City Government

Fired Oakland Police Chief Files Whistleblower Lawsuit Against the City

Published

6 years ago

August 20, 2020

Former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick officially filed a lawsuit Aug. 19, alleging she was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for numerous whistleblower complaints regarding corruption and misconduct among police commissioners over the course of her three-year term — violating the California Labor Code and the Chief’s constitutional rights.

The lawsuit claims that Oakland’s police commissioners “routinely abuse their power,” and seek “special treatment,” as well as “frequently abuse and harass OPD staff and interfere in day-to-day operations, including by seeking unlawful access to confidential documents.” The lawsuit adds, “anybody who speaks out about these abuses is bullied, threatened, and retaliated against.”

“The city attorney has no comment at this time,” said Zoe Savitsky of the Oakland City Attorney’s Office.

In February, the Oakland Police Commission unanimously fired Kirkpatrick, “without cause,” but claimed that the decision had been a long time coming.

Following the decision, Kirkpatrick filed a legal claim against the city and said in an interview with KTVU she believed she was fired in part because she refused to fulfill special favors for members of the police commission. Most notably, because she refused to reimburse commissioner Ginale Harris for towing fees.

In response to Kirkpatrick’s claims, Oakland Police Commission Chair Regina Jackson responded in a February city hall meeting. “Kirkpatrick’s recent media games to try to attack the mayor or discredit this commission only reinforce we made the right decision…The idea that anyone would cast such a serious vote based on something so trifling as a towing fee or disagreement is quite frankly insulting.”

The commission, made up of seven Oakland residents, was established in 2016 and has been called the “most powerful and independent police commission in the country,” by Mayor Libby Schaaf, who chose to uphold the firing.

In 2019, Kirkpatrick came under scrutiny as police watchdog group Coalition for Police Accountability criticized her decision not to discipline four officers involved in the killing of 31-year-old homeless resident Joshua Pawlik on March 11.

Saskia Hatvany

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Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 15 – 21, 2026

Published

7 days ago

July 18, 2026

Oakland Post

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From Disparity Study to Solutions: Oakland Coalition and Mayor Barbara Lee Renew Commitment to Reform City Contracting

She committed to ensuring the coalition has direct access to City leadership by designating Assistant Deputy City Administrator Chuck Baker the primary liaison. Working alongside Deputy City Administrator Sofia Navarro, DWES Director Emylene Aspilla, Race and Equity Director Darlene Flynn, and other City departments, the coalition will continue advancing these priorities while maintaining regular communication with City leadership.

Published

1 week ago

July 15, 2026

Oakland Post

Present at the recent meeting on implementing recommendations on Oakland’s Disparity Study on city work contracts were (first row, l. to r.): Chuck Baker, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Darlene Flynn. Second row, l. to r.) Samuel Adams, Erica Astrella, Chadwick Spell, Cathy Adams, Stanley Cooper, Maria Wagner, Len Turner, Derek Barnes, Paul Cobb. Photo courtesy of Oakland Mayor’s Office.

Special to The Post

On June 30, a coalition of minority business leaders, contractors and others met with Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee to discuss the City’s commitment to implement recommendations outlined in Oakland’s Disparity Study and eliminate barriers that have historically prevented Black and minority-owned businesses from fully participating in public contracting opportunities.

Representatives of the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce (OAACC), National Association of Minority Contractors Northern California (NAMC NorCal), Construction Resource Center (CRC), and the East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA) said the meeting represented an important milestone in a process that has been underway for several months.

On April 21, the Oakland City Council’s Life Enrichment Committee received a progress report from the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards (DWES), where Director Emylene Aspilla presented the coalition’s working document and outlined a collaborative implementation plan between the coalition and the City. That report established 30-, 60-, and 90-day objectives focused on five key priorities:

Reforming Local and Small Local Business Enterprise (L/SLBE) waiver practices
Strengthening prompt payment compliance
Improving procurement forecasting and transparency
Expanding contractor capacity building and business development
Increasing oversight, accountability, and public reporting

A series of working sessions was scheduled between coalition representatives, DWES, and the City Administrator’s Office to begin implementing those priorities but were temporarily delayed by the resignation of former City Administrator Jestin Johnson.

Rather than allowing that momentum to stall, OAACC President and CEO Cathy Adams requested a meeting with Lee to gain clarity on the City’s direction and reaffirm its commitment to implementing the recommendations contained within the Disparity Study.

Coalition leaders described the meeting as productive, candid, collaborative, and encouraging.

During the meeting, Lee spoke not only from her role as mayor but also from her experience as an 8(a) contractor and business owner, sharing that she understands firsthand what it takes to build and grow a successful company, employ a substantial workforce, compete for public work, and navigate the complexities of municipal contracting.

Mayor Lee also expressed her commitment to personally participate in future working meetings with the coalition.

“This meeting represents a renewed commitment to partnership,” said Adams. “Mayor Lee listened, engaged, and demonstrated that she wants to move beyond conversation and into implementation.”

CRC’s Len Turner said the roadmap is already in place. ““The City already has the evidence. What’s been missing is execution. …Now it’s time to deliver results.”

Mario Wagner, president of NAMC NorCal agreed that the next phase must focus on implementation, funding, and accountability.

“The coalition is ready to get to work. …The next step is ensuring these initiatives receive meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle. Just as important, the City must establish transparent reporting mechanisms that keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and accountability.”

Coalition leaders also acknowledged that while City leadership has indicated it is reviewing Local and Small Local Business Enterprise waiver practices, the community continues to seek a formal response regarding existing long-term waivers, including waivers extending 10 and 25 years. The coalition believes those waivers should be comprehensively reviewed and, where appropriate, rolled back as part of the City’s broader contracting reforms.

The coalition is also calling on the City to include meaningful funding in the upcoming fiscal budget cycle to support implementation of the Disparity Study recommendations and establish better methods and mechanisms to keep the public informed through regular progress reports, measurable benchmarks, and transparent accountability.

The coalition’s immediate next step is to schedule a working meeting with Baker, Aspilla, Lee, and the appropriate City staff to review what has already been accomplished under the implementation framework.