9/21/21 Council Meeting: Advocating for Oakland Community Grants & Supporting the Right to Reproductive Freedom!

Hi Community,

At the Tuesday, September 21, 2021, 1pm Oakland City Council meeting, I have asked for the City Administration to share an important informational report on the status of several vital community grants that I and my council colleagues advocated for and successfully approved, many since early spring. These grants include:

• COVID-19 support for our LGBTQ community,
• Small businesses and vendors support,
• Support for an urban healthy food farm program,
• Safety Ambassador programs throughout our city,
• Training assistance for African- American and POC contractors, and many more!

I have grown concerned as some of the grantees have notified me that they have not received the funding from the city, thus our community is still without these important services. Many of these grants were funded with money that I successfully allocated back to the city as board member for the city on the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum Authority. I will continue to advocate and ask for transparency in the distribution of these funds. Please join me in demanding that our city move quickly to release the funding for these important vital services! 4/12 Resolution Budget Spreadsheet: Link

Item: Link & Link to related News Article: Link

September 21, 2021, 1pm Council Meeting Agenda: Link

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84614872331

Meeting ID: 846 1487 2331

As the country has seen an attack on reproductive freedom and women’s rights, we must defend access to safe abortions and other health services. I am proud to support the resolution from President Pro Tem Sheng Thao, in support of House Resolution 3755 (Chu) - “Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021,” which would codify ROE V. WADE into federal law in order to further protect the right to choose. I ask that my colleagues on the City Council approve this resolution, adding the City of Oakland as an endorser of HR 3755 -- supporting women’s right to their bodies, and denouncing Texas Bill 8.

Item: Link

I, along with Councilmember Fife, have scheduled a report from the City Administrator on the status of implementing the July 2020 Council directive to transfer Special Events Permitting out of the Oakland Police Department to the October 12, 2021, Public Safety Committee meeting. Several community members and organizers have shared their strong support of removing Special Events Permitting out of OPD due to the expensive police fees. Additionally, I have continually called for OPD to focus on responding and investigating crime and missing persons. As reported by KQED, “ Critics of the current policy are frustrated: In the years prior to the pandemic, Oakland used as much as 84% of its festivals and fairs fund to pay the police department for security instead of directly supporting artists and cultural institutions. This police-led permitting system is cost-prohibitive and inequitable, critics say. They argue it hurts opportunities for artists and small businesses, hampers Oakland’s tourism industry, and slows recovery from pandemic restrictions.”

Item: Link