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Jaime Omar Yassin

Jaime Omar Yassin

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

Week in Review [while Trump invaded Oakland, a lot of other stuff happened]

Week in Review [while Trump invaded Oakland, a lot of other stuff happened]

In this week’s review —Council Decision Leaves Oakland Police Commission with Bare Quorum, Body Unable to Meet on Thursday —EAP Would Have Come to Council in Special Meeting Monday, With One Business-Day Notice, But Brown, Ramachandran Intervene —Oakland Arms Embargo Demands Port Commission Ban Weapons Cargo Transits at Oakland

At Council This Week, 10/21/2025

At Council This Week, 10/21/2025

Non-Consent Calendar There’s only one item on the Non-Consent this week, and it's the already delayed reappointments of Police Commission Chair Ricardo Garcia-Acosta and alternate Commissioner Omar Farmer. You can read more about it here. After weeks of delay and demand by CM Jenkins that the appointments

Reporter's Notebook: Committees Review, 10/14/2025; 10/16/2025

Reporter's Notebook: Committees Review, 10/14/2025; 10/16/2025

Reporter's Notebook Rules Committee, the committee that schedules all legislation to the Council's agendas, can be a pretty boring meeting. But this past Thursday's Rules Committee, October 16, was far more exciting [relatively] than usual from a news gathering standpoint. Two arcs that Oakland

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