Bay Area
Family Files Wrongful Death Suit on Behalf of Former Fremont Police Captain Fred Bobbitt
The complaint alleges that current city officials’ disregard of the arbitrator’s ruling, the ongoing retaliation, the city’s refusal to mediate Bobbitt’s retaliation complaint, and the betrayal by individuals who Bobbitt trusted and supported, as well as the institution he valued, caused serious and severe emotional distress that was a substantial factor in causing Bobbitt’s death.
By Sandra Varner
The family of the late Fremont Police Captain Fred “Freddie” Bobbitt filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the Alameda County Superior Court against the City of Fremont on Monday. At a press conference, Bobbitt’s survivors announced they were seeking unspecified economic and noneconomic damages.
According to Bay City News, city officials expressed their ‘deepest sympathy” for the family “during this difficult time” but are not commenting further because of the lawsuit.
Ray Bobbitt, Fred Bobbitt’s brother, said the underlying purpose of the lawsuit was to address underlying corruption and retaliation by the City of Fremont for the sake of themselves but also for other families who have faced similar circumstances.
Bobbitt was 54 years old when he passed away unexpectedly on Feb. 21, 2022. Beloved by many, he was honored by the Fremont Police Department, elected officials, and the community during a 2,000-person memorial service, followed by a 4-mile-long law enforcement funeral procession.
The complaint alleges that the retaliation Bobbitt endured, which began with the actions of former Fremont City Manager Mark Danaj and former Fremont Police Chief Kim Petersen, and which current City officials continued after the departures of Petersen and Danaj, including, among others, current Fremont Mayor Lily Mei, was responsible for Bobbitt’s death.
The retaliation began after an incident in 2019 when Captain Bobbitt corrected Danaj on his mischaracterization of the Fremont Police Department and the police union. In September of 2020, Danaj and other city officials attempted to push Bobbitt to resign from the Police Department by offering him his full pension, plus a cash payout.
After Bobbitt refused to resign, Danaj and other city officials had Bobbitt removed as commander of patrol, reassigned to an undefined administrative position, and had him placed on a Performance Improvement Plan, although Bobbitt had never been the subject of any type of complaint or disciplinary action during his over 30 years of service.
Bobbitt filed a grievance against the City of Fremont and, in an arbitration ruling issued in December 2021, it was found that there was clear and convincing evidence that city officials engaged in retaliation against Bobbitt.
The arbitrator ruled that Bobbitt was to be made whole by being immediately reinstated as the commander of patrol, rescinding the Performance Improvement Plan, acknowledging that the Performance Improvement Plan was premised upon unfounded allegations, and expunging all adverse comments in Bobbitt’s personnel file.
Despite the arbitrator’s ruling, Bobbitt was never made whole.
Additionally, following the arbitration ruling, Bobbitt requested mediation with the city regarding his retaliation complaint, which the city denied.
The complaint alleges that current city officials’ disregard of the arbitrator’s ruling, the ongoing retaliation, the city’s refusal to mediate Bobbitt’s retaliation complaint, and the betrayal by individuals who Bobbitt trusted and supported, as well as the institution he valued, caused serious and severe emotional distress that was a substantial factor in causing Bobbitt’s death.
A statement from Bobbitt’s family says: “Captain Fred ‘Freddie’ Bobbitt was a man of high integrity. He said he was willing to sacrifice retaliation for doing the right thing, including confronting government corruption at its highest levels. Captain Bobbitt believed that high-ranking public officials should be held to a higher standard due to the public trust of their positions. We will continue his fight by pushing for accountability in hopes that no other committed first responder suffers in the manner Fred did. We are also planning to testify before government bodies on the need to fight government corruption in … municipalities while highlighting the impact it has on honest employees and how it affects the community’s trust.”
Bay City News contributed to this report.
Alameda County
District Attorney Pamela Price Will Face Recall Election on November General Election Ballot
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors scheduled the recall election against Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price for November 5, coinciding with the 2024 General Election. The decision comes after weeks of controversy and drawn-out discussions amongst county officials, recall proponents, and opponents, and legal advisors.
By Magaly Muñoz
The Alameda County Board of Supervisors scheduled the recall election against Alameda District Attorney Pamela Price for November 5, coinciding with the 2024 General Election.
The decision comes after weeks of controversy and drawn-out discussions amongst county officials, recall proponents, and opponents, and legal advisors.
Recall proponents submitted 123,374 signatures before the March 5 deadline, which resulted in 74,757 valid signatures counted by the Registrar of Voters (ROV).
The recall election will cost Alameda County $4 million and will require them to hire hundreds of new election workers to manage the demand of keeping up with the federal, state and local elections and measures.
Save Alameda For Everyone (SAFE), one of the two recall campaigns against Price, held a press conference minutes before the Board’s special meeting asking for the Supervisors to schedule the election in August instead of consolidating with the November election.
Supporters of the recall have said they were not concerned with the $20 million price tag the special election would’ve cost the county if they had put it on the ballot in the summer. Many have stated that the lives of their loved ones are worth more than that number.
“What is the cost of a life?” recall supporters have asked time and time again.
Opponents of the recall election have been vehemently against a special date to vote, stating it would cost taxpayers too much money that could be reinvested into social programs to help struggling residents.
A special election could’ve cost the county’s budget to exceed its current deficit of $68 million, which was a driving factor in the three supervisors who voted for a consolidated election.
“Bottom line is, I can’t in good conscience support a special election that is going to cost the county $20 million,” Board President Nate Miley said.
Many speakers asked Miley and Keith Carson to recuse themselves from the vote, claiming that they have had improper involvement with either the recall proponents or Price herself.
Both supervisors addressed the concerns stating that regardless of who they associate themselves with or what their political beliefs are, they have to do their jobs, no matter the outcome.
Carson noted that although he’s neither supporting nor opposing Price as district attorney, he believes that whoever is elected next to take that position should have a reasonable amount of time to adjust to the job before recalls are considered.
Reports of recall attempts started as soon as April 2023 when Price had only been in office three months.
Price and her campaign team Protect the Win have been adamant that the voters who elected her to office will not fall for the “undemocratic” practices from the recall campaign and they are prepared to put all efforts forward to guarantee she stays in office.
Bay Area
Radical Proposal to Limit the Power of Oakland’s Police Commission
Since February 2023, several stakeholders, including the Coalition for Police Accountability, began to work on amending the Enabling Ordinance of Section 604, Article VI of the Oakland City Charter. The Enabling Ordinance was approved by 83.19% of Oakland voters and established the civilian membered Police Commission (the Commission), the Community Police Review Agency (CPRA) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The recent process to amend was focused on addressing some of the inefficiencies and disruptions that have occurred with the Police Commission and to establish guard rails and procedures to mitigate such issues in the future.
By Coalition for Police Accountability
Since February 2023, several stakeholders, including the Coalition for Police Accountability, began to work on amending the Enabling Ordinance of Section 604, Article VI of the Oakland City Charter. The Enabling Ordinance was approved by 83.19% of Oakland voters and established the civilian membered Police Commission (the Commission), the Community Police Review Agency (CPRA) and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The recent process to amend was focused on addressing some of the inefficiencies and disruptions that have occurred with the Police Commission and to establish guard rails and procedures to mitigate such issues in the future. Councilmembers Dan Kalb and Kevin Jenkins are the authors of this legislation which is still in process.
A counter proposal was presented by Councilmember Jenkins to drastically amend Article VI, Section 604 of the City Charter. The proposal would remove the selection process of the police chief from the Commission and give that power solely to the mayor. Currently, the Commission selects the candidates from which the mayor chooses the chief and presents them to the mayor who selects the final candidate. The proposal also moves the OIG to the Auditor’s Office. These proposals would rob the Commission and the OIG of independence from City Hall which 83.19% of Oakland voters sought in voting for Measure LL in 2016 and Measure S1 in 2018.
Our position is that the issues that have been raised about the hiring of the Chief, the appointment authority of Commissioners, and the scope of CPRA can all be incorporated into the ongoing collaboration of all the stakeholders working on the Enabling Ordinance. Those stakeholders are the two authors, the Coalition of Police Accountability, the Police Commission and the community members who have participated in this extensive work which has yet to be completed and approved by the City Council. The Charter is very clear that the Commission hires the IG and that the IG is supervised by the Commission. The ordinance cannot override that provision of the Charter.
Amending the Charter is not the vehicle that should be used to make amendments. The proposed Enabling Ordinance should be given a chance to effect positive change before making radical and undemocratic revisions.
For further information, please contact the Coalition for Police Accountability by reaching out to Mariano Contreras at puralata1@gmail.com.
Bay Area
Oakland International Airport Will Now Be Called ‘San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport’
The Port of Oakland Commissioners voted unanimously to rename the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland Airport at their board meeting last week. Despite a six-week battle with San Francisco leaders, residents and even Oaklanders, the Port remained steadfast in their decision to change the airport name in order to bring more revenue to Oakland’s economy.
By Magaly Muñoz
The Port of Oakland Commissioners voted unanimously to rename the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland Airport at their board meeting last week.
Despite a six-week battle with San Francisco leaders, residents and even Oaklanders, the Port remained steadfast in their decision to change the airport name in order to bring more revenue to Oakland’s economy.
The Port reassured all parties that the airport will continue to have its OAK three-letter code and ‘I Fly OAK’ phrases, to minimize confusion among travelers.
“Our Board came to these discussions with a shared love of Oakland and a desire to see our city and airport thrive. Since our initial vote, the Port has met with dozens of community leaders and stakeholders and heard their concerns. We are moving forward with a commitment to honoring our past while building a stronger, more inclusive future,” Board President Barbara Leslie said in a statement.
The Board had delayed their decision by a month in order to listen to community members’ concerns about the name change. Bay Area residents accused the Port of trying to rewrite history and hide their current problems with public safety and crime behind a big tourist attraction.
The Port stated that their intention is to boost the number of people who fly into Oakland, which will allow for travelers to get to know the city and spend their money in the local businesses.
According to reports, Oakland Airport (OAK) is the closest major airport to 58% of the Bay Area population.
In the days following the announcement for change consideration, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed a lawsuit against Oakland to protect San Francisco.
The lawsuit argues that Oakland airport’s attempt to “unlawfully incorporate” the San Francisco trademark leaves the city with no choice but to sue for trademark infringement, false designation of origin and unfair competition.
San Francisco city leaders and Oakland residents have insisted that the new name will create confusion and chaos for travelers who are not familiar with the area or the distinction between the two airports.
The Port has since responded with a countersuit of their own, asking the courts to rule that their name change does not violate San Francisco Airport’s (SFO) trademark.
The counterclaim says that the Port “seeks to increase awareness of Oakland Airport’s geographic location on San Francisco Bay among potential travelers and thus increase passenger traffic at Oakland Airport, create jobs, and boost economic activity in Oakland and the wider San Francisco Bay Area.”
Two days before the Port meeting, Chiu sent another letter to the Port offering to collaborate with Oakland to find alternative names for the airport and avoid litigation.
Oakland Port Attorney Mary Richardson said in a statement the following day that the Port is willing to partner with SFO to bring as many options as possible to travelers and have an open dialogue on how to move forward, but ultimately will still change the Oakland airport name.
The ‘San Francisco Bay’ rebrand has already made its way to the airport’s website and physical changes such as signage will be coming in the following months. The name swap will cost Oakland about $150,000.
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