City Government
Pamela Price and Cat Brooks Dominate as Schaaf Disappoints
Assistant Pastor Jaqueline Thompson provided opening remarks at the mayoral forum on Sept. 19. Photo by Sue Taylor.
Mayoral Candidate Saied Karamooz raised a point that stirred the waters of the Allen Temple Baptist Church candidate debate this week.
“We have a humanitarian crisis in our city. Eight-six percent of the homeless are formerly housed residents of Oakland,” he said.
Candidate Cedric Troupe echoed the need to help local residents, expressing the need for better education in Oakland’s “broken” schools.
About 300 people listened closely to nine of 10 mayoral candidates at a forum Wednesday night, hosted by the Public Ministry of Allen Temple Baptist Church in East Oakland.
Speaking were current Mayor Schaaf, Jesse Smith, Ken Houston, Cat Brooks, Pamela Price, Marchon Tatmon, Saied Karamooz, Cedric Troupe, and Nancy Sidebotham. Peter Liu was not present.
The 2018 campaign season is underway, and no assumption that the incumbent will prevail can be made. Disparity in environmental conditions, homelessness, failing infrastructure, and rampant development causing displacement, were some topics of the question/answer format.
In a year when women are a greater presence in public life, Assistant Pastor Jaqueline Thompson presided over the event, Public Ministry head Sheila Fuller welcomed everyone, and Rev. Charlotte Williams, director of communications, moderated the discussion.
Candidates were asked specific questions and questioned each other. The forum scheduled to end at 8:30 p.m., lasted until after 9 p.m., and most of the attendees stayed.
A number of candidates repeated, “This wouldn’t happen in Montclair,” and those attending agreed. Tent camps, trash, and transportation were part of this theme.
But housing and homelessness issues dominated the debate. Tuff Sheds are not a welcome “solution,” and Ken Houston stated that city-owned properties need to be used for housing.
A rousing cheer went up when Cat Brooks said, “Yes on Prop. 10,” to repeal the state Costa Hawkins law so rent control can be expanded.
While Mayor Schaaf claimed progress and success, Houston said, “the City has a 200 percent success rate with property development goals, but only a 4 percent success rate providing affordable housing.”
Several candidates responded to Mayor Schaaf citing reports – one a Rockefeller-funded equity study – saying, “Reports are not enough. We need action.”
Both Cat Brooks and Pamela Price said, “We know what needs to be done.”
“Transportation should work for everyone in Oakland, so they can go anywhere they need to at a reasonable cost. That’s not happening now,” said Marchon Tatmon.
The Oakland Police Department’s failure to complete court-ordered reforms was not specifically mentioned, but Cat Brooks reiterated a point she made at the August Democratic Party debate. “If we could police and incarcerate our way into safety, we’d be the safest city in the world,” she said.
Mayor Schaaf’s reply to the criticism was, “I won’t apologize for what I’ve done.” But folks were not satisfied with the Trumpian strategy of claiming success where there is little or none.
Schaaf was questioned after the forum about a news article in which she praised a new North Oakland development that will charge up to $8,000 a month rent, saying she is for “housing at any price.”
Asked for a comment by the Post, she said, “I do think it’s wrong to kill market rate development, as happening in some cities (like) Berkeley.”
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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