Alameda County voters will be asked in March to change recall election rules, which has the campaign to oust District Attorney Pamela Price — as well as those opposed to a recall — calling foul. In July, less than a year into Price’s tenure, a group of residents and business owners launched a recall campaign, citing concerns about her being soft on serious crime. In the months since, that effort has intensified. The group behind the recall — Save Alameda…
Oakland is considering changes to its Police Commission that would impact how the group trains and chooses its members. The City Council’s Public Safety Committee will vote on the legislation Dec. 12 before it can go to the full council for final approval. Introduced by Councilmembers Dan Kalb and Kevin Jenkins, the legislation would expand the eligibility for applicants to join the commission by revising the commission’s conflict of interest rules and further define their roles. Oakland’s new rules would…
Nearly 18 months after its launch, the efficacy of a civilian unit in Oakland designed to handle certain non-violent 911 calls remains unclear. While the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland, or MACRO, program has been praised for its compassionate, community-centered approach, recent city reports reveal that it is handling a declining number of dispatches — from a high of 1,397 in March to a low of 455 in July. MACRO teams are sent to calls either by 911 police…
Oakland City Council unanimously approved the installation of 300 automated license plate readers throughout the city on Tuesday. The vote comes nearly two months after Gov. Gavin Newsom approved a $1.2 million loan to the city, following Mayor Sheng Thao’s request for surveillance cameras to combat rising crime. Thao tweeted her support for the vote on Wednesday, saying the cameras will help police “track criminal vehicles across the city based on their unique features such as make, model, and color.”…
Nearly a dozen Oakland residents gathered at City Hall Thursday night for a town hall to discuss whether former Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong should be reinstated. Mayor Sheng Thao fired Armstrong in February following an investigation that found he mishandled two misconduct cases. The town hall occurred as the city’s Police Commission faces pressure from residents and Thao to find three finalists for the chief’s job, amid an uptick in violent crime. Several attendees, including former Police Commissioner Brenda Harbin-Forte,…