City Government

Oakland City Council to Vote on Police Commission Tuesday, July 26

Published

10 years ago

July 21, 2016

Nearly 100 people showed up to speak at Tuesday’s city council meeting in support of a strong, independent police oversight commission in Oakland, which will be voted on next Tuesday.

Councilmembers Dan Kalb and Noel Gallo are putting forth the measure, which, if passed next week, will appear on the November ballot.

“Thirteen years of federal oversight, seven Black men murdered by OPD in 2015, Black women and children brutalized for peacefully protesting in Oakland, the rape and trafficking of a 17-year-old child, that is the Oakland Police Department,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project.

“There is no way that any rational person can say that we don’t need a police commission in this city,” Brooks said.

Brooks was one of many to deliver moving speeches and testimony Tuesday night. Pamela Drake, an organizer with the Coalition for Police Accountability, called the evening “a cathartic moment for the community.”

“How can I respect an organization that takes an oath to protect and serve, yet they shoot to kill,” asked Jeralynn Blueford, whose 18-year-old son, Alan Blueford, was shot and killed by an Oakland police officer in 2012.

The current proposal would give authority to the commission to investigate complaints, examine potential misconduct on its own initiative, approve OPD policies and even fire the chief.

It would establish a commission made up of seven members, three of which would be appointed by the mayor. The remaining four members would be picked by a selection committee, which would be appointed by City Council and mayor.

Several speakers on Tuesday demanded, however, that Oakland residents get the opportunity to appoint members of the police commission.

Critics argued that the politics of mayoral and City Council appointments would interfere with the type of independent, citizen-run commission needed to fairly access actions by the police department.

“We demand that we have an independent process for what’s happening,” said activist Carroll Fife, who urged the council to keep the original proposal that would allow citizens to select commission members.

Others who spoke said the proposal would be necessary for Oakland’s police department to move away from federal oversight, which came out of the infamous Riders case 13 years ago.

“Our police department is still under federal oversight,” said Oakland Private Industry Council CEO Gay Plair Cobb. “Had we had an empowered and independent oversight commission, we would be in a very different situation today regarding accountability and bad behavior.”

Representatives from SIEU Local 1021 also shared their support for the measure to be placed on the ballot.

Previously, the union had lobbied to strip the measure of all language that would remove binding arbitration.

Earlier this week, activists from the Coalition for Police Accountability said they had come to an agreement with SIEU Local 1021 and that arbitration would be eliminated from the ballot measure.

Both the union and coalition released a statement on Tuesday saying, “Local 1021 has expressed full support and backing of this progressive proposal to bring a communitydriven measure to the ballot.”

Concluding her powerful testimony, Blueford said to the city council, “Be the examples in the U.S. of coming together, building a strong police commission, supporting the citizens’ review board, and standing up for our young Black lives.”

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

6 days ago

March 1, 2026

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Oakland Post: Week of February 18 – 24, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 18 – 24, 2026

Published

2 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

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CITY OF SAN LEANDRO STATE OF CALIFORNIA PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ENGINEERING DIVISION NOTICE TO BIDDERS FOR ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III

WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 20, 2026

Oakland Post

PROJECT NO. 2020.0050

BID NO. 25-26.011

BID OPENING: The bidder shall complete the “Proposal to the City of San Leandro” form contained in the Contract Book. The proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. Incomplete proposals will be considered non-responsive. Sealed bids containing the completed Proposal Section subject to the conditions named herein and in the specifications for ANNUAL STREET OVERLAY/REHABILITATION 2019-21 – PHASE III/PROJECT NO. 2020.0050 addressed to the City of San Leandro will be received at City Hall, 835 East 14^th Street, 2^nd Floor San Leandro at the office of the City Clerk up to 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at which time they will be publicly opened and read.
WORK DESCRIPTION: The work to be done consists of roadway paving, base cement stabilization, concrete curb ramps, driveways, sidewalks, curbs and gutters, traffic detection loops and pavement striping, and doing all appurtenant work in place and ready for use, all as shown on the plans and described in the specifications with the title indicated in Paragraph 1 above, and on file in the office of the City Engineer. Reference to said plans and specifications is hereby made for further particulars.
OBTAINING THE PROJECT PLANS AND CONTRACT BOOK: The project plans and Contract Book may be obtained free of charge from the City’s website at:https://www.sanleandro.org/Bids.aspx Bidders who download the plans are encouraged to contact the City of San Leandro Public Works Department Engineering division at 510-577-3428 to be placed on the project planholder’s list to receive courtesy notifications of addenda and other project information. Project addenda, if any, will be posted on the website. A bidder who fails to address all project addenda in its proposal may be deemed non-responsive.Bidders may also purchase the Project Plans and Contract Book from East Bay Blueprint & Supply Co., at 1745 14^th Street, Oakland, CA 94606; Phone Number: (510) 261-2990 or email: ebbp@eastbayblueprint.com.
PRE-BID CONFERENCE: A mandatory pre-bid conference will be held on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM and on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM as follows:
Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at 2:00 PM
Zoom Meeting ID: 883 8752 6074
Passcode: 502955
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/88387526074?pwd=hZ5rjB8AWdLAUem3CtByFiZxqKarHj.1
And
Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM
Zoom Meeting ID: 898 2672 0472
Passcode: 091848
Zoom Link: https://sanleandro-org.zoom.us/j/89826720472?pwd=JgZX2nXMpLSRM5xDPr7EJUxl7QIznr.1The information presented at the conferences will be identical, all bidders must attend one of the pre-bid conference and sign the attendance sheet. A firm that didn’t attend the pre-bid conference isn’t qualified to bid on the project.Questions regarding the plans and specifications may be submitted in writing to the project engineer until 5:00 p.m. five (5) days before, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays, bids must be received by the City. The City will not respond to oral questions outside of the pre-bid conference. The response, if any, will be by written addendum only. Oral responses do not constitute a revision to these plans or specifications.
VALUE OF WORK: The Engineer has estimated that the value of work is between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000.
SAN LEANDRO BUSINESS PREFERENCE AND PARTICIPATION GOALS: The work performed under this contract is subject to Section 1-6-225 of the San Leandro Municipal Code regarding local business preference and participation. A list of companies that hold a San Leandro business license is located on the City webpage under the finance department, here: https://www.sanleandro.org/340/Business-License
SAN LEANDRO COMMUNITY WORKFORCE AGREEMENT: The work performed under this contract is subject to the Community Workforce Agreement adopted by City Council Resolution 2015-104. Contractors attention is directed to Section 10.