman Barbara Lee would be willing to run for Oakland mayor if Mayor Sheng Thao is recalled.

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Councilmember Carroll Fife
Carroll Fife. Courtesy photo.

By Ken Epstein

District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife, though outspent by hundreds of thousands of dollars and facing a bitter campaign of slander, misrepresentations, and physical threats, seems to have emerged with a fairly comfortable lead in her reelection bid, well ahead of her nearest competitor (44% to 30%).

In an interview with the Oakland Post Thursday, Councilmember Fife said she is hopeful that Congresswoman Barbara Lee would be willing to run for Oakland mayor if Mayor Sheng Thao is recalled.

She also explained why she thinks her campaign has done so well against extreme challenges and talked about her priorities for the coming year, especially the need to stabilize leadership in city government.

“We’re on the right path,” said Fife. “We just need to bring in the right leadership, and I’m praying that Barbara Lee will consider running for mayor. I think she has the gravitas to pull Oakland together and unite everyone in a way that none of the top potential contenders will.”

Fife explained why she feels she has been able to overcome very powerful opponents to win reelection.

“There are several thousand votes outstanding (left to be counted), but it looks pretty good,” Fife said, emphasizing the impact of the door-to-door work her supporters have done over the past four years and her close ties with her constituents.

“I attribute that to ongoing base-building and community organizing, outside of the election years,” she said.  “I have an amazing field team that was able to penetrate through the negative messaging and the narratives that these millionaires and billionaires were trying to craft.”

In addition, she said she spoke with most of her opponents, and they agreed to support each other in ranked choice voting. “I was able to coordinate with them, except for the two candidates that were perpetuating false narratives, and were part of former Mayor Libby Schaaf’s talking points,” and the doom-loop narrative trashing Oakland promoted by corporate public relations operative Sam Singer.

One of the local groups working to unseat Fife, Empower Oakland, received over $500,000 raised by crypto industry leader Jesse Pollak. The National Association of Realtors and other real estate groups also poured over $1 million into the campaign against the councilmember.

Though the billionaire and multimillionaire backers may be successful in recalling Oakland’s mayor and the Alameda County district attorney, they appear to be failing in their attempt to remake the leadership of City Hall.

“With all the money they’ve spent, they were successful with the two recalls and nothing else,” she said, explaining that corporation-backed candidates are not winning.

She noted that some local leaders are organizing to repeal ranked-choice voting in Oakland and that eliminating or preventing ranked-choice voting “is one of the (right-wing) Heritage Foundation’s flagship campaigns in cities and states across the nation.”

People “should be aware of how these Republican policies are creeping into the Bay,” she continued. Ranked-choice voting is a threat to those with money because it allows for “unlikely candidates who are not necessarily connected to wealth and or political connections,” to succeed, she said.

Oakland is poised for economic growth and is becoming a much safer city, Fife says.

At the same time, considerable economic challenges remain.

“We are dealing with some of the most challenging financial times in the history of Oakland, and I want to make sure that our infrastructure is solid. There are a lot of things to do and understanding that we’re going to need some help, and we’re not going to even have consistent leadership in the mayor’s office,” she said.

“If you want to empower Oakland, you don’t destabilize it,” Fife said. “You don’t destabilize it by creating mass hysteria in one of the largest businesses in the city, which is our city government.”

Looking at the impact of the Nov. 5 elections, she said, “I know people are feeling really dejected about some local and national races. But I think these are the opportunities for people who have big ideas and who are concerned about the beloved community to step up.

“We’ve seen how people have voiced their positions and their anxieties around our country, our city. But now is the time to organize,” Fife said.

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