City Government
Will an Independent Police Oversight Commission Make the November Ballot in Oakland?
The Oakland City Council, operating under the cloud of a continuing police child sex abuse scandal, is set to decide July 19 whether to place a measure on the November ballot to create a civilian police oversight commission.
At issue is not only whether the measure will go on the ballot but also whether the ballot proposal will create a commission that will be sufficiently independent of the influence of the police union and the city administration, which have been accused of undermining police discipline and accountability for many years.
In a letter to city officials, the Coalition for Police Accountability urged the council to create an independent police commission.
“The community is especially committed to the core principle that the commission must be independent,” said Larry White, who signed the letter for the coalition.
“There is a universal perception that if commissioners are directly appointed by elected officials, they will owe allegiance to and be susceptible to influence from those who appointed them, and to that extent, they will not function independently.”
In addition, the coalition wants the commission to be separate from the City Attorney’s Office, which has repeatedly lost police discipline hearings, resulting in the rehiring of officers who had been fired.
“We are … convinced that the commission must be served by legal counsel that is not part of the City Attorney’s office, as is the case currently with our Citizens’ Police Review Board,” according to the letter.
A major question will be how members of the commission will be selected. A compromise proposal would allow the mayor to appoint three of seven members of the commission.
However, the coalition is arguing that in the wake of the present police scandal, such as compromise is not necessary.
The coalition’s proposal is that the mayor and council members would appoint a selection panel, which in turn would interview and select a diverse commission.
“No individual would be appointed directly by a councilmember or the mayor and would have no allegiance to any of them—that is the way to have a commission that is independent,” said Rashidah Grinage of the coalition.
In a following issue, the Post will feature Councilmember Dan Kalb’s promise to the community to support an oversight commission.
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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