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Jaime Omar Yassin

Jaime Omar Yassin

Changes to Homeless Policy Urged by State Body Added to "EAP," But Prohibitions on Vehicular Encampments Remain

Changes to Homeless Policy Urged by State Body Added to "EAP," But Prohibitions on Vehicular Encampments Remain

The new version of a proposed City of Oakland “Encampment Abatement Plan” [EAP] policy that will be introduced at December 2nd’s Council meeting shifts significantly from the zero-tolerance positioning of the original proposal introduced at the September 9 Public Safety Committee meeting. The changes reflect significant feedback from the

Reporter’s Notebook: Committee Failure Breaks Flock Momentum For Now--More on Oakland Arms Embargo and OPD's Bearcats

Reporter’s Notebook: Committee Failure Breaks Flock Momentum For Now--More on Oakland Arms Embargo and OPD's Bearcats

Flock Fails at Public Safety Committee Meeting A surprise stalemate at Oakland’s Public Safety Committee Tuesday sapped the trajectory of what many observers believed was an all but assured vote to institutionalize and expand OPD’s Flock surveillance program. OPD’s proposal that would see the department taking over

At Committees This Week: Showdown on Flock at Public Safety—Update: Hofer Files Suit to Ban OPD's ALPR

At Committees This Week: Showdown on Flock at Public Safety—Update: Hofer Files Suit to Ban OPD's ALPR

Public Safety Committee Update, 11/18/2025 8:05 am: Today, Brian Hofer and Secure Justice are filing suit against the City of Oakland, alleging that OPD has failed to follow state law governing ALPR use, as well as its own use policies, city laws and a previous settlement agreement.

Live Reporting: City Council Vote Ties Over Changes That Would Have Curtailed Evening Meetings

Live Reporting: City Council Vote Ties Over Changes That Would Have Curtailed Evening Meetings

Live reporting yesterday's Council meeting often felt more like announcing an unhinged sports event than the typical council meeting. After Ramachandran stalled CM Fife's amendments to the Jenkins/Ramachandran Rules of Procedure update with an unheard of three substitute motions—the Council finally took a vote

At Council This Week, 11/4/2025

At Council This Week, 11/4/2025

It's a 9 am meeting, with rationale that it's an election day and normal 3:30pm start time would conflict with voting. An 11am special meeting to introduce the "Encampment Abatement" proposal was cancelled last Thursday, rescheduled for an early December date. But ironically,

News Analysis: Public Participation–And Avoiding It–Becomes Major Theme at Oakland City Council

News Analysis: Public Participation–And Avoiding It–Becomes Major Theme at Oakland City Council

In October, public participation in legislative processes, and the lack of it, became an over-riding theme at the Oakland City Council's scheduling meetings. Three issues of significant importance to the public—a major institutionalization and expansion of Oakland's Flock surveillance, big changes to Oakland's

At Committees This Week, 10/28/2025

At Committees This Week, 10/28/2025

Despite an aborted effort to have an additional special city council meeting on Monday right before a full day of Committee, tomorrow’s meetings are full to the brim with important issues for Oakland residents. Probably too many for any one person or group to focus on. After an item