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Oakland Adopts “Love Life” as Official Motto

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The city council this week adopted “Love Life” as the official motto of the City of Oakland, incorporating the slogan in the city’s communications and welcome signs.

 

 

 

Community supporters who called for the council to adopt the motto or “tagline” view it as a representation of hope and an affirmation of life in the face of the pain and challenges that people in the community face.

 

 

“Love Life reflects the joy and energy that characterize our artists and businesses. Love Life responds to our communal desire to build an inclusive, equitable, and authentic Oakland,” according to Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney.

 

 

During the council meeting, dozens of community members spoke about the loved ones they have lost to senseless violence and the positive outcome that adopting such a motto would have on their communities.

 

 

Voting for the ordinance were Councilmembers McElhaney, Desley Brooks, Rebecca Kaplan, Noel Gallo and Larry Reid. Opposing the resolution were Annie Campbell Washington, Dan Kalb and Abel Guillén.

 

 

The resolution was introduced by Donald Lacy and community supporters of the work of the Love Life Foundation.

 

 

The foundation was formed after Lacy’s daughter, 16-yearold LoEshé Adanma Lacy, was shot to death in 1997 as a bystander across the street from her school, McClymonds High in West Oakland.

 

 

LoEshé, which means “love life” in Ibo, had been moved by the deaths of her classmates and had begun an anti-violence campaign to tell her peers that they should love life.

 

 

After her death, Lacy and other community advocates worked for nearly a decade to win the city’s approval for the new motto.

 

 

“What the devil meant for evil, God will turn to good,” said Lacy, speaking to the council. “(We have to) put out a different message to our children. Life is precious. The greatest thing we all share as human beings is love. Love is going to sustain us as a city.”

 

 

Councilmembers McElhaney, Brooks and Kaplan jointly introduced the proposal on Tuesday.

 

 

The city’s current unofficial tagline is “The bright side of the Bay.”

 

 

“In adopting this ordinance, the council (sent) a clear message that it honors residents who have lost their lives to gun violence and speaks hope and healing to the communities of residents who are dedicated to living robust lives,” said McElhaney.

 

 

 

Donald Lacy holds a photo of his daughter LoEshé Adanma Lacy. Photo by Tulio Ospina.

Donald Lacy holds a photo of his daughter LoEshé Adanma Lacy. Photo by Tulio Ospina.

 

“Life and love go together,” said Councilmember Gallo, explaining his reason for backing the new motto. “It is not just about dating each other,” he said.

 

 

“It’s about respecting each other and it’s about working together and taking this city to another level.”

 

 

“Thank you for your courage,” said Gallo, speaking directly to Donald Lacy.

 

 

During the council’s vote, it was revealed that Mayor Libby Schaaf had sent an email to the council members a few hours before the meeting urging them not to support the “Love Life” tagline.

 

 

According to a March 5 article by the SF Chronicle, when asked about the idea of adopting the motto for Oakland, Mayor Schaaf rolled her eyes and said, “My love life is fine.”

 

 

Councilmembers Guillen and Campbell Washington said they were voting against the new motto because they did not have time to discuss it with the residents of their districts.

 

 

“I have an allegiance to the public, and my residents do not know about this. We did not have a fair process,” said Guillen.

 

 

Councilmember Kalb said he was voting “no” because the city did not go through a community engagement process to choose a new motto.

 

 

Adopting a new tagline “requires a lengthy community engagement process, but we haven’t done that,” he said.

 

 

Brooks challenged the arguments of the three council members who opposed the resolution.

 

 

“It’s been on the agenda for over a month,” she said. “I don’t remember the process that took place when we decided ‘The (bright) side of the Bay’ was going to be the tagline.”

 

 

Councilmember Kaplan addressed her colleagues’ concerns that the request at hand was too “new,” thereby making them unable to support it.

 

 

“When people say that it’s new they can go to the archives of the San Francisco Chronicle over a decade ago, where Donald Lacy was quoted talking about this,” said Kaplan.

 

 

“I don’t think it’s too new, and I think we should support someone who took such a horrifying personal tragedy, and instead of responding with revenge or violence, is working to spread the value of respecting life and ending violence.”

 

 

Campbell Washington said she was upset by the direction the public debate over the motto had taken.

 

 

“It’s very painful to be in this conversation … to have it come down to be a race issue,” she said.

 

 

SJK_1217

Donald Lacy and his supporters celebrate after the City Council approves of “Love Life” as Oakland’s motto. Photo by Tulio Ospina.

 

 

Responding, Brooks said, “It was not about race. The community came out and spoke and represented the love of this community.”

 

 

Councilmember Reid explained how he had opposed the resolution but changed his mind after considering the motto’s significance for Oakland.

 

 

During the vote, he asked his colleagues to “rethink this and make this a unanimous vote… Rethink your position, like I did.”

 

 

Reid then read aloud the email Mayor Schaaf had sent before the council meeting to all the council members:

 

 

“I write to share my concerns about adopting the motto ‘Love Life’ as the official motto of the City of Oakland…. ‘Love Life’ without context or story could mean many things – some not at all appropriate as our city’s motto,” according the mayor’s email.

 

 

“Some of these concerns came unsolicited from Bloomberg Associates, who have been offering the City of Oakland professional advice pro bono in several municipal disciplines, including city marketing.

 

 

“Their experts read about the proposal and contacted me with their concerns, which I thought it was important for you to hear:

 

 

“Although it seems the motives come from a good place, this positioning could prove problematic on a few levels…. The background of how the name was developed actually reinforces the very crime issues they are trying to combat.”

 

 

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Barbara Lee

San Diego Supervisor Nora Vargas Endorses Barbara Lee for Senate

Supervisor Nora Vargas, the first Latina ever to Chair the San Diego Board of Supervisors, has endorsed Barbara Lee for Senate, the Lee campaign announced. “As a healthcare and education champion I am thrilled to support Congresswoman Barbara Lee for US Senate,” said Vargas.

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Nora Vargas. Courtesy photo
Nora Vargas. Courtesy photo

First Latina Chair of SD Board of Supervisors Supports Lee’s Historic Campaign for Senate

Supervisor Nora Vargas, the first Latina ever to Chair the San Diego Board of Supervisors, has endorsed Barbara Lee for Senate, the Lee campaign announced.

“As a healthcare and education champion I am thrilled to support Congresswoman Barbara Lee for US Senate,” said Vargas.

“She is exactly the type of advocate Californians need in the US Senate. Her track record of always tackling the tough issues while lifting people up and making sure everyone’s voice is heard is what we need from our next Senator. I am very excited to endorse Barbara Lee for US Senate and to work with her to advance our communities.”

Vargas was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2020 and quickly became known as a champion for veterans, children, and seniors. She is also the co-chair of the county’s COVID-19 subcommittee, chair of the San Diego Association of Governments Transportation Committee, as well as of the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, and a member of the California Air Resources Board.

“Supervisor Vargas has been an excellent example of why representation matters,” said Congresswoman Lee. “The lens she brings to the Board as the first Latina Chair has clearly helped inform her work to put families first in San Diego and made her an exceptionally effective representative. I am honored by her support in my campaign for Senate and I am eager to partner with her to deliver progressive change for San Diego.”

Supervisor Vargas joins a growing list of high-profile current and former elected officials from around the state who have endorsed Lee’s campaign for Senate, including five of the eight statewide constitutional officers – Attorney General Rob Bonta, Treasurer Fiona Ma, Controller Malia Cohen, Secretary of State Shirley Weber, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.

Other national and California endorsers of Lee’s campaign include Congressmembers Jamaal Bowman, Sheila Jackson Lee, Steven Horsford, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Troy Carter, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Nikema Williams, Jim Clyburn, Bennie Thompson, Lucy McBath, Terri Sewell, and Gregory Meeks; former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Cedric Richmond, former Georgia General Assembly House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams; State Senators Susan Talamantes Eggman, Anna Caballero and Nancy Skinner; Assemblymembers Isaac Bryan, Mia Bonta and Corey Jackson; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, San Bernardino Mayor Helen Tran, Redlands Mayor Eddie Tejeda, Rialto Mayor Deborah Robertson, former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs, former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Palm Desert Mayor Pro Tem Karina Quintanilla, Dolores Huerta, California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus Chair Deepa Sharma, California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus Chair Emeritus Amar Shergill, California Democratic Party LGBTQ Caucus Co-Chair Emeritus Tiffany Woods. A full list of endorsements is available at barbaraleeforCA.com.

Lee also has the backing of the Alameda County Building and Construction Trades Council, the California Legislative Black Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus PAC, Feminist Majority PAC, Black Women Organized for Political Action PAC, Higher Heights for America, the San Diego County Young Democrats, Gen Z for Change, and the Working Families Party.

There are currently no Black women serving in the U.S. Senate. Since 1789, when the first Congress met, only two African American women have been in the Senate, serving a total of 10 years.

For more information on Barbara Lee and her campaign for U.S. Senate, visit www.BarbaraLeeforCA.com

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Bay Area

WCCUSD Unveils Fingerprinting Party Dates for Volunteer Badges

The WCCUSD is hosting a series of six fingerprinting parties at different district schools in September, October and February. Reportedly, the process takes little time investment, the volunteer badges are free, and the visits are drop-in — meaning, no appointment is necessary.

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Photo by Kathy Chouteau.

By Kathy Chouteau, Richmond Standard

Are you a parent, legal guardian, or community member who wants to volunteer at a West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) school or event?

If so, first, you need to get fingerprinted and badged at one of the district’s upcoming fingerprinting “parties.”

The WCCUSD is hosting a series of six fingerprinting parties at different district schools in September, October and February. Reportedly, the process takes little time investment, the volunteer badges are free, and the visits are drop-in—meaning, no appointment is necessary.

Here’s a rundown on the WCCUSD’s fingerprinting parties, which will all be held on their respective dates from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.:

  • , Sept. 2, Collins Elementary, Multi-Purpose Room (MPR), 1224 Pinole Valley Rd. in Pinole;
  • , Sept. 9, Harding Elementary, cafeteria, 7230 Fairmount Ave. in El Cerrito;
  • , Sept. 16, Lupine Hills Elementary, MPR room, 1919 Lupine Rd. in Hercules;
  • , Sept. 23, Helms Middle School, MPR room, 2500 Rd. 20 in San Pablo;
  • , Oct. 7, Lovonya DeJean Middle School, MPR room, 3400 Macdonald Ave. in Richmond;
  • , Feb. 10, Harding Elementary, cafeteria, 7230 Fairmount Ave. in El Cerrito.

Note that prospective volunteers should complete the online application (at https://www.beamentor.org/linkpages/mentorasp/specialprojects/wccusd/Default.asp) BEFORE attending a WCCUSD fingerprinting party. Anyone who already has a WCCUSD volunteer badge does not need to apply for one again. Questions? Contact (510) 307-4526.

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Activism

Officer Fired for Shooting and Killing Sean Monterrosa Has Termination Overturned

Michael Rains, attorney for the Vallejo Police Officers’ Association, said that “several credible sources” have told him that Detective Jarrett Tonn’s termination has been overturned in arbitration. 

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A billboard near Vallejo Police Department with a sketch of Sean Monterrosa and a message “Justice for Sean Monterrosa” unveiled on Sept. 27, 2020, in Solano County, Calif. (Harika Maddala/ Bay City News)
A billboard near Vallejo Police Department with a sketch of Sean Monterrosa and a message “Justice for Sean Monterrosa” unveiled on Sept. 27, 2020, in Solano County, Calif. (Harika Maddala/ Bay City News)

By Katy St. Clair
Bay City News

The officer who was fired for shooting and killing a man during George Floyd protests in Vallejo in 2020 could be getting his job back after prevailing in arbitration.

Michael Rains, attorney for the Vallejo Police Officers’ Association, said that “several credible sources” have told him that Detective Jarrett Tonn’s termination has been overturned in arbitration.

Tonn was dismissed from the Vallejo force after he shot Sean Monterrosa, 22, of San Francisco, outside of a Walgreens store on Redwood Street during the early morning hours of June 2, 2020.

The Vallejo Police Department has not commented on whether Tonn will return.

Tonn and two other officers were responding to alleged reports of looting at the store in an unmarked pickup truck. Body camera footage shows Tonn, who is seated in the backseat of the vehicle, stick an AR-15-style assault rifle in between the two officers and fire five times through the windshield at Monterrosa as the police vehicle approached the store.

Monterrosa died a short time later.

Vallejo police have alleged that Tonn fired at Monterrosa because he mistook a hammer in Monterrosa’s sweatshirt pocket for the butt of a gun.

The office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta in May 2021 opened an investigation into the shooting, but there have been no updates in that case and Bonta’s office will not comment on open cases.

Tonn was at first placed on administrative leave for the shooting death, but was fired in 2021 by then-Chief Shawny Williams, who determined that Monterrosa was on his knees with his hands raised when he was shot.

Rains, who has represented two other officers fired by Williams — and prevailed — said the reinstatement of Tonn was the right decision. Rains said Sunday that Tonn applied a reasonable and lawful use of force in the Monterrosa case, and that Williams was wrong to terminate him.

“This is just three for three now with Williams,” he said, referring to the now three officers that have gotten their jobs back. “It demonstrates what a colossal failure he was as a chief in every respect. I’m delighted for Tonn, it’s deserved.”

Rains did not represent Tonn in this case.

But others see Monterrosa’s shooting death as a dark stain on a department known for years of shootings by officers.

The law office of John Burris filed a civil rights suit against the city of Vallejo and its Police Department for Monterrosa’s death, citing alleged tampering with evidence and acting negligently by not reprimanding or re-training Tonn previously despite a “shocking history of shooting his gun at civilians.”

Burris’ office is no longer representing the case and the family is now represented by new counsel, John Coyle, with a jury trial scheduled for January 2025, according to court records.

Nevertheless, Burris commented Sunday on Tonn’s reinstatement, saying he was disappointed but not surprised at the move, because arbitrators in these cases are “biased” toward the police.

“Even though police may have committed in this case an outrageous act, it’s not surprising that that has happened, and it happens more times than not,” he said.

When asked if he was confident that Bonta would file charges against Tonn, Burris chuckled and said that he would wait and see.

“I would not hold my breath,” he said.

Tonn had previously shot three people over five years in Vallejo while on duty, none of which were found to have had firearms, a tenth of the 32 total shootings by the department in one decade, according to attorney Ben Nisenbaum.

Vallejo civil rights attorney Melissa Nold, who represents families of people killed by Vallejo police, said the decision to bring back Tonn had been in the works the minute he was terminated by Williams.

“Unfortunately, I am not surprised at this troubling turn of events because a whistleblower notified me last year via email that Tonn was working a deal to get his job back once they threatened and ran off Chief Williams,” Nold said.

Williams resigned abruptly last November. Williams was repeatedly criticized by the Vallejo Police Officers’ Association, the offices’ union, which had previously voted “no confidence” in him and blamed him for everything from attrition to high crime in the city. But advocates for the families of those killed by police said Williams had been making progress in cleaning up a department that had gained international attention for being violent. During Williams’ tenure, there were no police shootings after the Monterrosa death.

Nold places part of the blame on Tonn’s return on the city, which she said “made no effort” to support his termination. Nold said they are still expecting Bonta to file criminal charges against Tonn and there will be a push to get him decertified as an officer as well.

“He cannot ever go back out onto the streets of Vallejo,” she said. “The liability he would create by being here is astronomical, but sadly no one in the city attorney’s office is smart enough to understand and/or are too corrupt and rotten to care.”

In May, a Solano County judge found that the Vallejo City Attorney’s Office broke the law by deliberately destroying evidence in cases related to police shootings.

The city of Vallejo did not respond to a request for comment.

Members of the family of Monterrosa and their advocates are planning on showing up to the Vallejo City Council meeting on Sept. 12 to protest the return of Tonn, Nold said.

The family will also be holding a “Justice 4 Sean Monterrosa” press conference on Thursday at 11 a.m. at Vallejo City Hall, 555 Santa Clara St., Vallejo.

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