City Government

Violence Prevention Department Bogged Down in Debate Over $300,000 No-bid Contract

Published

8 years ago

February 16, 2018

The City Council’s Life Enrichment Committee this week discussed a proposed resolution—sponsored by Councilmembers Lynette Gibson McElhaney and Larry Reid—to kick start the city’s new Department of Violence Prevention with a $300,000 no-bid contract to hire an outside consultant who would provide policy advice for setting up the department.

In the face of serious doubts about the proposal expressed by council members, Councilmember McElhaney, who chairs the committee, recommended the resolution be held in committee for further discussion and voted upon at a future time.

The City Council voted in June 2017 to create the department with a mission to work with victims of violent crime and those who are most likely to be future victims or perpetrators of violent crime – to end the cycle of violence and trauma.

McElhaney and community members with whom she is working are upset about the slow pace of progress in establishing the department. They also don’t want to see the department submerged in city administrative bureaucracy and methods of implementing violence prevention that are academic and do not work.

According to McElhaney, the city should be implementing programs based on the experience and wisdom of members of impacted communities.

Under the terms of the proposal at Life Enrichment, the city would spend $300,000 on a no-bid professional services contract “with a locally based and nationally recognized nonprofit organization…to provide policy analysis and advice on the establishment of the Department of Violence Prevention.”
In addition, the consultant would “report directly to the city council president and the chairperson of the Life Enrichment Committee,” rather than the city administrator.

“I have a lot of concerns [about the proposal],” said Councilmember Annie Campbell Washington, noting that the funding source for the $300,000 is not mentioned.

She questioned why the council should waive competitive bidding for choosing the consultant and the reason for “having the [consultant] report to the city council” rather than the city administration.

“All of those things give me a lot of pause because that does not sound usual at all,” said Campbell Washington.

“I just have to be honest about that,” she continued. “It feels like—and maybe I’m wrong—that we want to choose somebody, and we already have somebody in mind. [But] we are here to set policy, and the administrator is there to establish the department and hire a director to run the department.”

The draft resolution also called for the council president to set up a process to select the consultant. However, that wording was removed from the resolution that went to Life Enrichment on Tuesday.

One name that has been mentioned for the consultant position is David Muhammad, a criminal justice reformer who has worked at the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, according to the East Bay Express.

Muhammad resigned in 2012 from his job as Alameda County’s chief probation officer following unsubstantiated allegations of sexual assault and harassment.

Councilmember Dan Kalb said he had concerns about requiring the consultant to report to council members. “This is a department of the city, which means it is under the City Administrator, and it seems like [the consultant] should report to the City Administrator.”

In response, McElhaney said the city should utilize an outside independent consultant and listen to and rely on “authentic” community voices.

The city often spends as much as $400,000 to develop plans that do not shift the city from its past practices, she said. “Doing more of the same and amplifying more of the same doesn’t mean that we’re going to get to dramatically different results.”

“Why is it taking so long?” Audrey Cornish asked at the meeting, explaining that she is part of the community coalition that has attended city meetings to fight for the Department of Violence Prevention.

“I and other people have the answers, but you won’t listen,” said Cornish, whose son Torian Hughes was murdered in West Oakland in 2016.

Assata Olugbala challenged McElhaney for sending the resolution from the Rules Committee to the committee she chairs, rather than the Public Safety Committee, which Desley Brooks chairs.

“Why is violence prevention in the Life Enrichment Committee?” she asked. “Violence prevention should be in public safety. You want to have something on the agenda that you can control, and it won’t be controlled in public safety the way you want.”

McElhaney replied:

“To give equal weight to the non-policing side, it would be best to be in Life Enrichment where human services are, where arts and culture [are]. It needs to be in a space where those people who are triggered by the presence of police because of their history [do not] need to walk into committee meetings where they have armed officers.”

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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

5 days ago

December 25, 2025

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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

1 week 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

1 week 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.