City Government
WIB Subcommittee Violates Open Meeting Laws
A subcommittee of the Oakland Workforce Investment Board (WIB) Youth Council, called the West Oakland Working Group, met on Feb. 4, and the meeting was ruled by staff to be private. Several nonmembers from the community were told they could not attend.
The subcommittee, set up by the Youth Council, was charged with looking at causes and solutions to the WIB’s long-term failure to fund jobs and training for youth in West Oakland.
At a 2013 City Council meeting where the WIB was being discussed, councilmembers instructed staff that meetings of the WIB, especially those that deal with budget or funding issues, should be open to the public, including working committees that are called “ad hoc.”
Under state open meeting law, city meetings are generally public unless they deal with issues such as personnel, labor negotiations or privileged discussions with the city attorney. The WIB and its Youth Council are made up of business, agency and community representatives appointed by the mayor.
John Bailey, executive director of the WIB, responded: “The City Attorney’s Office recently brought to staff’s attention the need to notice working group meetings such as the one formed by the Workforce Investment Board Youth Council in accordance with the Brown Act,” he wrote in an email to the Post.
“Ad hoc groups composed entirely of members of the creating body (in this case the Youth Council) are exempt from open meetings except when the group includes outside community members,” Bailey said.
“Staff fully intends to comply and publically notice, and make open to the public the next meeting. While there were no recommendations made during the February 4th meeting, the group will reopen discussions on matters discussed at the prior meeting,” he said.
Alex Katz, spokesman for the City Attorney’s Office, said, “These types of subcommittees are subject to the Brown Act and open to the public.”
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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