City of Oakland Awarded $20M in California State Homekey Funding
Projects to provide 163 units of permanently affordable housing for homeless and those vulnerable to homelessness
Oakland –– Yesterday, the City of Oakland was awarded $20 million for two housing projects targeting some of the City’s most vulnerable residents. Governor Newsom announced the Homekey awards as the next phase in the state’s response to protecting Californians experiencing homelessness who are impacted by COVID-19.
“This announcement from Gov. Newsom will help us alleviate the human suffering of homelessness in Oakland,” said Mayor Libby Schaaf. “Homekey gives us the resources to convert existing facilities into permanently affordable housing for our unsheltered residents right now, and it paves the way for more innovative strategies in the future. I’m grateful for the Governor’s leadership and partnership as we continue to work together to end homelessness.”
The projects awarded include funds to purchase Clifton Hall, a California College of the Arts dormitory in Rockridge that offers 63 units for seniors and families; and Project Reclamation managed by Bay Area Community Services (BACS) for the development of 100 units at 20 scattered sites throughout Oakland for families and individuals.
“These funding awards mark another important milestone in our goal to preserve, produce, and protect housing for Oakland residents,” said Housing & Community Development Director Shola Olatoye. “We are proud to work with our partnering agencies to develop these units and move people off the streets and into housing.”
Homekey, administered by California Housing & Community Development, is the state’s $600 million program for purchasing and rehabilitating housing, including hotels, motels, vacant apartment buildings and other properties, converting them into permanent, long-term housing for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
Oakland, CA – The City of Oakland received $36.9 million in State of California CARES Act funding. Through the Oakland CARES Fund for Artists and Arts Nonprofits, $1.425 million of those funds will go to support individual artists and arts nonprofit organizations that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Oakland CARES Arts Organizational Grant will award grants of up to $20,000 to arts nonprofits, while the Oakland CARES Individual Artist Grant seeks to support individual artists with grants of up to $3,000 each. The application period for both grants opened today (Monday, September 21) at 9 a.m., and ends at 1 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2020. Online applications in four languages are available at: cciarts.org/Oakland_CARES_Fund.html
“Our vibrant arts and culture community is a vital part of our community and contributes immensely to our collective sense of belonging, which is what makes Oakland a unique and special place,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. “We know Oakland artists and arts nonprofits are struggling, and these CARES Act-funded grants offer financial help as we collectively work to help them survive this crisis.”
Individual Artist Grants
Current, full-time Oakland residents who make their primary income as freelancers or employees in the arts sector may apply. Applicants must make the majority (50%+) of their individual income from the arts sector through any combination of sales of art, freelance work, and/or employment. This includes fine artists, including literary, visual, and performing artists; musicians; teaching artists; culture bearers; artist members of collective-based or cooperative creative social enterprises; and specialized artist workers (e.g., lighting or sound designers, fabricators, and the like). Grants of up to $3,000 will be awarded to approximately 160 individuals.
Nonprofit Organizational Grants
Oakland-based 501(c)3 arts nonprofits; fiscally sponsored arts organizations; or 501(c)3 incorporated cultural land trusts with a primary function of arts and/or culture activities and services may apply. Eligible organizations must have a yearly budget under $2.5 million based on the most recently completed fiscal year that ended before March 1, 2020.
Grant amounts will be based on nonprofit’s actual budget size of the most recently completed fiscal year using the following tiers:
For budgets up to $999,999, grants will be up to $10,000
For budgets of $1 million-$1,499,999, grants will be up to $15,000
For budgets of $1.5-$2.5 million, grants will be up to $20,000
The arts nonprofit must not have received more than $20,000 through the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program or received a National Endowment for the Arts (CARES) award. Additionally, applicants, and employees or board members of applicant organizations, who have a conflict of interest (family or financial relationships) with the boards, staff, or directors of CCI or of City of Oakland’s elected officials and their employees are ineligible.
Both Grant Programs
Applicants for both grants will be asked to provide a detailed explanation of financial losses or incurred expenses due to COVID-19. Notifications to grant recipients are anticipated on Friday, October 30, 2020.
The grants will help prevent displacement among artists and closures of arts nonprofits. Artists and public-benefiting arts organizations are the backbone of the City’s diversity and vibrancy of cultural identity and expression. Distribution of the CARES Act grants for the arts is through a partnership between the Economic & Workforce Development Department’s Cultural Affairs Division and the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI), a trusted intermediary focused on the economic security of people in the arts.
“Artists, culture workers, and arts nonprofits need our support but are all too often overlooked. We are delighted to partner with the City of Oakland, with the knowledge that they understand how important the arts are to the civic life of communities,” said Laura Poppiti, Center for Cultural Innovation’s Grants Program Director.
To assist applicants, FAQs have been posted at: cciarts.org/Oakland_CARES_Fund.html Support for technical questions is also available. English-speaking applicants are asked to email [email protected] with the subject line “Oakland CARES Fund Tech Support” and provide your full name and telephone number for assistance. For those completing applications in Spanish, Chinese (Traditional), or Vietnamese, please email [email protected] or call (510) 238-4949.
The Oakland CARES Fund for Artists and Arts Nonprofits will distribute support to reflect the cultural and geographic diversity of the city of Oakland – including those in historically underserved communities that are especially vulnerable financially due to this economic crisis.
Although not factors in grant decisions, we strongly encourage the following with financial needs to apply: individual applicants of, or organizations that primarily serve, historically marginalized communities, which may include, but are not limited to, African and African American, Arab, Asian and Asian American, Latinx, Middle Eastern, Native American and Indigenous, Pacific Islander; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Transgender, and Gender-Variant people; people with disabilities; women; and those who are low-income, have high debts, have difficulty obtaining or retaining sources of income, or live in immigrant and refugee communities.
This is the latest CARES Act-funded grant program launched by the City of Oakland. Grant programs for low-income renter and homeowner relief and an RFQ to fund support for low- and moderate-income renters and homeowners were announced earlier this month. Learn more about the $36.9 million in CARES Act Funding at: https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/coronavirus-aid-relief-and-economic-security-cares-act-funding
Post based on a press release from City of Oakland to Zennie62Media.
Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge 150th Anniversary. (see description)
From YouTube Channel: September 16, 2020 at 03:00AM
ONN – Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge 150th Anniversary
80min. Closed Captioned 1920×1080
1. 150th Anniversary Intro by Mayor Schaaf
2. Samuel Merritt & the Tidal Slough
3. Paul Covel & the Rotary Nature Center
4. Wildlife Refuge: Birds & Migration; Marine Science.
5. Lakelands: Restoring; Protecting; Enhancing
6. The People Refuge.
7. Proclamations: East Bay Regional Parks Board, Oakland City Council, Office of the Mayor
NOTE: “150th Extras” video also available — https://youtu.be/xnOJmQ0Ol0Y
Background — March 18, 2020 was the 150th Anniversary of the Lake Merritt Wildlife Refuge, the nation’s first designated wildlife refuge and a precursor to the National Park system. A planned celebration was cancelled due to pandemic restrictions at that time; instead, informal interviews were conducted this past summer with the planned Anniversary speakers and others. The 150th script is based on selected comments made during the interviews and serves as a tribute to stewardship. An accompanying book is also planned which will include extended interviews with more in-depth observations about the wildlife refuge, the marine life, the lake and its place in the community as a continuing refuge for both wildlife and people. The 150th Anniversary book will be available online late Autumn 2020.
Katie Noonan and David Wofford of the Rotary Nature Center Friends arranged and coordinated the interviews and are producing a live virtual 150th celebration October 23, 7 – 8 p.m.. Info: https://ift.tt/3hKLTux
John Kirkmire, founder of lakemerritt.org was the main interviewer and videographer, scripted, edited and scored the movie.
150th Participants included:
Clay Anderson, Golden Gate Audubon
Richard Bailey, Lake Merritt Institute Founder
Nikki Bas, Oakland City Council
Olga Bolotina, Sierra Club
Jim Carlton, Marine Biologist
Andrew Cohen, Center for Research of Aquatic BioInvasions
Ellen Corbett, East Bay Regional Park District Board
Adrian Cotter, Wildlife Banner Artist
Jim Covel, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Dan Kalb, Oakland City Council
David Lewis, Save SF Bay Executive Director
Lynette Gibson McElhaney, Oakland City Council
Katie Noonan, Rotary Nature Center Friends
Joel Parrott, Oakland Zoo Executive Director
Joel Peter, Measure DD Project Manager
Robert Raburn, BART Director
James Robinson, Lake Merritt Institute Exec. Director
Dee Rosario, East Bay Regional Park District Board
Libby Schaaf, Oakland Mayor
Susan Schwartzenberg, Exploratorium
Rob Stewart, Lake Merritt Breakfast Club Exec. Director
Damon Tighe, Local iNaturalist
Ken-ichi Ueda, iNaturalist co-Founder
David Wofford, Rotary Nature Center Friends
Pam Young, Golden Gate Audubon Executive Director
150th is intended for non-commercial, educational purposes only.
All rights reserved.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – Nights Getting Cold In Oakland, Shelters Burn, People DIE – by Derrick Soo
Mayor Libby Schaaf has FORCED people to live in only “Soft” shelters on Oakland’s streets. My Tiny Home HOA’s would remove these “Death Shelters” from many hazards including intentional “Burnouts”. As we begin to head into Winter, more encampment fires via Accident or Vandalism, will occur more frequently. My PATH Program utilizing Arched Cabins are STEEL framed with a STEEL exterior, and can house EVERY Homeless person for a fraction of the $23 MILLION spent every year since 2016. Oakland has the Real Estate in the Oakland Land Trust, but Mayor Schaaf refuses to make available, that List. Those properties normally would be “Sold” to the highest bidder. Guess who is buying those properties? SLUMLORDS, Developers & “Filppers”.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
After watching NFL players representing both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans lock arms in what should have been a celebratory event, be marred by what many assumed to be Kansas City Chiefs fans booing, I resisted the impulse to make a reaction vlog, and considered the moment. During that period of time (which lasted the length of the game), I wondered if it really was Kansas City Chiefs out there booing the Chiefs and the Texans. Then, I wondered how one could determine if they really were fans?
The reason I thought this was because here we had another moment that, many times this year, had to do with Black Lives Matter, a large crowd or gathering, and television. In each of these cases, something happened that seemed to communicate the idea that America was divided, law enforcement was needed, and Black Lives Matter was an extremist movement, undesirable to Americans.
The linchpin example was the week when President Trump ordered federal troops into cities he said were ran by Democrats, and in his speech in the Rose Garden of The White House on Monday, July 20th, Trump said he was going to send troops to Oakland. In fact, as I pointed out, Trump tossed out Oakland after a delay in his delivery – as if to say “Oh, I forgot to mention Oakland”.
That was the 20th of July. But July 26th, Trump, via his fake federal troop call. (“Fake” in that there was no real trouble with protestors, and I asserted the people who attacked Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s house were, themselves, fake protest actors who’s services were purchased for a public relations stunt – all to give the impression Oakland was, as Trump said, “lawless.” It’s called “astroturfing”: the practice of manufacturing the appearance of grass-roots support.)
As the Google Trends image shows, President Trump has succeeded in de-coupling protest activities from Black Lives Matter. During that week, the “law and order” campaign message emerged as Trump’s counter to Black Lives Matter.
Trump’s Federal Troup Fake News Decouples White Protestors From Black Lives Matter
Now, why did I come to that conclusion? One name: Brad Parscale.
Brad Parscale (Photo courtesy Wall Street Journal)
Brad Parscale was the Trump 2020 campaign manager, and one who was hired, according toNews One, he…
..began working for the Trump organization seven years ago as a website designer and media strategist. He was hired to head social media for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. That’s when he utilized dark posts on Facebook to diminish Black voter turnout for Hillary Clinton. “He has our family’s complete trust and is the perfect person to be at the helm of the campaign,” Eric Trump, the president’s son, said in a statement, according to CNN. He added that Parscale was “pivotal to our success in 2016.”
Dark posts don’t appear in the sender’s Facebook news feed. Only the targeted Facebook users can see the message. Consequently, the posts can be tailored to specific recipients without getting blasting to everyone. It can easily silo scores of people with one click and without any accountability.
In one message during the 2016 campaign, Parscale disseminated dark posts to certain Black voters to remind them about Clinton’s “super predator” comment in 1996, in which she used the phrase to describe young Black males who were gang banging and selling crack cocaine. Twenty years later, Clinton apologized for the term and her role in ushering in the wave of mass incarceration of Black people in the 1990s.
Back in 2016, it was unclear if dark posts for political messaging would work. However, Parscale was certain that his tactic would “dramatically affect” turnout for Clinton. He’s probably already hard at work devising a scheme to diminish the Black vote in 2020.
Then, in theSan Antonio Express-News on July 17th, Gilbert Garcia wrote:
Trump rewarded Parscale by picking him to serve as his 2020 campaign manager.
Over the past four months, however, the Trump-Parscale bond has been battered by Category 5 political headwinds: a COVID-19 pandemic which has taken the lives of 138,000 Americans; a resulting economic shutdown; and nationwide Black Lives Matter protests in response to the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. (My emphasis.)
Trump has failed to get a handle on any of these crises and now finds himself trailing presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden by double digits in almost every major national poll.
So, it was quite apparent that Black Lives Matter was a problem for the Trump campaign. But rather than outright terminate Parscale, Trump demoted him, and hired Matt Oczkowski, an alum from Cambridge Analytica, to direct him.
Matt Oczkowski’
Given Matt Oczkowski’s noted and documented love for tracking electorate response to just what Trump tweets, once saying this:
We knew going into it that we had to build a really dynamic data program that could keep up with the candidate — because depending on the week, Trump could tweet one thing and it would change the entire view of the electorate on that week.
So our data program had to be very elastic — which means any time a stone was thrown into the water, we had to be able to track the ripples and see [where] different parts of the electorate were actually moving in a particular direction.
I believe the Trump Campaign has advanced their approach and used part of their $1 billion campaign budget to purchase protestors via firms like Crowds On Demand, and as part of an effort that Trump was encouraged to push along from the power of the presidential bully pulpit.
Have doubts?
Consider that, in forming the campaign attack, Brad said “In 2016, we had 700,000 volunteers help us. In 2020, we’re gonna have 1.6 million volunteers. I had 3,000 team leaders across the United States. This time we’ll have 90,000 team leaders.” Now, you can’t do door-to-door political campaigning during The Pandemic, so I believe the Trump campaign shifted its focus to more staged events for television and for social media.
And it’s for all of those reason that I believed something was up for Thursday Night Football.
Kansas City Star Reported That Tickets Were Available For The Texans at Chiefs NFL Kickoff Opener
Then, I decided to check and see if, indeed, tickets were available for the Texans at Chiefs NFL Kickoff Opener. A Google search revealed this article in the Kansas City Star, which had this title: “Want to go to tonight’s Chiefs season opener at Arrowhead? Tickets remain for the game”, and the author Jeff Rosen, wrote:
The Chiefs kick off their season in less than two hours. And if you want to go to the game, even with the limited seating the Chiefs had announced due to the pandemic, you’re in luck.
StubHub shows many tickets available, starting as low as $120 but mostly in the $150 range. Capacity for the game was being capped at about 16,000 inside Arrowhead Stadium, which usually holds about 76,000 for a full house.
So, as far as I was concerned, the stage was set for yet another fake protest on national TV, and one to counter the NFL Player “Black Lives Matter” events planned for NFL Kickoff and for the rest of the year.
From my perspective, the NFL and its players should either not have fans in the stands at all, or buy tickets for their own politically-supportive supporters in cities where fans will be allowed in. As I think about it, stopping fans from seeing the game altogether would give Trump a public relations win; buying fans sympathetic to the NFL Players would be just fighting fire with fire.
Stay tuned.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
ONN – Oakland Interim Police Chief Manheimer’s Boogaloo Boys Officer Scandal: Black Police Chief Needed
Enough is enough. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf must hire a black chief of police. I have said this before and even laid out the history of Oakland and black police chief hires. The problem today is Mayor Schaaf’s selections have formed bad working conditions for African American Officers, and been insensitive to the need of blacks in Oakland.
It’s time for change. Now.
Stay tuned.
Oakland Interim Police Chief Manheimer’s Boogaloo Boys Officer Scandal: Black Police Chief Needed
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
While not my first choice for the Oakland City Council At-Large Seat occupied by Rebecca Kaplan (whom I endorsed) Derreck Johnson is a new face on the Oakland Political Scene, even though he is a third-generation black Oaklander. I told him that because my first introduction to him was via an email from Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, I considered him a Manchurian candidate caught up in the 10-year-war between my godsister the Mayor and Councilmember Kaplan.
Derreck Johnson should be congratulated for his Chicken and Waffles business, which was successful in that he managed to employ black ex-prisoners. Sadly, he had to file for bankruptcy, then later and during the campaign, suffer from institutional racism on the part of the website Oaklandside, which seemed to delight in asserting that he wasn’t successful only because he filed for bankruptcy! That was both racial profiling and nasty, considering we have a POTUS who’s filed many bankruptcies and yet is considered very successful. But, there again, is the signal that it’s OK to have a blemish on your business record and still allow yourself to say you’re successful if you’re white, but not if you’re black. Not cool, man. Not right. Not cool.
In closing, there must be a truly aggressive black-ran media that points out racism in media. The media practice done to Derreck feeds an ugly desire among some, and not just white, in America, who refuse to see and present a black person in a positive light, and literally hunger for bad news about us.
In this case, some who are white, just could not accept that my actions were out of anger for the racist Oaklandside post, and first assumed that I was backing Derreck Johnson, when I openly said I was supporting Rebecca Kaplan and did not know Derreck prior to my interview with him, and then, on their own, guessed that Derreck, Mayor Schaaf, and I all went to Skyline High School together.
When a friend of mine who’s white texted me with that question about Skyline High School (where I am Class of 80 and Libby is Class of 1981), I called and let him know how upset with him I was. I said “You can’t accept the fact that my concern for what was written about him was purely because I perceived it as racist, huh? Do you realize that’s racist?”
As my friend is prone to do, he laughs nervously and tries to change the subject, but this time I kept focus. The problem was the Oaklandside post was truly institutionally racist, and it doesn’t matter what a person thinks to the contrary, even if they’re black. In Oakland, too many of us black folks are too willing to put down someone else black anyway – it’s a crabbarrel problem of massive proportions that helps no one.
The fact is that, according to Derreck himself, he went to Bishop O’Dowd High School, not Skyline High School. And so that leads back to my point: the desire to not see a racist act and deflect eyes from view keeps it as justifiable. That’s what my friend was trying to do, and he needs to stop doing it. As I said to him “We can’t allow a point of view like yours to fester because, little by little, these racist stories build up, until we get George Floyd all over again.”
No more racial profiling in media. If Derreck’s run has done anything, it’s shown a spotlight on that problem. It has to stop.
Stay tuned.
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
After some controversy regarding a majority-white pool of candidates, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb (District One) introduced the City of Oakland’s first independent redistricting commission. This is what Schaaf and Kalb said in their statements, released today, and sent to Zennie62Media:
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.
“Congratulations to the fifteen commissioners selected to serve on Oakland’s first-ever independent Redistricting Commission (link). This citizen’s commission will draw Oakland’s very first set of new election borders free of political influence, based on 2020 Census Data to apply to the 2022 City Council and School Board elections. I’m grateful to my co-authors Councilmember Dan Kalb, the League of Women Voters and Oakland Rising who worked with me way back in 2014 to write Measure DD, which passed with 61.45 percent of the vote and established this independent process that finally debuts this year. Oaklanders, be proud we’re one of the only cities in the country to use this transparent, public process that keeps politicians from getting to draw their own election boundaries. It’s a great advance for democracy.”
Dan Kalb: Oakland District One Councilmember.
“I’m thrilled that our Redistricting Commission is getting started and will do the hard work necessary to ensure equitable representation throughout Oakland,” Councilmember Dan Kalb said. “As one of the authors of the ballot measure that created the Commission, I’m glad the voters agreed that elected officials should not draw their own district lines. I know the Commission will fulfill its commitment to an Oakland where all can participate in the political process and where everyone has a voice.”
Dan Kalb
This was the ballot measure that Libby and I authored in 2014 to make sure local elected could not draw their own district lines.
Here’s the City of Oakland’s presentation of the final 15 commissioners (although, this time, they avoided including a breakdown by race and sex, for some reason):
On August 27, 2020, the first six Redistricting Commissioners selected nine Oakland residents to join the Commission. Those selected include: Tracy McKnight (District 1); Shirley Gee (District 2); Amber Blackwell (District 3); Paul Marshall (District 4); Masoud “Matt” Hamidi (District 5); Martha Hernandez (District 6); Daniel Chesmore (District 6); Gloria Crowell (District 7); and Tejal Shah (District 7).
The first six Commissioners were announced on July 22, 2020, after their names were randomly drawn by Acting City Clerk Asha Reed from a 30-person applicant pool. They were tasked with selecting seven additional voting members and two alternate members from the remaining applicant list. The first six Commissioners include: Jan Stevens (District 1); Benjie Achtenberg (District 2); Lilibeth Gangas (District 3); Diana Miller (District 4); Stephanie Goode (District 5); and Mary Velasco (District 6).
All members were vetted through a three-person Screening Panel prior to their selection to the Redistricting Commission. The Redistricting Commission is comprised of 13-voting members and two alternate members, with Commissioners Chesmore and Hamidi serving as the alternate members. The alternate members will actively and fully participate in the Commission’s work. The Commissioners are tasked with setting new district boundaries for City Council and School Board of Directors districts upon conclusion of the 2020 U.S. Census.
“We prioritized geographic location, racial, ethnic and economic diversity as we reviewed the applicant pool and thoughtfully made our selections,” Commissioner Gangas said. “We strived to represent the dynamic demographic characteristics of Oakland based on the applicant pool.”
“Our job is to ensure a fair and equitable process in determining the new district boundaries for Oakland,” Commissioner Velasco said. “We have Commissioners of different backgrounds and experiences from across Oakland, and who all indicated a willingness to set aside our own self interests in accomplishing our work.”
“We encourage residents, groups, and organizations to get involved in our work,” Commissioner Stevens said. “As a new Commission, we want the community to know of the work we are doing and will strive to make the redistricting process as open and transparent as possible.”
The Redistricting Commission will begin its work in the fall of 2020 and will approve the new district boundaries by December 31, 2021. The Commissioners are eligible to serve one term, which concludes when the final district maps are approved.
For additional information on the Redistricting Commission, or to receive email notifications on the Commission’s work, visit: www.oaklandca.gov/redistricting and select the ‘Register’ icon.
Oakland – This week, Robert Warshaw, The Federal Monitor over the Oakland Police Department released a new report, detailing deception and cover-up at the top of OPD. As many in Oakland’s communities work against police misconduct, we face the institutional leaders that cover-up those actions.
“OPD’s initial press releases and our early conversations with Chief Kirkpatrick and others raised serious concerns that the Department had concluded that the shooting was justified even before its investigations were complete.”
Mr. Warshaw’s report shines a light on OPD, former Chief of Police Anne Kirkpatrick, and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for failing to properly investigate the shooting. According to the report, former Chief Kirkpatrick displayed bias from the start of the investigation, rather than the appropriate objectivity required of her, stating the night that Mr. Pawlik was killed, the shooting “looked good.” In OPD’s investigation, they failed to look at the video evidence and relied heavily on the officers’ account of the events. The Oakland Police Commission was the only aspect of the investigation process that functioned as designed, bringing objectivity and professionalism into the proceedings.
Oakland has had a long history of police misconduct and failure to properly investigate. This has caused the Oakland community to demand that there be greater police accountability. The Compliance Monitor’s report on the Pawlik killing and OPD’s unprofessional investigation that followed such a significant use of force highlights the need for the Oakland Police Commission to be independent and effective, as a civilian oversight body, that is separate from the police chain of command. Oakland voters will have the opportunity to support this independence with the Police Commission ballot measure on the November ballot.
Several months ago, former OPD Chief Kirkpatrick denounced the independent Police Commission, which had disagreed with her handling of the Pawlik investigation. This Federal Monitor report shows that Kirkpatrick’s statements were incorrect, and the Police Commission’s efforts to seek a full and fair investigation are vindicated.
Link to Shooting of Joshua Pawlik by Oakland Police Officers: A Report of the Monitor/Compliance Director:
ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s COVID-19 Racial Disparities Task Force Meeting
Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system network that was launched June 2018. This is a major part of Zennie62Media , Inc.’s new and innovative approach to the production of news media. What we call “The Third Wave of Media”. The uploaded video is from a vlogger with the Zennie62 on YouTube Partner Channel, then uploaded to and formatted automatically at the Oakland News Now site and Zennie62-created and owned social media pages. The overall objective is smartphone-enabled, real-time, on the scene reporting of news, interviews, observations, and happenings anywhere in the World and within seconds and not hours. Now, news is reported with a smartphone: no heavy and expensive cameras or even a laptop are necessary. The secondary objective is faster, and very inexpensive media content news production and distribution. We have found there is a disconnect between post length and time to product and revenue generated. With this, the problem is far less, though by no means solved. Zennie62Media is constantly working to improve the system network coding and seeks interested content and media technology partners.
Press Release: “Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick was Fired in Retaliation for Exposing Oakland Police Commission Corruption, Abuse of Power, According to Whistleblower Lawsuit Filed Today. Kirkpatrick Seeks Damages from City for Retaliatory Firing.”
San Francisco — Attorneys for former Oakland Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick filed a whistleblower lawsuit today alleging that she was fired in retaliation for challenging corruption and abuse of power by members of the Oakland Police Commission.
“Rather than address the serious issues Chief Kirkpatrick raised, the City of Oakland, through Mayor Libby Schaaf and the members of Police Commission, fired the most progressive police chief in the city’s history for blowing the whistle on the Commission’s misconduct,” said attorney R. James Slaughter of the law firm of Keker Van Nest & Peters, which filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (see attachment of filed lawsuit).
The suit alleges that Oakland Police Commissioners routinely abused their power, corruptly looked for special treatment from the Police Department, frequently abused and harassed OPD staff, interfered in day-to-day police operations, and sought unlawful access to confidential documents. Chief Kirkpatrick was wrongfully terminated for standing up to the Commission’s misconduct and reporting its unlawful actions.
Chief Kirkpatrick’s suit seeks monetary damages that includes lost pay, benefits, and damages for loss of future earnings through injury to her professional reputation due to her wrongful termination.
The lawsuit alleges that Kirkpatrick served with success and distinction as chief of police. During Chief Kirkpatrick’s three-year tenure, the Oakland’s homicide rate decreased to its lowest level in 20 years and the City was on pace for a 64-year low homicide rate at the time of her termination. Her reform efforts included OPD’s implementation of new policies, strategy, and training around police-citizen encounters.
“But a series of incidents involving individual Police Commissioners ultimately drove the Chief to submit multiple reports of inappropriate and unlawful conduct to the Oakland City Attorney’s Office, the City Administrator, and the Mayor of Oakland—the officials she understood had the capacity to take action to stop the Commissioners’ unlawful conduct and prevent future recurrences,” according to the lawsuit.
But City leaders all ignored Chief Kirkpatrick’s repeated reports of Commission misconduct. “Instead, the Police Commission and Mayor orchestrated Chief Kirkpatrick’s termination in retaliation for the Chief’s repeated whistleblowing,” the lawsuit states.
Among the illegal actions that the lawsuit details are how Commissioners Ginale Harris and Jose Dorado made illegal demands of the police department for personal gain; that Commissioner Harris sought to have a towing ticket fixed and publically made derogatory remarks toward a Black public defender; and that the commission itself was inappropriately directing Oakland Police Department staff.
By late fall of 2019 the Commission was publicly bullying and berating Chief Kirkpatrick’s staff at Commission hearings. Chief Kirkpatrick wrote a formal complaint that highlighted “her belief that the commissioners’ behavior could be retaliation for the Chief’s report of Harris’s challenge to her tow ticket,” according the lawsuit. The City and Commission’s behaviors and attitudes were an impediment to the cultural transformation of OPD that the Chief was working so hard on within the department. The city and commission were not only acting illegally, but eroding Chief Kirkpatrick’s reform efforts.
“The facts will show that Chief Kirkpatrick repeatedly blew the whistle on corrupt actions by the Police Commission, shining a light on their illegal actions, inappropriate influence, abuse of powers, and harassment of city staff,” Slaughter added. “In retaliation, Mayor Libby Schaaf and the Police Commission unlawfully fired her for blowing the whistle on these illegal actions by Police Commissioners.”
This post based on press release from Singer Associates to Zennie62Media, Inc.
Caught Cat Brooks for a 37 minute interview from her mountain perch and via the Zennie62Media network. The actress that become activist, and almost the Mayor of Oakland (I still think Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Cat must have lunch and really get to know each other, but I digress), was in, as she told … Read more
LEAKED: Oakland Budget Meeting with Libby Schaaf From YouTube Channel: June 9, 2020 at 07:55PM ONN – LEAKED: Oakland Budget Meeting With Libby Schaaf – Parody By “Real Oakland Politics” This is a single video from “Real Oakland Politics” YouTube channel, that was posted June 9th. It is the only video on the channel, and … Read more
City of Oakland Receives Over $20 Millions Affordable Housing Development Projects Oakland – After recently receiving nearly $90 million in awards for affordable housing developments, the City of Oakland is pleased to announce additional awards of $15 million in competitive funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (CA HCD) Multi-Family Housing Program … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf On Police Defunding, Skyline’s Eleanor Wikstrom, Howard Terminal Update ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf On Police Defunding, Skyline’s Eleanor Wikstrom, Howard Terminal Update Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Interview On Police De Funding, Skyline High’s Eleanor Wikstrom UN Honor From YouTube Channel: July 31, 2020 at 06:50PM ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Interview On Police De Funding, Skyline High’s Eleanor Wikstrom UN Honor Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf On Zennie62 YouTube Live Monday August 3rd 2020 3:30 PM PST 6:30 PM EST ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf On Zennie62 YouTube Live Monday August 3rd 2020 3:30 PM PST 6:30 PM EST Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Should Press Trump For Economic Aide, Stop Tagging Racist Tweets ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Should Press Trump For Economic Aide, Stop Tagging Racist Tweets Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Echoes Oakland News Now Message On Trump Fake Federal Action From YouTube Channel: July 27, 2020 at 10:48AM ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Echoes Oakland News Now Message On Trump Fake Federal Action After Oakland News Now asserted that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s Tuesday Morning Horror was done by paid … Read more
Did Trump PR Fixers Hire Crowds On Demand, Paid Protest Firm, To Attack Oakland Mayor Schaaf’s Home? ONN – Did Trump PR Fixers Hire Crowds On Demand, Paid Protest Firm, To Attack Oakland Mayor Schaaf’s Home? On July 22, I wrote “Did Donald Trump Finger Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf For Vandals By Saying Oakland Is … Read more
Donald Trump Finger Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf For Vandals By Saying Oakland Is “A Mess”? Update ONN – Donald Trump Finger Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf For Vandals By Saying Oakland Is “A Mess”? Update Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version … Read more
The Tuesday July 21st, 2 am attack on Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s home was done by around 30 vandals dressed in black and with black masks, and complete with what were said to be projectiles fired at the Mayor’s home, along with fireworks, and graffiti. The fact that it happened just one day after Trump … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s Home Attacked By 30+ Vandals Who Shot Projectiles, Graffitied Her Home ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s Home Attacked By 30+ Vandals Who Shot Projectiles, Graffitied Her Home (On site video courtesy of KGO ABC Channel 7, San Francisco.) Please attribute the following to Justin Berton, a spokesperson for Mayor Libby … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Statement On Home Attack By Vandals ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Statement On Home Attack By Vandals Statement from the Office of Mayor Libby Schaaf Please attribute the following to Justin Berton, a spokesperson for Mayor Libby Schaaf: “An attack at the home of a publicly elected official does not … Read more
Ahead Of Oakland City Council Meeting Today, Oakland Mayor Schaaf Issues Action Alert And Attacks Councilmembers Kaplan, Bas Initiative Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf issued this “Action Alert” below: Action Alert – Save Our Budget Dear Oaklanders, On June 23rd the Oakland City Council passed a responsible and admirable budget to reconcile competing community demands to … Read more
President Trump Says Oakland Is A Mess, Plans To Send Federal Law Enforcement To Oakland ONN – President Trump Says Oakland Is A Mess, Plans To Send Federal Law Enforcement To Oakland President Trump said this earlier today: THE PRESIDENT: Yeah. Q — there was a report out this morning that you’re considering sending 175 … Read more
A Conversation About Race: Reflection & Action with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Talks Race With Oakland A’s Taj Tashombe Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf joins A’s moderator Taj Tashombe for A Conversation About Race: Reflection & Action. Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full … Read more
Oakland Virtual Town Hall on Police Reform ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, CA Senator Nancy Skinner Host Virtual Town Hall On Police Reform Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system … Read more
On BerkDOT, Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett Says George Floyd Community Safety Act Curbs Racism ONN – On BerkDOT, Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett Says George Floyd Community Safety Act Curbs Racism BerkDOT, a proposal to off-load parking citations work from the Berkeley Police Department to a new Berkeley Department of Transportation, is up for consideration by … Read more
Exactly One Month From First Day of 2020-21 School Year, OUSD Announces Plans for Start of School Which Will Include Students Returning to Class in Phases, Starting with a Period of Distance Learning for all Students Text Of Friday July 10th 2020 OUSD Press Conference At End Of This Post Oakland – As Oakland and … Read more
Toby Gene Levingston Oakland East Bay Dragons Founder Passed Away This Week Tuesday ONN – Toby Gene Levingston Oakland East Bay Dragons Founder Passed Away This Week Tuesday As his obituary in the Martinez Tribune reads: Tobie Gene Levingston, who founded the East Bay Dragons, one of the nation’s first all-Black motorcycle clubs, died Tuesday … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Must Put A Diversity Policy Into The Oakland City Charter ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Must Put A Diversity Policy Into The Oakland City Charter Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media … Read more
ILWU “Bloody Thursday”1934 General Strike Commemoration At SSA Terminal Port Of Oakland ONN – The ILWU, other unions, community activists and supporters commemorated the “Bloody Thursday” when 2 strike supporters were murdered by the San Francisco police in 1934. It led to the San Francisco general strike. The commemoration also discussed the recent racist attacks … Read more
Oakland’s Mid-cycle Budget Cuts $14.3 Million from Police Budget, Invests Additional $50 million to Address Racial Disparities Community investments include violence prevention, housing and homelessness, COVID economic relief, arts and culture, and bridging the digital divide Oakland, CA – Amidst a national conversation about racism and calls to defund the police in favor of repairing … Read more
Press Conference: In Midst of Mounting Pressure and Day of Action, Oakland Council President Kaplan to Reopen Budget Vote; Commit to Join Bas, Labor, Community to Defund Police Oakland, Ca — Today, Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan will join a press conference of labor and community organizations near her home to commit to reopen … Read more
Bill Maher’s An Idiot: Thinks A BLACK Guy Saying Oakland Lake Merritt Noose Isn’t Racist Makes It OK ONN – Bill Maher, the comedian who thinks he’s funny when he’s proving he’s.not, said that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was wrong to think that the hangman noose’s around Lake Merritt were not racist because, get this, … Read more
Oakland: Fake Body Bag And Hangman Noose Found At Lake Merritt On Lakeshore Side Thursday Morning ONN – Oakland: Fake Body Bag And Hangman Noose Found At Lake Merritt On Lakeshore Side Thursday Morning June 17 Kenzie Mouton, the man who was the victim of the racist 911 call and rant by BBQ Becky … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf On Hangman Noose Problem In Lake Merritt ONN – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf On Hangman Noose Problem In Lake Merritt Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland News Now: this video-blog post demonstrates the full and live operation of the latest updated version of an experimental Zennie62Media , Inc. mobile media video-blogging system … Read more
Oakland Hangman Noose Update: Mayor Of Oakland Reports “Several” Nooses Around Lake Merritt ONN – Oakland Hangman Noose Update: Mayor Of Oakland Reports “Several” Nooses Around Lake Merritt On Twitter, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf reported this: “Several nooses found on trees around Lake Merritt were removed and will be investigated as hate crimes.” The person … Read more
City of Oakland Encourages Oakland Residents To Apply for Measure LL Police Commission – Updated UPDATE: Application Deadline Extended to June 30, 2020 Oakland – Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and the Selection Panel for the Oakland Police Commission today announced the opening of the application process to serve on the Oakland Police Commission. The Police … Read more
