City Government

Mayoral Ranked Choices: Kaplan and Beckles Want Brooks and Price for Mayor

Published

6 years ago

September 23, 2018

By Jovanka Beckles & Rebecca Kaplan

We write as leaders who have endorsed Pamela Price for Mayor, and who have endorsed Cat Brooks for Mayor, to urge that all of us—regardless of who we have endorsed as our first choice—to unite together for the future of Oakland, to use all of our voting power.
Oakland has “ranked choice voting” allowing people to list a first, second, and third choice candidate.

We urge that anyone who is listing Cat Brooks as their first choice, list Pamela Price as their second choice, and anyone who is voting Pamela Price as their first choice, list Cat Brooks as their #2.

Oakland is at a crossroads, with record levels of homelessness, housing displacement and wrongful evictions. The current mayor has refused to treat this like a real emergency, and not yet taken needed actions with public lands, RVs and more.

The Schaaf administration even managed to “misplace” over $2 million that Council had authorized for emergency tenant assistance that would have helped protect renters facing displacement.

Oakland also faces repeated problems of police misconduct being covered up by the highest levels of the administration. The former police chief acted to cover up and allow repeated acts of sexual misconduct against a minor girl by multiple police officers —and Mayor Schaaf publicly defended him at a press conference and refused to bring disciplinary action, and publicly said he’d done nothing wrong.

More recently, when police arrested a community leader and advocate for bicycling while Black, Schaaf did not ask to drop the charges and has not taken corrective action.

When Federal ICE agents came into West Oakland last August and tore apart a local family to send someone for deportation, Schaaf not only authorized OPD to help them, she also publicly spread ICE’s false propaganda about crimes that the family hadn’t actually committed.

Oakland deserves better. We need a Mayor who is committed to justice and is committed to serving the needs and protecting the well-being of everyone in our community, including those who have been most left behind.

Some of our communities are suffering disproportionately —from air pollution and toxins, from violence and from housing displacement. Their needs cannot keep being ignored while harms like illegal dumping and blight are also left to spread unabated.
We can, and must, unite for the sake of our communities.

Attorney Pamela Price, and activist and executive director Cat Brooks provide us the best opportunity to help the people of Oakland and to elect a Mayor who will put public needs first.

We urge voters to use their power and use their votes. Thanks very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Jovanka Beckles and Rebecca Kaplan

Jovanka Beckles is a two-term Richmond City Councilmember. She is currently a candidate for State Assembly (15th district), running to build a California for the many, not just the few. She has endorsed Pamela Price for Mayor of Oakland.

Rebecca Kaplan is the at-large council member for the city of Oakland, who was re-elected citywide by a large margin in 2016, and authored Oakland’s vacant property tax to fund homeless solutions (Measure W). Kaplan has endorsed Cat Brooks for Mayor of Oakland.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

7 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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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.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

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.

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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.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

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.