https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TmsoseaAgw ONN – Oakland Fire Department Sends 3,000 Baby Goats Out As News To Distract From Oakland A’s Relocation – video by the YouTube channel in the video’s upper left hand corner. Oakland Fire Department Sends 3,000 Baby Goats Out As News To Distract From Oakland A’s Relocation On the night of the day that … Read more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cwDsxg5iRM ONN – Oakland Fire Department Announced Oakland City Council Approved Return Of Full Service April 13th – video by the YouTube channel in the video’s upper left hand corner. Oakland Fire Department Announced Oakland City Council Approved Return Of Full Service April 13th You can thank the $10 million identified for use by Oakland … Read more
Rebeca Kaplan, the Oakland City Councilmember’s At-Large Representative, Effectively Used All Media To Gain Passage of Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (MACRO), in partnership with the Oakland Fire Department Here’s the press release sent by The Office of Oakland City Councilmember Rebeca Kaplan: Oakland – Today, Oakland City Council unanimously passed resolutions to approve … Read more
Oakland Must Establish MACRO—an Alternative to Leading with Police for Mental Health Crises Response—Immediately Oakland residents, labor and elected officials are calling on the City Of Oakland to immediately implement this program within the next six months Oakland – A broad coalition of residents, community organizations and labor groups are calling on the Oakland City … Read more
Sean Laffan: Oakland Assistant Fire Chief Who Died In The Line Of Duty At 42 Remembered On Facebook ONN – Sean Laffan: Oakland Assistant Fire Chief Who Died In The Line Of Duty At 42 Remembered On Facebook – vlog by Zennie62 YouTube Sean Laffan: Oakland Assistant Fire Chief Who Died In The Line Of … Read more
The Oakland Unified School District sent this press release regarding possible Public Safety Power Shutoff or power shutoffs to Zennie62Media:
Dear Oakland Community,
We have learned that there is expected to be a major weather event in the coming days that will likely prompt PG&E to issue a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) once again. In a worst case scenario, the PSPS would begin on Sunday, 10/25 and last until Wednesday, 10/28 or later. That means some of our schools could be without power for three straight days, and homes in the neighborhoods could be affected, as well. Based on what we know so far, this PSPS could affect at least eleven schools. We will know more about the scheduled impact later in the weekend. The eleven schools are:
◦ Chabot Elementary
◦ Community Day
◦ Grass Valley Elementary
◦ Hillcrest K-8
◦ Joaquin Miller Elementary
◦ Laurel Elementary
◦ Montclair Elementary
◦ Montera Middle School
◦ Redwood Heights Elementary
◦ Skyline High School
◦ Thornhill Elementary
If indeed the power is out and students are unable to attend their classes, they will be asked to do their school work asynchronously, and report in to their teacher the first chance they get, letting them know they were unable to get online. Everyone is asked to charge their computers, WiFi hotspots and cell phones ahead of time, so they can do work during the PSPS. Obviously, if the PSPS lasts three days, that could make charging anything problematic.
Here is some more information from PG&E through the City of Oakland:
● To prevent wildfire and other natural disasters, PG&E has planned a PSPS starting Sunday, October 25, between 4 PM – 8 PM until at least Wednesday, October 28, at 12:00 PM. Around 24,000 Oakland customers could be impacted- a much larger impact in Oakland than the previous outage.
● To determine whether a home or neighborhood will experience an outage, PG&E customers should visit the PSPS page on the PG&E website and type in the address at: https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/updates/. This information will likely change as conditions change.
● The Oakland Fire Department is up staffing during this event, with OFD Engine companies conducting roving patrols as is customary during Red Flag Warnings events. OPD will be patrolling impacted neighborhoods. OPS will be stationed at impacted intersections
● PG&E is the sole manager of PSPS planning, contacting Medical Baseline customers, power shut-off, and power restoration.
When we receive additional information, we will pass it along to you as quickly as possible.
The Oakland City Auditor just sent a blazing press release. Here’s what she and her office wrote about the Oakland Fire Department:
Oakland – Today, Oakland City Auditor, Courtney Ruby, released a performance audit of the Fire Prevention Bureau (Bureau), a division of the Oakland Fire Department (OFD). This report examines whether the Bureau implemented the 2017 recommendations from the Mayor’s Task Force established after the tragic Ghost Ship Fire in 2016 and whether the Bureau has established adequate controls to ensure all state mandated inspections are completed and fire safety laws are adequately enforced.
The mission of Oakland’s Fire Prevention Bureau is to reduce the risk of fire throughout the City. The Bureau conducts fire safety inspections of the City’s buildings, structures, and vacant lots and performs “state-mandated inspections,” which include buildings used for public assemblies, educational purposes, institutional facilities, multi-family residential dwellings, and high-rise structures. The Bureau also oversees the City’s commercial inspection program of smaller apartment buildings and retail businesses, inspects cannabis operations, and reviews building and tenant improvement plans to ensure new construction includes all required fire safety components. Furthermore, they are responsible for fire safety in the high danger zone of the Oakland hills.
The audit found that more than three years after the City launched a major reform effort to improve fire and life safety throughout the City of Oakland, the City has made only limited progress in fully implementing the reforms set forth by the Mayor’s Task Force. The Fire Department implemented processes to identify and address high risk properties and improve communication between the Bureau and the engine companies to report potentially unsafe properties for further investigation.
The Fire Department, however, has yet to fully implement critical organizational improvements such as filling staff vacancies, creating permanent supervisor positions, implementing more robust quality control processes, establishing performance measures for inspectors, and developing operating procedures for inspections.
The audit found the Bureau inspected only 26 percent of all state-mandated facilities between September 2018 and September 2019, even though the Bureau’s staffing for fire inspectors has increased significantly. Furthermore, the audit revealed the Bureau had not inspected 51 percent of the state-mandated facilities in the last three years we reviewed. The audit also noted the Bureau lacks sufficient staffing to inspect the growing number of cannabis operations in the City. The nature of cannabis operations poses significant fire risks to the operators, neighboring properties, firefighters, and the community.
Additionally, the Bureau’s enforcement efforts are often ineffective. The Bureau’s practice has been to try and coax property owners to correct fire safety violations by re-inspecting properties. Between September 2018 and September 2019, the Bureau conducted over 800 re-inspections of state-mandated properties to ensure property owners corrected various fire safety violations. Although 236 properties implemented the appropriate corrective action, inspectors re-inspected these properties up to seven times to obtain corrective action. On the other hand, the Bureau was unable to obtain corrective action on another 493 properties, even though inspectors re-inspected these properties up to seven times.
The audit also found the Oakland Unified School District has not been responsive in correcting fire safety violations such as missing fire extinguishers and non-functioning fire alarm systems. Also, the Bureau has not operationalized its appeal process to provide property owners an opportunity to dispute the Bureau’s findings of violations in the City’s wildlife interface areas. Not operationalizing the appeals process delayed the assessment of approximately $300,000 in inspection fees in 2018 and 2019 has yet to be assessed as a result.
In response to the audit results, Auditor Ruby noted, “Two of the deadliest fires in US history have been in Oakland: The 1991 Oakland Hills Fire and the 2016 Ghost Ship Fire. Collectively these fires killed 61 of our residents. Completing this audit has been of the utmost importance to me to ensure the City is doing all it can to protect our residents—unfortunately, the audit found OFD has been slow to learn from the past and critical work remains to be done—a sense of urgency and accountability must be ignited in OFD—there is no excuse for the lack of progress.”
During this time, the Bureau’s personnel have been stretched thin from meeting its annual state- mandated inspections by other work, such as inspections required by the City’s building boom, addressing safety issues at the many homeless encampments throughout the City, and the hiring and training of new inspection staff. Additionally, the Bureau’s practice to repeatedly re-inspect properties to bring them into compliance has also diverted significant time away from conducting mandated inspections.
While the lack of progress can be partly attributed to high turnover in the Fire Department’s leadership (since 2017, the City has had three Fire Chiefs and three Fire Marshals), Auditor Ruby, stated, “In 2013, I released an audit reviewing the Department’s vegetation management inspection practices and some of these very same problems were identified, such as the need for consistent training, stronger supervision, quality control measures and clear policies and procedures to ensure the accuracy and completeness of inspections. Almost 10 years later, the current audit shows these same issues persist with building inspections.”
On a positive note, the Department has agreed to implement 29 of the 30 recommendations in the audit report. Moreover, the Department and the Bureau have begun employing a more strategic focus on implementing management and accountability systems called for by the Mayor’s Task Force and the Bureau is in the process of converting to a more advanced database, which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Bureau’s inspection efforts.
Note 1: The Oakland Police Department Officer Johnna Watson sent this Community Message on Fake Message Protest related property damage and arrests via email and with photos to Zennie62Media 58 minutes ago from this time.
Note 2: I call this a Fake Message Protest because, once again, the messages had nothing to do with Jacob Blake and expressed no sympathy for him or solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement (see my post on that problem here). The messages, directed against the Oakland Police and “rich people in the hills” look like they were written by a Trump For President 2020 operative, trying to sway votes in Oakland and the SF Bay Area.
Here’s Officer Watson:
Dear Oakland Community,
Oakland Protest Photos from OPD
The City of Oakland experienced large crowds during a three-day period, August 26, 28, and 29. The crowds were violent, destructive and displayed hostility towards our community members and police officers. Several of our vulnerable businesses and civic facilities were targeted and damaged.
Over the three-day period, 24 people were arrested, most are non-Oakland residents.
On Wednesday, August 26, at 8:00 PM, a crowd gathered in the 1400 block of Broadway for an event that was promoted by #Yayarearevolution. Within the hour the crowd size grew to an estimated 600 people. The speakers could be heard inciting the crowd with chants of “Kill the Cops” and “Burn the City down.” The crowd later marched throughout
Oakland Police Community Message On Fake Message Protests, Related Damage And ArrestsOakland Protest Photos from OPD
Oakland’s downtown and residential areas. The intentions of the crowd were not peaceful but deliberate; through their words and actions, they demonstrated their focused and targeted intentions to destroy and damage our already vulnerable business community.
Many in the crowd threatened open businesses as they marched, saying if they did not immediately close, they would be “Burned to the ground.” For about four hours the crowd moved from downtown along Grand Avenue to the Grand Lake neighborhood. The crowd set fire to the Alameda County Superior Courthouse, structures, vehicles, and trash cans. The crowd also vandalized businesses and caused more than $100,000 in damages to the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse. The actions of the crowd continued to traumatize our community; many residents attempted to deter the crowd in their neighborhoods but were met with threats of violence and destruction. Officers in the area encouraged our community members to shelter in place while attempting to curb the violence and protect the safety of our community as well as our officers.
Oakland Protest Photos from OPDctions of the crowd continued to traumatize our community; many residents attempted to deter the crowd in their neighborhoods but were met with threats of violence and destruction. Officers in the area encouraged our community members to shelter in place while attempting to curb the violence and protect the safety of our community as well as our officers.
Windows were broken at 21 businesses, many of which have been damaged before and a 100% affordable residential housing complex on Grand Avenue had damage. The Oakland Fire Department reported 25-30 fires including 2 vehicles totaled by fire, several structures, numerous trash cans and debris.
Oakland Protest Photos from OPDamage. The Oakland Fire Department reported 25-30 fires including 2 vehicles totaled by fire, several structures, numerous trash cans and debris.
The Oakland Police Department made 2 arrests and one vehicle was towed.
1 San Francisco resident 1 Unknown residency 1 Towed Vehicle
On Friday, August 28, at 7:00 PM, a crowd gathered in the 1400 block of Broadway for an event that was promoted by #Yayarearevolution. (Zennie62Media note: an extensive online search revealed no website or social media home with the name #Yayarearevolution. The people behind this are only spray-painting the name – along with words targeted at would-be Trump voters. So, the OPD and media see it, and then promote the group for them. Since the media and OPD doesn’t investigate the group, the trick works. Thus, this blogger holds the protestors are working for Trump For President 2020, and working to create the idea that the nation is lawless, and thus must re-elect Donald Trump.) Within the hour the crowd size grew to an estimated 250 people who marched throughout Oakland’s downtown and residential areas. The intentions of the crowd were not peaceful but deliberate; through their words and actions they demonstrated their focused and targeted intentions included assaulting officers with rocks and bottles, pointing lasers at officers and a news crew. OPD deployed minimal gas and smoke. No reports of any damage.
The Oakland Police Department made 16 arrests.
Oakland Protest Photos from OPD
9 Oakland residents 3 Berkeley residents 2 San Francisco residents 1 Clovis resident 1 Unknown residency
On Saturday, August 29, at 8:30 PM, a crowd gathered in the 550 El Embarcadero for an event that was promoted by #Yayarearevolution. The crowd size grew to an estimated 150 people who marched in the Grand Lake commercial and Mandana neighborhoods. The intentions of the crowd were not peaceful but deliberate; through their words and actions they demonstrated their focused and targeted intentions included repeatedly assaulting officers with rocks, bottles, wood shields and pointing lasers at officers. OPD deployed minimal gas and smoke. The only report of damage was graffiti on a commercial building.
The Oakland Police Department made 6 arrests and confiscated multiple wooden shields.
Oakland Protest Photos from OPD
2 Oakland residents 2 Berkeley residents 1 San Francisco resident 1 Los Angeles resident
The City of Oakland and the Oakland Police Department stand with our community against social injustice and racial inequality. We strive for justice, equality and accountability.
Oakland Protest Photos from OPD
Due to the violence and a lack of Mutual Aid based on the court injunction, OPD canceled all days off for Friday and Saturday to ensure staffing to protect our vulnerable infrastructure and community safety at a considerable expense to the city.
OPD will continue to facilitate safe spaces and places for peaceful protests, we ask those organizing gatherings in Oakland to remain peaceful.
#OPDCARES initiative is about all of us working together as a community, to help stop the tragic loss of life and reduce the level of violence in our city. Collectively, we want to ensure Oaklanders and our visitors are safe in our community.
Officer Johnna Watson
The Oakland Police must investigate the members of this so-called fake group, and find out from them who’s paying them to do the damage and civic unrest. I’ll bet those persons are connected to the Trump 2020 Campaign.
Masks On District 5! COVID-19 Safety Car Caravan & Day of Action on Saturday, August 29 from 11AM-1PM
Oakland, CA – Oakland Councilmember Noel Gallo and Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan will be cruising through Oakland District 5 neighborhoods to promote COVID-19 safety, distribute masks and encourage residents to complete Census and register to vote. Led by the Oakland Fire Department Parade Engine Truck, other participating organizations are: Native American Health Center, City of Oakland, Unity Council, and the Census.
The Car Caravan will begin at the Fruitvale BART Surface Parking lot, 1001 Fruitvale Avenue, and proceed on a route throughout District 5 with key stops at Cardenas Market, 1630 High Street, where four booths: Voter registration, Census 2020 sign up assistance, information about City services, and COVID safety kits will be stationed. (See attached Car Caravan Route/ Media Opportunities.) Another community outreach location will be at the Fruitvale Transit Village entrance on 12th Avenue. Along the caravan route, community volunteers will be at key street corners distributing masks and testing information.
” Please wear a mask! We need to defeat the COVID-19 virus. Your actions can save the lives of our children and families. Wear a mask for Oakland! Wear a mask for yourself!”, said Oakland District 5 Councilmember Noel Gallo.
“¡Porfavor use una máscara! ¡Lávese las manos frecuentemente! ¡Has distanciamiento social! Tus acciones pueden salvar las vidas de nuestros niños y familia. ¡Póngase la máscara, Oakland! Use una máscara por sí mismo” dijo el Concejal de Oakland Distrito 5, Noel Gallo.”
“Wearing a mask in public has proven effective in slowing the spread of COVID-19 and keeping our communities safe,” said Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan. “I urge everyone to wear masks, wash their hands, and maintain social distance when outside. Mask on Alameda County!”
“El uso de máscaras es una forma efectiva para reducir la propagación del COVID-19 y mantener nuestras comunidades seguras” dijo la Supervisora del condado de Alameda, Wilma Chan. “Les urjo a todos que usen máscaras, se laven las manos y practiquen el distanciamiento social cuando estén afuera. ¡Póngase la máscara, Condado de Alameda!”
The Native American Health Center COVID-19 Testing Site, 3050 International Blvd. will be open on Saturday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
I hope you and your loved ones are hanging in there as we in Oakland contend with wildfires in addition to COVID. Big appreciations to our firefighters, first responders and health professionals during these challenging times.
In this newsletter, you’ll find information on these topics:
New multilingual, multicultural COVID Test Site in Oakland Chinatown
Red Flag Warning until Monday 5pm
Spare the Air Alert through Wednesday
Emergency Preparedness
New COVID Test Site in Oakland Chinatown Supporting Multilingual, Multicultural Care
Last Tuesday, August 18, Oakland Asian Health Services and Alameda County launched a new multilingual, multicultural COVID-19 test site in Chinatown at Madison Park, long a beloved cultural keeping spot for our API neighbors. The free public site features testing and support services in 12 Asian languages including Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog and Mongolian.
Tests are available to everyone. Payment or insurance are not required, and immigration status will not be asked. The test site is open Tuesdays from noon to 7 pm and Thursdays and Fridays from 8 am to 4 pm. People who want to get tested can make an appointment at www.color.com/AHS. For help, people can call the multilingual line at Asian Health Services at (510) 735-3222.
I was so pleased to support the opening of this test site and join the public launch. This test site is a place for total care and is a model for the entire state. By partnering with a community health center and several community organizations, this site offers culturally competent and linguistically accessible COVID testing, along with critical resources and referrals for a range of issues, and education about the Census and voter registration.
Councilmember Bas Gets Tested For COVID-19
I also got tested and got my results the following day, which were negative. Please be vigilant by wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, washing your hands, and staying home as much as possible. If we all follow the County Health Orders, we can slow the spread, protect our community and eventually re-open our schools and businesses.
Red Flag Warning Until Monday 5pm
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the entire San Francisco / Oakland Bay Area until 5 PM on Monday, August 24. NWS forecasts: “erratic gusty outflow winds can lead to potentially dangerous and unpredictable fire behavior on existing wildfires while additional lightning strikes may result in new wildfire starts.”
In addition to the Oakland Fire Department’s normal operations, firefighters are conducting roving fire patrols in the Oakland Hills. These resources will augment the department’s normal hill company patrols that are out during high fire danger.
Additionally, a State of California Office of Emergency Services engine is pre-positioned in Oakland, and OFD crews will be on stand-by; patrols and staffing may be lengthened or shortened depending on conditions.
OFD Fire Inspectors will also be patrolling Joaquin Miller Park, which is closed on Red Flag Days, to inform the public present at the park of the closure request that they leave the park. The park closure shall be lifted once the Red Flag conditions have subsided and the National Weather Service has lifted the warning for our regional area.
Oakland Fire will continue to collaborate with county partners for mutual aid. Twenty-seven total firefighters are deployed at the CZU lightening complex.
NWS Red Flag Warning
Help Reduce the Chance of Wildfire in Oakland
In accordance with Oakland Municipal Code, Joaquin Miller Park is closed to the public on Red Flag days. Signs will be posted at all park entrances and trails regarding the closure.
Other parks, trails, and recreational facilities may also be closed to visitors due to the high risk of fire.
Barbeques are prohibited in all City parks when there is a Red Flag warning in effect.
The Oakland Fire Department urges extreme caution, because a simple spark can cause a major wildfire.
Get Emergency Alerts on Your Phone or Email
Get alerted about emergencies by signing up for AC Alert to receive phone calls and messages on your mobile, home, or work phone; by text message; and by email. AC Alert will provide you with critical information quickly in a variety of emergencies, including fires, severe weather, earthquakes, unexpected road closures, and evacuations of buildings or neighborhoods.
AC Alert is a unified emergency notification system for Alameda County residents, businesses and visitors. An AC Alert subscription is free, and all residents and business owners are strongly encouraged to sign up.
What is a Red Flag Warning?
The National Weather Service issues Red Flag Warnings to alert fire departments of the onset, or possible onset, of critical weather and dry conditions that could lead to rapid or dramatic increases in wildfire activity. Firefighters will raise red flags at fire stations to warn residents of extreme fire weather, as warnings are issued by the National Weather Service.
A Red Flag Warning is issued for weather events which may result in extreme fire behavior that will occur within 24 hours. A Red Flag Warning is the highest alert. During these times extreme caution is urged by all residents, because a simple spark can cause a major wildfire.
Spare the Air Alert Through Wednesday
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is extending a Spare the Air Alert for wildfire smoke through Wednesday, August 26, which bans burning wood or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors. Wildfire smoke from numerous fires inside and outside of the Bay Area is causing elevated levels of particulate pollution. Elderly persons, children, individuals with respiratory illnesses, and unsheltered persons are particularly susceptible and should take extra precautions to avoid exposure.
Check air quality with the EPA’s Air Quality Index (airnow.gov) and be sure to use the map to find your closest sensor for the most accurate reading. Another resource is Purple Air which offers real-time air quality monitoring.
Stay Safe When It’s Smoky, Oakland!
Stay indoors with windows and doors closed.
Keep indoor air cool or visit an air-cooling center (see these heat resources).
Set home and car ventilation systems on re-circulate to prevent drawing in outside air.
Stay hydrated by drinking water.
Limit or avoid outdoor recreational and sports activities.
Stay Safe From Smoke
Resources for Oakland Unsheltered Homeless Residents
During air quality events, Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless has N95 masks available for outreach providers who can distribute them to unsheltered people experiencing homelessness. Please contact [email protected] or call (510) 891-8950 to pick up masks. County, city, outreach workers and community volunteers may distribute N95 air masks to unsheltered persons at risk, if air quality is projected to be at dangerous levels (red) for a sustained period of time. Masks provide limited, but important protection to people in open air — however, it’s best to stay indoors. My District 2 Office also has some N95 masks available for homeless residents in our neighborhoods; please email me at [email protected] for assistance.
Oaklander Emergency Preparedness
There are many resources to support us in being prepared for emergencies. Here are a few helpful links:
CAL FIRE Ready for Wildfire
Alameda County Public Health
Oakland Fire Safe Council
Oakland Community Preparedness & Response Program
Stay safe!
With Oakland Love,
Nikki Fortunato Bas
Councilmember, City of Oakland, District 2
Proposing Budget Funding To Provide Fire Works Response, Fire Safety, Education, Drive-In Theater and More Oakland, CA – In recent weeks, there has been an increase of people setting off fireworks throughout our community, often late at night, and extensively. Fireworks are not permitted, they are disrupting our community, and also create a growing risk … Read more
Repeal Oakland City Charter’s Binding Arbitration Protection for Police Officers and Fire Fighters The time has come for Oakland to remove some or all binding arbitration protection for uniformed police and fire disciplinary matters and compensation. Arbitrator decisions overrule decisions by the Chief of Police, City Administrator, and the Police Commission. Binding arbitration is enshrined … Read more
