After Months, Oakland Coliseum Sale Is Finally Up for Key Vote. Here’s What to Know
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"content": "\u003cp>Activists opposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s contract this week with an Israeli cellphone data extraction company, which they say has been used in Israeli military operations in Gaza and to surveil journalists and activists across the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the Oakland Police Department has contracted with digital intelligence company Cellebrite since 2014, the City Council voted Wednesday to extend the contract through June 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By approving this contract, Oakland has chosen to bring in technology tied directly to Israeli occupation forces, the surveillance of Palestinians, and immigration enforcement here in the U.S.,” said Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the Bay Area’s office of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. “That decision should never have been made without meaningful engagement with the communities most likely to be impacted by expanded surveillance and discriminatory policing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OPD has used some version of Cellebrite’s technology to download cellphone data, but the most updated version, which the department has used since about 2024, allows it to access data from cellphones without a passcode, according to Sgt. Yun Zhou. According to city records, the technology is used in both internal audits of OPD members’ work phones and to aid in criminal investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Zhou said, the department used Cellebrite to search more than 200 devices obtained through search warrants and thought to be involved in robberies, homicides and other crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11524304\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11524304\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg.jpg\" alt=\"Oakland police headquarters on Nov. 12, 2016.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1305\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-1020x693.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-1180x802.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-960x653.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-240x163.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-375x255.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-520x353.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland police headquarters on Nov. 12, 2016. \u003ccite>(Alex Emslie/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The City Council’s vote to extend the contract, for a price of $140,000, was 6 to 2, with Councilmembers Janani Ramachandran and Carroll Fife opposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Fife, Cellebrite’s technology has been used against journalists in Myanmar and Botswana, and activists in Serbia, whose phones were “secretly” unlocked. CAIR also said the technology has been used to collect data from Palestinians who have been detained in Gaza.[aside postID=news_12081173 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/GettyImages-2216992312-2000x1334.jpg']And last year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement signed a contract to obtain Cellebrite’s tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just don’t want Oakland to be part of that list of bad actors who continuously violate human rights,” Fife said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zhou said that Oakland’s data is stored locally through \u003ca href=\"http://evidence.com\">evidence.com\u003c/a> and that Cellebrite does not touch it. According to the Police Department’s 2024 annual report, “OPD has not shared any Cellebrite extraction data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Wednesday’s meeting, more than 20 people spoke in opposition to the contract, many echoing Fife’s and CAIR’s concerns about human rights violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The tools provide access to phones, messages, location data, photos, deleted files and obviously that’s immensely intrusive,” said Musa Tariq, CAIR Bay Area’s policy coordinator. “This company is kind of part of a broader ecosystem of surveillance where these tools that are developed in militarized or occupation contexts are being exported globally. That’s raising concerns about the normalization of these practices, both abroad and then over here at home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052245\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052245\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Councilmember Carroll Fife speaks during a press conference at Oakland City Hall in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2025, condemning President Trump’s recent remarks about Oakland. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Zhou said the department “does understand the optics of this company,” but hasn’t been able to identify a comparable alternative for extracting data from Android devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are tied to it because of necessity,” he told the councilmembers. “If there is a viable replacement, just because of cost alone, I think most of us would switch over.” He said the department has tested alternative technologies, including one in the midst of a 30-day trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, Zhou told the council, the alternative tool has been used to try to unlock eight phones and failed each test. By contrast, he said, Cellebrite has worked to access seven of the eight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Charlene Wang, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said it was “undeniable” that Cellebrite had been used by authoritarian governments to surveil people without consent, but added that it’s also used in democratic nations to investigate violent organized crime and human trafficking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said not approving the contract would hurt OPD’s ability to solve violent crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do have trade-offs to make,” she said. “We have an obligation to protect our citizens, and to use this technology wisely here in the city of Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12082805 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-2215577954.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-2215577954.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-2215577954-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-2215577954-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charlene Wang speaks after being sworn in as a city council member for District 2 at City Hall in Oakland, California, on May 20, 2025. \u003ccite>(Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wang said next year, she would like to see a competitive bidding process for the phone-extraction contract — a usual process for city contracts that was waived in this case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fife asked the department to conduct a review of other vendors that might be available to offer similar technology, as well as an independent legal analysis assessing Cellebrite’s access to the city’s data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also asked that the department publicly report concrete statistics of how the data extraction technology is leading to a decrease in crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We keep having to approve contracts that have been shown around the world to have proven violations of people’s human rights,” Fife said. “I don’t support the use of this vendor. Israel is a genocide state. They are utilizing their power and their control and their monopolies in the public safety sector to monopolize law enforcement agencies around the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Activists opposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s contract this week with an Israeli cellphone data extraction company, which they say has been used in Israeli military operations in Gaza and to surveil journalists and activists across the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the Oakland Police Department has contracted with digital intelligence company Cellebrite since 2014, the City Council voted Wednesday to extend the contract through June 2027.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“By approving this contract, Oakland has chosen to bring in technology tied directly to Israeli occupation forces, the surveillance of Palestinians, and immigration enforcement here in the U.S.,” said Zahra Billoo, the executive director of the Bay Area’s office of the Council of American-Islamic Relations. “That decision should never have been made without meaningful engagement with the communities most likely to be impacted by expanded surveillance and discriminatory policing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>OPD has used some version of Cellebrite’s technology to download cellphone data, but the most updated version, which the department has used since about 2024, allows it to access data from cellphones without a passcode, according to Sgt. Yun Zhou. According to city records, the technology is used in both internal audits of OPD members’ work phones and to aid in criminal investigations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, Zhou said, the department used Cellebrite to search more than 200 devices obtained through search warrants and thought to be involved in robberies, homicides and other crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11524304\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1920px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11524304\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg.jpg\" alt=\"Oakland police headquarters on Nov. 12, 2016.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1305\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-160x109.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-800x544.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-1020x693.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-1180x802.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-960x653.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-240x163.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-375x255.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/06/OPDbldg-520x353.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland police headquarters on Nov. 12, 2016. \u003ccite>(Alex Emslie/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The City Council’s vote to extend the contract, for a price of $140,000, was 6 to 2, with Councilmembers Janani Ramachandran and Carroll Fife opposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Fife, Cellebrite’s technology has been used against journalists in Myanmar and Botswana, and activists in Serbia, whose phones were “secretly” unlocked. CAIR also said the technology has been used to collect data from Palestinians who have been detained in Gaza.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>And last year, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement signed a contract to obtain Cellebrite’s tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I just don’t want Oakland to be part of that list of bad actors who continuously violate human rights,” Fife said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Zhou said that Oakland’s data is stored locally through \u003ca href=\"http://evidence.com\">evidence.com\u003c/a> and that Cellebrite does not touch it. According to the Police Department’s 2024 annual report, “OPD has not shared any Cellebrite extraction data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security or U.S. Customs and Border Protection.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During Wednesday’s meeting, more than 20 people spoke in opposition to the contract, many echoing Fife’s and CAIR’s concerns about human rights violations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The tools provide access to phones, messages, location data, photos, deleted files and obviously that’s immensely intrusive,” said Musa Tariq, CAIR Bay Area’s policy coordinator. “This company is kind of part of a broader ecosystem of surveillance where these tools that are developed in militarized or occupation contexts are being exported globally. That’s raising concerns about the normalization of these practices, both abroad and then over here at home.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052245\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052245\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Councilmember Carroll Fife speaks during a press conference at Oakland City Hall in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2025, condemning President Trump’s recent remarks about Oakland. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Zhou said the department “does understand the optics of this company,” but hasn’t been able to identify a comparable alternative for extracting data from Android devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are tied to it because of necessity,” he told the councilmembers. “If there is a viable replacement, just because of cost alone, I think most of us would switch over.” He said the department has tested alternative technologies, including one in the midst of a 30-day trial.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So far, Zhou told the council, the alternative tool has been used to try to unlock eight phones and failed each test. By contrast, he said, Cellebrite has worked to access seven of the eight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Charlene Wang, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, said it was “undeniable” that Cellebrite had been used by authoritarian governments to surveil people without consent, but added that it’s also used in democratic nations to investigate violent organized crime and human trafficking.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She said not approving the contract would hurt OPD’s ability to solve violent crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We do have trade-offs to make,” she said. “We have an obligation to protect our citizens, and to use this technology wisely here in the city of Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082805\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1980px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12082805 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-2215577954.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-2215577954.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-2215577954-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/GettyImages-2215577954-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charlene Wang speaks after being sworn in as a city council member for District 2 at City Hall in Oakland, California, on May 20, 2025. \u003ccite>(Brontë Wittpenn/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Wang said next year, she would like to see a competitive bidding process for the phone-extraction contract — a usual process for city contracts that was waived in this case.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fife asked the department to conduct a review of other vendors that might be available to offer similar technology, as well as an independent legal analysis assessing Cellebrite’s access to the city’s data.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also asked that the department publicly report concrete statistics of how the data extraction technology is leading to a decrease in crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We keep having to approve contracts that have been shown around the world to have proven violations of people’s human rights,” Fife said. “I don’t support the use of this vendor. Israel is a genocide state. They are utilizing their power and their control and their monopolies in the public safety sector to monopolize law enforcement agencies around the world.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Oakland Fines Property Owners Nearly $1 Million for Cutting Down Protected Trees",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s City Council voted Tuesday to fine a couple nearly $1 million for removing 38 legally protected trees on and around their Claremont Avenue property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fine comes after weeks of contentious back-and-forth over ecological conservation, environmental equity and the enforcement of Oakland’s tree protection laws — and years after city officials first warned the property owners about removing trees without permits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Matthew Bernard, who owns a hillside lot of more than 11,700 square feet with his partner, Lynn Warner, said in the City Council meeting that some of the trees removed from his property nearly four years ago were “dead, dying, leaning,” or in “hazardous condition.” Bernard also unsuccessfully asked the city for a resolution that would allow him to replant trees after construction on the undeveloped lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around 20 public speakers, however, including a mix of residents and conservation advocates, argued that the old-growth coast live oak trees that were clear-cut from the property were irreplaceable parts of the city’s ecosystem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trees of that size are not commercially available for replacement. Even with replanting, it will take decades, even centuries, to restore the ecological and protective functions that were lost,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandparks.org/staff/blog-post-title-three-3gjwy\">Erys Gagnez\u003c/a>, a community tree specialist with the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation, a nonprofit that supports public park access. “The scale of the fine reflects this reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city fined Bernard and Warner $915,135.40 and placed a lien on their property that will prevent them from developing or selling the land until the fine is paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082348\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082348\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A ‘Notice of Application’ sits on the hillside of a property on Claremont Avenue across from Garber Park in Oakland on May 4, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Councilmembers Janani Ramachandran, Noel Gallo, Kevin Jenkins, Zac Unger and Charlene Wang voted for the fine. Rowena Brown, Carroll Fife and Ken Houston voted against.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qhYIRczBrlIstIAy3DHqYByWmNC8zm7u/view?usp=sharing\">Public records \u003c/a>show that city workers responded to the site on a steep slope in the Oakland hills five times for reports of illegal tree-cutting between Feb. 2, 2021, and May 17, 2022, and that Bernard received verbal and written warnings from city employees and police for the unpermitted removals. The area is residential, but otherwise forested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a previous discussion on April 14, the council failed to reach a consensus on what penalty the couple should face. The vote ended in a tie that Mayor Barbara Lee declined to break, but Gallo was not present and was counted as a “no.” On Tuesday, his “yes” vote broke the tie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the April hearing, Ramachandran said she would refuse to approve of anything less than the full penalty. While other councilmembers considered lowering the fine, Ramachandran asserted that a lesser consequence would undermine city law.[aside postID=news_12079903 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-1020x680.jpg']“We are called ‘Oakland’ for a reason,” Ramachandran said during the meeting. “ We have less than 4,500 oak trees in this city right now, because of the destruction and development over the decades.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The April hearing drew over a dozen members of the public to the podium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among them was Saumitra Kelkar, a biologist and science educator whose Instagram posts about the removals have garnered thousands of views. He said the native oak trees in the city’s hills create a unique microclimate that holds onto moisture and resists burning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was a natural shaded fuel break, which was going to severely impede the ability of a wildfire to travel through that area,” Kelkar said. Now that the trees are gone, he said, it’s going to be“much easier for a much faster fire to burn much hotter, and cause a lot more destruction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelkar, who recalled coming to the location as a college student to forage for edible mushrooms and spot native wildlife like salamanders, said it was “gut-wrenching” to revisit the site in advance of the April hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>”Even if Matthew Bernard is required to reforest that entire hillside, it’s going to take decades or centuries for the populations of [wildlife] to actually return,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public works staff determined the fine based on species and the diameter of the tree stumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082347\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082347\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A property on Claremont Avenue across from Garber Park in Oakland on May 4, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bernard and Warner would also be responsible for compensating the city for costs. The trees felled included several in a neighbor’s yard, and one on government-owned land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almost all of these were native trees. City laws prevent these plants from being cut down within city limits based on size and species, even on private property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city does permit the removal of protected trees for construction, but documents from the city’s Public Works department show that the couple did not complete the required process before beginning to remove the trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramachandran told KQED that since the meeting, she’s received a flurry of messages from constituents responding to what happened. She said that out of the hundreds of messages received from Oakland residents, “not a single email, not a single phone call, not a single DM, not a single text message” favors “anything less than the full fine” for Bernard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038313\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Janani Ramachandran speaks with campaign organizers in Oakland on June 26, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bernard and Warner declined KQED’s requests for interviews.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But during the April hearing, Bernard told the council that he and Warner did “everything in [their] willpower” to follow the law in the plan to develop the property. Ramachandran was not convinced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was a knowing violation of our Tree Protection Ordinance, and we need to comply with our existing law and fine him the amount as recommended by city staff,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the hearing, Fife pushed back on whether the tree protection law was being enforced fairly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fife asked, “Why a Black man should be the first to receive consequences for things that white people have been doing for centuries,” referring to the region’s history of racial segregation based on legal measures, like redlining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052245\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052245\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Councilmember Carroll Fife speaks during a press conference at Oakland City Hall in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2025, condemning President Trump’s recent remarks about Oakland. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bernard is a Nigerian immigrant. Earlier, his partner, Warner, had alleged to the council that when they initially purchased the property, other residents in the neighborhood had made racist comments and threats to Bernard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I did not want to bring up race, but goddamn it, it is a part of what we’re discussing,” Fife said, though she clarified that she did not agree with Bernard’s actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fife was not available for comment before publication.[aside postID=news_12080889 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260422-SFAFFORDABILITYHEARING00587_TV-KQED.jpg']Ramachandran agreed that the situation and Oakland’s historical context presented racial equity issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a very racist history in the hills. I certainly would not have been able to be [a] councilmember of this district as of not that long ago,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, she said, the city council should uphold the law as it’s written, and she stands by her commitment to the full penalty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m Indian, my husband’s Nigerian, and our son is both,” Ramachandran continued. “And the three of us would not be able to live in my district at all, given the legacy of redlining. That doesn’t mean that we should give a pass to people that look like us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramachandran told KQED she’s considering revisions to the tree protections with the rest of the council — including a statute of limitations to help the city address violations in a timely way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I really do think that city staff messed up and dropped the ball back in 2021 when they had first found out,” she said. “Right then and there, they should have issued this notice of violation and brought it to council and brought forward the charges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/emanoukian\">\u003cem>Elize Manoukian\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "To tree or not to tree: More than 20 residents at a public hearing demanded enforcement of Oakland's tree protection laws, arguing the leafy canopies are necessary for wildfire prevention, public health and environmental equity. ",
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"headline": "Oakland Fines Property Owners Nearly $1 Million for Cutting Down Protected Trees",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a>’s City Council voted Tuesday to fine a couple nearly $1 million for removing 38 legally protected trees on and around their Claremont Avenue property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fine comes after weeks of contentious back-and-forth over ecological conservation, environmental equity and the enforcement of Oakland’s tree protection laws — and years after city officials first warned the property owners about removing trees without permits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Matthew Bernard, who owns a hillside lot of more than 11,700 square feet with his partner, Lynn Warner, said in the City Council meeting that some of the trees removed from his property nearly four years ago were “dead, dying, leaning,” or in “hazardous condition.” Bernard also unsuccessfully asked the city for a resolution that would allow him to replant trees after construction on the undeveloped lot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Around 20 public speakers, however, including a mix of residents and conservation advocates, argued that the old-growth coast live oak trees that were clear-cut from the property were irreplaceable parts of the city’s ecosystem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Trees of that size are not commercially available for replacement. Even with replanting, it will take decades, even centuries, to restore the ecological and protective functions that were lost,” said \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandparks.org/staff/blog-post-title-three-3gjwy\">Erys Gagnez\u003c/a>, a community tree specialist with the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation, a nonprofit that supports public park access. “The scale of the fine reflects this reality.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city fined Bernard and Warner $915,135.40 and placed a lien on their property that will prevent them from developing or selling the land until the fine is paid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082348\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082348\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-05-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-05-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-05-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-05-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A ‘Notice of Application’ sits on the hillside of a property on Claremont Avenue across from Garber Park in Oakland on May 4, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Councilmembers Janani Ramachandran, Noel Gallo, Kevin Jenkins, Zac Unger and Charlene Wang voted for the fine. Rowena Brown, Carroll Fife and Ken Houston voted against.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qhYIRczBrlIstIAy3DHqYByWmNC8zm7u/view?usp=sharing\">Public records \u003c/a>show that city workers responded to the site on a steep slope in the Oakland hills five times for reports of illegal tree-cutting between Feb. 2, 2021, and May 17, 2022, and that Bernard received verbal and written warnings from city employees and police for the unpermitted removals. The area is residential, but otherwise forested.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a previous discussion on April 14, the council failed to reach a consensus on what penalty the couple should face. The vote ended in a tie that Mayor Barbara Lee declined to break, but Gallo was not present and was counted as a “no.” On Tuesday, his “yes” vote broke the tie.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the April hearing, Ramachandran said she would refuse to approve of anything less than the full penalty. While other councilmembers considered lowering the fine, Ramachandran asserted that a lesser consequence would undermine city law.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“We are called ‘Oakland’ for a reason,” Ramachandran said during the meeting. “ We have less than 4,500 oak trees in this city right now, because of the destruction and development over the decades.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The April hearing drew over a dozen members of the public to the podium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among them was Saumitra Kelkar, a biologist and science educator whose Instagram posts about the removals have garnered thousands of views. He said the native oak trees in the city’s hills create a unique microclimate that holds onto moisture and resists burning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was a natural shaded fuel break, which was going to severely impede the ability of a wildfire to travel through that area,” Kelkar said. Now that the trees are gone, he said, it’s going to be“much easier for a much faster fire to burn much hotter, and cause a lot more destruction.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kelkar, who recalled coming to the location as a college student to forage for edible mushrooms and spot native wildlife like salamanders, said it was “gut-wrenching” to revisit the site in advance of the April hearing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>”Even if Matthew Bernard is required to reforest that entire hillside, it’s going to take decades or centuries for the populations of [wildlife] to actually return,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Public works staff determined the fine based on species and the diameter of the tree stumps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12082347\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12082347\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-03-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-03-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-03-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260504-OAKLANDTREES-03-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A property on Claremont Avenue across from Garber Park in Oakland on May 4, 2026. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bernard and Warner would also be responsible for compensating the city for costs. The trees felled included several in a neighbor’s yard, and one on government-owned land.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Almost all of these were native trees. City laws prevent these plants from being cut down within city limits based on size and species, even on private property.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city does permit the removal of protected trees for construction, but documents from the city’s Public Works department show that the couple did not complete the required process before beginning to remove the trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramachandran told KQED that since the meeting, she’s received a flurry of messages from constituents responding to what happened. She said that out of the hundreds of messages received from Oakland residents, “not a single email, not a single phone call, not a single DM, not a single text message” favors “anything less than the full fine” for Bernard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038313\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038313\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/001_Oakland_JananiRamachandran_06262021_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Janani Ramachandran speaks with campaign organizers in Oakland on June 26, 2021. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bernard and Warner declined KQED’s requests for interviews.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But during the April hearing, Bernard told the council that he and Warner did “everything in [their] willpower” to follow the law in the plan to develop the property. Ramachandran was not convinced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was a knowing violation of our Tree Protection Ordinance, and we need to comply with our existing law and fine him the amount as recommended by city staff,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During the hearing, Fife pushed back on whether the tree protection law was being enforced fairly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fife asked, “Why a Black man should be the first to receive consequences for things that white people have been doing for centuries,” referring to the region’s history of racial segregation based on legal measures, like redlining.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12052245\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12052245\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/08/250814-OAKLANDPUSHBACK-17-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Councilmember Carroll Fife speaks during a press conference at Oakland City Hall in Oakland on Aug. 14, 2025, condemning President Trump’s recent remarks about Oakland. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Bernard is a Nigerian immigrant. Earlier, his partner, Warner, had alleged to the council that when they initially purchased the property, other residents in the neighborhood had made racist comments and threats to Bernard.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I did not want to bring up race, but goddamn it, it is a part of what we’re discussing,” Fife said, though she clarified that she did not agree with Bernard’s actions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fife was not available for comment before publication.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>Ramachandran agreed that the situation and Oakland’s historical context presented racial equity issues.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have a very racist history in the hills. I certainly would not have been able to be [a] councilmember of this district as of not that long ago,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, she said, the city council should uphold the law as it’s written, and she stands by her commitment to the full penalty.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m Indian, my husband’s Nigerian, and our son is both,” Ramachandran continued. “And the three of us would not be able to live in my district at all, given the legacy of redlining. That doesn’t mean that we should give a pass to people that look like us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramachandran told KQED she’s considering revisions to the tree protections with the rest of the council — including a statute of limitations to help the city address violations in a timely way.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“ I really do think that city staff messed up and dropped the ball back in 2021 when they had first found out,” she said. “Right then and there, they should have issued this notice of violation and brought it to council and brought forward the charges.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/emanoukian\">\u003cem>Elize Manoukian\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "oakland-passes-controversial-policy-easing-restrictions-on-encampment-sweeps",
"title": "Oakland Passes Controversial Policy Easing Restrictions on Encampment Sweeps",
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"headTitle": "Oakland Passes Controversial Policy Easing Restrictions on Encampment Sweeps | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Amid major debate in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> on how to handle people camping in public places, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-city-council\">Oakland City Council\u003c/a> enacted a controversial new encampment policy Tuesday over the objections of dozens of advocates for the unhoused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The policy, which passed on a 5-1 vote, revises the way the city manages encampments and eases restrictions on sweeps. Councilmember Caroll Fife abstained, and Janani Ramachandran was excused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new policy allows Oakland to redefine “encampment” to exclude vehicles, including RVs, making it possible for the city to cite and tow inhabited vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also authorizes immediate encampment closures, including tents blocking sidewalks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislation, introduced by District 7 Councilmember Ken Houston, also expands the definition of “high sensitivity areas,” where encampments are assumed to negatively impact health and safety, and are therefore subject to more aggressive sweeping. These high-sensitivity areas already include sites like schools and hospitals and now include utilities and public transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials framed the new policy as a public health and safety issue aimed at reducing fires, assaults, robberies and other crimes associated with encampments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 100 Oakland residents came to the meeting to voice their support or concerns for the measure. Some public speakers said they hoped the new rules would protect infrastructure around BART, and others came to advocate for their neighborhoods and businesses to be included in the high-sensitivity zones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12045783\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12045783\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250304-OaklandHighStreetEncampment-14-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250304-OaklandHighStreetEncampment-14-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250304-OaklandHighStreetEncampment-14-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250304-OaklandHighStreetEncampment-14-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A section of an encampment on Alameda Avenue in Oakland is cleared on March 4, 2025. A shipping container barrier now surrounds the property. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The majority of speakers, however, called on the council to vote against the policy, saying relaxing limits on encampment sweeps amounted to “criminalizing homelessness,” and would have dire consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Father Dominic DeMaio, a Catholic priest who works with residents of an Oakland encampment, spent the morning in the council’s chambers, where he said he saw frustration from people hoping to see more care for unhoused residents and council members trying to do their best with limited resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DeMaio said many of the people who he works with have chronic conditions and are not receiving the appropriate care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not going to help to sweep them again,” DeMaio said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Armando Solorzano, an advocate working with Wood Street Commons, East Oakland Collective, and Love and Justice in the Streets, told KQED that the new policy is not consistent with Mayor Barbara Lee’s \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/03/04/homeless-action-plan-oakland-barbara-lee-prevention/\">proposal\u003c/a> to cut homelessness by 50%. The mayor’s plan said to “slow down the pace of sweeps to keep pace with shelter availability,” said Solorzano, but there are not more shelters available.[aside postID=news_12078480 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/AffordabilitySeriesIntro_Lede.jpg']This problem has not been helped by three Oakland shelters \u003ca href=\"http://oaklandside.org/2026/03/31/oakland-homeless-shelters-close-3rd-peralta-hceb/\">closed\u003c/a> their doors in the past few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Homelessness is on the rise in Oakland, increasing 8.5% between 2022 and 2024, according to the city’s point-in-time count. The 5,485 unhoused people in the city far outpace the number of overnight parking spots, shelter beds, transitional housing or permanent supportive housing units than the city currently provides, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7493872&GUID=4D7B3D3D-ED16-403A-9988-B11E206E01E7&Options=&Search=\">bill text\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Encampment closures already skyrocketed from 240 closures in 2024 to 1,212 closures in 2025 following the Supreme Court Decision in Grant Pass v. Johnson, which permitted cities to punish people sleeping on the street even if there were no available shelter beds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s new abatement policy is less severe than Houston’s original text: Five council members amended the proposal to implement further notice and more safeguards for people who are at risk of displacement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These include considerations for towing vehicles that house families with children and people with disabilities, allowing more time to relocate and requiring referrals to appropriate shelters that would accommodate their needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is also required to identify safe areas in all council districts to relocate affected individuals within 90 days of towing their vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s new policy also clarifies the responsibilities of the city’s Department of Transportation and the police department, according to Houston.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038000\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland City Hall in Oakland on April 28, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some public commenters at Tuesday’s meeting accused the council of trying to sneak the ordinance through with a 9:30 a.m. special meeting, outside the council’s regular schedule, because they knew how unpopular it would be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sharon Cornu, executive director of St. Mary’s Center in West Oakland, which advocates for seniors and young children, said she and her colleagues rescheduled their days to come to Tuesday’s meeting after closely tracking the policy for about nine months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the vote, Houston said he recognized Oaklanders’ frustrations around the new rules and said it was a necessary “starting point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most people would be happy if their policy passed. I’m not. I’m really not,” said Houston, lead sponsor of the bill. “I feel hurt that we had to come to this point to make something happen for an unhoused individual … We have to start somewhere.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Oakland can now immediately remove tents blocking sidewalks and tow RVs occupied by unhoused residents, among other changes to the way the city manages homelessness.",
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"title": "Oakland Passes Controversial Policy Easing Restrictions on Encampment Sweeps | KQED",
"description": "Oakland can now immediately remove tents blocking sidewalks and tow RVs occupied by unhoused residents, among other changes to the way the city manages homelessness.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Amid major debate in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a> on how to handle people camping in public places, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-city-council\">Oakland City Council\u003c/a> enacted a controversial new encampment policy Tuesday over the objections of dozens of advocates for the unhoused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The policy, which passed on a 5-1 vote, revises the way the city manages encampments and eases restrictions on sweeps. Councilmember Caroll Fife abstained, and Janani Ramachandran was excused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new policy allows Oakland to redefine “encampment” to exclude vehicles, including RVs, making it possible for the city to cite and tow inhabited vehicles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It also authorizes immediate encampment closures, including tents blocking sidewalks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The legislation, introduced by District 7 Councilmember Ken Houston, also expands the definition of “high sensitivity areas,” where encampments are assumed to negatively impact health and safety, and are therefore subject to more aggressive sweeping. These high-sensitivity areas already include sites like schools and hospitals and now include utilities and public transit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Officials framed the new policy as a public health and safety issue aimed at reducing fires, assaults, robberies and other crimes associated with encampments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More than 100 Oakland residents came to the meeting to voice their support or concerns for the measure. Some public speakers said they hoped the new rules would protect infrastructure around BART, and others came to advocate for their neighborhoods and businesses to be included in the high-sensitivity zones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12045783\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12045783\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250304-OaklandHighStreetEncampment-14-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250304-OaklandHighStreetEncampment-14-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250304-OaklandHighStreetEncampment-14-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/250304-OaklandHighStreetEncampment-14-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A section of an encampment on Alameda Avenue in Oakland is cleared on March 4, 2025. A shipping container barrier now surrounds the property. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The majority of speakers, however, called on the council to vote against the policy, saying relaxing limits on encampment sweeps amounted to “criminalizing homelessness,” and would have dire consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Father Dominic DeMaio, a Catholic priest who works with residents of an Oakland encampment, spent the morning in the council’s chambers, where he said he saw frustration from people hoping to see more care for unhoused residents and council members trying to do their best with limited resources.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>DeMaio said many of the people who he works with have chronic conditions and are not receiving the appropriate care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not going to help to sweep them again,” DeMaio said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Armando Solorzano, an advocate working with Wood Street Commons, East Oakland Collective, and Love and Justice in the Streets, told KQED that the new policy is not consistent with Mayor Barbara Lee’s \u003ca href=\"https://oaklandside.org/2026/03/04/homeless-action-plan-oakland-barbara-lee-prevention/\">proposal\u003c/a> to cut homelessness by 50%. The mayor’s plan said to “slow down the pace of sweeps to keep pace with shelter availability,” said Solorzano, but there are not more shelters available.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>This problem has not been helped by three Oakland shelters \u003ca href=\"http://oaklandside.org/2026/03/31/oakland-homeless-shelters-close-3rd-peralta-hceb/\">closed\u003c/a> their doors in the past few months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Homelessness is on the rise in Oakland, increasing 8.5% between 2022 and 2024, according to the city’s point-in-time count. The 5,485 unhoused people in the city far outpace the number of overnight parking spots, shelter beds, transitional housing or permanent supportive housing units than the city currently provides, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7493872&GUID=4D7B3D3D-ED16-403A-9988-B11E206E01E7&Options=&Search=\">bill text\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Encampment closures already skyrocketed from 240 closures in 2024 to 1,212 closures in 2025 following the Supreme Court Decision in Grant Pass v. Johnson, which permitted cities to punish people sleeping on the street even if there were no available shelter beds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s new abatement policy is less severe than Houston’s original text: Five council members amended the proposal to implement further notice and more safeguards for people who are at risk of displacement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These include considerations for towing vehicles that house families with children and people with disabilities, allowing more time to relocate and requiring referrals to appropriate shelters that would accommodate their needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is also required to identify safe areas in all council districts to relocate affected individuals within 90 days of towing their vehicle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s new policy also clarifies the responsibilities of the city’s Department of Transportation and the police department, according to Houston.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038000\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-FILE-MD-02-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland City Hall in Oakland on April 28, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Some public commenters at Tuesday’s meeting accused the council of trying to sneak the ordinance through with a 9:30 a.m. special meeting, outside the council’s regular schedule, because they knew how unpopular it would be.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sharon Cornu, executive director of St. Mary’s Center in West Oakland, which advocates for seniors and young children, said she and her colleagues rescheduled their days to come to Tuesday’s meeting after closely tracking the policy for about nine months.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After the vote, Houston said he recognized Oaklanders’ frustrations around the new rules and said it was a necessary “starting point.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Most people would be happy if their policy passed. I’m not. I’m really not,” said Houston, lead sponsor of the bill. “I feel hurt that we had to come to this point to make something happen for an unhoused individual … We have to start somewhere.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "oakland-council-expands-flock-license-plate-reader-network-despite-privacy-concerns",
"title": "Oakland Council Expands Flock License Plate Reader Network Despite Privacy Concerns",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Oakland City Council voted Tuesday to expand the city’s network of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/flock-safety\">automated license plate reader cameras\u003c/a>, overriding strong objections from privacy advocates who warned the move could expose residents to federal surveillance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 7-1 vote approves a new two-year, $2.25 million \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7778357&GUID=BC9ADFD5-2714-4303-BEA4-70DF1AD489D1&Options=&Search=\">contract\u003c/a> with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based technology firm that holds major contracts in over 40 Bay Area cities. It came at the end of a contentious meeting that drew more than 140 public speakers and stretched late into the evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal allows the Oakland Police Department to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom” cameras to monitor high-traffic corridors and illegal dumping sites. The new terms go into effect immediately and prevent the existing camera network from going dark on Jan. 1, when the previous authorization was set to expire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to the council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While supporters argued the technology is a vital “resource multiplier” for an understaffed police force, some critics blasted the council for what they called an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066924/oaklands-license-plate-camera-contract-is-back-up-for-a-vote-critics-are-crying-foul\">“undemocratic” and “backdoor” process\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday’s vote was particularly charged because the Public Safety Committee had previously deadlocked on the contract last month. However, just last week, the Rules Committee fast-tracked the item to the full council, a move that privacy groups said was designed to bypass committee-level opposition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984097\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11984097\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A man with a fluorescent yellow coat holds a black machine.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Flock Safety worker holds up a new automated license plate reader that was being installed in East San José on April 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Carroll Fife, the sole “no” vote on Tuesday, criticized her colleagues for advancing a contract with a company that has faced national scrutiny over data sharing with federal entities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status, but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with Border Control,” Fife said from the dais. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, the \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/14/oakland-san-francisco-ice-license-plate-readers/\">\u003cem>San Francisco Standard\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported that federal agencies had accessed data from Oakland’s cameras. Last month, the city of Richmond deactivated its own camera network after discovering that federal officials could search their database.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Oakland Police Department, meanwhile, has defended the technology as an essential tool for solving violent crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lt. Gabriel Urquiza told the council that since the cameras were first deployed in July 2024, the system has led to 232 arrests and the recovery of 68 firearms. Department data shows carjackings dropped from an average of 40 per month before the cameras were installed to 17 per month in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036580\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036580\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland City Hall in downtown Oakland on Aug. 2, 2023. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To address privacy concerns, the council adopted a series of amendments proposed by Councilmembers Charlene Wang and Rowena Brown. The new contract includes:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>A strict prohibition on sharing data with federal immigration agencies or out-of-state law enforcement for the purpose of investigating reproductive health care or gender-affirming care.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A “two-key” approval system requiring both the city’s chief privacy officer and the OPD information technology director to authorize any new data-sharing relationships.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A mandate for quarterly independent compliance audits overseen by the city auditor.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A requirement that the city begin a request for proposal process within 18 months to identify potential alternative vendors, preventing an automatic renewal with Flock.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Many of the provisions, such as the prohibition on sharing data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or for out-of-state abortion investigations, reiterate existing Oakland sanctuary policies and California state law.[aside postID=news_12066924 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/SFLicensePlateReader-1020x675.jpg']“My goal is to ensure that Oakland’s legislation is fully aligned with state law, as well as the essential protections that are needed in the policy,” Brown said. “I do want to minimize the potential risk this technology presents.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The debate highlighted deep divisions within the city. While privacy advocates dominated much of the public comment during Tuesday’s meeting, many business owners from Chinatown and Little Saigon urged the council to pass the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to have cameras in order to protect the merchants so they feel safe and can open longer hours,” said Josephine Hui, member of the Toishan-Oakland Chinatown Patrol Team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, opponents argued that the system’s potential for abuse outweighed its benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why don’t we really prevent crime by funding [the Department of Violence Prevention]? Violence prevention programs have been proven to stop crime,” said Hannah Zuckerman, a District 2 resident. “We do not need data being shared, and license plate data is personal data.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the city-funded network is expanding, some neighborhoods are not waiting for municipal action. Residents in the foothills Oakmore neighborhood recently fundraised to install their own private Flock cameras to assist OPD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Oakland City Council voted Tuesday to expand the city’s network of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/flock-safety\">automated license plate reader cameras\u003c/a>, overriding strong objections from privacy advocates who warned the move could expose residents to federal surveillance.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The 7-1 vote approves a new two-year, $2.25 million \u003ca href=\"https://oakland.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7778357&GUID=BC9ADFD5-2714-4303-BEA4-70DF1AD489D1&Options=&Search=\">contract\u003c/a> with Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based technology firm that holds major contracts in over 40 Bay Area cities. It came at the end of a contentious meeting that drew more than 140 public speakers and stretched late into the evening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The deal allows the Oakland Police Department to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom” cameras to monitor high-traffic corridors and illegal dumping sites. The new terms go into effect immediately and prevent the existing camera network from going dark on Jan. 1, when the previous authorization was set to expire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to the council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While supporters argued the technology is a vital “resource multiplier” for an understaffed police force, some critics blasted the council for what they called an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12066924/oaklands-license-plate-camera-contract-is-back-up-for-a-vote-critics-are-crying-foul\">“undemocratic” and “backdoor” process\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday’s vote was particularly charged because the Public Safety Committee had previously deadlocked on the contract last month. However, just last week, the Rules Committee fast-tracked the item to the full council, a move that privacy groups said was designed to bypass committee-level opposition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11984097\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11984097\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"A man with a fluorescent yellow coat holds a black machine.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/04/SAN-JOSE-LICENSE-PLATE-READERS-11-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A Flock Safety worker holds up a new automated license plate reader that was being installed in East San José on April 23, 2024. \u003ccite>(Joseph Geha/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Carroll Fife, the sole “no” vote on Tuesday, criticized her colleagues for advancing a contract with a company that has faced national scrutiny over data sharing with federal entities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status, but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with Border Control,” Fife said from the dais. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Earlier this year, the \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/14/oakland-san-francisco-ice-license-plate-readers/\">\u003cem>San Francisco Standard\u003c/em>\u003c/a> reported that federal agencies had accessed data from Oakland’s cameras. Last month, the city of Richmond deactivated its own camera network after discovering that federal officials could search their database.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Oakland Police Department, meanwhile, has defended the technology as an essential tool for solving violent crimes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lt. Gabriel Urquiza told the council that since the cameras were first deployed in July 2024, the system has led to 232 arrests and the recovery of 68 firearms. Department data shows carjackings dropped from an average of 40 per month before the cameras were installed to 17 per month in 2025.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036580\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036580\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-07_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland City Hall in downtown Oakland on Aug. 2, 2023. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>To address privacy concerns, the council adopted a series of amendments proposed by Councilmembers Charlene Wang and Rowena Brown. The new contract includes:\u003c/p>\n\u003cul>\n\u003cli>A strict prohibition on sharing data with federal immigration agencies or out-of-state law enforcement for the purpose of investigating reproductive health care or gender-affirming care.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A “two-key” approval system requiring both the city’s chief privacy officer and the OPD information technology director to authorize any new data-sharing relationships.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A mandate for quarterly independent compliance audits overseen by the city auditor.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>A requirement that the city begin a request for proposal process within 18 months to identify potential alternative vendors, preventing an automatic renewal with Flock.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\u003cp>Many of the provisions, such as the prohibition on sharing data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or for out-of-state abortion investigations, reiterate existing Oakland sanctuary policies and California state law.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“My goal is to ensure that Oakland’s legislation is fully aligned with state law, as well as the essential protections that are needed in the policy,” Brown said. “I do want to minimize the potential risk this technology presents.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The debate highlighted deep divisions within the city. While privacy advocates dominated much of the public comment during Tuesday’s meeting, many business owners from Chinatown and Little Saigon urged the council to pass the measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to have cameras in order to protect the merchants so they feel safe and can open longer hours,” said Josephine Hui, member of the Toishan-Oakland Chinatown Patrol Team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, opponents argued that the system’s potential for abuse outweighed its benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Why don’t we really prevent crime by funding [the Department of Violence Prevention]? Violence prevention programs have been proven to stop crime,” said Hannah Zuckerman, a District 2 resident. “We do not need data being shared, and license plate data is personal data.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the city-funded network is expanding, some neighborhoods are not waiting for municipal action. Residents in the foothills Oakmore neighborhood recently fundraised to install their own private Flock cameras to assist OPD.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "After Months, Oakland Coliseum Sale Is Finally Up for Key Vote. Here’s What to Know",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 4:25 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-coliseum\">Oakland Coliseum\u003c/a> sale has officially passed one of its last major hurdles: Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After months \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036060/oakland-pushes-coliseum-sale-next-year-delaying-funds-again\">of standstill\u003c/a>, waiting for the board’s approval, supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to reassign the county’s interest in the Coliseum property to local developers known as the African American Sports and Entertainment Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an important critical step in a monumental process,” Ray Bobbitt, managing partner of AASEG, said ahead of the vote. “This community has stepped forward and allowed us to be patient, perseverant and to make sure that we have been in prayer. We just want to say thank you so much for the opportunity to move this forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over a year ago, AASEG excitedly announced their intent to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11987346/oakland-to-sell-coliseum-to-black-led-developer-group-after-as-depart\">buy and redevelop the former home of the Oakland A’s\u003c/a>, but contract negotiations and complicated ownership hang-ups have plagued the deal process, especially with the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote to finalize the county’s role in the deal, according to Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, will finally give the group the power and assurance to begin that work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032884\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032884\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teams prepare the field at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland on Sept. 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There’ll be one organization that will own the entire Coliseum so that redevelopment and revitalization can move forward,” she told KQED ahead of the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What’s happening:\u003c/strong> Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors has been in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022106/alameda-county-moves-closer-to-oakland-coliseum-sale-final-vote-expected-in-30-days\">monthslong negotiation\u003c/a> with AASEG over the developers’ purchase of the A’s stake in the Coliseum. Even though the county \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11742341/alameda-county-oks-plan-to-sell-its-share-of-oakland-coliseum-complex-to-as\">agreed to sell its half\u003c/a> to the Major League Baseball team in 2019, it has to approve the AASEG deal as the original owners, reassigning its interest from the A’s to a group formed by AASEG.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s meant a series of closed-door meetings between negotiators, which Bas said have been spent hammering out the “complex” real estate deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March, as the board inched closer to finalizing the agreement, Kimberly Gasaway, director of Alameda County’s general services agency, said there were just two outstanding documents that the county needed from AASEG.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, the board finally voted to reassign its interest in the property to the purchasing company, Oakland Acquisition Company, which is an affiliate of AASEG. Board President David Haubert and Supervisors Elisa Márquez, Nate Miley and Nikki Fortunato Bas all voted in favor of the sale. Board Vice President Lena Tam was excused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12036060 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The context: \u003c/strong>In early 2023, AASEG entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the city of Oakland to develop the Coliseum site. Over the summer of 2024, as the A’s prepared to play their\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12006567/photos-fans-flood-coliseum-to-bid-emotional-farewell-at-as-last-game-in-oakland\"> final game at the Coliseum\u003c/a>, both \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11997946/oakland-reaches-deal-on-105-million-coliseum-sale-to-stave-off-budget-cuts\">Oakland\u003c/a> and the team signed deals formalizing sales of their shares to AASEG for $105 million and $125 million, respectively. Shortly after, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007771/new-oakland-coliseum-sale-deal-raises-questions-about-delayed-payment-and-citys-budget\">Oakland renegotiated its deal\u003c/a> with AASEG to increase its revenue by $5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sale timelines have been delayed as months went by without Alameda County reassigning its interest in the site to the development company. The A’s deal cannot go through until the county does so, and AASEG has paused payments to Oakland, falling behind on its previously negotiated schedule, until the county deal is done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both of those deals are set to close in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Zoom out: \u003c/strong>Slow-moving negotiations with Alameda County have been far from the only bump in the road for the Coliseum deal since 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last spring, then-Mayor Sheng Thao announced that more than $60 million in revenue from the sale would be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11987568/oakland-coliseum-sale-expected-to-help-city-avoid-drastic-budget-cutshttps:/www.kqed.org/news/11987568/oakland-coliseum-sale-expected-to-help-city-avoid-drastic-budget-cuts\">used to help patch an even larger hole in Oakland’s budget\u003c/a>. Shortly after AASEG and the city finalized their deal in July 2024, though, the payment timeline was pushed back, forcing the city to institute a bare-bones “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020393/2-oakland-fire-stations-close-amid-budget-crisis-more-could-follow\">contingency budget\u003c/a>” that caused fire station closures and police cuts, and eroded public trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AASEG has not made any payments to the city since the start of the year. The projected revenue from the sale is not included in the city’s 2025 budget plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006691\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006691\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Packed stands at the Oakland Coliseum for the A’s last home game on Sept. 26, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What we’re watching: \u003c/strong>It’s unclear if AASEG plans to hand Oakland a lump sum for the payments missed due to county delays, or if the deal timeline with either the city or Oakland will be further revised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group’s $5 billion plan has raised eyebrows — and concerns about feasibility — since it was announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once the sole owners, AASEG will also have to begin work on a community benefits agreement, which was required by its city deal. The deal aims to ensure that development \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12041329/oaklands-army-base-redevelopment-was-a-win-for-locals-can-the-coliseum-be-the-same\">serves the surrounding East Oakland community\u003c/a>, where decades of disinvestment by businesses and the A’s have decimated the local economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AASEG has already committed to making 25% of any housing built affordable, and in the next five years, will have to begin to negotiate a bundle of other community benefits with stakeholders like Black Cultural Zone, Brotherhood of Elders, local youth centers and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shonda Scott, one of the entertainment group’s members, told KQED when the deals were being negotiated that AASEG is looking forward to that work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s us being of the community, giving back to the community and making sure it’s done equitably, especially for those who have been historically disenfranchised in these sixth and seventh district areas that the Coliseum is a part of,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 4:25 p.m.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-coliseum\">Oakland Coliseum\u003c/a> sale has officially passed one of its last major hurdles: Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After months \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036060/oakland-pushes-coliseum-sale-next-year-delaying-funds-again\">of standstill\u003c/a>, waiting for the board’s approval, supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to reassign the county’s interest in the Coliseum property to local developers known as the African American Sports and Entertainment Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is an important critical step in a monumental process,” Ray Bobbitt, managing partner of AASEG, said ahead of the vote. “This community has stepped forward and allowed us to be patient, perseverant and to make sure that we have been in prayer. We just want to say thank you so much for the opportunity to move this forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Over a year ago, AASEG excitedly announced their intent to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11987346/oakland-to-sell-coliseum-to-black-led-developer-group-after-as-depart\">buy and redevelop the former home of the Oakland A’s\u003c/a>, but contract negotiations and complicated ownership hang-ups have plagued the deal process, especially with the county.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The vote to finalize the county’s role in the deal, according to Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, will finally give the group the power and assurance to begin that work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12032884\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12032884\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/240920-COLISEUM-WORKERS-MD-06_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Teams prepare the field at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland on Sept. 20, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“There’ll be one organization that will own the entire Coliseum so that redevelopment and revitalization can move forward,” she told KQED ahead of the meeting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What’s happening:\u003c/strong> Alameda County’s Board of Supervisors has been in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022106/alameda-county-moves-closer-to-oakland-coliseum-sale-final-vote-expected-in-30-days\">monthslong negotiation\u003c/a> with AASEG over the developers’ purchase of the A’s stake in the Coliseum. Even though the county \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11742341/alameda-county-oks-plan-to-sell-its-share-of-oakland-coliseum-complex-to-as\">agreed to sell its half\u003c/a> to the Major League Baseball team in 2019, it has to approve the AASEG deal as the original owners, reassigning its interest from the A’s to a group formed by AASEG.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s meant a series of closed-door meetings between negotiators, which Bas said have been spent hammering out the “complex” real estate deal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March, as the board inched closer to finalizing the agreement, Kimberly Gasaway, director of Alameda County’s general services agency, said there were just two outstanding documents that the county needed from AASEG.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, the board finally voted to reassign its interest in the property to the purchasing company, Oakland Acquisition Company, which is an affiliate of AASEG. Board President David Haubert and Supervisors Elisa Márquez, Nate Miley and Nikki Fortunato Bas all voted in favor of the sale. Board Vice President Lena Tam was excused.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>The context: \u003c/strong>In early 2023, AASEG entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the city of Oakland to develop the Coliseum site. Over the summer of 2024, as the A’s prepared to play their\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12006567/photos-fans-flood-coliseum-to-bid-emotional-farewell-at-as-last-game-in-oakland\"> final game at the Coliseum\u003c/a>, both \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11997946/oakland-reaches-deal-on-105-million-coliseum-sale-to-stave-off-budget-cuts\">Oakland\u003c/a> and the team signed deals formalizing sales of their shares to AASEG for $105 million and $125 million, respectively. Shortly after, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12007771/new-oakland-coliseum-sale-deal-raises-questions-about-delayed-payment-and-citys-budget\">Oakland renegotiated its deal\u003c/a> with AASEG to increase its revenue by $5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both sale timelines have been delayed as months went by without Alameda County reassigning its interest in the site to the development company. The A’s deal cannot go through until the county does so, and AASEG has paused payments to Oakland, falling behind on its previously negotiated schedule, until the county deal is done.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both of those deals are set to close in 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Zoom out: \u003c/strong>Slow-moving negotiations with Alameda County have been far from the only bump in the road for the Coliseum deal since 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last spring, then-Mayor Sheng Thao announced that more than $60 million in revenue from the sale would be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11987568/oakland-coliseum-sale-expected-to-help-city-avoid-drastic-budget-cutshttps:/www.kqed.org/news/11987568/oakland-coliseum-sale-expected-to-help-city-avoid-drastic-budget-cuts\">used to help patch an even larger hole in Oakland’s budget\u003c/a>. Shortly after AASEG and the city finalized their deal in July 2024, though, the payment timeline was pushed back, forcing the city to institute a bare-bones “\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020393/2-oakland-fire-stations-close-amid-budget-crisis-more-could-follow\">contingency budget\u003c/a>” that caused fire station closures and police cuts, and eroded public trust.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AASEG has not made any payments to the city since the start of the year. The projected revenue from the sale is not included in the city’s 2025 budget plan.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12006691\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006691\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/09/240926-LAST-AS-HOME-GAME-MD-16-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Packed stands at the Oakland Coliseum for the A’s last home game on Sept. 26, 2024. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>What we’re watching: \u003c/strong>It’s unclear if AASEG plans to hand Oakland a lump sum for the payments missed due to county delays, or if the deal timeline with either the city or Oakland will be further revised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The group’s $5 billion plan has raised eyebrows — and concerns about feasibility — since it was announced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once the sole owners, AASEG will also have to begin work on a community benefits agreement, which was required by its city deal. The deal aims to ensure that development \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12041329/oaklands-army-base-redevelopment-was-a-win-for-locals-can-the-coliseum-be-the-same\">serves the surrounding East Oakland community\u003c/a>, where decades of disinvestment by businesses and the A’s have decimated the local economy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AASEG has already committed to making 25% of any housing built affordable, and in the next five years, will have to begin to negotiate a bundle of other community benefits with stakeholders like Black Cultural Zone, Brotherhood of Elders, local youth centers and more.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Shonda Scott, one of the entertainment group’s members, told KQED when the deals were being negotiated that AASEG is looking forward to that work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s us being of the community, giving back to the community and making sure it’s done equitably, especially for those who have been historically disenfranchised in these sixth and seventh district areas that the Coliseum is a part of,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Oakland Passes New Budget That Keeps Fire Station Open, Boosts Police Staffing",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 3:04 p.m. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> city council just \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038739/oakland-budget-keeps-fire-stations-closed-police-cuts-in-place-despite-new-sales-tax\">passed a spending plan\u003c/a> for the next two years, weeks ahead of the July 1 deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a process virtually unrecognizable from last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11992752/oakland-budget-talks-drag-on-as-council-faces-huge-deficit-last-minute-changes\">amendment marathon\u003c/a>, the city’s budget team approved adjustments after just one meeting — with a goal of preserving the essential services Oaklanders want while addressing a major funding shortfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, who co-chaired the budget committee, said the quick work was the result of newfound collaboration amongst city leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Things are looking up for Oakland,” she told KQED. “It’s not just bickering and fighting, there’s a sense of cohesion and shared core values on this council.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Representatives conceded that the budget, which closes a $265 million deficit over the next two years, makes difficult cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In past budgets, the city of Oakland has unwisely tried to be all things to all people,” said Councilmember Zac Unger, who serves on the ad-hoc committee with Ramachandran, Rowena Brown and Charlene Wang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12042381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12042381\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Fire Department Station 25 on Jan. 5, 2025, on Butters Drive in the East Oakland Hills.The amended budget from Oakland City Council cuts one police academy to keep fire stations open. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We simply don’t have the money to do that anymore,” Unger said, announcing the amendments Tuesday. “The first rule of getting yourself out of a hole is that you have to stop digging.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The amended budget passed with six yeses, with Carroll Fife excused and Noel Gallo casting the sole no vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramachandran credited Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, who proposed the original budget while serving as interim mayor before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040935/barbara-lee-sworn-in-as-oaklands-mayor-says-today-marks-a-new-era\">Barbara Lee’s inauguration\u003c/a>, for giving her team a realistic and workable starting place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The amendments announced Tuesday removes the final fire station closure in the two-year budget, reverses employee layoffs and pads a reserve of $3 million to shield the city against likely state and federal funding cuts.\u003cbr>\n[aside postID=news_12042374 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-1020x680.jpg']“Despite a $265 million shortfall, we are proud to have come up with creative solutions to invest in the basics, invest in core and essential city services,” Ramachandran said Tuesday. “We want public safety. We want clean streets. We want economic revitalization. This is what our residents are telling us, and our budget amendments [do] exactly that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the biggest changes to the budget proposed last month by then-interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins is a reallocation of police funds to try to increase the number of sworn officers with less money, cutting one of six police academies planned for the next two years, while increasing the department’s budget for recruiting prospective officers and funding to expedite hearings for officers placed on administrative leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland is well below its baseline staffing level of 700 sworn officers, which was set by November’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/measures#measure-nn\">Measure NN\u003c/a>. If the department fails to meet that level, its ability to collect parcel tax and the parking tax revenue the following year is reduced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the department has about 675 officers, about 100 of which at any given time are on leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city could struggle to even maintain current staffing levels in the coming years after canceling two training academies scheduled for 2025 due to budget cuts this spring. According to the police commission, OPD loses about five officers per month to attrition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Ramachandran said that even with one fewer academy class, Oakland can take a smarter approach to increasing police staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038002\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038002\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Oakland Police Department squad car in downtown Oakland on April 28, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The city of Oakland hasn’t been able to actually ever put on six academies in decades,” she said. “It’s a lofty goal, but at the end of the day, we want solutions that are actually going to work, not just throwing money at a problem and hope that magically increases the police number.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last five years, the average graduating class size for OPD academies has been 22. Last May, the graduating academy had just 12 new recruits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes, it’s natural that you’re going to have recruits dropping off, but to start at 22 instead of 42 and to end up with 12 [officers] for $4 million doesn’t make sense,” Ramachandran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While cutting one academy, the budget amendments would also add $220,000 to outreach efforts for police academies to help increase class sizes in a more cost-effective way, she said.[aside postID=news_12043062 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/026_KQEDScience_IntCommunitySchoolOakland_10202022_qed.jpg']The councilmembers believe OPD can also increase the number of officers in the field by speeding up Skelly hearings, which officers have to go through when placed on administrative leave before they can return to the job and to determine whether they will face disciplinary action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March, there were 149 pending hearings and 42 officers on administrative leave, according to police commission reports. Eleven officers have been on administrative leave for between one and two years, which has cost the department nearly $3 million annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The budget also now allocates $10 million more to the Fire Department’s budget to stop a rotating station brownout, which would have continued one of the most controversial budget cuts made in January after the city implemented a contingency budget to make up for unrealized revenue from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036060/oakland-pushes-coliseum-sale-next-year-delaying-funds-again\">stalled sale of the Oakland Coliseum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time in 20 years, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040592/all-oakland-fire-stations-open-ahead-of-wildfire-season-for-first-time-in-decades\">all 25 of the city’s fire stations have been open\u003c/a> for the last month. Before that, three stations, including two in the fire-prone Oakland Hills, had been shuttered throughout the year due to the budget cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the additional funding, the only necessary brownout would be for a three-month period this winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034725\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034725\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins addresses Oakland residents at an educational workshop about Oakland’s biennial budget process at the Main Library on March 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The amendments’ impact on labor partners is more of a mixed bag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the councilmembers’ proposal would reverse eight layoffs and salary reductions planned across various departments, it also proposes budgeting lower starting salary steps for some city positions, predicted to save about $5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramachandran said it’s common for new workers to come into the city making more than the minimum required by Oakland’s deals with labor partners. The amendment requests roles be budgeted based on the salary scales agreed upon, and that new recruits to non-exempt roles not come in at a starting salary that doesn’t exceed a certain step three on the salary scale, Ramachandran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The budget also focuses on clean street efforts, sideshow prevention and building up economic zones and new businesses – interests shared by Lee, who took over the office shortly after Jenkins’ proposal was released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Jenkins said during his budget briefing last month that Lee had not had much input in the spending plan, Ramachandran said she has been supportive of the council throughout the amendment process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The overwhelming majority of her priorities overlap with ours, and she’s being creative on her own on how we can try to seek and obtain money from the outside, which is her area of expertise coming into this process,” said Ramachandran, who frequently sparred with former Mayor Sheng Thao before her recall in November. “This is a process of shared respect, which was glaringly absent under the Sheng Thao administration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"headline": "Oakland Passes New Budget That Keeps Fire Station Open, Boosts Police Staffing",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 3:04 p.m. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> city council just \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038739/oakland-budget-keeps-fire-stations-closed-police-cuts-in-place-despite-new-sales-tax\">passed a spending plan\u003c/a> for the next two years, weeks ahead of the July 1 deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a process virtually unrecognizable from last year’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11992752/oakland-budget-talks-drag-on-as-council-faces-huge-deficit-last-minute-changes\">amendment marathon\u003c/a>, the city’s budget team approved adjustments after just one meeting — with a goal of preserving the essential services Oaklanders want while addressing a major funding shortfall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, who co-chaired the budget committee, said the quick work was the result of newfound collaboration amongst city leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Things are looking up for Oakland,” she told KQED. “It’s not just bickering and fighting, there’s a sense of cohesion and shared core values on this council.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Representatives conceded that the budget, which closes a $265 million deficit over the next two years, makes difficult cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“In past budgets, the city of Oakland has unwisely tried to be all things to all people,” said Councilmember Zac Unger, who serves on the ad-hoc committee with Ramachandran, Rowena Brown and Charlene Wang.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12042381\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12042381\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/06/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00055_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Fire Department Station 25 on Jan. 5, 2025, on Butters Drive in the East Oakland Hills.The amended budget from Oakland City Council cuts one police academy to keep fire stations open. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We simply don’t have the money to do that anymore,” Unger said, announcing the amendments Tuesday. “The first rule of getting yourself out of a hole is that you have to stop digging.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The amended budget passed with six yeses, with Carroll Fife excused and Noel Gallo casting the sole no vote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramachandran credited Councilmember Kevin Jenkins, who proposed the original budget while serving as interim mayor before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040935/barbara-lee-sworn-in-as-oaklands-mayor-says-today-marks-a-new-era\">Barbara Lee’s inauguration\u003c/a>, for giving her team a realistic and workable starting place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The amendments announced Tuesday removes the final fire station closure in the two-year budget, reverses employee layoffs and pads a reserve of $3 million to shield the city against likely state and federal funding cuts.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“Despite a $265 million shortfall, we are proud to have come up with creative solutions to invest in the basics, invest in core and essential city services,” Ramachandran said Tuesday. “We want public safety. We want clean streets. We want economic revitalization. This is what our residents are telling us, and our budget amendments [do] exactly that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Among the biggest changes to the budget proposed last month by then-interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins is a reallocation of police funds to try to increase the number of sworn officers with less money, cutting one of six police academies planned for the next two years, while increasing the department’s budget for recruiting prospective officers and funding to expedite hearings for officers placed on administrative leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland is well below its baseline staffing level of 700 sworn officers, which was set by November’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/elections/results/alameda/measures#measure-nn\">Measure NN\u003c/a>. If the department fails to meet that level, its ability to collect parcel tax and the parking tax revenue the following year is reduced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Currently, the department has about 675 officers, about 100 of which at any given time are on leave.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city could struggle to even maintain current staffing levels in the coming years after canceling two training academies scheduled for 2025 due to budget cuts this spring. According to the police commission, OPD loses about five officers per month to attrition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Ramachandran said that even with one fewer academy class, Oakland can take a smarter approach to increasing police staffing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12038002\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12038002\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250428-OPD-FILE-MD-01-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An Oakland Police Department squad car in downtown Oakland on April 28, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“The city of Oakland hasn’t been able to actually ever put on six academies in decades,” she said. “It’s a lofty goal, but at the end of the day, we want solutions that are actually going to work, not just throwing money at a problem and hope that magically increases the police number.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the last five years, the average graduating class size for OPD academies has been 22. Last May, the graduating academy had just 12 new recruits.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes, it’s natural that you’re going to have recruits dropping off, but to start at 22 instead of 42 and to end up with 12 [officers] for $4 million doesn’t make sense,” Ramachandran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While cutting one academy, the budget amendments would also add $220,000 to outreach efforts for police academies to help increase class sizes in a more cost-effective way, she said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>The councilmembers believe OPD can also increase the number of officers in the field by speeding up Skelly hearings, which officers have to go through when placed on administrative leave before they can return to the job and to determine whether they will face disciplinary action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In March, there were 149 pending hearings and 42 officers on administrative leave, according to police commission reports. Eleven officers have been on administrative leave for between one and two years, which has cost the department nearly $3 million annually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The budget also now allocates $10 million more to the Fire Department’s budget to stop a rotating station brownout, which would have continued one of the most controversial budget cuts made in January after the city implemented a contingency budget to make up for unrealized revenue from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036060/oakland-pushes-coliseum-sale-next-year-delaying-funds-again\">stalled sale of the Oakland Coliseum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For the first time in 20 years, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040592/all-oakland-fire-stations-open-ahead-of-wildfire-season-for-first-time-in-decades\">all 25 of the city’s fire stations have been open\u003c/a> for the last month. Before that, three stations, including two in the fire-prone Oakland Hills, had been shuttered throughout the year due to the budget cuts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the additional funding, the only necessary brownout would be for a three-month period this winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034725\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034725\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins addresses Oakland residents at an educational workshop about Oakland’s biennial budget process at the Main Library on March 11, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The amendments’ impact on labor partners is more of a mixed bag.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While the councilmembers’ proposal would reverse eight layoffs and salary reductions planned across various departments, it also proposes budgeting lower starting salary steps for some city positions, predicted to save about $5 million.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ramachandran said it’s common for new workers to come into the city making more than the minimum required by Oakland’s deals with labor partners. The amendment requests roles be budgeted based on the salary scales agreed upon, and that new recruits to non-exempt roles not come in at a starting salary that doesn’t exceed a certain step three on the salary scale, Ramachandran said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The budget also focuses on clean street efforts, sideshow prevention and building up economic zones and new businesses – interests shared by Lee, who took over the office shortly after Jenkins’ proposal was released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While Jenkins said during his budget briefing last month that Lee had not had much input in the spending plan, Ramachandran said she has been supportive of the council throughout the amendment process.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The overwhelming majority of her priorities overlap with ours, and she’s being creative on her own on how we can try to seek and obtain money from the outside, which is her area of expertise coming into this process,” said Ramachandran, who frequently sparred with former Mayor Sheng Thao before her recall in November. “This is a process of shared respect, which was glaringly absent under the Sheng Thao administration.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "oaklands-free-summer-meals-kids-will-resume-full-force-when-school-lets-out",
"title": "Oakland’s Free Summer Meals for Kids Will Resume at Full Force When School Lets Out",
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"headTitle": "Oakland’s Free Summer Meals for Kids Will Resume at Full Force When School Lets Out | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Oakland city leaders on Monday detailed the return of a civic program that has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038587/oakland-to-resume-free-summer-food-program-weeks-after-announcing-cancellation\">served free meals\u003c/a> to thousands of kids over the summer for the past four decades and is again set to operate at full capacity this year after private funders stepped in to save it from the city’s budget crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034895/oakland-halts-free-summer-meals-amid-budget-shortfall\">had been canceled\u003c/a> just two months before school let out, after officials cited “severe city budget constraints.” Days later, the city said it had found a way to continue offering meals \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035615/oakland-reverses-decision-to-end-summer-food-program-will-offer-meals-at-fewer-sites\">only at libraries and city-run sites\u003c/a>, but not the 20-plus nonprofits that previously took part. Now, it is expected to once again deliver as many as 2,100 daily lunches and snacks to at least \u003ca href=\"https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/2025-SFSP-List-of-Sites.pdf\">47 sites\u003c/a> throughout the city, including many libraries, recreation centers, nonprofits and churches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Food service is set to begin May 27, immediately after the end of Oakland’s school year, and continue into the second week of August. Meals are available to all children 18 and under, as well as some adults with disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A full list of sites offering lunches this summer can be found on \u003ca href=\"https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/2025-SFSP-List-of-Sites.pdf\">the city’s website\u003c/a>, as well as through the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/mo/cameals.asp\">CA Meals for Kids\u003c/a> app.\u003cbr>\n[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program’s revival comes after the East Bay Community Foundation and Eat. Learn. Play., a nonprofit founded by Steph and Ayesha Curry, recently agreed to contribute up to $375,000 to continue food service at the roughly 21 community sites that the city had informed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034895/oakland-halts-free-summer-meals-amid-budget-shortfall\">in late March\u003c/a> that the meals they were expecting to soon start serving would not be available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was quite demoralizing having to be the bearer of bad news, especially having been this close to the program over the past few years and having experienced firsthand the amount of need,” said Michael Akanji, an analyst in the Oakland City Administrator’s Office who oversees the summer program and sent out the email to partner sites. “I was sad at the prospect of kids showing up this year … to be turned away because there was no food. Relief is my primary emotion at this point, just knowing that that does not have to be the case. It’s an extremely important program.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960197\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11960197 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-scaled.jpg\" alt='A man and a woman stand on a stage speaking with a huge banner behind the that says, \"Eat. Learn. Play.\"' width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Golden State Warriors’ star Stephen Curry (right) speaks next to his wife and renowned chef, Ayesha Curry, during a charity event at Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Aug. 28, 2023. The Currys and partners are expanding the reach of their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, established in 2019, to support youth in Oakland, the Bay Area and beyond, while striving to improve the lives of families nationwide. They are generating $50 million in additional funding to assist the Oakland Unified School District. \u003ccite>(Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Using money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant that has partially funded the program, the city will also continue to provide approximately 950 meals per day to 26 city-run sites, including libraries and recreation centers, at a cost of about $427,000 for the summer, the city said. Despite previous messaging, it said those meals — to city-run sites — had always been guaranteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is contracting with School Foodies in Hayward and Flo’s Friendly Food in Emeryville to prepare and deliver meals to all 47 sites, Akanji said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a lot of meals. But I’m confident in their ability to meet that demand,” he said, noting that the two organizations were selected from a number of providers that submitted proposals at the beginning of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the help of outside funders, Akanji said, the city can now provide nearly 350 more meals per day this summer than it did last year.[aside postID=news_12038587 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/05/GettyImages-1321784489-1020x671.jpg']That number “was based on individually canvassing the community-based sites and asking them what they anticipated their demand would be this year,” he said. “And that is just based on the economic trends over the past few years. When food is getting [more] expensive, these programs are more and more vital.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s cancellation announcement in March followed a City Council vote in December to reallocate funds from its sugar-sweetened beverage tax, part of a frantic effort to close what was then a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027749/oakland-reverses-several-layoffs-amid-scramble-close-massive-budget-deficit\">nearly $130 million budget shortfall\u003c/a>. The tax, \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Oakland,_California,_Sugar-Sweetened_Beverages_Tax,_Measure_HH_(November_2016)\">which voters approved in 2016\u003c/a>, generates \u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/news/2023-08-16/revenue-allocations-soda-taxes-oakland-and-san-francisco-continue-diverge-advisory\">more than $7 million a year\u003c/a>, a portion of which is intended to support youth health-related programs, including the summer food service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland previously used about $200,000 of that revenue each year to supplement funding for the food program and cover administrative costs, but officials said the money was no longer available this year as a result of the reallocation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Akanji said he didn’t send the note to partner sites until late March because he had been waiting for funding information from the city, which never came.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had not received any indication that anything was going to be available,” he said. “And at that point it was important to let the sites know, in order [for them] to make other arrangements.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12035840\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12035840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06.jpg\" alt=\"The bottom half of several children on a concrete playground with yellow chalk outlining numbers and letters is shown.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rising first graders walk to their classroom at the start of the day during summer session at Laurel Elementary in Oakland on June 11, 2021. \u003ccite>(Anne Wernikoff/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The responses he got were ones of “just almost desperation, like, ‘We don’t have any other options,’” Akanji said, adding that he also had the far more rewarding task of calling all 21 sites a few weeks ago to tell them that the funding had been restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandi Howard, the president of the East Bay Community Foundation, is a third-generation Oakland resident who participated in the summer food program when she was a kid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was deeply personal for me,” said Howard, who received free summer lunches at Manzanita Recreation Center in the 1980s. “So, when I learned about the funding gap of the program, I knew it was just the moment for EBCF to get involved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Howard said that at this point, her foundation is only committing to supporting the program for this summer, but she hinted at the possibility of ongoing support amid ongoing threats to the public safety net.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I’m clear about is there was a moment where children may not get fed, and now we’re at a place where children will get fed,” she said. “That was the outcome, and that I’m really proud of.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "City leaders detailed the program’s return after the East Bay Community Foundation and a nonprofit founded by Steph and Ayesha Curry stepped in to save it from Oakland’s budget crisis.",
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"title": "Oakland’s Free Summer Meals for Kids Will Resume at Full Force When School Lets Out | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Oakland city leaders on Monday detailed the return of a civic program that has \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038587/oakland-to-resume-free-summer-food-program-weeks-after-announcing-cancellation\">served free meals\u003c/a> to thousands of kids over the summer for the past four decades and is again set to operate at full capacity this year after private funders stepped in to save it from the city’s budget crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034895/oakland-halts-free-summer-meals-amid-budget-shortfall\">had been canceled\u003c/a> just two months before school let out, after officials cited “severe city budget constraints.” Days later, the city said it had found a way to continue offering meals \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035615/oakland-reverses-decision-to-end-summer-food-program-will-offer-meals-at-fewer-sites\">only at libraries and city-run sites\u003c/a>, but not the 20-plus nonprofits that previously took part. Now, it is expected to once again deliver as many as 2,100 daily lunches and snacks to at least \u003ca href=\"https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/2025-SFSP-List-of-Sites.pdf\">47 sites\u003c/a> throughout the city, including many libraries, recreation centers, nonprofits and churches.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Food service is set to begin May 27, immediately after the end of Oakland’s school year, and continue into the second week of August. Meals are available to all children 18 and under, as well as some adults with disabilities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A full list of sites offering lunches this summer can be found on \u003ca href=\"https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/2025-SFSP-List-of-Sites.pdf\">the city’s website\u003c/a>, as well as through the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cde.ca.gov/re/mo/cameals.asp\">CA Meals for Kids\u003c/a> app.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program’s revival comes after the East Bay Community Foundation and Eat. Learn. Play., a nonprofit founded by Steph and Ayesha Curry, recently agreed to contribute up to $375,000 to continue food service at the roughly 21 community sites that the city had informed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034895/oakland-halts-free-summer-meals-amid-budget-shortfall\">in late March\u003c/a> that the meals they were expecting to soon start serving would not be available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was quite demoralizing having to be the bearer of bad news, especially having been this close to the program over the past few years and having experienced firsthand the amount of need,” said Michael Akanji, an analyst in the Oakland City Administrator’s Office who oversees the summer program and sent out the email to partner sites. “I was sad at the prospect of kids showing up this year … to be turned away because there was no food. Relief is my primary emotion at this point, just knowing that that does not have to be the case. It’s an extremely important program.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11960197\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-11960197 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-scaled.jpg\" alt='A man and a woman stand on a stage speaking with a huge banner behind the that says, \"Eat. Learn. Play.\"' width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/09/AP23247692842290-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Golden State Warriors’ star Stephen Curry (right) speaks next to his wife and renowned chef, Ayesha Curry, during a charity event at Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, Aug. 28, 2023. The Currys and partners are expanding the reach of their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, established in 2019, to support youth in Oakland, the Bay Area and beyond, while striving to improve the lives of families nationwide. They are generating $50 million in additional funding to assist the Oakland Unified School District. \u003ccite>(Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Using money from the U.S. Department of Agriculture grant that has partially funded the program, the city will also continue to provide approximately 950 meals per day to 26 city-run sites, including libraries and recreation centers, at a cost of about $427,000 for the summer, the city said. Despite previous messaging, it said those meals — to city-run sites — had always been guaranteed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is contracting with School Foodies in Hayward and Flo’s Friendly Food in Emeryville to prepare and deliver meals to all 47 sites, Akanji said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a lot of meals. But I’m confident in their ability to meet that demand,” he said, noting that the two organizations were selected from a number of providers that submitted proposals at the beginning of the year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the help of outside funders, Akanji said, the city can now provide nearly 350 more meals per day this summer than it did last year.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>That number “was based on individually canvassing the community-based sites and asking them what they anticipated their demand would be this year,” he said. “And that is just based on the economic trends over the past few years. When food is getting [more] expensive, these programs are more and more vital.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s cancellation announcement in March followed a City Council vote in December to reallocate funds from its sugar-sweetened beverage tax, part of a frantic effort to close what was then a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027749/oakland-reverses-several-layoffs-amid-scramble-close-massive-budget-deficit\">nearly $130 million budget shortfall\u003c/a>. The tax, \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Oakland,_California,_Sugar-Sweetened_Beverages_Tax,_Measure_HH_(November_2016)\">which voters approved in 2016\u003c/a>, generates \u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/news/2023-08-16/revenue-allocations-soda-taxes-oakland-and-san-francisco-continue-diverge-advisory\">more than $7 million a year\u003c/a>, a portion of which is intended to support youth health-related programs, including the summer food service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland previously used about $200,000 of that revenue each year to supplement funding for the food program and cover administrative costs, but officials said the money was no longer available this year as a result of the reallocation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Akanji said he didn’t send the note to partner sites until late March because he had been waiting for funding information from the city, which never came.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had not received any indication that anything was going to be available,” he said. “And at that point it was important to let the sites know, in order [for them] to make other arrangements.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12035840\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12035840\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06.jpg\" alt=\"The bottom half of several children on a concrete playground with yellow chalk outlining numbers and letters is shown.\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/061121_SummerSchool_AW_CM_06-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rising first graders walk to their classroom at the start of the day during summer session at Laurel Elementary in Oakland on June 11, 2021. \u003ccite>(Anne Wernikoff/CalMatters)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The responses he got were ones of “just almost desperation, like, ‘We don’t have any other options,’” Akanji said, adding that he also had the far more rewarding task of calling all 21 sites a few weeks ago to tell them that the funding had been restored.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandi Howard, the president of the East Bay Community Foundation, is a third-generation Oakland resident who participated in the summer food program when she was a kid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This was deeply personal for me,” said Howard, who received free summer lunches at Manzanita Recreation Center in the 1980s. “So, when I learned about the funding gap of the program, I knew it was just the moment for EBCF to get involved.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Howard said that at this point, her foundation is only committing to supporting the program for this summer, but she hinted at the possibility of ongoing support amid ongoing threats to the public safety net.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What I’m clear about is there was a moment where children may not get fed, and now we’re at a place where children will get fed,” she said. “That was the outcome, and that I’m really proud of.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "oakland-to-resume-free-summer-food-program-weeks-after-announcing-cancellation",
"title": "Oakland Said It Didn’t Have the Money for Free Summer Meals. That Has Changed",
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"headTitle": "Oakland Said It Didn’t Have the Money for Free Summer Meals. That Has Changed | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>A program that has long served free meals to thousands of Oakland kids over the summer and was slated to be canceled this year amid the city’s financial woes is back on track thanks to a public-private partnership, city officials said this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program, which is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is now expected to once again deliver daily lunches and snacks to \u003ca href=\"https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/LIST-OF-SFSP-SERVICE-SITES-FOR-2024.pdf\">roughly 45 sites\u003c/a> throughout the city, including many libraries, recreation centers, nonprofits and churches. Food service is set to begin in late May, immediately after the end of Oakland’s school year, and continue into the second week of August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The City intends to maintain the Youth Summer Lunch Program using a combination of one-time fund balance and philanthropic contributions,” the mayor’s office wrote in its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038739/oakland-budget-keeps-fire-stations-closed-police-cuts-in-place-despite-new-sales-tax\">proposed budget\u003c/a>, which was publicly released on Monday. Although city officials have not yet provided specific details about the new funding arrangement, KQED has learned that the East Bay Community Foundation is one of the main philanthropic groups involved in keeping the program running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re working with a group of folks to share next steps,” said Shannon Baker, a spokesperson for the group. “We’re part of the conversation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the program served more than 1,700 lunches and snacks every weekday throughout the summer, cumulatively feeding thousands of children, according to the city. The program, it said, is intended to “bridge the meal gap throughout the summer months” when school meals are not available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12035771\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12035771\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A teacher with transitional kindergarten students during snack time at the International Community School in Oakland on May 17, 2024. The Summer Food Service Program, set to begin on the Oakland Unified School District’s final day of classes on May 29, provided more than 100,000 free lunches to children last summer. Nearly 75% of OUSD students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and many regularly experience food insecurity.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s still unclear if this year’s food service program will operate at the same capacity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food program’s apparent resurrection is the latest twist in a saga that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034895/oakland-halts-free-summer-meals-amid-budget-shortfall\">started in late March\u003c/a>, when the city, in a letter, informed \u003ca href=\"https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/LIST-OF-SFSP-SERVICE-SITES-FOR-2024.pdf\">most of participating sites\u003c/a> that the meals they had planned to soon start serving would not be coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We recognize this is a significant loss for the children and families who rely on these meals,” Michael Akanji, from the city administrator’s office, wrote in the letter, citing “severe city budget constraints.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But just days after KQED \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034895/oakland-halts-free-summer-meals-amid-budget-shortfall\">first reported\u003c/a> on the program’s demise, the city \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035615/oakland-reverses-decision-to-end-summer-food-program-will-offer-meals-at-fewer-sites\">seemingly reversed course\u003c/a>, announcing that it had figured out a way to continue offering meals to libraries and other city-run sites, but not to the more than 20 nonprofits that had previously participated. Now, thanks to the private partnerships, all the original sites will receive meals, city officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12035615 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/14772659073_f7e7f00d0a_k_qed-1020x765.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Candice Elder, the executive director of The East Oakland Collective — a nonprofit that has provided meals to kids for the last two summers — was among a number of community site directors who told KQED they never received the city’s initial letter in late March announcing the program’s cancellation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a smallish nonprofit, we can’t afford to pay for these meals on our own,” Elder told KQED last month, before the city called her to say the program had been reinstated and would begin delivering food to her site in late May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, Elder said, as many as 50 children — from toddlers to middle schoolers — filed into her community center nearly every weekday to receive lunch and snacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything from sandwiches, pasta, chicken tenders — it was a pretty well-balanced meal,” she said. “There was always fruit. There was milk, carrots, celery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elder said her deep East Oakland neighborhood is a food desert, where many low-income families lack access to healthy food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So this has been an awesome program. It’s been really beneficial to have these meals available, and then the kids know that, guaranteed, Monday through Friday, they can still eat,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/educator-prep/coa-agendas/2021-05/2021-05-item-15.pdf?sfvrsn=d81e2bb1_6#:~:text=Located%20in%20the%20Bay%20Area,receive%20free%20or%20reduced%20meals.\">Nearly 75% of students in the Oakland Unified School District\u003c/a> qualify for free or reduced lunch, and many regularly experience food insecurity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s announcement in March about canceling the program followed a City Council vote last December to reallocate funds from its sugar-sweetened beverage tax, part of a frantic effort to close what was then a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027749/oakland-reverses-several-layoffs-amid-scramble-close-massive-budget-deficit\">nearly $130 million budget shortfall\u003c/a>. The tax, \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Oakland,_California,_Sugar-Sweetened_Beverages_Tax,_Measure_HH_(November_2016)\">which voters approved in 2016\u003c/a>, generates \u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/news/2023-08-16/revenue-allocations-soda-taxes-oakland-and-san-francisco-continue-diverge-advisory\">more than $7 million a year\u003c/a>, a portion of which is intended to support youth health-related programs, including the summer food service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12038904 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/20240524_MobileHeadStart-34_qut-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland previously used about $200,000 of that revenue each year to supplement funding for the food program and cover administrative costs, but said the money was no longer available as a result of the reallocation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city administrator’s office did not respond to questions about when it officially made the decision to cancel the program or why it waited so many months after the Council’s budget vote to inform partner sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was really disappointing to hear that so late in the game. You guys couldn’t have let us know earlier?” said Dawna Williams, the interim executive director of the East Oakland Boxing Association, which participated in the program last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said she was left “scrambling” after receiving word the program had been canceled, with just two months to go before summer break. “They probably knew this long before March. And they knew that we were already preparing for summer programming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In previous summers, Williams’ nonprofit has served free breakfast, lunch and snacks to about 75 kids per day, and relies heavily on the city’s summer food program to support that, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know the kids don’t get the best nutrition at home because the families just don’t have the funds to do it,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Akanji, from the city, called a few weeks ago to let Williams know the program was back on, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a relief because I’m scrambling to write grants to make sure the kids have something for the summer,” Williams said. “Quite honestly, I’m grateful that someone sat down and came to a consensus that we really can’t [cancel] this at the 11th hour.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The program, which the city recently announced would be canceled this year amid financial woes, is back on track thanks to a public-private partnership.",
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"title": "Oakland Said It Didn’t Have the Money for Free Summer Meals. That Has Changed | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A program that has long served free meals to thousands of Oakland kids over the summer and was slated to be canceled this year amid the city’s financial woes is back on track thanks to a public-private partnership, city officials said this week.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The program, which is funded in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is now expected to once again deliver daily lunches and snacks to \u003ca href=\"https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/LIST-OF-SFSP-SERVICE-SITES-FOR-2024.pdf\">roughly 45 sites\u003c/a> throughout the city, including many libraries, recreation centers, nonprofits and churches. Food service is set to begin in late May, immediately after the end of Oakland’s school year, and continue into the second week of August.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The City intends to maintain the Youth Summer Lunch Program using a combination of one-time fund balance and philanthropic contributions,” the mayor’s office wrote in its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038739/oakland-budget-keeps-fire-stations-closed-police-cuts-in-place-despite-new-sales-tax\">proposed budget\u003c/a>, which was publicly released on Monday. Although city officials have not yet provided specific details about the new funding arrangement, KQED has learned that the East Bay Community Foundation is one of the main philanthropic groups involved in keeping the program running.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re working with a group of folks to share next steps,” said Shannon Baker, a spokesperson for the group. “We’re part of the conversation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last year, the program served more than 1,700 lunches and snacks every weekday throughout the summer, cumulatively feeding thousands of children, according to the city. The program, it said, is intended to “bridge the meal gap throughout the summer months” when school meals are not available.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12035771\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 1999px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12035771\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/240517-TKBilingualLearners-27-BL_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A teacher with transitional kindergarten students during snack time at the International Community School in Oakland on May 17, 2024. The Summer Food Service Program, set to begin on the Oakland Unified School District’s final day of classes on May 29, provided more than 100,000 free lunches to children last summer. Nearly 75% of OUSD students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and many regularly experience food insecurity.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>It’s still unclear if this year’s food service program will operate at the same capacity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The food program’s apparent resurrection is the latest twist in a saga that \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034895/oakland-halts-free-summer-meals-amid-budget-shortfall\">started in late March\u003c/a>, when the city, in a letter, informed \u003ca href=\"https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/LIST-OF-SFSP-SERVICE-SITES-FOR-2024.pdf\">most of participating sites\u003c/a> that the meals they had planned to soon start serving would not be coming.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We recognize this is a significant loss for the children and families who rely on these meals,” Michael Akanji, from the city administrator’s office, wrote in the letter, citing “severe city budget constraints.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But just days after KQED \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034895/oakland-halts-free-summer-meals-amid-budget-shortfall\">first reported\u003c/a> on the program’s demise, the city \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035615/oakland-reverses-decision-to-end-summer-food-program-will-offer-meals-at-fewer-sites\">seemingly reversed course\u003c/a>, announcing that it had figured out a way to continue offering meals to libraries and other city-run sites, but not to the more than 20 nonprofits that had previously participated. Now, thanks to the private partnerships, all the original sites will receive meals, city officials said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Candice Elder, the executive director of The East Oakland Collective — a nonprofit that has provided meals to kids for the last two summers — was among a number of community site directors who told KQED they never received the city’s initial letter in late March announcing the program’s cancellation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“As a smallish nonprofit, we can’t afford to pay for these meals on our own,” Elder told KQED last month, before the city called her to say the program had been reinstated and would begin delivering food to her site in late May.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Last summer, Elder said, as many as 50 children — from toddlers to middle schoolers — filed into her community center nearly every weekday to receive lunch and snacks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Everything from sandwiches, pasta, chicken tenders — it was a pretty well-balanced meal,” she said. “There was always fruit. There was milk, carrots, celery.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Elder said her deep East Oakland neighborhood is a food desert, where many low-income families lack access to healthy food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“So this has been an awesome program. It’s been really beneficial to have these meals available, and then the kids know that, guaranteed, Monday through Friday, they can still eat,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/educator-prep/coa-agendas/2021-05/2021-05-item-15.pdf?sfvrsn=d81e2bb1_6#:~:text=Located%20in%20the%20Bay%20Area,receive%20free%20or%20reduced%20meals.\">Nearly 75% of students in the Oakland Unified School District\u003c/a> qualify for free or reduced lunch, and many regularly experience food insecurity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city’s announcement in March about canceling the program followed a City Council vote last December to reallocate funds from its sugar-sweetened beverage tax, part of a frantic effort to close what was then a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12027749/oakland-reverses-several-layoffs-amid-scramble-close-massive-budget-deficit\">nearly $130 million budget shortfall\u003c/a>. The tax, \u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Oakland,_California,_Sugar-Sweetened_Beverages_Tax,_Measure_HH_(November_2016)\">which voters approved in 2016\u003c/a>, generates \u003ca href=\"https://www.spur.org/news/2023-08-16/revenue-allocations-soda-taxes-oakland-and-san-francisco-continue-diverge-advisory\">more than $7 million a year\u003c/a>, a portion of which is intended to support youth health-related programs, including the summer food service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland previously used about $200,000 of that revenue each year to supplement funding for the food program and cover administrative costs, but said the money was no longer available as a result of the reallocation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city administrator’s office did not respond to questions about when it officially made the decision to cancel the program or why it waited so many months after the Council’s budget vote to inform partner sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was really disappointing to hear that so late in the game. You guys couldn’t have let us know earlier?” said Dawna Williams, the interim executive director of the East Oakland Boxing Association, which participated in the program last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Williams said she was left “scrambling” after receiving word the program had been canceled, with just two months to go before summer break. “They probably knew this long before March. And they knew that we were already preparing for summer programming.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In previous summers, Williams’ nonprofit has served free breakfast, lunch and snacks to about 75 kids per day, and relies heavily on the city’s summer food program to support that, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know the kids don’t get the best nutrition at home because the families just don’t have the funds to do it,” Williams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Akanji, from the city, called a few weeks ago to let Williams know the program was back on, she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It was a relief because I’m scrambling to write grants to make sure the kids have something for the summer,” Williams said. “Quite honestly, I’m grateful that someone sat down and came to a consensus that we really can’t [cancel] this at the 11th hour.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "oakland-settles-suit-alleging-staggering-government-dysfunction-in-2022-mayors-race",
"title": "Oakland Settles Suit Alleging ‘Staggering Government Dysfunction’ in 2022 Mayor’s Race",
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"headTitle": "Oakland Settles Suit Alleging ‘Staggering Government Dysfunction’ in 2022 Mayor’s Race | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> will pay more than $200,000 and implement a series of election reforms to settle a lawsuit alleging that former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and several other candidates missed the filing deadline to be eligible to run in the 2022 mayoral election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to approve the settlement, more than two years after the Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association filed its lawsuit accusing the city of a litany of election-related blunders, violations and coverups stemming from the Oakland City Clerk’s office inadvertently giving mayoral candidates the wrong deadline to submit their candidacy applications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon realizing the mistake, on the afternoon of the actual deadline, the office “frantically” called Thao and other candidates who had yet to submit their paperwork, instructing them to come to City Hall to file before the 5 p.m. cutoff, the suit alleges, leaving candidates “scrambling to gather signatures and organize their paperwork at the last minute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the four candidates — Thao, Monesha Carter, Seneca Scott and Allyssa Victory — who showed up to the clerk’s office on the afternoon of Aug. 12, 2022, only Scott turned in his paperwork by the 5 p.m. deadline, the suit alleges, arguing that Thao and the two others should have been disqualified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, also claims that the clerk’s office had to manually operate its malfunctioning timestamp machine and incorrectly timestamped all of the paperwork to make it appear that it had been filed prior to 5 p.m., “when in fact, it had not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An overall lack of election integrity, lack of public accountability, and staggering government dysfunction are at the heart of this lawsuit,” the suit states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao went on to win the election by just 677 votes, narrowly defeating then-Councilmember Loren Taylor. Just two years later, voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12014429/what-mayor-sheng-thaos-recall-means-for-oakland\">removed her from office\u003c/a> in an unprecedented recall. She now faces federal bribery charges after a grand jury in January \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022517/fbi-raids-home-san-leandro-council-member-joined-vietnam-trip-sheng-thao\">indicted her\u003c/a> — as well as her romantic partner and the father-son team overseeing the city’s recycling contractor — on several charges related to an alleged corruption scandal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Attorney Marleen Sacks, who led the suit for the tax foundation, initially demanded that the city redo the mayoral election, alleging that it had also flubbed the ranked choice voting process by only allowing voters to rank five candidates, despite having 10 names on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009506\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Opposing campaigns for and against the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao rally at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sacks also claimed city officials didn’t respond to her California Public Records Act requests in a timely manner, and accused them of violating state law by deleting surveillance footage that she said would have shown candidates entering and leaving City Hall on the day of the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alameda County Taxpayers Association, no stranger to legal challenges against Oakland and Alameda County, also \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandcityattorney.org/recent-legal-highlights-spring-2024/\">filed suit against the city\u003c/a> in 2022, challenging the validity of Measure Y, a parcel tax to help fund the city’s zoo, which voters approved that November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a separate suit, Sacks and the group sued the city over alleged illegal public contracting and violations of the state’s Public Records Act. The city settled in February, paying the group roughly $250,000 to cover legal fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ironically, the City Council on Tuesday, during the same meeting, also approved a resolution to recognize “Municipal Clerks Week,” praising employees at Oakland City Clerk’s office.[aside postID=news_12038739 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00119.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council initially authorized the settlement during a closed-door session last month, in which it agreed to pay nearly $208,000 to reimburse attorney’s fees, “without admitting fault or wrongdoing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement, however, is silent on whether Thao or any other particular candidate should have been listed on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of the settlement, city leaders agreed to a spate of election reforms, including no longer accepting late paperwork from candidates seeking office, providing accurate information about filing deadlines, retaining camera footage at the City Clerk’s office for at least a year and “making best efforts” to ensure timestamp machines at the clerk’s office are functioning accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city also agreed “under certain circumstances” to request that the county registrar offer more than five ranked-choice options for city elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a satisfactory result. But there are still fundamental issues of accountability and transparency that continue to exist [in Oakland],” Sacks said after the vote. “It shouldn’t require a lawsuit for the city to investigate what led to these problems. But it did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The lawsuit alleged that former Mayor Sheng Thao and others were ineligible to run because of a botched filing deadline. The City Council agreed to pay over $200,000 and roll out changes. \r\n",
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"title": "Oakland Settles Suit Alleging ‘Staggering Government Dysfunction’ in 2022 Mayor’s Race | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> will pay more than $200,000 and implement a series of election reforms to settle a lawsuit alleging that former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and several other candidates missed the filing deadline to be eligible to run in the 2022 mayoral election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to approve the settlement, more than two years after the Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association filed its lawsuit accusing the city of a litany of election-related blunders, violations and coverups stemming from the Oakland City Clerk’s office inadvertently giving mayoral candidates the wrong deadline to submit their candidacy applications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon realizing the mistake, on the afternoon of the actual deadline, the office “frantically” called Thao and other candidates who had yet to submit their paperwork, instructing them to come to City Hall to file before the 5 p.m. cutoff, the suit alleges, leaving candidates “scrambling to gather signatures and organize their paperwork at the last minute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the four candidates — Thao, Monesha Carter, Seneca Scott and Allyssa Victory — who showed up to the clerk’s office on the afternoon of Aug. 12, 2022, only Scott turned in his paperwork by the 5 p.m. deadline, the suit alleges, arguing that Thao and the two others should have been disqualified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, also claims that the clerk’s office had to manually operate its malfunctioning timestamp machine and incorrectly timestamped all of the paperwork to make it appear that it had been filed prior to 5 p.m., “when in fact, it had not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An overall lack of election integrity, lack of public accountability, and staggering government dysfunction are at the heart of this lawsuit,” the suit states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao went on to win the election by just 677 votes, narrowly defeating then-Councilmember Loren Taylor. Just two years later, voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12014429/what-mayor-sheng-thaos-recall-means-for-oakland\">removed her from office\u003c/a> in an unprecedented recall. She now faces federal bribery charges after a grand jury in January \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022517/fbi-raids-home-san-leandro-council-member-joined-vietnam-trip-sheng-thao\">indicted her\u003c/a> — as well as her romantic partner and the father-son team overseeing the city’s recycling contractor — on several charges related to an alleged corruption scandal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Attorney Marleen Sacks, who led the suit for the tax foundation, initially demanded that the city redo the mayoral election, alleging that it had also flubbed the ranked choice voting process by only allowing voters to rank five candidates, despite having 10 names on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009506\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Opposing campaigns for and against the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao rally at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sacks also claimed city officials didn’t respond to her California Public Records Act requests in a timely manner, and accused them of violating state law by deleting surveillance footage that she said would have shown candidates entering and leaving City Hall on the day of the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alameda County Taxpayers Association, no stranger to legal challenges against Oakland and Alameda County, also \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandcityattorney.org/recent-legal-highlights-spring-2024/\">filed suit against the city\u003c/a> in 2022, challenging the validity of Measure Y, a parcel tax to help fund the city’s zoo, which voters approved that November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a separate suit, Sacks and the group sued the city over alleged illegal public contracting and violations of the state’s Public Records Act. The city settled in February, paying the group roughly $250,000 to cover legal fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ironically, the City Council on Tuesday, during the same meeting, also approved a resolution to recognize “Municipal Clerks Week,” praising employees at Oakland City Clerk’s office.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council initially authorized the settlement during a closed-door session last month, in which it agreed to pay nearly $208,000 to reimburse attorney’s fees, “without admitting fault or wrongdoing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement, however, is silent on whether Thao or any other particular candidate should have been listed on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of the settlement, city leaders agreed to a spate of election reforms, including no longer accepting late paperwork from candidates seeking office, providing accurate information about filing deadlines, retaining camera footage at the City Clerk’s office for at least a year and “making best efforts” to ensure timestamp machines at the clerk’s office are functioning accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city also agreed “under certain circumstances” to request that the county registrar offer more than five ranked-choice options for city elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a satisfactory result. But there are still fundamental issues of accountability and transparency that continue to exist [in Oakland],” Sacks said after the vote. “It shouldn’t require a lawsuit for the city to investigate what led to these problems. But it did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"order": 1
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"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
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"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
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"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
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