Lee will have an easier State of City than her predecessors, she's been in office 5 months, so no time for there to really be judged on initiatives, hasn't had to weigh in on Council's homelessness strategy; crime is in its second year of decline, w/even greater reduction.

Fell into a rabbit hole trying to convince my lying eyes Libby Schaaf did in fact violate the charter by scheduling her "state of the city" a month late, and then refusing to give it before Council. That's what happened as I reported, but the evidence was wiped from Legistar

Given frequency electeds bring up supposedly beneficial effects of Oakland's CHP details, you'd think CHP would have weekly deployment # at handy. But I asked for this number over a month ago, the CHP spox said they don't have it and turned it into a PRA, & I'm still waiting

Committees in Review 9/30/2025, 10/02/2025 City Council Committee meetings are usually held on a single Tuesday, starting at 9:30 am, with the last meeting beginning at 6pm and potentially lasting until 9pm and later. In the current legislative frame, substantive deliberation on items from individual CMs, the CAO and its various sub-departments as well

If you're looking for some Sunday night reading, here's the Oakland Observer run down of what happened at this week's committee meetings and at Rules. Some unusually dramatic arcs here...

Solidarity Fast and Family Event, Bread Giveaway for Gaza

Mayor Lee launched the Office of Homelessness Solutions today, a new agency within City Administrator's Office, meant to leverage & direct hundreds of millions of homelessness intervention $$ coming from ALCO's Measure W. Timing re Houston's "Abatement' policy revision is notable

PAC Approves ALPR Use Policy; plus Council Committees and City Boards Roundup, 10/09/2023 PAC Approves OPD ALPR Use Policy In a brief meeting that lasted under an hour, the Oakland Privacy Advisory Commission [PAC] approved OPD’s use policy for a new Flock Automated License Plate Reader [ALPR] system last Thursday. As substitute Chair Henry Gage* and other Commissioners noted, the speed of

To my knowledge, this is the only reportage about OPD's migration to Flock, the process for creating a use policy and other issues involved, including the vocal desire of HOA's, corps etc already using Flock to merge data

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Ironically, images in Jenkins' IG are from vehicular evictions that received no services or outreach shortly after E 12th median eviction. Those vehicle residents had to migrate to residential areas. In the legislation Jenkins is promoting here, this would become SOP

Kevin Jenkins on Instagram: "Oakland’s housing and unhoused crisis demands crisis demands urgent action. From closing major encampments to expanding affordable housing, we’re making progress. But with many still unsheltered, there’s more work ahead. I’m committed to building a system that’s stronger, more effective, and transparent." 153 likes, 7 comments - kevin_jenkins510 on August 18, 2025: "Oakland’s housing and unhoused crisis demands crisis demands urgent action. From closing major encampments to expanding affordable housing, we’re making progress. But with many still unsheltered, there’s more work ahead. I’m committed to building a system that’s stronger, more effective, and transparent.".

The Abatement amendments should have been been heard at Life Enrichment where Carroll Fife is Chair, but Houston deliberately asked for the legislation to be heard at Public Safety- Jenkins facilitated that shift. Jenkins also promoted the amendments on IG

Now, the schedule consists of a special committee mtg on 9/10 w/little notice; then a special council meeting the following week, which Jenkins already publicly stated at rules is being set up to hear Houston's EMT amendments--apparently whether or not committee forwards it

For example, the scheduled first public safety committee meeting is 9/30, which means there would have been weeks of notice before that committee meeting, then council introduction if it got out of committee for early October.

These doc snapshots are from a draft & could be changed. Legislative structure should be noted: a special committee mtg, followed immediately by a special council mtg suggests Council President Jenkins is fast-tracking "EAP" to avoid community input & full noticing requirements

The definition of "High Sensitivity Area" is also expanded, so many more encampment areas that would've been considered lo become high. Example: current "high" designation w/in 50 ft of parks is only if they contain playgrounds, etc; now all parks included, plus athletic fields

Houston's policy adds criteria for immediate & same day evictions in "high sensitivity" zones, a category that becomes expansive in the edit. High Sensitivity Encampments are technically always subject to closure; with Houston's changes, they could be closed with little notice.

Houston's policy would criminalize "returning" to live in an area of previous closure. But its unclear how "returning" would be adjudicated. Anyone setting up camp on a site cleared w/in 60 days would be subject to 72 hour eviction, regardless of whether they'd lived there before

Eviction w/out shelter offer has become a documented shift in city de facto practice over past year. Now, Houston's changes would make that an explicit policy. In some senses its performative given practice, but making it official in the EMP would have effects

Houston's Orwellian strikethroughs and underlines erase vehicular homelessness from the EMP definition. Vehicles are carved out of EMP, allowing OPD to target vehicles on any # of grounds. While OPD-led evictions are currently common, Houston's EAP would encourage them

Some changes seem to be written so as to appear punitive. Houston's recasting of Encampment "Management" Policy to Encampment "Abatement" Policy, for example, clashes w/original intent. Appears awkward next to "equity" statement that majority of homeless are Black

A peek @ CM Houston's proposed Encampment "Abatement" Policy being rushed into Sept mtgs.
Headlines:
--inoperable &/or unregistered vehicles subject to tow @ all times
--expansion of criteria for hi-priority eviction
--no offer of shelter needed
--expedited eviction timeline🧵

Gone from reporting is smug editorializing about corruption for some reason, a mainstay of the EBT's reporting last year. And now "victims", who local media would platform for months to troll Price, are no longer worth spending more than a paragraph on www.eastbaytimes.com/2025/08/21/a...

CM Ken Houston finally turned in his state-mandated semi-annual finance statement, almost a month late. He reports he raised no funds and spent the last $200.00 of funds raised last year, which included a 10k self-loan, on a meeting room & 30 dollars worth of incidentals.

They should testify at people’s tribunals and punished for crimes against humanity.

Jenkins has scheduled a special public safety & council mtg to rush through Houston's punitive EMP revision. Despite increase of OPD-led tows thru East Oakland curbs, their pretense is EMP bars evictions. BART riders can see homeless fleeing to rooftops along Eviction Blvd, but sure guys

I honestly don't understand where the disinterest in Allied's profile is coming from. Yes, Rowan is right on merits, but the issue points out that the City's regular process can produce horrors. Allied is a monstrous company with literal corpses strewn behind it

Despite political pressure, Oakland director sticks to his guns on lucrative city contract Interim Public Works Director Josh Rowan insists on awarding a $45 million security services contract to Allied Universal Security Services, and criticizes city's contracting process.

Rowan isn't wrong; but Allied as Oakland's potentially armed security guard should have people concerned: Allied guard killed a random person last year in SF; Allied subcontractor guard killed Banko Brown; Allied has a troubling human rights profile abroad

Its concerning that local law enforcement are so eager to get Jones Dickson elected, and now, re-elected to DA given her demonstrated policy of turning a blind-eye to LEA malfeasance. Sheriff Sanchez holding fundraiser for UJD while her office is in court for death at Santa Rita

For those who spotted what appeared to be a staging area for law enforcement vehicles on Mills/NorthEastern campus, I confirmed with OPD that this was a training exercise with M/NE campus security; still waiting on questions of whether its campus security related, or Oakland

Alameda Health System confronts ‘nuclear option’ budget after Medicaid cuts As the county’s safety net hospital, AHS expects to be disproportionately impacted by Medicaid cuts as 70-80% of its funding comes from federal and state healthcare reimbursements.

Some disturbing stuff is about to happen in Oakland and ALCO for the most vulnerable people. Anyone aligned with or accepting support from MAGA and Trump are 100% evil

EBRHA has excoriated council members with claims they are failing a landlord constituency that is majority non-white. We have ample data that shows that a plurality of tenants are Black, & majority of Black Oaklanders rent. Landlord data continues to be elusive, despite claims