Posts Tagged ‘Patricia Kernighan’
Few answers about Jordan’s medical retirement at press conference
City and police officials expressed their surprise at Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan’s abrupt resignation, but had few details about what prompted the Wednesday morning announcement.
Read MoreAs reported shootings rise, analyzing gun violence, and its effect on young people, in Oakland
Scid Howard III grew up on the streets of East Oakland, so he knows what it’s like to be a teenager in a city where some young people are lost forever to gun violence and others live on, scarred physically and mentally. Howard himself was shot at age 19 and witnessed the shooting death of…
Read MoreCouncilmembers discuss ways to get out of bond debt deal with Goldman Sachs
The City of Oakland should find a way to get out of its interest rate swap agreement with Goldman Sachs, a deal that costs the city $4 million annually, according to a city staff report. The problem before the city council now is figuring out the best way to do that without costing the city more money.
Read MoreProposed donation box ordinance fails to pass committee
The proliferation of donation boxes around town and the problems associated with them—like the blight added to neighborhoods when the boxes are not maintained by their owners, or concerns that many of the boxes are associated with organizations that don’t employ local workers—caught the attention of Oakland City Council members.
Read MoreDespite cancelled meeting, councilmembers discuss changing city’s banking contract
For the second consecutive time, the Oakland City Council’s finance and management committee failed to meet because not enough members showed up. The lack of a quorum—only Councilmembers Jane Brunner (District 1) and Patricia Kernighan (District 2) were present—shelved a resolution that would have taken away the power of the City Administrator’s Office to extend the city’s banking contract with Wells Fargo past this year, instead giving the power to the city council to negotiate a new deal.
Read MoreNew Oakland city budget cuts 80 jobs, but spares arts funding, zoo and Fairyland
The Oakland City Council passed a budget Tuesday night that will eliminate 80 city jobs. But thanks to a last-minute proposal from four councilmembers, funding for art and culture programs that had been on the chopping block was spared.
Read MoreAt town hall meeting, residents and councilmembers debate mayor’s budget proposal
About 20 concerned citizens, activists and advocacy leaders debated the mayor’s new budget proposal Monday night at a town hall meeting organized by Councilmembers Patricia Kernighan and Nancy Nadel.
Read MoreOakland residents and city council call for reform to building services division
On Tuesday at the Community and Economic Development Committee meeting, Oakland City Council members and speakers from the audience criticized the city administrator’s office for not moving fast enough to fix systematic problems with the city’s much-criticized building services division.
Read MoreElection Day: A look at what the 3 ballot measures could mean for Oakland
There still is time to vote in the City of Oakland’s special mail ballot election. Voting ends tonight for three ballot measures – two of which are intended to help the city balance its budget, and the other to change the city attorney position from one that is elected by the voters, to one that is named by the city council.
Read MoreThe pros and cons of Oakland’s proposed parcel tax, Measure I–INFOGRAPHIC
The pros and cons of Oakland’s proposed parcel tax, Measure I
Oaklanders have six days left to vote for or against Measure I, a tax increase for homeowners that would be used to compensate budget deficits in various city departments, specially the Oakland Police. Mayor Jean Quan’s proposal has incited a heated debate among councilmembers and residents on whether the tax increase will truly help alleviate the city’s financial crisis.
Oakland North has put together this overview of Measure I for Oakland residents who haven’t yet mailed their ballots.
Read MoreOakland City Council approves spending plan for proposed parcel tax
Amidst accusations of electioneering, the Oakland City Council approved legislation that would determine how funds from a proposed $80 parcel tax would be spent if Measure I passes next month. The legislation, authored by Councilmember At-Large Rebecca Kaplan, Councilmember Pat Kernighan (District 2) and Council President Larry Reid (District 7), determines how the $60 million collected from the tax under Measure I would be spent over the next five years, and allocates a majority of the funds toward public safety items.
Read MoreCity council defers voting on proposed public safety items at contentious meeting
Dozens of Oakland residents approached the podium at the city council meeting Tuesday night to voice their displeasure with three items on the agenda intended to curb violence in the city – an anti-loitering law, a teen curfew, and more gang injunctions. However, the council deferred voting on these measures by sending them to the…
Read MoreShotspotter technology could help Oakland police locate gunshots
City Council’s Public Safety Committee approved a contract renewal during a meeting on Tuesday to install a new version of the sound monitors that would help police pinpoint gunshots in Oakland. With the Shotspotter technology, the Oakland Police Department will receive notifications of gunshots and explosives through devices installed on rooftops across the city.
Read MoreOakland City Council reconvenes, hears complaints
One after another, Oakland residents approached the City Council podium Tuesday night to share their horror stories in dealing with the Building Services Department, part of the city’s Community and Economic Development Agency.
Read MoreProposal to double medical marijuana dispensaries passes city committee
The Oakland City Council’s Public Safety Committee passed an ordinance by consensus Tuesday evening that will double the number of medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, if approved by the city council.
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