City Government

Tuman and Parker Criticize Quan’s National Journal Comments

Published

11 years ago

October 12, 2013

Mayoral candidates Joe Tuman and Bryan Parker have taken Mayor Jean Quan to task following the mayor’s controversial comments in an interview with the National Journal this week.

Her comments were totally insensitive,” said Tuman, a political analyst for CBS5 news on television and KCBS radio.

[caption id=”attachment_28258″ align=”alignnone” width=”300″] Mayoral candidate Joe Tuman[/caption]

He has worked for the past 27 years teaching politics, law, and communication at San Francisco State University. What Quan said “implies that you should be concerned if African Americans are in your neighborhood,” Tuman said. “I don’t think she is a racist.”

“Race is a major fault line for us in Oakland,” he said. “We need to talk more openly about it, but this is not the way to provoke the discussion. The African American community is a source of our strength.”

Parker also criticized Quan.

“I’m sure many, as I was, were taken aback by these remarks,” Parker said. “I think the comments miss on two fronts. First, her comments suggest that her belief is that there is a negative stigma associated with having a high number of African Americans in Oakland.”

Mayoral candidate Bryan Parker

“Second, like many of her other actions, her comments lack the structure of thoughtful leadership,” he added.

Parker served on the Oakland Workforce Investment Board and is a member of the Oakland Port Commissiono. Also an attorney, he works as a health care executive.

As originally published, Quan spokesman Sean Maher said that the mayor’s answer was so “truncated” as to be distorted.

In the interview with the National Journal, Quan was asked: “What remains your biggest challenge?”

Her reply: “Well, my challenge is to let people know what the new Oakland looks like. “Somebody just sent me an email saying, ‘Oh, you should have more black police since more than 50 percent of your residents are black.’ And I’m like, ‘Actually, no, 28 percent of my residents are black, but we’re pretty evenly divided between blacks, whites, Latinos, and Asians these days.’ But that’s their image of Oakland–and this is somebody who lives in the Bay Area.”

For Quan’s full interview with the National Journal, go to www.nationaljournal.com/next-economy/america-360/can-oakland-escape-san-francisco-s-shadow-20131006

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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

5 hours ago

April 26, 2024

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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.