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Jaime Omar Yassin

Jaime Omar Yassin

Oakland Public Safety Ecosystem Faces Upheaval; Chair Pulls Controversial Contract Ahead of Mayor's SOTC

Oakland Public Safety Ecosystem Faces Upheaval; Chair Pulls Controversial Contract Ahead of Mayor's SOTC

Public Safety Upheaval; as Chief Mitchell Departs, the Police Commission Selection Panel Faces Pushback from Council That Could Change the Calculus Ahead of a New Chief Selection Process A big City of Oakland public safety shuffle, and a possible secondary one, could bring significant change to Oakland’s public safety

At Council This Week, 10/7/2025

At Council This Week, 10/7/2025

The headline at this week's council meeting will be Mayor Barbara Lee’s first State of the City address. The State of the City address is mandated and required at the first regular meeting in October, but through the years, Mayors have been loose with the scheduling in

Committees in Review 9/30/2025, 10/02/2025

Committees in Review 9/30/2025, 10/02/2025

City Council Committee meetings are usually held on a single Tuesday, starting at 9:30 am, with the last meeting beginning at 6pm and potentially lasting until 9pm and later. In the current legislative frame, substantive deliberation on items from individual CMs, the CAO and its various sub-departments as well

Oakland Observer Weekly Newsletter Transitioning to Live Reporting Thread/Notes Combo

Hello, supporters, subscribers and readers. Beginning this week, OO will be transitioning to a new format for the weekly newsletter available to general public. I've found that presenting the live reporting thread, which can be read in a PDF or off twitter in the link to Twitter Thread,

At Council Committees This Week, 9/30/2025

At Council Committees This Week, 9/30/2025

The Committee meetings this week are designated as “special”—meaning they do not need the same kinds of advanced noticing that a committee would usually require. The meetings would have happened last week, but were bumped for Rosh Hoshana in the original schedule prepared at the beginning of the year.

Live Reporting: Oakland Police Commission Approves Mitchell Amendments to OPD Pursuit Policy

Live Reporting: Oakland Police Commission Approves Mitchell Amendments to OPD Pursuit Policy

Last night, the Oakland Police Commission [OPC] approved Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell's Pursuit Policy amendments. Here's the link to the Thread Reader thread, which you can read whether you're on Twitter or not. Also linked is a PDF which is easier to read,

At Police Commission Thursday: OPD Chief Mitchell Dials Back Some Changes in an Essentially Modest Pursuit Policy Update

At Police Commission Thursday: OPD Chief Mitchell Dials Back Some Changes in an Essentially Modest Pursuit Policy Update

On Thursday evening, the Oakland Police Commission [OPC] will review OPD Chief Mitchell’s new pursuit policy revision draft. This will be the second draft presented to the Commission after the OPC's negative reaction to changes in supervisorial permission for pursuits in the first. Mitchell's marquee