Oakland – Last Sunday, August 2, 2020, marked 13 years since Oakland Tribune and Oakland Post Reporter Chauncey Bailey was murdered for his community-minded reporting. Chauncey Bailey had a lifetime passion for journalism, and for sharing important truths. He started at a young age delivering newspapers, and went on to work at multiple news outlets, … Read more
Rebecca Kaplan Interview On Oakland City Council, Police De Funding Status, Homeless Policy From YouTube Channel: July 30, 2020 at 05:58PM ONN – Rebecca Kaplan Interview On Oakland City Council, Police De Funding Status, Homeless Policy (Oakland Defund Police), Other Matters The Oakland At-Large Councilmember and City Council President talks about the effort to rearrange … Read more
OAKLAND CITY COUNCILMEMBER SHENG THAO INTRODUCES CHANGES TO RULES AND PROCEDURES TO BETTER EXPAND TRANSPARENCY OF THE OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS Oakland – In an effort to increase transparency and accountability, Oakland City Councilmember and Rules & Legislation Committee Chair Sheng Thao has introduced changes to the Council’s Emergency Rules and Procedures. … Read more
Oakland, CA (July 23, 2020)- Today, The Police Commission Ballot measure resolution that Oakland Councilmember Dan Kalb and I, Oakland At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, introduced, which was co-sponsored by Oakland Councilmembers Noel Gallo and Loren Taylor, was unanimously passed by Council. It will now go on the November 3, 2020 Ballot for Oakland voters to … Read more
Oakland – Tuesday, July 21, 2020, the Oakland City Council Equity Caucus (Vice Mayor Larry Reid, Councilmembers Lynette Gibson McElhaney, Noel Gallo,and Loren Taylor) ushered a unanimous vote to immediately begin the effort to redirect $150 Million from police to fund Oakland’s Black community, improve public safety and meet other critical community needs.“Yesterday’s debate provided … Read more
Oakland – During the July 21st Council meeting, The Office Of Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan successfully passed our Resolution redirecting the Special Event function from OPD, allowing for a more effective process, while saving money on policing costs, and keeping more money in our community. OPD Special Events Functions The Kaplan resolution to … Read more
The Oakland City Council is discussing Agenda Item 16: “Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Amendments”, which includes the “Defunding The Police” report filed by Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan and Councilmember Nikki Fortunado Bas, the text of which has been digitized and is presented below. But also included below as links to the Scribd versions, … Read more
Community Survey Finds Overwhelming Support Across Oakland for Defunding OPD and Investing in Housing, Mental Health Services Survey conducted by #DefundthePolice Coalition finds strong support for Councilmember Nikky Bas’s (District Two) proposal to reallocate another $11.4M from OPD’s budget this year and form a Task Force of impacted community members to plan next year’s $150 … Read more
Oakland – The Oakland City Council voted unanimously to send a new Oakland business tax structure law into motion by placing a measure on the November 2022 ballot. Oakland’s business tax structure has not seen a major overhaul in almost forty years. The Oakland City Council was united in its desire to see a progressive, … Read more
Oakland, CA – On Monday, July 6, 2020, the City of Oakland started hosting panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to hang on the front of Oakland City Hall. The AIDS Memorial quilt has more than 100,000 names stitched in remembrance of loved ones that have been lost to AIDS. Panels are hung in Cities … 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
Ben Bartlett Berkeley Councilmember Shows Oakland City Council How To Defund Police ONN – Ben Bartlett Berkeley Councilmember Shows Oakland City Council How To Defund Police Raw transcript from video: Hey, you know, I tell you something just really pisses me off. the City of Oakland just made this rush to stuff something in as … Read more
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
Oakland, CA – Tuesday, June 23rd, starting at noon, my colleagues and I will continue our discussion of the Oakland Mid Cycle FY 20-21 Budget Amendments. We are working, in partnership with community, to provide a budget that responds to vital current needs, helping our community, including our local small businesses and non-profits deal with … Read more
Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett turned a phrase that is spreading around the Internet when he said the “era of militarism is over”, after his City of Berkeley, Berkeley City Council voted to ban tear gas for good, and stop police from using pepper spray and smoke during George Floyd Black Lives Matter protests. (And this … Read more
Oakland, CA: (June 3 , 2020) – Today, Oakland Council Members Nikki Bas, Rebecca Kaplan and Sheng Thao sent a joint letter to Mayor Schaaf, City Administrator Reiskin and Interim Police Chief Manheimer to urge the immediate halt of the use of tear gas for crowd control during the COVID-19 pandemic “ Dear Mayor Schaaf, … Read more
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan must put aside their differences and collaborate to save our City of Oakland. Word is they have not spoken in weeks – what a shame two smart progressive Democrats that can’t have a conversation if that doesn’t size up the problem with our country … Read more
Statement From Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan On LaTonda Simmons Hiring As Interim Oakland Assistant City Administrator: “It is with great pleasure that I congratulate LaTonda Simmons, a native of Oakland, and our current City Clerk, on her appointment as interim Assistant City Administrator. LaTonda Simmons has served the City with exceptional professionalism and … Read more
Oakland, CA – Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan, who serves as Oakland’s Council Member At-Large, calls for publicly accessible WiFi for Oakland’s communities. Kaplan has been working to expand access to internet and related technologies, especially for Oakland’s under-served communities. The COVID-19 emergency has pushed many more to rely on the internet for work, … Read more
IT PASSED! Oakland President Rebecca Kaplan Proposed Ballot Measure to Allow 16 and 17 Year-Olds To Vote in School Board Elections Passes Unanimously. Oakland, Ca – Oakland City Council President, Rebecca Kaplan and the Oakland City Council unanimously passed a resolution to place the proposed ballot measure to allow 16 and 17 year-olds to vote … Read more
Oakland, CA: (May 18, 2020) – Today, Oakland Council President Rebecca Kaplan, who serves as Oakland’s Council Member At-Large, announced a bold “Agenda for Healthy Transition and a Just Recovery Plan.” The City of Oakland remains in the local State of Emergency that the City Administrator declared on March 9, 2020 due to the COVID-19 … Read more
Kaplan Coronavirus Public Health Statement ONN – Oakland City Council President Kaplan Coronavirus Public Health Statement As we work to respond to the coronavirus and protect public health, join me in calling on the State of California to stop evictions and more, to protect everyone in our community. Stay tuned. Note from Zennie62Media and Oakland … Read more
The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce sent out this request, which I have elected to re-post and amplify here at Oakland News Now. Tell Oakland City Council to Not its Abuse of Emergency Powers Friday afternoon the Oakland City Council – led by Council President Rebecca Kaplan – cancelled its regularly scheduled meeting set for … Read more
Ed Reiskin lands Robert Bobb’s praise (click on the video to listen to Mr. Bobb’s commentary). Ed Reiskin, the current but as yet unconfirmed Oakland Chief Administrative Officer who was elevated from his Assistant CAO position by Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, has experienced somewhat choppy waters of public opinion since the news of his … Read more
Oakland, CA- This past Friday, March 27th, for the first time, the Oakland City Council held a special city council meeting by teleconference. An estimated 1,000 participants joined the meeting via zoom or phone. At this meeting, the Council unanimously supported Council President Kaplan’s Resolution to more closely follow the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) … Read more
Oakland Bulk & Oversized Terminal Called Envrionmentally Friendly By City of Oakland In 2012 ONN – The planned Insight Terminal Solutions and California Capital Investment Group with Managing Partner Phil Tagami-developed Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal has been the focus of a mainstream-media effort to tell what is a fake news. The fake news is … Read more
Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan Thanks Moms 4 Housing, And Works To Obtain Affordable Housing From County’s Property Auction List Oakland, CA – For the past several weeks, Moms 4 Housing, a group of Oakland homeless mothers and their children had been residing in a formerly-vacant home in West Oakland. An Alameda County Superior … Read more
OAKLAND, CA – For the past several weeks, Moms 4 Housing, a group of homeless mothers and their children have been residing in a formerly-vacant home in West Oakland. Wedgewood, a large investment corporation, with a troubling history of questionable evictions, is seeking to evict the women. The case is pending in court, and the … Read more
Oakland Moms 4 Housing update: letter by Oakland City Council President (At-Large) Rebecca Kaplan and Oakland District Two City Council Representative Nikki Fortunato Bas to Wedgewood Properties Oakland – This is the digitized version of the letter Oakland District Two Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas and I submitted to Wedgewood Properties CEO Greg Geiser on behalf … Read more
STATEMENT ON COLISEUM FROM PRESIDENT REBECCA KAPLAN OAKLAND, CA – Stated Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan “In the interest of reducing strife and litigation, the Oakland City Council have unanimously asked our City of Oakland Administration to meet directly with Alameda County leaders, on strategies to resolve issues regarding our shared public property. Also, … Read more
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT REBECCA KAPLAN, BAY AREA COMMUNITY BENEFIT ORGANIZATION, AND THE EAST OAKLAND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION PRESENT A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE OAKLAND COLISEUM AREA OAKLAND, CA – In recent months, there have been many important and valid concerns expressed regarding the future of the Coliseum Area which may include the … Read more
OAKLAND, CA – “Broadway Bus Lanes.” Today President Rebecca Kaplan is supporting a Resolution from the Oakland Department of Transportation before the Public Works Committee – Tuesday, September 24 at 11:30AM at Oakland City Hall (Link to Agenda) – that supports transit improvements by creating dedicated transit only lanes on Broadway, our busiest street, from … Read more
OAKLAND, CA – Tomorrow, May 7th there will be a Special Oakland City Council Budget Meeting for the Mayor to present her proposed budget (Link to Agenda) which begins at 4:00PM. There will also be a Council Meeting beginning at 5:30PM. (Link to Agenda) On the agenda for the 5:30PM Council Meeting President Kaplan has … Read more
Oakland Measure AA and the Oakland Police Commission are the primary focus of Council President Kaplan’s actions this week. OAKLAND, CA – Tomorrow, Tuesday April 30th the Special Council Meeting will begin at 4:00PM to accommodate the Special Concurrent Meeting with the Community Policing Advisory Board (CPAB), Public Safety Services Oversight Commission, and the Oakland … Read more
Oakland City Councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan (At-Large), Nikki Bas (District Two), Noll Gallo (District Five), And Sheng Thao (District Four) Funding Resolution For OUSD Programs to be introduced at Oakland City Council April 16th, 2019. Oakland, CA – On March 4th, 2019, the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) made $21.75 million in budgetary cuts to meet … Read more
Oakland, CA – In the Oakland Community and Economic Development Committee on Tuesday, Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan’s ordinance amendment to lower ceiling height requirements to the State standard of 7 feet passed unanimously and will heard at the Tuesday, May 7th Council Meeting. (Link to Item) The new ordinance covers units for one- … Read more
Oakland, CA – On March 26th 2019, Oakland City Council President Kaplan called on Berkeley to refocus on identifying viable alternative sites for RVs, rather than immediately adopting a vote on a ban at today’s council meeting. Kaplan is calling for increased regional collaboration on homeless solutions, and is helping to seek applicants to operate … Read more
Oakland, CA – The Tuesday, April 2nd Oakland City Council meeting will begin early at 4:30PM in Council chambers. Also planned is a special tribute in honor of Victor McElhaney, son of Councilmember Lynette McElhaney, who was shot in Los Angeles on March 10th. There will be poetry from Paradise the Poet and a musical … Read more
Oakland, CA – A special Oakland City Council Meeting for Thursday, March 21st beginning at 10:30AM has been called. Council President Kaplan has moved the agenda from the cancelled March 12th Council meeting to Thursday morning. (Link to Agenda) President Kaplan also has five items on the agenda. Agenda Item 7.8 asks the Council to … Read more