|
Dear {{recipient.first_name_or_friend}},
My heart is heavy as we grieve with our dear Councilmember Lynette Gibson McElhaney following the devastating loss of her son Victor in a tragic act of violence. I am grateful for her leadership in the City on violence prevention. She also championed #LoveLife as our City’s motto -- a declaration against violence and for love and respect. My family and I send love and condolences to her, her family, and friends. On the heels of International Womxn's Day, my (all-female) staff and I are appreciating mothers and others during Women's History Month. It has been just over two months in office, and we are so grateful for your contributions to Oakland. Together, we are building people-powered government where I make decisions with you -- not for you -- to create an equitable city, an Oakland for all of us.
Thank you for being a part of all these issues in our city. Your participation is critical in helping our government meet the needs of all Oaklanders. Please share your feedback on this newsletter, as well as future opportunities you'd like to share with our neighbors. With Oakland Love,
Nikki Fortunato Bas P.S. At my monthly office hours at the Grand Lake Farmer's Market this past Saturday, I had the chance to meet many residents and talk about topics such as Oakland's homelessness crisis, mental health, resources for public art, and more. Reach out to reserve a future 20-minute office hours appointment.
P.P.S. I had a great weekend of community service -- from helping a constituent collect signatures for a petition for a speed bump around Franklin Elementary to joining a youth-powered team of volunteers to pick up litter in Chinatown. Students from Cleveland Elementary Safety Patrol, Oakland High, Oakland Tech, Asian Youth Service Committee and other groups meet monthly with OCA East Bay for this Chinatown PickItUp event. RSVP for the next one!
RECAP: Community Feedback on Kaiser Convention Center Redevelopment
On Saturday, March 2, more than 150 community members joined my office and Laney College Facilities Planning Committee to hear about Orton Development's proposal to redevelop the historic Kaiser Convention Center into a performing arts venue and space for nonprofit and arts organizations.
We invited community groups like Eastlake United for Justice, Oakland Chinatown Coalition, Black Arts Movement Business District (the organizers of Bambdfest:2019), Eastside Arts Alliance, Oakland Ballet, and IATSE Local 107 (Stagehands Union) to share their responses, needs, and hopes for the project. Community members had many questions for the development team — from questions on design and function to those focused on timeline, costs / affordability, cultural equity, good jobs & local hire, community engagement, and impact on the surrounding areas, institutions, residents, unsheltered neighbors and more. We created this summary of the community's
|
|
[1] Last year, the City of Oakland produced its first Equity Indicators Report to better understand the impacts of race and measure inequities. We received 33 out of 100 points, or an F grade, overall. Our lowest scores were on homelessness, police use of force, pedestrian safety and school suspensions. At the last City Council meeting on February 26, we received an annual report on various programs for housing and homelessness. I requested that this report include racial demographic data for persons served. City Staff provided this information, which showed that the majority of persons served were Black or African American. It is affirming to see data that shows the City's efforts and investments are reaching populations most impacted by our housing and homelessness crisis. There is still much work ahead and we must continue to ground our approach to solutions in ways that address present and historical inequities. |
[2] At the February 26 Council meeting, we received a quarterly report on police overtime which was $18.7 million at the end of the second quarter of the fiscal year. This amount is well over the budgeted total of $12.3 million for the entire year. I've talked with many Oaklanders like you who want more transparency and accountability in our budget, especially around police overtime which is over-budget year after year. We know the police use overtime to backfill for vacant positions, but I believe OPD can better manage its use of overtime. To improve accountability, I requested that OPD provide additional information for the Public Safety Committee to review on April 9. Council and the public need to know the answers to questions such as: How much of the overtime was approved in advance? What portion of overtime was related to crime - responding to, solving or preventing crime? How much of our overtime for special events was reimbursed; and if this takes officers away from crime prevention, can we staff these events another way? With more transparent information, our tax dollars can be used with more accountability focusing our police resources on preventing, solving and responding to crime. |
Make your voice heard on upcoming
|
|
Apply to join the Neighborhood Leadership Cohort with the Oakland Climate Action Coalition. As part of the community engagement process of Oakland's Environmental Services Division's development of the 2030 Energy and Climate Action Plan (ECAP), the Oakland Climate Action Coalition is creating a Neighborhood Leadership Cohort -- a group of 14 resident community leaders, two from each District, to be trained in climate science, City policy and planning processes, and leadership skills. NLC members will facilitate community workshops with OCAC and craft equity targets that will be recommended for inclusion in the 2030 ECAP. NLC members will be compensated for their time spent leading workshops and completing training. Although the application deadline was March 10, applications will continue to be considered until all NLC positions have been filled.
|
Weigh in on Oakland's 2019 Three-Year Road Paving Plan. Oakland's Department of Transportation plans to bring its next paving plan to Council this April. Over the next month, join a number of community presentations to share insight into the proposed plan and find out about the proposed list of streets for the next paving plan. The following meetings will present paving information relevant to District 2 residents: Redwood Heights Town Hall Bella Vista NCPC (Eastlake, San Antonio) Chinatown NCPC Golden Gate NCPC (Adams Point) Fruitvale Unity (Eastlake, San Antonio)
|
#PeoplePoweredGovernment:
|
|
City Council. Today's March 12 City Council meeting is cancelled. Stay tuned for the new date. Items of interest include: Informational Report on Homelessness Solutions and a resolution allocating funding to OUSD transportation costs. Council Committee Meetings on March 19. There are a number of important reports coming to our committees: Finance, 9:30am. We will receive an annual report from the Measure KK oversight committee on the affordable housing and infrastructure bond. Community & Economic Development, 1:30pm. We will receive an annual report on the Rental Adjustment Program. Public Safety, 6pm. We will receive a quarterly report from the Police Commission and an annual Measure Z evaluation report on community policing neighborhood services. |
Education Partnership. The first meeting of the year of the Education Partnership between the City Council and Oakland Unified School District Board of Directors is Monday, April 1, As co-chair of this committee with School Board President Aimee Eng, I look forward to working collaboratively with the District to maximize our resources and assets to support our students and our public school system.
|
Community Resources + Opportunities |
|
Report issues or services needed using OAK 311. 311 is an easy-to-remember telephone number that connects you with highly trained City of Oakland Call Center representatives ready to help you with requests for non-emergency City services and information. You can also report issues online or on the OAK 311 mobile phone app. Free Weekly Community Breakfast on Sundays. Join Word Assembly - The Palace church for free community breakfast every Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at 1445 23rd Avenue.
Spring Break Camps. From Monday March 25 to Friday March 30, Oakland, Parks, Recreation and Youth Development (OPRYD) is offering Spring Break Camps at the following locations. Please contact individual recreation centers for more information. Bushrod (510) 597-5031 Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) Meetings. Get involved with your local NCPC to help make our communities safe and connected. Bella Vista NCPC San Antonio NCPC Chinatown NCPC Grandlake NCPC Green New Deal Create-a-thon. Join this weekend-long event where writers, artists, videographers, developers, musicians and other creatives come together with policy experts and political strategists to prototype new collaborative projects around a focused goal. Councilmember Bas is part of the opening welcome on Friday. March 15 - March 17, 2019
Economic Development Strategy Year 1 Progress Report. On Tuesday, March 5, the City's Economic & Workforce Development staff presented the Economic Development Strategy 2018-2020 Year 1 Progress Report to the City Council's Community & Economic Development Committee. This report shares baseline numeric achievements through a series of infographics with a narrative section that describes the partnerships and projects that helped grow Oakland’s economy. As background, in November 2017, the City Council adopted the Economic Development Strategy 2018-2020 with connected goals to increase both the overall productivity of the city’s economy and the wealth and economic security of Oakland’s lowest income households, as well as reduce racial disparities.
New Resource for Female Entrepreneurs of Color to Open in East Oakland. Mills College’s Center for Transformative Action will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and public open house on March 22 to mark the opening of the new Women’s Social Entrepreneurship Center. The Center will foster transformative social change by providing a safe space, tools, and a community for self-identified women and non-binary individuals of color who wish to launch and grow their social entrepreneurship ventures. The free events run from 11 am to 5 pm. |
Landlord 101 Seminar on Owner Occupied Duplexes and Triplexes. The City's Rent Adjustment Program is hosting a training for owners of owner-occupied duplexes and triplexes on the basics of landlord and tenant law in Oakland. Tuesday, March 26, 2019
Oakland Chinatown First Wednesdays. Enjoy family friendly activities and a resource fair each month from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on the corner of 8th and Jackson Streets in Madison Park. First Wednesdays are hosted by Friends of Madison Park, including Friends of Lincoln Square, Asian Health Services, APEN, AYPAL, API Legal Outreach, and OACC. The next three dates are below: April 3, 2019 Volunteer with the "Dedicated Deadheaders" group to beautify Oakland's Morcom Rose Garden. The Dedicated Deadheaders, a volunteer group that helps maintain the garden, invites you help with tasks including learning about the care and maintenance of roses. If you have questions, send an email to [email protected]. Oakland’s Morcom Rose Garden
Lake Merritt Weed Warriors. Following a model used successfully at the Morcom Rose Garden, an ad hoc group of citizens have organized themselves to be trained by Public Works staff to perform assigned tasks such as mulching, weeding, deadheading flowers and general cleanup. Sign up to receive announcements of the Weed Warriors' monthly work party. Next Volunteer Day:
Apply to be a Community Navigator with the Support Awareness to Value Energy (S.A.V.E.) Program. In this role you will help promote awareness and customer education in a PG&E initiative to help sign up community members for the CARE & FERA programs, which can save low income customers up to 30% on their electric bill. Spanish, Tagalog, Cantonese, or Mandarin speakers encouraged to apply. Salsa by the Lake is starting up its 13th year this Sunday, March 17 from 1-4 p.m. at its usual spot by the Lake Merritt Pergola. Join this group of lovers of Cuban music and dance, who enjoy dancing outside under the sun at Lake Merritt.
|
Constituent Corner |
|
As part of the City of Oakland's relationship with Oakland Coliseum, Councilmembers receive tickets to sporting events and concerts. We are grateful for the opportunity to give away tickets to honor community members and their service to Oakland. Meet Rebecca Chhom, Recreation Program Director at Franklin Recreation-Center for the last 12 years: "I am a proud born and raised native of Oakland and love serving our Oakland community. I love our city's diversity and culture! I enjoy encouraging youth, teaching them, and exposing them to new activities and experiences. With my team, we provide a variety of programs, activities and events for children and youth that promote and foster youth's physical, social, mental and creative development. We partner with and support many other organizations and groups to together make a greater impact on how we serve our community."
Meet Nikita Williams, the community school manager at Garfield Elementary: "I work to support the school attendance, coordinator of services, family engagement and partnerships. I really enjoy working here in Oakland because I grew up in this community and wanted to be a leader for the kids in my community. What I love about Oakland is the diversity."
|
In the News
|
Connect with Team D2!D2 Office: (510) 238-7002 |
|
Miya Saika Chen
|
Lia Azul Salaverry
|
|
Linna Lin
|
Tiffany Kang
|
|
Pamela Drake
|
|
