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City Government

Pastor Emeritus J. Alfred Smith Sr. Backs Desley Brooks

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Allen Temple Baptist Church’s Pastor Emeritus J. Alfred Smith, Sr., has issued a strong statement of support for Councilmember Desley Brooks’ bid for reelection to represent District 6 on the Oakland City Council.

“It is plain why we need tough legislators like you with fearlessness and fire who fight evil,” Pastor Smith wrote in an email.
“Stay strong and keep speaking up for the last, the least and the lowest,” he wrote.

Pastor Smith, a widely respected and beloved community leader, led Allen Temple from 1971 to 2009 before retiring and continuing his ministry as pastor emeritus.

Brooks has recently been endorsed by Assemblymember Rob Bonta, former Black Panther Party leader Bobby Seale and former Assemblymember Sandré Swanson, who served as Deputy Mayor in Jean Quan’s administration.

According to City Hall observers, Brooks most recently earned the wrath of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Police Chief Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick after Brooks took a courageous stand, going out on a limb to defend immigrant rights and the Oakland sanctuary city policy late last year.

At issue was the support OPD provided in August for an ICE raid in Oakland, a violation of the Sanctuary City resolution, forbidding OPD to cooperate with ICE, passed by the City Council.

As the news of the raid spread, hundreds of angry Oaklanders attended the Council’s Public Safety Committee chaired by Brooks, where she took the police chief to task for violating the policy and pointed out that both the chief and mayor Schaaf had made false statements to cover up OPD’s participation in the raid.

Joined by Councilmembers Noel Gallo and Rebecca Kaplan, Brooks successfully pushed for a stronger policy.

In the wake of the public criticism, Chief Kirkpatrick admitted to calling at least one City Councilmember to raise concerns about Brooks’ leadership of Public Safety.

Several councilmembers backed rule changes that would allow for removal of a sitting committee chair, which many saw as a thinly veiled attempt to punish Brooks.

The maneuver failed in the face of an outpouring of community support for Brooks.

 

 

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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

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To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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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.

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District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones
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.

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

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