Frustrated Oakland City Councilwoman Won’t Run For Re-Election
“Given some of the antics and corruption that exist with some members of the city council, it is just not possible to get as much done as I would like to get done on the Oakland City Council,” explained Campbell-Washington.
https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/04/12/frustrated-oakland-city-councilwoman-wont-run-for-re-election/
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) — An Oakland city councilwoman fed up with the antics and corruption at city hall told KPIX 5 Thursday she has had enough and won’t run for re-election.
Annie Campbell Washington didn’t mince words when describing the dysfunction on the Oakland City Council.
“Today I am announcing I will not be running for re-election in November,” said Campbell Washington.
It took just one term in office for the Oakland Vice Mayor and city council member to throw her hands up in exasperation.
“Given some of the antics and corruption that exist with some members of the city council, it is just not possible to get as much done as I would like to get done on the Oakland City Council,” explained Campbell-Washington.
When asked about what she meant about antics or dysfunction, Campbell Washington replied, “For example, one thing that has been incredibly frustrating is just the tone, the tenor of the Oakland city council meetings. The fact that they can be pretty toxic.”
Campbell Washington said that toxicity was on full display at a recent committee meeting.
She wouldn’t mention anyone by name, but at the meeting, Councilmember Desley Brooks lashed out at the council over a jobs training measure she has been pushing.
“We expect you to do better!” Brooks was heard saying in video of the meeting. “The people are not going to allow any longer for you to do nothing. You are now put on notice that we expect more of you.”
Brooks has been a lightning rod on the council. Last year, the city was forced to pay more than $3 million in damages after she was accused of physically attacking former Black Panther Elaine Brown.
More recently, Brooks was accused of verbally and physically abusing a former aide. She has refused to answer questions about the accusations.
Campbell Washington said the tension in the council these days is making it difficult to get the work of the people done.
“It is true that those meetings, the fact that they are so toxic, it does weigh on you,” said Campbell Washington. “It frustrates you and you feel like I just can’t get done what I want to get done.”
Campbell Washington has managed to get some things done during her tenure.
She got the city’s soda tax passed and has championed Oakland Promise, an organization which helps children save for college.
She says in her waning months of her time in office, she will focus on local legislation that impacts children. And she’ll also be looking to the future.
“I really want to encourage people to run for office,” said Campbell Washington. “There are people who are honest and full of integrity. That’s what I hope for. Unfortunately that is not the current makeup of the Oakland city council; not all of the members.”
Showing posts with label #Oakland #CityofOakland #OaklandCalifornia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #Oakland #CityofOakland #OaklandCalifornia. Show all posts
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
146 City of Oakland - Empyrean Towers Tenants - 2+ years later are still waiting for safe living conditions
Empyrean Towers in Oakland a step closer to rehab: 2 Investigates
March 2017
http://www.ktvu.com/news/234658169-story
OAKLAND (KTVU) -- More than two years after 2 Investigates first exposed unsanitary and unsafe conditions at the trouble Empyrean Towers hotel in Oakland, the property is now one step closer to being rehabilitated.
The City Council on Tuesday night approved a resolution giving the city authorization to negotiate a deal to have the property deemed a historical site, through the California State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). That would free up funds as part of the rehabilitation process.
According to the proposal, “the purpose of entering into the Agreement is to minimize, reduce or avoid adverse effects on the historic building” while it is being rehabilitated and eventually sold to a non-profit that plans to turn it into affordable housing.
Last March, a bankruptcy judge approved the potential sale of the property to the Berkeley-based affording housing non-profit group Resources for Community Development (RCD), paving the way for what tenants and their attorneys hope is reform at the hotel.
Part of the court’s decision requires that the building is maintained as affordable housing for at least 55 years.
But the building that some tenants called a “nightmare” is still far from a dream. 2 Investigates visited the Empyrean Towers on Wednesday to find holes in the walls haven’t been fixed, and the elevator is still not functioning.
Resident Katherine Bergman, 83, says she is forced to climb flights of stairs to her home. And due to faulty plumbing, Bergman says she resorted to bathing with baby wipes during cold snaps.
2 Investigates first exposed dangerous and unsanitary conditions at the Empyrean Towers more than two years ago. Uncover camera footage revealed fire damage, broken toilets, missing smoke detectors, and uncollected garbage among the problems on a long list of complaints reported by tenants.
In March, it already appeared that a major facelift was well underway. At that time, the building had new paint, light fixtures, a heating system and hot water heater.
Nearly two years ago, tenants were forced out of the building by a serious health scare when investigators found coliform bacteria in the water in one of the pipes. Some residents told 2 Investigates by the time it was discovered they already drank the water and had gotten sick.
The City of Oakland filed suit against the owners of Empyrean Towers in April 2015, accusing management of illegal evictions, failing to make repairs and for creating a public nuisance. Inspectors documented dozens of problems including broken windows, faulty plumbing, and an elevator that was frequently out of service.
At that time, owner Alice Tse agreed to a deal that would provide $500,000 for a long list of overdue repairs. But shortly after, Tse had filed for bankruptcy and control of the property was handed over to a Chapter 11 trustee.
Lina Torio is an agent for the trustee overseeing the property while it's in transition. She says the elevator would cost $3 million to repair and her group is not authorized to spend that money during the bankruptcy.
Torio showed 2 Investigates a new water tank installed for the entire building and other upgrades. She said it’s not the trustee’s job to renovate, but rather keep the property safe until the ownership transfer is finalized. That is expected to happen in March 2017.
KTVU's 2 Investigates team was honored to receive a 2016 Edward R. Murrow Award for continuing coverage of the dangerous and unsanitary conditions at an Empyrean Towers.
Landlords show up to support embattled landlord of Oakland's Empyrean Towers:
2 Investigates
May 2017
http://www.ktvu.com/news/2-investigates/257674523-story
Dozens of volunteers gathered in front of Oakland City Hall on Friday to show support for a local landlord at the center of a legal fight over the unsanitary conditions at a residence hotel she used to own.
The city is suing Alice Tse over the conditions at the Empyrean Towers hotel after a series of 2 Investigates reports uncovered the unsafe conditions inside. Tse’s supporters say the city is treating the property owner unfairly.
“If this thing happened to Alice, it will happen on every property owner in the Bay Area,” said volunteer Alex Ko.
A crowd of about 30 people chanted in English and Chinese outside and carried signs, some saying “Alice is innocent,” before taking their protest inside City Hall.
Tse did not attend the rally herself, but for the first time her mother Jannny Tsui spoke publicly, through a translator, to defend her daughter.
“She says she doesn’t have money for living,” the translator said on behalf of Tsui. “She’s asking the questions ‘Why? What did I do wrong? What did my daughter do wrong?’”
Tsui said the city has seized some of her property as part of the legal claims against her daughter.
In 2015, the City of Oakland sued Tse and Empyrean Towers alleging years of code violations, illegal evictions, and even abuse of tenants. Later that year, a court-ordered receiver stepped in to run the day-to-day operations of the Empyrean Towers after a judge stripped control of the hotel from owners.
The move was one of the demands in the city’s lawsuit filed by City Attorney Barbara Parker. Parker's office credited 2 Investigates for exposing unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the property.
2 Investigates revealed video and pictures showing brown water in tenants’ sinks, holes in walls, broken doors in the common bathrooms, cracked windows, faulty plumbing, and incomplete repair jobs.
Cell phone video taken by an attorney representing some tenants revealed the doors to some vacant rooms at the hotel had been nailed shut.
When we asked Friday about the living conditions at Empyrean Towers, Tsui said her daughter was in the process of fixing the issues, but the city did not give Tse enough time. Although she could not provide proof, she said in some cases the tenants caused the damages themselves.
“The city already inspected it and the next week, they’d come back and it would be broken again,” Tsui said.
Friday’s protesters, some of who are landlords themselves, said they feared Tse’s case sets a dangerous precedent for all Bay Area landlords.
“We are afraid the government will do this to other owners too, and not giving them their fair chance” said Meina Young, a volunteer at the rally. “The government is trying to take over the property and that is not fair.”
In July 2015, Tse agreed to a deal that would have provided $500,000 to cover a long list of overdue repairs at Empyrean Towers. At the time, Tse also agreed not to oppose the decision to place the property into receivership. The funding and receivership ultimately fell through and Tse filed for bankruptcy that same month.
Last year, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the sale of the Empyrean Towers hotel to a Berkeley-based affordable housing non-profit group called Resources for Community Development (RCD), paving the way for what tenants and their attorneys hope is reform at the hotel.
2 Investigates reached out to Tse but did not receive a response before the time of publication. At a hearing in March, Tse also declined to speak to KTVU producers regarding the ongoing Empyrean Towers lawsuit with the city.
March 2017
http://www.ktvu.com/news/234658169-story
OAKLAND (KTVU) -- More than two years after 2 Investigates first exposed unsanitary and unsafe conditions at the trouble Empyrean Towers hotel in Oakland, the property is now one step closer to being rehabilitated.
The City Council on Tuesday night approved a resolution giving the city authorization to negotiate a deal to have the property deemed a historical site, through the California State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO). That would free up funds as part of the rehabilitation process.
According to the proposal, “the purpose of entering into the Agreement is to minimize, reduce or avoid adverse effects on the historic building” while it is being rehabilitated and eventually sold to a non-profit that plans to turn it into affordable housing.
Last March, a bankruptcy judge approved the potential sale of the property to the Berkeley-based affording housing non-profit group Resources for Community Development (RCD), paving the way for what tenants and their attorneys hope is reform at the hotel.
Part of the court’s decision requires that the building is maintained as affordable housing for at least 55 years.
But the building that some tenants called a “nightmare” is still far from a dream. 2 Investigates visited the Empyrean Towers on Wednesday to find holes in the walls haven’t been fixed, and the elevator is still not functioning.
Resident Katherine Bergman, 83, says she is forced to climb flights of stairs to her home. And due to faulty plumbing, Bergman says she resorted to bathing with baby wipes during cold snaps.
2 Investigates first exposed dangerous and unsanitary conditions at the Empyrean Towers more than two years ago. Uncover camera footage revealed fire damage, broken toilets, missing smoke detectors, and uncollected garbage among the problems on a long list of complaints reported by tenants.
In March, it already appeared that a major facelift was well underway. At that time, the building had new paint, light fixtures, a heating system and hot water heater.
Nearly two years ago, tenants were forced out of the building by a serious health scare when investigators found coliform bacteria in the water in one of the pipes. Some residents told 2 Investigates by the time it was discovered they already drank the water and had gotten sick.
The City of Oakland filed suit against the owners of Empyrean Towers in April 2015, accusing management of illegal evictions, failing to make repairs and for creating a public nuisance. Inspectors documented dozens of problems including broken windows, faulty plumbing, and an elevator that was frequently out of service.
At that time, owner Alice Tse agreed to a deal that would provide $500,000 for a long list of overdue repairs. But shortly after, Tse had filed for bankruptcy and control of the property was handed over to a Chapter 11 trustee.
Lina Torio is an agent for the trustee overseeing the property while it's in transition. She says the elevator would cost $3 million to repair and her group is not authorized to spend that money during the bankruptcy.
Torio showed 2 Investigates a new water tank installed for the entire building and other upgrades. She said it’s not the trustee’s job to renovate, but rather keep the property safe until the ownership transfer is finalized. That is expected to happen in March 2017.
KTVU's 2 Investigates team was honored to receive a 2016 Edward R. Murrow Award for continuing coverage of the dangerous and unsanitary conditions at an Empyrean Towers.
Landlords show up to support embattled landlord of Oakland's Empyrean Towers:
2 Investigates
May 2017
http://www.ktvu.com/news/2-investigates/257674523-story
Dozens of volunteers gathered in front of Oakland City Hall on Friday to show support for a local landlord at the center of a legal fight over the unsanitary conditions at a residence hotel she used to own.
The city is suing Alice Tse over the conditions at the Empyrean Towers hotel after a series of 2 Investigates reports uncovered the unsafe conditions inside. Tse’s supporters say the city is treating the property owner unfairly.
“If this thing happened to Alice, it will happen on every property owner in the Bay Area,” said volunteer Alex Ko.
A crowd of about 30 people chanted in English and Chinese outside and carried signs, some saying “Alice is innocent,” before taking their protest inside City Hall.
Tse did not attend the rally herself, but for the first time her mother Jannny Tsui spoke publicly, through a translator, to defend her daughter.
“She says she doesn’t have money for living,” the translator said on behalf of Tsui. “She’s asking the questions ‘Why? What did I do wrong? What did my daughter do wrong?’”
Tsui said the city has seized some of her property as part of the legal claims against her daughter.
In 2015, the City of Oakland sued Tse and Empyrean Towers alleging years of code violations, illegal evictions, and even abuse of tenants. Later that year, a court-ordered receiver stepped in to run the day-to-day operations of the Empyrean Towers after a judge stripped control of the hotel from owners.
The move was one of the demands in the city’s lawsuit filed by City Attorney Barbara Parker. Parker's office credited 2 Investigates for exposing unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the property.
2 Investigates revealed video and pictures showing brown water in tenants’ sinks, holes in walls, broken doors in the common bathrooms, cracked windows, faulty plumbing, and incomplete repair jobs.
Cell phone video taken by an attorney representing some tenants revealed the doors to some vacant rooms at the hotel had been nailed shut.
When we asked Friday about the living conditions at Empyrean Towers, Tsui said her daughter was in the process of fixing the issues, but the city did not give Tse enough time. Although she could not provide proof, she said in some cases the tenants caused the damages themselves.
“The city already inspected it and the next week, they’d come back and it would be broken again,” Tsui said.
Friday’s protesters, some of who are landlords themselves, said they feared Tse’s case sets a dangerous precedent for all Bay Area landlords.
“We are afraid the government will do this to other owners too, and not giving them their fair chance” said Meina Young, a volunteer at the rally. “The government is trying to take over the property and that is not fair.”
In July 2015, Tse agreed to a deal that would have provided $500,000 to cover a long list of overdue repairs at Empyrean Towers. At the time, Tse also agreed not to oppose the decision to place the property into receivership. The funding and receivership ultimately fell through and Tse filed for bankruptcy that same month.
Last year, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the sale of the Empyrean Towers hotel to a Berkeley-based affordable housing non-profit group called Resources for Community Development (RCD), paving the way for what tenants and their attorneys hope is reform at the hotel.
2 Investigates reached out to Tse but did not receive a response before the time of publication. At a hearing in March, Tse also declined to speak to KTVU producers regarding the ongoing Empyrean Towers lawsuit with the city.
141 City of Oakland - A's purchase SRO after low-income tenants evicted
Oakland A's Minority Owners Purchase Downtown SRO After Previous Landlord Evicted Low-Income Tenants
June 09, 2017
New owners include an investor group known for operating boutique hotels and student dorms in
high-end markets.
https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oakland-as-minority-owners-purchase-downtown-oakland-sro-after-previous-landlord-evicted-low-income-tenants/Content?oid=7301511
The Sutter Hotel, one of Oakland’s dwindling number of single-room occupancy hotels, was sold today to an investor group that includes two minority owners of the Oakland Athletics. These new investors are known for operating boutique hotels and student dorms in high-end markets — not affordable housing — and it’s unclear what they intend to do with the 102-room low-income housing property.
This morning, a former Sutter resident told the Express that the hotel’s sale was contingent on the eviction of long-term, low-income tenants.
“There was a concerted effort to remove people,” explained Michael Wiehl, who lived in the Sutter from 2013 until last year, when he was evicted.
In early 2016, Wiehl said that one of the hotel’s front-desk managers told him “they’re selling the hotel to somebody,” and that he would have to “accept the deal because that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Wiehl said the hotel’s previous owner, Raj Singh, at first bought-out some of the permanent residents, and even helped others move to the nearby Empyrean Towers SRO. But he also evicted Wiehl and several hold-outs. Former residents told the Express that all of the permanent residents who were protected by Oakland’s rent control and just-cause eviction laws are now gone.
Wiehl left in October 2016. Court records indicate that six other tenants were evicted through court actions last year, and two were evicted through the courts in 2015.
“You’re dealing with a lot of powerful people who are trying to get to that Uber money and the Airbnb billions,” Weihl speculated about the sale.
Laura Lane, an attorney with the East Bay Community Law Center, represented a different Sutter tenant in an eviction case last year. Lane said she noticed the previous owner paying rent-control-protected tenants to move out. “I know at the end of last year that [the landlord] had paid to relocate some people out of the hotel,” she said.
City officials were reportedly in talks with Singh to try to purchase the Sutter, or use it on an interim basis as transitional housing for homeless people. But no deal was ever struck. City officials didn't respond to emails seeking more information about this effort.
Singh didn’t return several messages, which were left with the front-desk staff at the hotel. But a person working the desk confirmed today that the hotel was sold, and that the new owners are immediately taking over.
“We’re doing a big transition,” explained the individual, who did not identify themselves. They declined to name the new owners or elaborate.
But county records indicate that a company called 584 14th Street LLC purchased the building today for approximately $12 million. The LLC was incorporated by Hawkins Way Capital, a Los Angeles real estate investment company run by Ross Walker.
According to its website, Hawkins Way makes “value added and opportunistic investments” in real estate “targeting attractive risk adjusted returns.”
Walker is part of the ownership group of the Oakland A’s baseball club, according to his biography on his company’s website. He also works closely with his former boss Lew Wolff, one of the more prominent minority owners of the A’s.
Last year, Wolff stepped down as the managing partner of the A’s and sold off most of his shares in the team. But he retains a small ownership stake, and the title of chairman emeritus. For years he was the public face of team's ownership group.
Wolff’s company, Wolff Urban Development, shares office space in the same L.A. building as Hawkins Way Capital, and Wolff Urban is an investor in Hawkins Way's real-estate deals.
Today, Walker wrote in an email to the Express that it’s too early to share plans about what his company intends to do with the Sutter.
The Express asked Wolff if he was involved in the purchase of the Sutter Hotel, to which he deferred to Walker. Wolff also wrote in the same email that his involvement in real-estate deals in downtown Oakland is limited to a proposal to build a new Marriott Hotel at 1431 Jefferson Street, which is across the street from the Sutter.
Hawkins Way Capital owns boutique hotels and student-housing properties across the United States. For example, last year, the company bought Hollywood’s Mark Twain SRO hotel and converted it to market-rate housing.
Hawkins Way also set up the Live Learn Properties Fund, which invests in student dormitories. Both Walker and Wolff are managers of the Live Learn fund, according to securities records.
In the past year, the City of Oakland has been trying to preserve its SROs, because they are often the residences of last resort for people who would otherwise become homeless. In January, City Council passed a moratorium to prevent converting SROs into other uses. The moratorium lasts until December 2018.
Oakland has lost almost half of its total stock of SRO housing units in the past twelve years. According to a September 2015 city report, Oakland had 31 SRO hotels with 2,285 rooms in 2004. Since, some were demolished to make way for new developments and others were converted to different uses, leaving only 1,311 SRO units in Oakland today.
Last year, the Hotel Travelers and a smaller SRO building on 8th Street were both purchased by investors who plan to convert the buildings into market-rate properties.
June 09, 2017
New owners include an investor group known for operating boutique hotels and student dorms in
high-end markets.
https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oakland-as-minority-owners-purchase-downtown-oakland-sro-after-previous-landlord-evicted-low-income-tenants/Content?oid=7301511
The Sutter Hotel, one of Oakland’s dwindling number of single-room occupancy hotels, was sold today to an investor group that includes two minority owners of the Oakland Athletics. These new investors are known for operating boutique hotels and student dorms in high-end markets — not affordable housing — and it’s unclear what they intend to do with the 102-room low-income housing property.
This morning, a former Sutter resident told the Express that the hotel’s sale was contingent on the eviction of long-term, low-income tenants.
“There was a concerted effort to remove people,” explained Michael Wiehl, who lived in the Sutter from 2013 until last year, when he was evicted.
In early 2016, Wiehl said that one of the hotel’s front-desk managers told him “they’re selling the hotel to somebody,” and that he would have to “accept the deal because that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Wiehl said the hotel’s previous owner, Raj Singh, at first bought-out some of the permanent residents, and even helped others move to the nearby Empyrean Towers SRO. But he also evicted Wiehl and several hold-outs. Former residents told the Express that all of the permanent residents who were protected by Oakland’s rent control and just-cause eviction laws are now gone.
Wiehl left in October 2016. Court records indicate that six other tenants were evicted through court actions last year, and two were evicted through the courts in 2015.
“You’re dealing with a lot of powerful people who are trying to get to that Uber money and the Airbnb billions,” Weihl speculated about the sale.
Laura Lane, an attorney with the East Bay Community Law Center, represented a different Sutter tenant in an eviction case last year. Lane said she noticed the previous owner paying rent-control-protected tenants to move out. “I know at the end of last year that [the landlord] had paid to relocate some people out of the hotel,” she said.
City officials were reportedly in talks with Singh to try to purchase the Sutter, or use it on an interim basis as transitional housing for homeless people. But no deal was ever struck. City officials didn't respond to emails seeking more information about this effort.
Singh didn’t return several messages, which were left with the front-desk staff at the hotel. But a person working the desk confirmed today that the hotel was sold, and that the new owners are immediately taking over.
“We’re doing a big transition,” explained the individual, who did not identify themselves. They declined to name the new owners or elaborate.
But county records indicate that a company called 584 14th Street LLC purchased the building today for approximately $12 million. The LLC was incorporated by Hawkins Way Capital, a Los Angeles real estate investment company run by Ross Walker.
According to its website, Hawkins Way makes “value added and opportunistic investments” in real estate “targeting attractive risk adjusted returns.”
Walker is part of the ownership group of the Oakland A’s baseball club, according to his biography on his company’s website. He also works closely with his former boss Lew Wolff, one of the more prominent minority owners of the A’s.
Last year, Wolff stepped down as the managing partner of the A’s and sold off most of his shares in the team. But he retains a small ownership stake, and the title of chairman emeritus. For years he was the public face of team's ownership group.
Wolff’s company, Wolff Urban Development, shares office space in the same L.A. building as Hawkins Way Capital, and Wolff Urban is an investor in Hawkins Way's real-estate deals.
Today, Walker wrote in an email to the Express that it’s too early to share plans about what his company intends to do with the Sutter.
The Express asked Wolff if he was involved in the purchase of the Sutter Hotel, to which he deferred to Walker. Wolff also wrote in the same email that his involvement in real-estate deals in downtown Oakland is limited to a proposal to build a new Marriott Hotel at 1431 Jefferson Street, which is across the street from the Sutter.
Hawkins Way Capital owns boutique hotels and student-housing properties across the United States. For example, last year, the company bought Hollywood’s Mark Twain SRO hotel and converted it to market-rate housing.
Hawkins Way also set up the Live Learn Properties Fund, which invests in student dormitories. Both Walker and Wolff are managers of the Live Learn fund, according to securities records.
In the past year, the City of Oakland has been trying to preserve its SROs, because they are often the residences of last resort for people who would otherwise become homeless. In January, City Council passed a moratorium to prevent converting SROs into other uses. The moratorium lasts until December 2018.
Oakland has lost almost half of its total stock of SRO housing units in the past twelve years. According to a September 2015 city report, Oakland had 31 SRO hotels with 2,285 rooms in 2004. Since, some were demolished to make way for new developments and others were converted to different uses, leaving only 1,311 SRO units in Oakland today.
Last year, the Hotel Travelers and a smaller SRO building on 8th Street were both purchased by investors who plan to convert the buildings into market-rate properties.
Friday, April 28, 2017
134 Oakland Bldg Dept - Code Enforcement strategies were adopted but never implemented.
April 24, 2017
Oakland Must Re-Imagine Code Enforcement As Advocate For Community Health and Safety
The recent fire tragedies in Oakland have shined the light on deplorable housing conditions in which many Oakland residents live. This problem is exacerbated with the growing diminishment of renters’ bargaining powers in a tightening housing market. To address Oakland’s housing habitability problems and prevent more tragedies require us to re-imagine Code Enforcement as an advocate for community health and safety. The City of Oakland and Code Enforcement had embraced such a vision several years ago, but the momentum stalled.
What happened and what can be done now?
Tasked by former Oakland City Administrators to lead Code Enforcement’s transformation in response to the 2011 Grand Jury Report, I had witnessed firsthand how Code Enforcement serves as an implementer for political values. The “get tough on blight” approach, highlighted in the Grand Jury Report, appeared rooted in former Mayor Brown’s vision of Oakland as a bedroom community for San Francisco. It was also driven by the City’s budget mandate that Code Enforcement operations be 100% revenue generating. The prior punitive rules resulted in quickly accruing expensive penalties for lower income homeowners who lacked the resources to fix up their blighted homes. Code Enforcement liens were then attached, transmitted over to the County Tax Collector for collection, and sometimes resulted in homes lost to investors at tax auctions. For example, the 2013 County tax auction included 75 vacant lots that had previous structures demolished by Code Enforcement.
The Grand Jury report served as an opportunity for Code Enforcement staff to be empowered to design a new vision. The staff, supported by a team that included the City Administration, City Attorney, City Council, County Health, and community groups, re-imagined Code Enforcement as a vehicle for community health and safety. To achieve this new vision required Code Enforcement to change its policies, create new partnerships, be less driven by revenue concerns, and allow its staff to operate as caring human beings.
The changes made meant that an elderly, low-income property owner with a damaged roof, rather than receiving a blight notice and subsequent fines, would instead receive referrals to rehab resources from Code Enforcement staff. It meant that Code Enforcement staff received trainings from County Health on health impacts from mold, were lent humidity reading new technology by San Francisco Health, and developed a case management team with County health workers.
However, sustaining the transformation of Code Enforcement required three strategies, two of which the City adopted in theory but never implemented.
First, Code Enforcement critically needs a full-time leader with expertise in health/community development and program/financial management. We had developed a job description for a new Code Enforcement Manager but the position was later eliminated.
Second, the City Council needs to adopt a Proactive Rental Inspection (PRI) ordinance that empowers Code Enforcement to proactively inspect rental units rather than the current flawed complaint system, target limited City resources towards the worst offenders, include anti-displacement strategies, and generate an ongoing new revenue source that’s spread broadly across rental units. Cities like Sacramento and Los Angeles have effectively implemented PRI programs, resulting in improvements to habitability and health.
Third, the City can use part of its new Infrastructure Bond $100 million for housing for a landlord rehabilitation fund in exchange for long-term affordable rents to counter the displacement crisis.
Councilmember Lynette McElhaney has been trying to advance a PRI policy. There’s an informational report from the City Administration headed to the Council CED Committee on April 25th. But there’s only so much the Administration can do—we need City Council action to pass a PRI ordinance, include a Code Enforcement Manager in its new budget, and create a Landlord Rehab/Anti-Displacement Fund. Without all three measures, Oakland’s housing habitability problems, as highlighted by the recent fire tragedies, will go unabated.
Margaretta Lin served as Deputy City Administrator for the City of Oakland and currently serves as Executive Director of the Dellums Institute for Social Justice.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oakland-must-re-imagine-code-enforcement-as-advocate-for-community-health-and-safety/Content?oid=6467985
Oakland Must Re-Imagine Code Enforcement As Advocate For Community Health and Safety
The recent fire tragedies in Oakland have shined the light on deplorable housing conditions in which many Oakland residents live. This problem is exacerbated with the growing diminishment of renters’ bargaining powers in a tightening housing market. To address Oakland’s housing habitability problems and prevent more tragedies require us to re-imagine Code Enforcement as an advocate for community health and safety. The City of Oakland and Code Enforcement had embraced such a vision several years ago, but the momentum stalled.
What happened and what can be done now?
Tasked by former Oakland City Administrators to lead Code Enforcement’s transformation in response to the 2011 Grand Jury Report, I had witnessed firsthand how Code Enforcement serves as an implementer for political values. The “get tough on blight” approach, highlighted in the Grand Jury Report, appeared rooted in former Mayor Brown’s vision of Oakland as a bedroom community for San Francisco. It was also driven by the City’s budget mandate that Code Enforcement operations be 100% revenue generating. The prior punitive rules resulted in quickly accruing expensive penalties for lower income homeowners who lacked the resources to fix up their blighted homes. Code Enforcement liens were then attached, transmitted over to the County Tax Collector for collection, and sometimes resulted in homes lost to investors at tax auctions. For example, the 2013 County tax auction included 75 vacant lots that had previous structures demolished by Code Enforcement.
The Grand Jury report served as an opportunity for Code Enforcement staff to be empowered to design a new vision. The staff, supported by a team that included the City Administration, City Attorney, City Council, County Health, and community groups, re-imagined Code Enforcement as a vehicle for community health and safety. To achieve this new vision required Code Enforcement to change its policies, create new partnerships, be less driven by revenue concerns, and allow its staff to operate as caring human beings.
The changes made meant that an elderly, low-income property owner with a damaged roof, rather than receiving a blight notice and subsequent fines, would instead receive referrals to rehab resources from Code Enforcement staff. It meant that Code Enforcement staff received trainings from County Health on health impacts from mold, were lent humidity reading new technology by San Francisco Health, and developed a case management team with County health workers.
However, sustaining the transformation of Code Enforcement required three strategies, two of which the City adopted in theory but never implemented.
First, Code Enforcement critically needs a full-time leader with expertise in health/community development and program/financial management. We had developed a job description for a new Code Enforcement Manager but the position was later eliminated.
Second, the City Council needs to adopt a Proactive Rental Inspection (PRI) ordinance that empowers Code Enforcement to proactively inspect rental units rather than the current flawed complaint system, target limited City resources towards the worst offenders, include anti-displacement strategies, and generate an ongoing new revenue source that’s spread broadly across rental units. Cities like Sacramento and Los Angeles have effectively implemented PRI programs, resulting in improvements to habitability and health.
Third, the City can use part of its new Infrastructure Bond $100 million for housing for a landlord rehabilitation fund in exchange for long-term affordable rents to counter the displacement crisis.
Councilmember Lynette McElhaney has been trying to advance a PRI policy. There’s an informational report from the City Administration headed to the Council CED Committee on April 25th. But there’s only so much the Administration can do—we need City Council action to pass a PRI ordinance, include a Code Enforcement Manager in its new budget, and create a Landlord Rehab/Anti-Displacement Fund. Without all three measures, Oakland’s housing habitability problems, as highlighted by the recent fire tragedies, will go unabated.
Margaretta Lin served as Deputy City Administrator for the City of Oakland and currently serves as Executive Director of the Dellums Institute for Social Justice.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oakland-must-re-imagine-code-enforcement-as-advocate-for-community-health-and-safety/Content?oid=6467985
Sunday, December 18, 2016
11 Oakland Police Dept (OPD) - 2 Police Chiefs resign in 72 hours (2013)
May 2013
Oakland Police Dept (OPD) - 2 Chiefs resign in rapid succession
In less than 72 hours, two chiefs at the Oakland Police Department quit.
Former Police Chief Howard Jordan resigned on Wednesday, citing medical reasons for his decision. However, his timing was curious -- a report scheduled to come out the same day he announced his departure revealed that Oakland is the nation's robbery capital. In addition, it detailed how Jordan had assigned only one part-time cops to investigate more than 10,000 burglaries last year.
http://archives.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2013/05/10/second-chief-resigns-from-oakland-police-department-in-48-hours
1. Police Chief Howard Jordan
2. Deputy Police Chief Anthony Toribio
3. Deputy Chief Sean Whent
Oakland Police Dept (OPD) - 2 Chiefs resign in rapid succession
In less than 72 hours, two chiefs at the Oakland Police Department quit.
Former Police Chief Howard Jordan resigned on Wednesday, citing medical reasons for his decision. However, his timing was curious -- a report scheduled to come out the same day he announced his departure revealed that Oakland is the nation's robbery capital. In addition, it detailed how Jordan had assigned only one part-time cops to investigate more than 10,000 burglaries last year.
http://archives.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2013/05/10/second-chief-resigns-from-oakland-police-department-in-48-hours
1. Police Chief Howard Jordan
2. Deputy Police Chief Anthony Toribio
3. Deputy Chief Sean Whent
09 Oakland Mayor Schaaf Violates Oakland's Crowd Control Policies (attempt to prohibit night protests)
May 2015
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Institutes Ban On Nighttime Street Protests
The rally began just before sunset in Frank Ogawa Plaza where about 200–300 people had gathered. After several speeches and recitations of poetry, the protesters announced their intention to march to the Oakland Police Administration Building seven blocks away. Demonstrators had not yet stepped off the sidewalk and into the intersection of 14th Street and Broadway when OPD addressed the crowd through an amplified sound system, stating that the march was “unpermitted.” As demonstrators walked into the street, police immediately ordered them back onto the sidewalk, citing California Vehicle Code Section 2800, which makes it an arrestable offense to not comply with orders of a police officer.
“The fact is we were threatened with arrest for marching,” said Cat Brooks, one of the facilitators of the protest. “This was a Black women’s and children’s rally saying to the police, please stop killing us, and our woman mayor organized the harshest response we’ve seen yet.”
“There clearly is a shift in tactics by the police,” said attorney Anne Weills, who was in last night’s march.
In an interview today, Mayor Libby Schaaf acknowledged that she ordered the prohibition on nighttime street marches in Oakland. However, she argued that it was a not new city law, but rather a reinterpretation of an existing one.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2015/05/22/oakland-mayor-libby-schaaf-institutes-curfew-on-nighttime-street-protest
May 2012
Oakland's Mayor violates Oakland's Crowd Control Policies in violation of Federal Oversight rules
OPD’s current crowd control policy, Lye explained, is pursuant to a court settlement reached in the 2003 Port of Oakland incident, during which Oakland police fired wooden dowels and shotgun-propelled bean bags into a crowd of protestors, injuring 58 people. For that reason, she said, “OPD does not have unilateral authority to change that [policy].” Instead, she said, “they are required to consult with a monitor” before announcing any revisions.
Because OPD’s existing crowd control guidelines were part of a federal court order and are still legally binding, the department doesn’t “have the power to make any changes in that unilaterally,” added Rachel Lederman, an NLG attorney.
Even more confusing to some is the fact that a few weeks ago, Lederman said, OPD “inexplicably” posted the Peace Officer Standards and Training - or POST - crowd control guidelines on its website, even though it already lists the existing guidelines as its official policy. Furthermore, the city’s press release made additional mention of new guidelines, stating that OPD is “revising its crowd management policy to be consistent with upcoming POST-recommended crowd management policies.”
http://newamericamedia.org/2012/05/was-oakland-pds-proposed-crowd-control-policy-illegal.php
May 2015
"Black People Had War Declared on Them By Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf."
On Thursday, May 21st, 2015, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, in response to window breaking during protests the evening of May 1st, promulgated, secretly, new edicts prohibiting night time street protests. These were enforced by Oakland Police that night when Black Lives Matter protesters attempted to take to the streets after a #SayHerName rally remembering Black women killed by police terror.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/5/24/1387348/--Black-People-Had-War-Declared-on-Them-By-Oakland-Mayor-Libby-Schaaf
May 2015
Oakland protesters defy mayor by marching at night without permit
Protesters marched through Oakland streets after sunset Saturday in defiance of Mayor Libby Schaaf’s policy of shutting down unlawful assemblies at night in her effort to protect businesses from protest-related violence and vandalism.
The protest was organized in response to an incident Thursday night in which police forced about 200 demonstrators off the street and onto the sidewalk because they did not have a permit to shut down city streets. The groups Onyx Organizing Committee and the Anti Police-Terror Project complied but called the city’s action unconstitutional, and planned Saturday night’s march to challenge what they called a new policy.
On Friday, Schaaf spokeswoman Erica Derryck released a statement saying the city hasn’t approved any new laws or policies regarding marches, but is using existing laws and policies to make sure protests remain peaceful. She said routing the march onto the sidewalk is a way to “ensure that freedom of expression is not compromised by unlawful activity and demonstrators, bystanders, motorists and property are kept safe.”
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-protesters-to-challenge-Libby-Schaaf-in-6283517.php
June 2015
Oakland officials, lawyers can’t resolve city’s controversial crowd control policy
“She’s (Schaaf) writing checks she expect my police officers to cash,” said Donelan, whose union is currently negotiating a new contract. “This administration will persecute Oakland police for their own failed policy.”
“This is a failed policy, failed leadership and ultimately the people who will suffer are the citizens of Oakland,” Donelan said. “Are we putting murderers behind bars? I’m not sure what we’re achieving.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/06/03/oakland-officials-lawyers-cant-resolve-citys-controversial-crowd-control-policy/
CBS San Francisco reports that police cited a new policy by the city's mayor to force protesters from the street to the sidewalk after Oakland experienced several violent demonstrations in the past year. Oakland has hosted rallies in the streets for years, but the mayor said the new policy is needed to combat damage to property and violence.
Rachel Lederman, a lawyer with the National Lawyers Guild who helped Oakland craft its crowd-control policies, said the new tactics appear to violate the guidelines.
"It doesn't make any sense because saying that marches have to be on the sidewalk has absolutely no relationship to impending property damage that might occur," Lederman said. "Obviously that would happen on a sidewalk, not a street."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-oakland-police-policy-sparks-protests-arrests/
Oakland Police Under a Cloud for Violent Occupy Crackdown
October 2011
Questions are swirling as to whether Oakland police used excessive force and violated the department's own crowd-control policy. The OPD denies that Oakland officers used flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets against the crowd, despite allegations to the contrary. (OPD spokespeople suggested that other law enforcement agencies may have used them.) Interim police chief Howard Jordan has admitted to the use of tear gas and bean bags, saying his officers used them as a defense against bottles, rocks, and paint thrown by angry protesters.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/10/opd-crowd-control-policy-force
http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/05/26/legal-or-not-oaklands-new-protest-policy-hurting-relations-with-activists/
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Institutes Ban On Nighttime Street Protests
The rally began just before sunset in Frank Ogawa Plaza where about 200–300 people had gathered. After several speeches and recitations of poetry, the protesters announced their intention to march to the Oakland Police Administration Building seven blocks away. Demonstrators had not yet stepped off the sidewalk and into the intersection of 14th Street and Broadway when OPD addressed the crowd through an amplified sound system, stating that the march was “unpermitted.” As demonstrators walked into the street, police immediately ordered them back onto the sidewalk, citing California Vehicle Code Section 2800, which makes it an arrestable offense to not comply with orders of a police officer.
“The fact is we were threatened with arrest for marching,” said Cat Brooks, one of the facilitators of the protest. “This was a Black women’s and children’s rally saying to the police, please stop killing us, and our woman mayor organized the harshest response we’ve seen yet.”
“There clearly is a shift in tactics by the police,” said attorney Anne Weills, who was in last night’s march.
In an interview today, Mayor Libby Schaaf acknowledged that she ordered the prohibition on nighttime street marches in Oakland. However, she argued that it was a not new city law, but rather a reinterpretation of an existing one.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays/archives/2015/05/22/oakland-mayor-libby-schaaf-institutes-curfew-on-nighttime-street-protest
May 2012
OPD’s current crowd control policy, Lye explained, is pursuant to a court settlement reached in the 2003 Port of Oakland incident, during which Oakland police fired wooden dowels and shotgun-propelled bean bags into a crowd of protestors, injuring 58 people. For that reason, she said, “OPD does not have unilateral authority to change that [policy].” Instead, she said, “they are required to consult with a monitor” before announcing any revisions.
Because OPD’s existing crowd control guidelines were part of a federal court order and are still legally binding, the department doesn’t “have the power to make any changes in that unilaterally,” added Rachel Lederman, an NLG attorney.
Even more confusing to some is the fact that a few weeks ago, Lederman said, OPD “inexplicably” posted the Peace Officer Standards and Training - or POST - crowd control guidelines on its website, even though it already lists the existing guidelines as its official policy. Furthermore, the city’s press release made additional mention of new guidelines, stating that OPD is “revising its crowd management policy to be consistent with upcoming POST-recommended crowd management policies.”
http://newamericamedia.org/2012/05/was-oakland-pds-proposed-crowd-control-policy-illegal.php
May 2015
"Black People Had War Declared on Them By Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf."
On Thursday, May 21st, 2015, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, in response to window breaking during protests the evening of May 1st, promulgated, secretly, new edicts prohibiting night time street protests. These were enforced by Oakland Police that night when Black Lives Matter protesters attempted to take to the streets after a #SayHerName rally remembering Black women killed by police terror.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/5/24/1387348/--Black-People-Had-War-Declared-on-Them-By-Oakland-Mayor-Libby-Schaaf
May 2015
Oakland protesters defy mayor by marching at night without permit
Protesters marched through Oakland streets after sunset Saturday in defiance of Mayor Libby Schaaf’s policy of shutting down unlawful assemblies at night in her effort to protect businesses from protest-related violence and vandalism.
The protest was organized in response to an incident Thursday night in which police forced about 200 demonstrators off the street and onto the sidewalk because they did not have a permit to shut down city streets. The groups Onyx Organizing Committee and the Anti Police-Terror Project complied but called the city’s action unconstitutional, and planned Saturday night’s march to challenge what they called a new policy.
On Friday, Schaaf spokeswoman Erica Derryck released a statement saying the city hasn’t approved any new laws or policies regarding marches, but is using existing laws and policies to make sure protests remain peaceful. She said routing the march onto the sidewalk is a way to “ensure that freedom of expression is not compromised by unlawful activity and demonstrators, bystanders, motorists and property are kept safe.”
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-protesters-to-challenge-Libby-Schaaf-in-6283517.php
June 2015
Oakland officials, lawyers can’t resolve city’s controversial crowd control policy
“She’s (Schaaf) writing checks she expect my police officers to cash,” said Donelan, whose union is currently negotiating a new contract. “This administration will persecute Oakland police for their own failed policy.”
“This is a failed policy, failed leadership and ultimately the people who will suffer are the citizens of Oakland,” Donelan said. “Are we putting murderers behind bars? I’m not sure what we’re achieving.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/06/03/oakland-officials-lawyers-cant-resolve-citys-controversial-crowd-control-policy/
CBS San Francisco reports that police cited a new policy by the city's mayor to force protesters from the street to the sidewalk after Oakland experienced several violent demonstrations in the past year. Oakland has hosted rallies in the streets for years, but the mayor said the new policy is needed to combat damage to property and violence.
Rachel Lederman, a lawyer with the National Lawyers Guild who helped Oakland craft its crowd-control policies, said the new tactics appear to violate the guidelines.
"It doesn't make any sense because saying that marches have to be on the sidewalk has absolutely no relationship to impending property damage that might occur," Lederman said. "Obviously that would happen on a sidewalk, not a street."
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-oakland-police-policy-sparks-protests-arrests/
Oakland Police Under a Cloud for Violent Occupy Crackdown
October 2011
Questions are swirling as to whether Oakland police used excessive force and violated the department's own crowd-control policy. The OPD denies that Oakland officers used flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets against the crowd, despite allegations to the contrary. (OPD spokespeople suggested that other law enforcement agencies may have used them.) Interim police chief Howard Jordan has admitted to the use of tear gas and bean bags, saying his officers used them as a defense against bottles, rocks, and paint thrown by angry protesters.
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/10/opd-crowd-control-policy-force
http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/05/26/legal-or-not-oaklands-new-protest-policy-hurting-relations-with-activists/
05 Oakland Police Department - repeatedly violates its own crowd control policies
More than 1,000 complaints have been filed over the OPD's handing of various Occupy Oakland protests, according to the East Bay Express. The OPD has repeatedly violated its own crowd-control policy, which was adopted following an aggressive response to a 2003 antiwar protest that resulted in lawsuits that cost the department more than $2 million. OPD Chief Howard Jordan, who was a lieutenant at the time, was involved in policing that protest and was deposed during the ensuing investigation. In both cases, the heavy-handed tactics centered on the use of "less-lethal" projectiles, such as the beanbag round that later injured Scott Olsen. The Frazier report said such weapons should be replaced with "state of the art equipment that will reduce injuries" and "help prevent property damage."
Oakland Police Dept Crowd Control Policy
https://localwiki.org/oakland/OPD_Crowd_Control_Policy
July 2012
How OPD Violates Their Crowd Control Policy.. Again & Again
http://www.beortamedia.com/bellas-corner/how-opd-violates-their-crowd-control-policy-again-again
August 2013
Timeline: A History of Oakland Police's Crowd-Control Policy
Jan. 22, 2003: The City of Oakland pays $10.9 million in the Allen v. City of Oakland (Riders case) settlement to 119 plaintiffs who alleged police misconduct.
April 7, 2003: At an anti-war protest at the Port of Oakland, at least 57 demonstrators, including Sri Louise Coles and longshoremen, are injured.
June 26, 2003: Sri Louise Coles, the longshoremen's union, and other plaintiffs file suit against the city, setting in motion the beginnings of OPD's crowd-control policy.
Aug. 20, 2003: The District Court appoints an independent monitoring team to oversee the reforms required by the Riders settlement.
Oct. 28, 2005: The OPD crowd-control policy is finalized on Dec. 20, 2004, and issued in a training bulletin by the OPD.
Dec. 28, 2007: Federal court oversight of the crowd-control policy expires.
Jan. 1, 2009: Oscar Grant is killed. His death sparks protests and riots in Oakland.
Nov. 5, 2010: in the killing of Oscar Grant. OPD unlawfully arrests approximately 150 demonstrators.
June 13, 2011: In Spalding et al v. City of Oakland, the National Lawyers Guild files suit on behalf of the 150 arrested demonstrators.
Oct. 25, 2011: OPD clears the Occupy Oakland encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza, resulting in injuries and unlawful arrests.
Nov. 2, 2011: OPD responds violently to an Occupy Oakland "General Strike" protest: Suzi Spangenberg is hit with grenades and shot with less-lethal munitions; Scott Campbell is shot in the upper thigh with a beanbag round; Kayvan Sabeghi is beaten.
Nov. 14, 2011: The NLG and the ACLU file suit on behalf of those injured and arrested on the nights of Oct. 25 and Nov. 2.
Jan. 24, 2012: The District Court finds OPD has failed to comply with the terms of the Riders settlement. OPD is on the brink of federal receivership; the department is stripped of independence and put under direct supervision and control of a compliance director, Thomas Frazier.
Jan. 28, 2012: OPD arrests 400 demonstrators. A case filed on behalf of those arrested is ongoing.
June 14, 2012: OPD's compliance director Frazier releases an investigative report into the department's response to Occupy Oakland, criticizing OPD's crowd-control and use-of-force practices.
June 24, 2013: Spalding et al v. City of Oakland settles for $1.025 million.
July 3, 2013: Campbell et al v. City of Oakland settles for $1.17 million. As part of the Spalding and Campbell settlements, the crowd-control policy is placed back under court supervision for four years, which can be expanded to seven years if violations occur.
http://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/timeline-a-history-of-oakland-polices-crowd-control-policy/Content?oid=2827010
Oakland Police Dept Crowd Control Policy
https://localwiki.org/oakland/OPD_Crowd_Control_Policy
July 2012
How OPD Violates Their Crowd Control Policy.. Again & Again
http://www.beortamedia.com/bellas-corner/how-opd-violates-their-crowd-control-policy-again-again
August 2013
Timeline: A History of Oakland Police's Crowd-Control Policy
Jan. 22, 2003: The City of Oakland pays $10.9 million in the Allen v. City of Oakland (Riders case) settlement to 119 plaintiffs who alleged police misconduct.
April 7, 2003: At an anti-war protest at the Port of Oakland, at least 57 demonstrators, including Sri Louise Coles and longshoremen, are injured.
June 26, 2003: Sri Louise Coles, the longshoremen's union, and other plaintiffs file suit against the city, setting in motion the beginnings of OPD's crowd-control policy.
Aug. 20, 2003: The District Court appoints an independent monitoring team to oversee the reforms required by the Riders settlement.
Oct. 28, 2005: The OPD crowd-control policy is finalized on Dec. 20, 2004, and issued in a training bulletin by the OPD.
Dec. 28, 2007: Federal court oversight of the crowd-control policy expires.
Jan. 1, 2009: Oscar Grant is killed. His death sparks protests and riots in Oakland.
Nov. 5, 2010: in the killing of Oscar Grant. OPD unlawfully arrests approximately 150 demonstrators.
June 13, 2011: In Spalding et al v. City of Oakland, the National Lawyers Guild files suit on behalf of the 150 arrested demonstrators.
Oct. 25, 2011: OPD clears the Occupy Oakland encampment at Frank Ogawa Plaza, resulting in injuries and unlawful arrests.
Nov. 2, 2011: OPD responds violently to an Occupy Oakland "General Strike" protest: Suzi Spangenberg is hit with grenades and shot with less-lethal munitions; Scott Campbell is shot in the upper thigh with a beanbag round; Kayvan Sabeghi is beaten.
Nov. 14, 2011: The NLG and the ACLU file suit on behalf of those injured and arrested on the nights of Oct. 25 and Nov. 2.
Jan. 24, 2012: The District Court finds OPD has failed to comply with the terms of the Riders settlement. OPD is on the brink of federal receivership; the department is stripped of independence and put under direct supervision and control of a compliance director, Thomas Frazier.
Jan. 28, 2012: OPD arrests 400 demonstrators. A case filed on behalf of those arrested is ongoing.
June 14, 2012: OPD's compliance director Frazier releases an investigative report into the department's response to Occupy Oakland, criticizing OPD's crowd-control and use-of-force practices.
June 24, 2013: Spalding et al v. City of Oakland settles for $1.025 million.
July 3, 2013: Campbell et al v. City of Oakland settles for $1.17 million. As part of the Spalding and Campbell settlements, the crowd-control policy is placed back under court supervision for four years, which can be expanded to seven years if violations occur.
http://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/timeline-a-history-of-oakland-polices-crowd-control-policy/Content?oid=2827010
06 Oakland Police Dept (OPD) - OPD investigator compromised the Scott Olsen criminal investigation
June 2012
OPD Screws Up Scott Olsen Investigation?
A new report reveals that a department investigator may have compromised the investigation into the shooting of the Marine veteran.
Filings made last week in the court of federal Judge Thelton Henderson reveal that the Oakland Police Department's investigation into which of its officers shot Marine veteran Scott Olsen with a beanbag round on October 25 may have been compromised by the actions of an officer assigned to the case. "It is alleged an OPD investigator compromised the Scott Olson [sic] criminal investigation," the court document reads. "This will require interviews of several members of CID [Criminal Investigations Division] and Tango Teams [tactical teams armed with less-than-lethal munitions] but will not require any extensive analysis of video or other evidence."
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/opd-screws-up-scott-olsen-investigation/Content?oid=3233648
In February 2012, after reviewing video recordings and other police records, private investigator Jacob Crawford and I identified Roche as the officer who threw the flash-bang grenade at Olsen (see "Officer in Scott Olsen Incident Identified?" 2/22/12). Additional reporting later revealed that OPD had prematurely ended its investigation into the Olsen incident and that the department investigators lied to the Alameda District Attorney's Office about it (see, "OPD Screws Up Scott Olsen Investigation," 6/13/12). OPD's conduct elicited concern from former Baltimore Police Commissioner Tom Frazier, whom the city had hired to review OPD's conduct during Occupy Oakland. Frazier determined that department investigators had "compromised" the probe of the Olsen incident.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/why-oakland-cant-fire-bad-cops/Content?oid=4074076
OPD Screws Up Scott Olsen Investigation?
A new report reveals that a department investigator may have compromised the investigation into the shooting of the Marine veteran.
Filings made last week in the court of federal Judge Thelton Henderson reveal that the Oakland Police Department's investigation into which of its officers shot Marine veteran Scott Olsen with a beanbag round on October 25 may have been compromised by the actions of an officer assigned to the case. "It is alleged an OPD investigator compromised the Scott Olson [sic] criminal investigation," the court document reads. "This will require interviews of several members of CID [Criminal Investigations Division] and Tango Teams [tactical teams armed with less-than-lethal munitions] but will not require any extensive analysis of video or other evidence."
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/opd-screws-up-scott-olsen-investigation/Content?oid=3233648
In February 2012, after reviewing video recordings and other police records, private investigator Jacob Crawford and I identified Roche as the officer who threw the flash-bang grenade at Olsen (see "Officer in Scott Olsen Incident Identified?" 2/22/12). Additional reporting later revealed that OPD had prematurely ended its investigation into the Olsen incident and that the department investigators lied to the Alameda District Attorney's Office about it (see, "OPD Screws Up Scott Olsen Investigation," 6/13/12). OPD's conduct elicited concern from former Baltimore Police Commissioner Tom Frazier, whom the city had hired to review OPD's conduct during Occupy Oakland. Frazier determined that department investigators had "compromised" the probe of the Olsen incident.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/why-oakland-cant-fire-bad-cops/Content?oid=4074076
02 Oakland Police Dept (OPD) - 13+ years of federal oversight - taxpayer cost: 13.6+ million
Why is Oakland hurting for money? These scandals are expensive.
July 2016
Oakland Police Department (OPD) on its 13th year of Federal Oversight - costing taxpayers $13.6 million
His statement underscores a reality for Oakland police: What was supposed to be at most seven years of oversight by a federal judge and a team of independent monitors has dragged into its 13th year, costing Oakland taxpayers $13.6 million, as a carousel of police chiefs, mayors and other civic leaders have entered and exited City Hall.
Of the $13.6 million spent to date for the federal monitoring program, about $6.2 million is going to the team run by the current monitor and compliance director, Robert Warshaw, according to city records. The rest has gone to other teams, equipment and audits of the department.
The program began as part of a settlement in the Riders civil case, in which 119 plaintiffs, all but one African-American, were paid $10.5 million after four rogue officers allegedly beat and planted evidence on them. As part of the negotiated settlement agreement, the department was given 51 tasks to complete — from documenting and reducing racial profiling in car and pedestrian stops, to tracking discipline of officers through internal affairs.
But the oversight is not limited to those tasks. For example, the monitors were critical of the department’s handling of Occupy Oakland protests in fall 2011, which led to a report questioning the use of force and internal investigations of officers involved.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/07/13/oakland-police-in-13th-year-of-federal-oversight/
July 2016
Oakland Police Department (OPD) on its 13th year of Federal Oversight - costing taxpayers $13.6 million
His statement underscores a reality for Oakland police: What was supposed to be at most seven years of oversight by a federal judge and a team of independent monitors has dragged into its 13th year, costing Oakland taxpayers $13.6 million, as a carousel of police chiefs, mayors and other civic leaders have entered and exited City Hall.
Of the $13.6 million spent to date for the federal monitoring program, about $6.2 million is going to the team run by the current monitor and compliance director, Robert Warshaw, according to city records. The rest has gone to other teams, equipment and audits of the department.
The program began as part of a settlement in the Riders civil case, in which 119 plaintiffs, all but one African-American, were paid $10.5 million after four rogue officers allegedly beat and planted evidence on them. As part of the negotiated settlement agreement, the department was given 51 tasks to complete — from documenting and reducing racial profiling in car and pedestrian stops, to tracking discipline of officers through internal affairs.
But the oversight is not limited to those tasks. For example, the monitors were critical of the department’s handling of Occupy Oakland protests in fall 2011, which led to a report questioning the use of force and internal investigations of officers involved.
http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/07/13/oakland-police-in-13th-year-of-federal-oversight/
01 Oakland Police Dept (OPD) Riders Scandal - Planting drugs, beating suspects, fabricating evidence
December 2000
Rampart-Like Scandal Rocks Oakland Justice System, Politics
Riders face criminal charges and a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that they fabricated evidence, planted drugs and wantonly beat suspects bloody.
http://articles.latimes.com/2000/dec/11/news/mn-64091
February 2001
Oakland Fires Last of 'Riders' / One of 4 cops facing charges
Hornung and former Officers Clarence "Chuck" Mabanag, 35; Jude Siapno, 32, and Francisco Vazquez, 44, are facing a combined 63 felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly beating, kidnapping or planting drugs on people in West Oakland last summer.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-Fires-Last-of-Riders-One-of-4-cops-2952349.php
December 2004
OAKLAND / 'Riders' lied, brutalized man, ex-rookie testifies / Whistle-blower says he feared losing job by coming forward
Keith Batt, 28, described how the ex-officers had forced him to lie on police reports, told him to ignore what he had learned in the police academy and beaten a man so hard that he screamed "at the top of his voice."
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/OAKLAND-Riders-lied-brutalized-man-2629441.php
March 2005
OAKLAND / Closing 'Riders' retrial arguments / Ex-officers broke public trust by falsifying documents, assaulting suspects, jurors told
Three former Oakland police officers known as the Riders abused their power by falsifying reports and assaulting suspects in their custody in 2000
Fired officers Jude Siapno, 36, Matt Hornung, 33, and Clarence "Chuck" Mabanag, 39, thought they could get away with it because they believed no one would believe suspected West Oakland drug dealers, Deputy District Attorney Terry Wiley said.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/OAKLAND-Closing-Riders-retrial-arguments-2721110.php
December 2012
Federal Oversight of OPD
four Oakland police officers charged in 2000 but never convicted of a multitude of police misconduct felony charges.
What happened to the case: Vazquez fled the country and remains a fugitive. None of the other three officers was convicted, but the city paid $11 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging police abuse.
What happened Wednesday: U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson approved a reform plan stemming from the Riders case that includes federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department.
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2012/12/12/oakland-where-the-riders-are-today/
Rampart-Like Scandal Rocks Oakland Justice System, Politics
Riders face criminal charges and a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that they fabricated evidence, planted drugs and wantonly beat suspects bloody.
http://articles.latimes.com/2000/dec/11/news/mn-64091
February 2001
Oakland Fires Last of 'Riders' / One of 4 cops facing charges
Hornung and former Officers Clarence "Chuck" Mabanag, 35; Jude Siapno, 32, and Francisco Vazquez, 44, are facing a combined 63 felony and misdemeanor charges for allegedly beating, kidnapping or planting drugs on people in West Oakland last summer.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Oakland-Fires-Last-of-Riders-One-of-4-cops-2952349.php
December 2004
OAKLAND / 'Riders' lied, brutalized man, ex-rookie testifies / Whistle-blower says he feared losing job by coming forward
Keith Batt, 28, described how the ex-officers had forced him to lie on police reports, told him to ignore what he had learned in the police academy and beaten a man so hard that he screamed "at the top of his voice."
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/OAKLAND-Riders-lied-brutalized-man-2629441.php
March 2005
OAKLAND / Closing 'Riders' retrial arguments / Ex-officers broke public trust by falsifying documents, assaulting suspects, jurors told
Three former Oakland police officers known as the Riders abused their power by falsifying reports and assaulting suspects in their custody in 2000
Fired officers Jude Siapno, 36, Matt Hornung, 33, and Clarence "Chuck" Mabanag, 39, thought they could get away with it because they believed no one would believe suspected West Oakland drug dealers, Deputy District Attorney Terry Wiley said.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/OAKLAND-Closing-Riders-retrial-arguments-2721110.php
December 2012
Federal Oversight of OPD
four Oakland police officers charged in 2000 but never convicted of a multitude of police misconduct felony charges.
What happened to the case: Vazquez fled the country and remains a fugitive. None of the other three officers was convicted, but the city paid $11 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging police abuse.
What happened Wednesday: U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson approved a reform plan stemming from the Riders case that includes federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department.
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2012/12/12/oakland-where-the-riders-are-today/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)