City Government

Councilmember Lynette McElhaney Will Face Administrative Hearing in Ethics Violation Case

Published

9 years ago

August 4, 2017

The Oakland Public Ethics Commission decided to hire an independent hearing officer to determine whether Councilmember Lynette McElhaney used her elected position to “interfere” with the construction of a building next to home. The commission voted unanimously to support the staff recommendation to hold the hearing, based on their investigation that found there was “probable cause” that the councilmember committed ethics violations.

Commissioners also voted to urge staff and the councilmember to continue to hold discussions to try to reach a settlement of the case.

Once the hearing is completed, possibly within two months, the hearing officer will report back to the commission, which could impose penalties, including a fine of up to $15,000.

In an interview with the Post, McElhaney said she thought it was positive that commissioners emphasized they wanted to pursue a settlement.

“This has been a witch hunt,” she said, emphasizing that she was not just fighting for herself but also for her neighbors, as she was elected to do, to oppose the construction of the large “ugly” building that is “like a motel.”

The major issue, said McElhaney, is that the city’s Planning Department approved a project that should never have been approved and often ignores the voices of people who live in flatland neighborhoods.

“We end up being bound by bad decisions,” she said. “There is so little accountability for these administrative decisions.”

According to ethics commission staff, McElhaney may have committed three ethics violations.

First, she received a gift from an architect worth $800 when McElhaney solicited the architect to speak for free at the Planning Commission in December 2014 in opposition to the development project. The architect at the time was doing business with the City Council.
The limit for a gift is $50 in calendar year.

Second, she voted the next month, in January 2015, to increase funding for the architect, allegedly violating the provision that prohibits a council member from participating in a council decision that benefits someone who has given a gift to the council member.

Finally, she failed to report the gift as required.

McElhaney said she had consulted with the City Attorney in an attempt to avoid conflicts of interest and that she did not realize at the time that what the architect did could be considered a gift.

The commission is also looking into whether to investigate and issue a report on the findings of the Alameda County Grand Jury, which alleges conflicts of interest that are outside the scope of the upcoming administrative hearing.

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Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

Published

2 days ago

July 5, 2026

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Inaugural Juneteenth Awards Ceremony Celebrates the Fillmore’s Black History, Leadership and Resilience

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown, Pastor Emeritus of Third Baptist Church, SF Mayor Daniel Lurie. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

By Linda Parker Pennington

The Fillmore Community Ambassadors held its first annual Juneteenth Wesley Johnson White Horse Awards ceremony on June 19 inside the newly reopened Fillmore Heritage Center.

The event featured awards for former San Francisco mayors London Breed and Willie Brown, along with Third Baptist Church Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown.

The Koret Heritage lobby at the newly reopened center at 1330 Fillmore St. held a standing-room-only, culturally diverse and multi-generational audience while the art gallery featured photos of Fillmore community members in action, red Japanese lanterns, art and calligraphy, and Chinese artwork, giving the space a multicultural feel.

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood acknowledged that “the Fillmore community has had a difficult history. Thanks to Rev. Amos Brown’s continuous focus on accountability and resistance, you hold us accountable and continue to inspire us.”

Mahmoud is referring to the Fillmore’s Japanese residents who were forced from their homes and sent to concentration camps during World War II. Black people occupied those homes until the return of their Japanese neighbors and then gave them back, while homes that had been unoccupied were lost. The presence of the Asian community on Juneteenth is a testament to that shared history.

In receiving his honor, Amos Brown elicited a powerful spontaneous call-and-response, where members of San Francisco’s many Black churches proudly shouted out the names: “Bethel AME! Providence Baptist! Jones Memorial! Glide!”

Awards program Master of Ceremonies Shawn Richards of Brothers Against Guns warmly introduced Breed, highlighting her many accomplishments, particularly on “March 16, 2020, when she became the first mayor to shut down a major U.S. city due to COVID-19, saving thousands of lives.”

The audience was captivated by Breed’s emotional speech touching on past traumas, present conditions, and future hopes for the neighborhood where she grew up.

She recalled another trauma of the neighborhood during the City’s redevelopment era in the 1960s, where Black residents were forced to move with a promise of being able to return that was largely unfulfilled.

“We remember when this land was just a field because they bulldozed hundreds of Victorian homes that Black people owned. They built the Fillmore Center, where most Black people can’t afford to live or start their own business. But we are still here.”