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Proposed City Council Rule Change Falls Short in Face of Community Opposition

Published

7 years ago

February 8, 2018

Speakers concerned about Chief Kirkpatrick’s interference in council decisions; Her
actions also cost her former employer, City of Spokane, $1.7 million jury award

Conflicts about abuse of power and political intrigue that are typically a feature of debates at the national level arose at the Oakland City Council meeting this week. Dozens of people from the community showed up to oppose a resolution to give the council president unchecked authority to appoint and remove committee chairs and members.

Speaker after speaker blasted the resolution as an anti-democratic move designed to intimidate oppositional, progressive voices on the council. A number of speakers said the change was especially meant to silence Public Safety Committee Chair Desley Brooks, who has been outspoken in condemnation of the Oakland Police Department’s cooperation with ICE immigration raids in violation of the sanctuary city policy passed by the council.

In the course of the debate, Council President Larry Reid admitted he had been called by Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick about this issue but refused to discuss the content of their conversation.

Until now, the council’s Rules and Procedures has granted the president the authority to appoint committee members and chairs for two-year terms and has required that the appointments go to a council vote for confirmation.

The rule change, proposed by Councilmembers Lynette Gibson McElhaney and Annie Campbell Washington and Council President Larry Reid, would have allowed the president to shuffle committee chairs and members at any time and would remove the requirement for a council confirmation vote.

Not a single speaker who addressed the council supported the motion. In the face of community opposition, the proposal failed, winning only four votes, one vote short of what it needed to pass. It was supported by the proposal’s original three sponsors and Councilmember Abel Guillén.

Ultimately, a modified motion was passed, proposed by Councilmember Dan Kalb.
Falling short of what the McElhaney proposal was trying to achieve, the new rule—which goes into effect immediately—gives the council president power to appoint and remove committee members at will, but requires that his decisions go to the council for ratification.

Under the new rule, changes in committee membership cannot go into effect without public debate and a council decision.
Voting for the rule change were McElhaney, Campbell Washington, Reid, Guillén and Kalb. Opposed were Brooks and Noel Gallo. Councilmember-at-Large Rebecca Kaplan abstained.

Concerns have been circulating about whether Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick had contacted Council President Reid about removing Brooks from her position as chair of Public Safety, and when questioned at the meeting by a community member, Reid said he had received a call from the chief.

Jonah Strauss of the Oakland Warehouse Coalition asked President Reid, “Did you have a recent call with Anne Kirkpatrick, chief of police? Do you feel it is appropriate for OPD to have a say in committee assignments?”

Reid responded, “Yeah, the police chief called me, but that’s my conversation with her, and I don’t have to share it with you. That’s my answer to your question.”

Rashidah Grinage of the Coalition for Police Accountability criticized the chief for interfering in city government and councilmembers for doing her bidding.

The police chief is afraid of an elected councilmember “to the point where she crosses all kinds of ethical and governmental

Rashidah Grinage

processes to make an effort to remove this person who has oversight,” said Grinage.

The chief is “so intimidated by being questioned and asked to account for her own actions that she retaliates against this person who is doing her job [and] who is representing the interests and the values and the laws of the community,” she said.

“This is a very frightening situation if this council is going to knuckle to pressure from a police chief,” she said. “Think about the signal that will send to this community.”

“You seem to think we don’t know what’s behind [the rule change], and in your efforts to be obscure, you are very clear and transparent,” Grinage said.

The East Bay Times reported Wednesday that the police chief said she had called Reid “to express concerns” about the December verdict in Elaine Brown’s lawsuit against the city and Brooks.

The police chief was herself the subject of a lawsuit while she served in Spokane, costing the city nearly $2 million.

Councilmember McElhaney said the rule change was only to make the council rules more efficient and modern, in line with how other cities assign committee members.

“Since 2014, I have sought to bring forth these changes…to provide for a continuity of service in case there is an interruption in our chair leadership [for health or other reasons],” said McElhaney.

“I have sought to bring modernization to [the rules],” she said.

Campbell Washington said, “This a very common rule in legislative bodies. I believe it will allow us to manage our business in a way that is necessary and respond to issues that we need to respond to.”

Kaplan questioned the motivation and consequences of the rule change.
“I don’t see any reference [in the proposal] to when a committee chair is incapacitated,” she said.

“But it appears this would allow committee assignments to be changed daily, hourly, for any reason, for no reason, and in fact there be no protections at all [against] it being used to punish somebody for not voting for something or for other reasons that would really be disruptive to the integrity of the body.”

Desley Brooks

Councilmember Brooks called the proposal part of a “concerted effort” on the part of councilmembers, the administration and the media “to try and seize this moment, to try to get the public to make a rush to judgment about me.”

“[This] really isn’t just about me,” she said. “I am just the vehicle. This has been an attempt to silence the voice of the community.”
A number of speakers syosupported Brooks’ work as a defender of the interests of the community.

Anthony Palik said he has been living in Oakland for less than a week and came to the council meeting after reading newspapers.
“[Desley Brooks] is obviously someone who can speak truth to power, and she’s a courageous woman for doing so,” he said.

“To hear what Ms. Brooks had to say convinced me that there’s a problem here. And that problem is the consolidation of power…an attempt of the majority to silence the minority.”

Turha Ak of the Community Ready Corps talked about how Brooks helped protect people during the protests in 2009 when Oscar Grant was killed by BART police.
He explained that as he was “trying to get people out to safety,” Ms. Brooks stepped through the tear gas, made [the police] back down and allowed me to get the people out.”

“You are not going to tell me that this isn’t about getting rid of her,” he said. “We’re (not) going to play that game,” he said. “You do developers’ business. You do corporations’ business. You do your business. You don’t do the people’s business.”

Cat Brooks, a journalist, actor and leader of the Anti Police-Terror Project, said, “This is not about personal relations. It’s about when the people say this is how we want to move, and we got hundreds of people inside this room saying this is how Oakland wants you to move, Desley listens when we say that.

“We have to be clear that getting Desley off of this council is getting progressive voices out of the room.”

In November 2011, a jury found that then-Spokane, WA Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick (left) had illegally fired a police officer and then retaliated against him even after the officer was cleared of any wrongdoing. The jury ultimately awarded the officer $1.7 million.

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‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him

“Donald Trump is not a god,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

Published

9 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he not intimidated by President-elect Donald Trump, who, during an interview on “Meet the Press,” called for the congressman to be jailed for his role as chairman of the special congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Donald Trump is not a god,” Thompson told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

“He can’t prove it, nor has there been any other proof offered, which tells me that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said the 76-year-old lawmaker, who maintained that he and the bipartisan Jan. 6 Select Committee – which referred Trump for criminal prosecution – were exercising their constitutional and legislative duties.

“When someone disagrees with you, that doesn’t make it illegal; that doesn’t even make it wrong,” Thompson said, “The greatness of this country is that everyone can have their own opinion about any subject, and so for an incoming president who disagrees with the work of Congress to say ‘because I disagree, I want them jailed,’ is absolutely unbelievable.”

When asked by The Grio if he is concerned about his physical safety amid continued public ridicule from Trump, whose supporters have already proven to be violent, Thompson said, “I think every member of Congress here has to have some degree of concern, because you just never know.”

This story is based on a report from The Grio.

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City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

“Libraries are such critical facilities for all Oaklanders, whether it’s children coming to story-time, adults reading the newspapers or borrowing the latest novels, and people engaging with a range of services and programs that the library hosts,” said Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. “Such library services and programs are only possible when the facility’s electricity, heating, roof, and lighting are fixed and running efficiently. I’m proud to join this re-opening of our Main Public Library.”

Published

10 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

The branch had been closed since May for critical infrastructure upgrades

Special to the Post

The City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Main Library after completion of critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance the library’s facilities and provide a better experience for patrons.

Renovations include new roof installation, skylight repair, critical electrical system upgrades, new boiler control system installation, auditorium heating and cooling system installation, and improvements to lighting, flooring and ceilings throughout the building.

“This is truly something to celebrate, the reopening of our wonderful Main Library! I congratulate the staff and our partners for this important project to make the Main Library a more comfortable place for everyone for years to come, said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “Thank you to Oakland voters and the California State Library for making these crucial improvements possible.”

“Public libraries are a wonderful resource for our residents, offering a safe space for learning and being,” said District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife. “It is critical to improve and modernize our libraries so more members of our community can utilize and enjoy them. I’m excited that the necessary renovations to the Main Library have been completed successfully and thank everyone involved, particularly the City team, who helped secured the necessary grant funds for this work.”

“I am proud of the City staff and project partners who kept this important project on schedule and under budget,” said Assistant City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. “The library is an incredibly important resource for our community members, and this project is an investment into the library’s future.”

“December 2nd was a momentous occasion for Oakland Public Library as we proudly reopened the doors of the Main Library following extensive infrastructure repairs,” said Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak. “Closing the Main Library for six months was no easy decision, as it serves as the central hub for our library system and is truly the heart of Oakland. Yet, this renovation was essential, representing more than just physical upgrades—it reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for everyone.”

The City Administrator Jestin Johnson also attended the press conference and signalled his support for the completion of the record-setting completion of the renovations. Gay Plair Cobb, a newly appointed Library Commissioner said the Library represents the soul and brains of our community.

The Oakland Public Library secured funding for these crititcal repairs through a variety of sources. The California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program awarded the Main Branch $4.2 million. To comply with the grant terms, the City of Oakland provided matching funds through Measures KK, as approved by the Oakland City Council in October 2023.

The Main Library will host an Open House to celebrate the reopening on February 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

About the Oakland Public Library

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Locations include 16 neighborhood branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Oakland Tool Lending Library, and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO). The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow. Oaklandlibrary.org

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Biden’s Legacy Secured with Record-Setting Black Judicial Appointments

His record surpasses previous efforts by his predecessors. President Jimmy Carter appointed 37 Black judges, including seven Black women. In stark contrast, Donald Trump’s first term resulted in only two Black women appointed out of 234 lifetime judicial nominations. The White House said Biden’s efforts show a broader commitment to racial equity and justice.

Published

10 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

iStockphoto.

By Stacy M. Brown
WI Senior Writer

President Joe Biden’s commitment to diversifying the federal judiciary has culminated in a historic achievement: appointing 40 Black women to lifetime judgeships, the most of any president in U.S. history.

Biden has appointed 62 Black judges, cementing his presidency as one focused on promoting equity and representation on the federal bench.

The White House said Biden’s efforts show a broader commitment to racial equity and justice.

Meanwhile, Trump has vowed to dismantle key civil rights protections, including the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“Having the Black woman’s experience on the federal bench is extremely important because there is a different kind of voice that can come from the Black female from the bench,” Delores Jones-Brown, professor emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told reporters.

Lena Zwarensteyn of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights told reporters that these district court judges are often the first and sometimes the final arbiters in cases affecting healthcare access, education equity, fair hiring practices, and voting rights.

“Those decisions are often the very final decisions because very few cases actually get heard by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Zwarensteyn explained.

Biden’s nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court further reflects his commitment to judicial diversity. Jackson became the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.

Patrick McNeil, spokesperson for the Leadership Conference, pointed out that over half of Biden’s Black female judicial appointees have backgrounds as civil rights attorneys and public defenders, experience advocates consider essential for a balanced judiciary.

Meanwhile, Congress remains divided over the expansion of federal judgeships. Legislation to add 66 new judgeships—approved unanimously by the Senate in August—stalled in the GOP-controlled House until after the election. House Republicans proposed distributing the new judgeships over the next decade, giving three administrations a say in appointments. President Biden, however, signaled he would veto the bill if it reached his desk.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., argued the delay was a strategic move to benefit Trump’s potential return to office. “Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to expand the power of the presidency and giving him 25 new judges to appoint gives him one more tool at his disposal,” Nadler said.