City Government

Parent Group Launches Campaign to Recall Oakland School Board President Jody London

Published

6 years ago

January 2, 2020

Oakland Not for Sale — a coalition of community members and educators against public school closures — is moving ahead with a campaign to recall Jody London, who serves as president of the Oakland Board of Education this year and represents District 1 on the board.

“The people of Oakland seek to recall Director London for failing to properly perform her oversight duties of OUSD District. 1 and intentionally neglecting district schools, causing under-enrollment, an artificially inflated need for security presence and massive drain of students and funding into charter schools,” according to the legal Notice of Intention to Circulate Recall Petition that Oakland Not for Sale is running as a paid announcement in this week’s Oakland Post.

The announcement alleges that among Director London’s “dereliction of duties,” she has “advocated for school closures as the first remedy to OUSD’s fiscal mismanagement,” failed to “produce evidence that closing schools would save money or produce better outcomes for impacted students, “approved or renewed charters to school that drain students and funding from traditional public schools and “condoned police brutality against peaceful students, teachers, and community members.”

According to the recall organizers, “Oakland families and educators have had enough of public school closures and the proliferation of charters over the past fifteen years. Of all California districts, Oakland has the highest percentage of students attending charter schools, which drained $57 million from the city’s public schools in a single year, according to a study released in 2018.”

Proponents of the recall include Alicia Johnson, Caroline Stern, Susana Benz, Rachel Prince, Rachel Judson, Gerry Mack, Deanna Lee, Derek White, An Thu Tran-lu and Elizabeth DeLuca.

Once the petition has been filed with the City of Oakland Election Office, officials will establish the number of signatures from District 1 that are needed to authorize the recall to go forward, which Oakland Not for Sale organizers estimate will range from 5,000 to 7,000. The signatures must be collected within 120 days from the date the city approves the petition. In addition, a recall election cannot be called within six months of the seat being up in a general election, which takes place this year is in November.

Contacted by email by the Oakland Post, Director London said, “I announced over a year ago that I am not seeking re-election as my younger daughter graduated in May 2019 and I believe a parent of students in OUSD schools should hold the seat.”

In a written statement prepared in response to the recall, she said that during her time as a school board member, “ I have made hard decisions to preserve the financial viability of the school district in a state that funds public schools below the national average per pupil, and at a time when expenses are rising. The costs of a recall election must be borne by OUSD; a recall election is unnecessary given this seat is up for re-election in 2020.”

Director London has represented North Oakland on the Board of Education since 2009. She was re-elected to a second term in 2012. Her third term ends Jan. 4, 2021.

While serving on the board, she led the effort to replace aging portables. She co-chaired the 2006 Measure B campaign, a $435 million bond. She also has helped pass the Measure G (2009) and Measure N (2014) parcel taxes, and Measure J, the 2012 renewal of the general obligation bond for capital projects.

London’s professional experience is in state policy, working with local government and non-profit organizations on strategic planning, communication, and advocacy on environmental sustainability and energy issues. Much of her current work involves state energy regulatory agencies.

Ken Epstein

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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

9 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

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

4 days 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

5 days 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.