City Government

The Year Ahead

Published

7 years ago

January 3, 2019

I am writing to share some good news about successes strengthening regional solidarity, including in dealing with the NFL, and, my thoughts, suggestions and intentions for the coming year.
The year 2019 will bring some important changes and progress — at the national level, the US House of Representatives will switch hands, with many important progressive leaders being sworn in, and Democrats replacing Republicans in key leadership roles, from Speaker to Committee Chairs and more.
I look forward to working with our allies in Congress to help advance our values and protect our communities in the coming year.
Meanwhile, in Oakland, on Monday Jan. 7, starting at 11 a.m., the new City Council will be sworn in, and we too will welcome our new leaders for the coming term. The ceremonies will be held in the Council Chambers on the 3rd floor at City Hall.
I believe we have a great opportunity, with dedicated new members and the work of those of us already on the Council, to unite to advance the needs of our community. Specifically, in the coming term, it is my intention to work to advance vital goals, including:
1) Make the Council meetings more effective. Change how “ceremonial” items and scheduling are handled, so people coming to speak on important decisions are not made to wait around for hours before substantive discussion begins.
Ensure respectful interactions, and meaningful input.
2) Strengthen our response to homelessness. Including by ensuring implementation of the Council Resolution I authored, which called for a list of specific actions to expand alternatives to help the homeless (including allowable RV locations, use of public lands, church properties, and more), and by working together with county leaders and others to expand access to services for our community, and use of public properties for this vital need.
Expand affordable housing, including through tax incentives, public land, and direct funding, and displacement prevention, so that more people aren’t pushed into homelessness.
3) Reduce permit backlog and ensure timely response for project completion. Advance a specific program to make it easier to add Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), also known as “in-law apartments” to expand this important aspect of our housing supply and reduce the delay that is causing Oakland to lose revenue and hurting our local businesses and homeowners.
4) Expand access to job training and career pathways, including into vitally needed good-paying jobs in the trades, so that Oaklanders get positive and equitable access to these positions.
5) Equitable outreach. Over the years, with multiple reports, we know that there is inequity in who gets contracts for Oakland business. The problem is worsened by inequity in where and how jobs and contracting opportunities are advertised. In the coming year we will be bringing legislation to expand equity in Oakland’s outreach methods for jobs and contracting.
6) Environmental justice, air quality, and mitigations. The City of Oakland has the worst air quality in the region, and some of our neighborhoods, especially in hard-hit corridors in East and West Oakland, suffer disproportionately from asthma and other negative health impacts.
While we have already begun important progress in this area, and won regional commitments of many millions of dollars, there are important steps that are still needed, including to provide community mitigations to protect our hard-hit areas and improve air quality, including strategies like trees, filtration systems, cleaner trucks and trains, and relocating heavy uses away from residents.
7) Blight and trash. Last year we fought for a change away from the complaint-based dumping removal system – toward a pro-active cleanup system with geographic assignments. So far, this change has been tried in one area successfully and in the coming year we will seek to expand and improve it citywide.
We have won increased funding for mattress recycling and will continue to advocate for mattress pickup and additional strategies to prevent and remedy blight and illegal dumping, and work to implement a proposal to include opportunity for the homeless to help clean up our city and expand job opportunity, and to help publicize and make clear that it is not OK to trash Oakland!
This, of course, is not a comprehensive list, as we are aware that there are many issues we will be dealing with in 2019 and beyond. However, I wanted to provide key examples of priorities and goals, and look forward to working together in coalition with community to advance vital needs.

Councilmember-at-Large Rebecca Kaplan

Posts by Councilmember-at-Large Rebecca Kaplan

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

5 days ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Black Arts Movement Business District Named New Cultural District in California

Located in the heart of District 3, the BAMBD is widely regarded as one of the nation’s most important centers of Black cultural production — a space where artists, entrepreneurs, organizers, and cultural workers have shaped generations of local and national identity. The state’s recognition affirms the district’s historic importance and its future promise.

Published

1 week ago

December 20, 2025

Oakland Post

Councilmember Carroll Fife celebrates major milestone for Black arts, culture, and economic power in Oakland. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

Oakland’s Black Arts Movement Business District (BAMBD) has been selected as one of California’s 10 new state-designated Cultural Districts, a distinction awarded by the California Arts Council (CAC), according to a media statement released by Councilmember Carroll Fife.

The BAMBD now joins 23 other districts across the state recognized for their deep cultural legacy, artistic excellence, and contributions to California’s creative economy.

“This designation is a testament to what Black Oakland has built — and what we continue to build when we insist on investing in our own cultural and economic power,” said Fife.

“For years, our community has fought for meaningful recognition and resources for the Black Arts Movement Business District,” she said. “This announcement validates that work and ensures that BAMBD receives the support it needs to grow, thrive, and continue shaping the cultural fabric of California.”

Since taking office, Fife has led and supported multiple initiatives that strengthened the groundwork for this achievement, including:

Restoring and protecting arts and cultural staffing within the City of Oakland.
Creating the West Oakland Community Fund to reinvest in historically excluded communities
Advancing a Black New Deal study to expand economic opportunity for Black Oakland
Ensuring racial equity impact analyses for development proposals, improving access for Black businesses and Black contractors
Introduced legislation and budget amendments that formalized, protected, and expanded the BAMBD

“These efforts weren’t abstract,” Fife said. “They were intentional, coordinated, and rooted in a belief that Black arts and Black businesses deserve deep, sustained public investment.”

As part of the Cultural District designation, BAMBD will receive:

$10,000 over two years
Dedicated technical assistance
Statewide marketing and branding support
Official designation from Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2030

This support will elevate the visibility of BAMBD’s artists, cultural organizations, small businesses, and legacy institutions, while helping attract new investment to the district.

“The BAMBD has always been more than a district,” Fife continued. “This recognition by the State of California gives us another tool in the fight to preserve Black culture, build Black economic power, and protect the families and institutions that make Oakland strong.”

For questions, contact Councilmember Carroll Fife at CFife@oaklandca.gov.