OAKLAND, CA – On Tuesday, May 21, the Oakland City Council will vote on a proposal to partner with an international microlending organization to support local entrepreneurs and promote economic development in Oakland.

The proposal sponsored by City Attorney Barbara Parker and City Councilmember Libby Schaaf will create a partnership with Kiva.org, a nonprofit organization that has raised more than $400 million to fund small entrepreneurs in 67 countries. Kiva’s mission is to create opportunity and alleviate poverty by providing capital to people without access to traditional banking systems.

file photo, OL

Under the proposal before the City Council on Tuesday, Oakland will become the first U.S. city to partner with Kiva through the organization’s Kiva Zip program. The City will serve as a “trustee” by endorsing three local microbusinesses to receive zero-percent interest loans of up to $10,000 each.

“This innovative model has helped countless entrepreneurs around the world,” City Attorney Parker said today. “Small and ‘micro’ businesses play a major role in Oakland’s economy, many of them serving immigrants, refugees and low-income residents. A few well-placed loans to burgeoning entrepreneurs can make a tremendous difference in our community.”

Under the proposal, Oakland initially will identify three businesses to receive capital. The City will not be responsible for funding, guaranteeing or repaying the loans. Kiva Zip’s crowd-funding model allows individuals to look through profiles and loan requests of Oakland businesses at zip.kiva.org and loan as little as $25 dollars to businesses of their choice. The program already has helped some Oakland businesses including the Mandela Foods Cooperative, which received a $5,000 loan to improve marketing and buy reusable and recycled bags. As Oakland borrowers pay back the loans, more Oakland businesses could be endorsed to receive crowd-funded loans.

“By providing capital to Oakland microbusinesses, this partnership will help strengthen our economy one local entrepreneur at a time,” Councilmember Schaaf said today.

Lynette at Youth Public Safety Meeting

Managing your money is an important duty of the city council. Your elected representative provides input and advocacy on how the city spends its’ revenue and takes on debt.

By law, the council must adopt a balanced budget by June 30. Our next budget will be for the period July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2015.

The budget should be more than just numbers on a page – it should reflect the values and priorities of the citizens. It says this is what matters and how we will pay for it.

Last month, Mayor Jean Quan released her budget proposal to the council. The mayor’s proposal highlights improvements in Oakland’s fiscal health and acknowledges the significant role city employees made to help address the fiscal crisis.

This is important. Employee contributions helped Oakland avoid bankruptcy unlike other California cities, and improve its’ fiscal operations despite losing close to $30 million in redevelopment funds.

But these contributions or give-backs did not come without a cost. The city reduced its workforce to the lowest in decades and employees who stayed took pay cuts and lost benefits.

In the end, Oaklanders had to accept a lower level of essential city services like reduced policing, library hours, senior services, blight abatement, and road maintenance. At last week’s budget meeting, I told the mayor and the council that the adopted 2013-2015 budget must allow the citizens of Oakland and staff to share in the gain, just as they did the pain.

Good signs: Revenue is up in key categories, including transfer tax, property tax and sales tax. Good fiscal management has helped Oakland maintain strong credit ratings.

We are paying down our debt and making regular contributions to reduce unfunded liabilities – at a regular rate – which is a good sign that this council is working hard to overcome mistakes of the past.

Things to consider: Rising costs for healthcare, insurance and retirement are rising faster than inflation and are outpacing economic growth.

What I like:

• Keeps city hall open – eliminating city shut-down days ensuring garbage pick-up and open libraries during the holidays
• Adds graffiti and blight abatement officers
• Retains Head Start
• Increases the number of police officers
• Funds much needed repairs and maintenance to streets, sidewalks and crumbling city facilities like deFremery Park and Recreation center

What I’d like to change:

• More consideration for Health & Human Services to support public safety by investing in youth programs, homeless and re-entry services
• More funding to abate blight & illegal dumping including added code enforcement staff
• Increased funding for Animal Services
• Ensure protections for affordable housing

I am going to spend the next several weeks talking to my councilmembers, staff and the public, about the budget to make sure that the one we adopt reflects our values, improves our quality of life, and maintains our stature as a well-run city

                                           Your voice matters!

Join us at the budget workshops to share your priorities and concerns. I look forward to your input in person at these meetings, by email, and or phone.

Budget town hall (for District 1 and District 3)

Saturday, May 18 from noon – 2 p.m.
Beebe Memorial Cathedral, 3900 Telegraph Ave.

Budget hearing

May 23 – All-city council budget hearing
June 13 – All-city council budget hearing
June 27 – Final city council budget hearing and adoption
(These meetings will take place at 6:30 p.m. at city hall)

In your service,

Lynette

P.S. – To see the city budget in a more visual way, I encourage you to visit openbudgetoakland.org/ to see how funding is distributed to City services and departments.

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Popuphood, a small business incubator that ran a successful pop-up retail cluster in Old Oakland, has signed a lease for a retail space owned by the city of Oakland at 1425 Broadway that also fronts on Frank Ogawa Plaza.

“The economic development department reached out to us to help them imagine what this space could do to activate the plaza,” Sarah Filley, co-founder of Popuphood said. “The city offered us the space so we could assist and partner with them to fill vacancies in downtown Oakland, fill the plaza with positive energy.”

Aliza Gallo, Economic Development manager in Oakland’s’ Office of Economic and Workforce Development, said she sees the incubator project as definite boost for a space in the heart of Oakland that became internationally famous during the Occupy movement.

“This partnership is to rebuild community ownership, to bring people back to the plaza,” Gallo said.

The lease agreement gives Popuphood about 4,000 square foot space rent-free for one year; in exchange, Popuphood will “host at least one public meeting, event, educational seminar or Pop-up Shop per month to encourage small business and retail development in the city of Oakland.”

Recent real estate listings for Frank Ogawa Plaza average around $2 per square foot, putting the market rent for the space leased to Popuphood in the neighborhood of $8,000 per month. By this calculation, the city is subsidizing the incubator project to the tune of just under $100,000 during its one-year rent-free tenancy.

However, as Popuphood Co-Founder Alfonso Dominguez pointed out, “The space has been empty for four years. To see empty spaces in front of City Hall is bad for the city.”

The end of redevelopment forced Oakland to discontinue its program of matching grants for façade and tenant improvements; the pop-up model provides a new means for business development.

HUB Oakland, a co-working and business incubator space, will sub-lease approximately 3,000 square feet until its permanent location further uptown is ready in October. The remaining space will become Popuphood’s first dedicated office space. HUB Oakland’s below-market rent payments will cover the costs to maintain and improve the space, while allowing HUB to give their business model a trial run.

“There is a momentum and an energy for HUB Oakland to exist. This allows us to open up our doors,” Konda Mason, co-director and CEO of HUB Oakland said.

After October, Popuphood will bring other small businesses into the incubator.

“We are approaching this as a flexible space,” said Filley, who noted that the goal of the first year is to try to understand the plaza to determine what businesses people want there. Filley said she expects future pop-up retail shops in the space will show that “downtown Oakland is open for business.”

Gallo envisions a revitalization of the 14th and Broadway area by local businesses with Oakland flair.

Steve Snider, district manager of the Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt-Uptown Association, said he thinks the partnership with Popuphood is an excellent way to achieve this goal.

“The activation of these spaces can make a difference in enhancing the downtown corridor and attracting more businesses and more patrons,” Snider said. “I look at pop-ups like staging for homes.”

It’s why San Leandro Councilmember Ursula Reed dove head first into running for Alameda County superintendent of schools next year. Reed’s hired the services of Doug Linney, possibly the best political consultant in the East Bay.

It’s also why the number of challengers for Oakland Mayor Jean Quan’s is quickly rising.

This week, Port of Oakland Commissioner Bryan Parker launched an exploratory campaign for mayor. Parker, who incidentally, was appointed by Quan to the Port last summer, unveiled a splashy, well-done introductory YouTube video.

Parker is vice president for a leading kidney dialysis company who may attempt to tailor his message to the city’s growing demographic of young professionals with money to burn. However, there is already chatter among Alameda County Democrats the treasonous nature of running against Quan is fostering distrust over his motives.

Others reportedly showing interest, include another Port of Oakland President Gilda Gonzales, a former chief of staff under former Mayor Jerry Brown and activist Joe Tuman, who finished fourth in 2010.

The other possible challenger is Oakland City Auditor Courtney Ruby. Although the Oakland City Council led by Councilmember Pat Kernighan withdrew scheduled discussions of Ruby’s controversial 14 alleged violations of the city charter by Councilmembers Desley Brooks and Larry Reid, the issue of wrongdoing still exists.

Regardless of, if or when, the issue returns to the council, Ruby is undoubtedly positioning herself as the candidates of those who feel corruption in Oakland has run amok.

One high-profile name you won’t see running for mayor in 2014, according to Democratic insiders, is Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Cross-posted at EastBayCitizen.

“This issue has come up and its been here awhile,” said Gallo, the District 5 representative. “And for this council to sit here silent – we are leadership-less.”

Gallo urged for City Auditor Courtney Ruby to respond to the Council’s questions over her scathing audit alleging Brooks and Reid of 14 total violations of the city charter’s non-interference laws.

“I think these two individuals are members of my team and the issues out there aren’t going away,” Gallo said.

The impromptu comments by Gallo’s ignited pointed responses from both Brooks and Reid to condemn Ruby’s allegations against them.

“To respond would assume the report has some validity,” Brooks said.

Gallo, however, tried to clarify his remarks, but was interrupted by Brooks. “I want to hear from the auditor,” he said before Brooks abruptly cut him off.

“I want to finish,” she said curtly.

Brooks continued a similar argument from two weeks ago when she charged Ruby with providing a report without evidence that she and Reid overstepped their Council authority by allegedly directing city staff on two projects in Brooks’ district and a construction contract at the Oakland Army Base.

“She has tarnished the name of myself and Mr. Reid without a shred of evidence,” Brooks said.

Later Brooks urged the Council to, instead, investigate Ruby.

“We need to spend money to audit the auditor’s audits,” she said.

Reid said he “concurred” with Brooks’ argument against Ruby and added the auditor was not accountable to anyone at City Hall. After reiterating Brooks’ call to “audit the auditor” – almost using it as likely slogan in defense of the charges alleged – Reid immediately leaned back in his chair and flipped out his cell phone.

Tuesday’s discussion, which, again, included various residents speaking in support of Brooks and Reid, is the third consecutive meeting where the allegations laid out in Ruby’s report took center stage, but without any officials comment or action by the Council.

Council President Pat Kernighan said the item could be scheduled for discussion as early as this Thursday’s Rules Committee, to which the Council could begin sorting out how or when it will discuss the charges.

In the days after the March 23 report was released, Kernighan said the Council would likely broach the subject in a month’s time, while raising the possibility of censuring her council colleagues, if the charges are proven.

Cross posted from East Bay Citizen, http://bit.ly/174QRJc.

Nenna Joiner of Feelmore 510 explains how Oakland Local has helped her as a small business owner.

Today, Mayor Quan acknowledged and takes full responsibility for the inaccurate statistic. “I was given incorrect data last year regarding areas with a high concentration of homicides in our city. I have been using that data to describe the 100 Blocks Initiative. As Mayor I should have taken more time to analyze and verify the data and its accuracy as it related to the concentration of violent crime in our community. This is regrettable and I take full responsibility for the error.” said Mayor Quan.

Although the statistic used was incorrect, the premise of the public safety strategy is sound and has merit. “It is the Right Strategy and it is the Right Plan to address one of our City’s most significant challenges.” Stated Mayor
Quan. The areas chosen to focus on have been identified in numerous reports and analyses as being the right neighborhoods and the right beats in the city with the highest concentration of homicides. We must focus our
efforts on reducing crime in the neighborhoods that historically and persistently suffer from the most violence and have the least hope.” stated Mayor Quan.

Various analyses of data on shootings and homicides conducted by a number of researchers over a number of years* have revealed a recurring and consistent pattern: violent crime is concentrated in particular geographic
areas of Oakland.

The team that Mayor Quan has selected to lead the public safety effort—including Police Chief Howard Jordan and City Administrator Deanna J.Santana—are aligned in their strategic vision for public safety and their
commitment to assign law enforcement and other City resources in support of this strategy.

“Our successful collaboration with other law enforcement agencies to extend the reach of policing strategies is showing results. This year we have employed strategies to remove approximately 300 guns associated
with crimes from the streets and worked to remove offenders from our streets,” said Assistant Police Chief Anthony Toribio. “We are working with finely tuned crime data on a daily and weekly basis to target the
highest crime areas, respond to crimes when and where they are happening, and make vital arrests.”

In addition to law enforcement, the City is seeking ways to support the violent crime-reduction strategy with other City resources. “For many years, the Oakland Police Department has held sole responsibility for addressing the City’s public safety challenges,” said City Administrator Deanna J. Santana. “We know that the police department alone cannot reduce the high levels of violence in our community; they must have the
support and resources of every City agency and department.”

Santana has charged city department directors to think about service delivery with an aim toward crime reduction. “Parks & Recreation, Public Works, libraries and other City departments are seeking new ways to
provide resources to reduce crime in the most impacted areas,” she said. “This is a new approach for City agencies, and will take time to take hold.”

The Mayor also focused on the need to provide real opportunities to the young people in these neighborhoods to reduce crime long-term. “Our summer jobs program for youth will begin July 16th for kids in the most
distressed areas providing an opportunity for them to learn skills that will be useful throughout life” said Mayor Quan. We cannot begin to turn the tide on violent crime, unless we are all working in concert on a united vision. “We have the right team, the right strategy, and we are focused on the right areas,” said the Mayor.

According to a report from Building Services to City Council, the final report from Management Partners is not expected until September – more than a year after the Alameda County Grand Jury issued its second report on the systemic problems within the department and its code enforcement unit.

Building Services has been under a microscope after the Grand Jury issued a scathing report of the division’s practices, which include excessive blight fines, a non-existent appeals process and rouge code enforcement officers that allegedly regularly harassed and intimidated Oakland property owners.

As result of the grand jury’s report – the second one within a 10-year span – a massive restructuring effort is underway.

In a recent report to City Council, Building Services provide updates on the internal reform efforts underway, including ongoing policy and cultural changes within the division.

According the Building Services, highlights of the changes include holding regular strategy sessions with the Oakland City Attorney’s office and partnering with the Alameda County Public Health Department. Building Services said it also has met with different property to resolve specific issues and liens have been pulled from property taxes for several cases. Prospective liens have been banned, according to the report, and outside officials are now serving as appeal hearing officers. The department is also developing an online website to access information about complaints.

New notices and procedures for addressing bank-owned blighted properties have been developed and implemented. The department also is developing system for handling complaints about city staff. An amnesty program also is in development, with an anticipated launch in May.

Building Services was once housed under the Community and Economic Development Agency before it was disbanded because of the loss of the city’s redevelopment agency.

The July 2011 report from the Grand Jury harshly criticized the division and its operational practices and said  Building Services dealt with owners in “an atmosphere of hostility and intimidation” and that the problems were systemic throughout the department.

A Cincinnati-based agency, Management Partners said it will create new approaches that can help Oakland obtain better code enforcement results by helping to add new tools and methods. In developing its procedures and performance measures, Management Partners said it will focus on identifying  specific policies and actions raised in the Grand Jury Report that, “should be addressed most urgently.”

To date, no one has been reprimanded for the the problems documented in the grand jury report.

Brunner started out with the “good news” saying that libraries, senior citizens centers, human services, police and fire services would all avoid budget cuts. In fact she explained that most of the cuts would only affect city staff in an attempt to avoid cutting the aforementioned public services. However, annual subsidies for the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland and Hacienda Peralta would all be cut by 40 percent, according to Brunner. And of course, she said, “All redevelopment projects that were not yet under contract would not be funded.”

However, at one point Quan jumped in saying that she had a potential plan to make up for some of the lost redevelopment funds.

“I am hoping that we can acquire funds through Chinese visas” to make up for some of the shortfall, she said. Quan went on to explain that tens of millions of A V5 visa funding helped build the Yankees stadium in New York and she is considering the same for Oakland. She explained that wealthy Chinese people pay for two visas at half a million dollars per visa and that those funds are then allocated to low-income communities to pay for much needed services.

Annalee Allen, founder of the cherished Oakland Walking Tours asked, with noted emotion, whether future tours would be eliminated and Brunner conceded that in fact the tours would be cut. An indignant resident stood up soon after to ask the mayor how she justified spending $50,000 for riot police to “stand around downtown on Saturday nights” to keep watch on a handful of protesters when so many other valuable projects were being eliminated for lack of funds. The mayor responded by saying that she was tired of having the Saturday night anti-police protesters breaking windows on a weekly basis and ruining the image of downtown. She stated that order had to be restored and she planned to make it happen with support of police.

The event ended with a volley of questions from constituents as they wrestled with the enormity of the redevelopment cuts in Oakland. And as one resident aptly asked, “Won’t eliminating the Oakland Redevelopment Agency and creating four agencies in their place become more expensive in the end?”

1. The Recall Election will be a Special Election, not part of the November 2012 election. State law dictates the rules of the recall because the Oakland City Charter does not have provisions for a recall process.
2. The timing of the election is also dictated by State law and will be held sometime between mid-August and mid-October 2012 depending on which of the two competing petitions, if any, is successful in gathering the number of valid signatures required (approximately 20,000).
3. The cost of the Special Election will be between $ 800,000 and 1 MM. It will be followed by another regularly scheduled election in November 2012 at a similar cost.
4. Special elections normally have a much lower turnout than regularly scheduled meaning that
5. a smaller proportion of the electorate will decide both the recall issue itself and who the replacement Mayor will be if voters approve the recall of Mayor Quan.
6. In the Recall election, voters will be asked if Mayor Quan should recalled from office. If more than 50% of those participating in the election vote yes, the Mayor is removed from office.
7. Voters will also be asked on the same ballot to select a replacement Mayor from a list of candidates who have filed to run for that office. If the Mayor is recalled, the candidate receiving the most votes (a “plurality”) will be the new Mayor. Note: the replacement Mayor does not need to receive a majority of the votes cast, just the highest number.

So the replacement Mayor could be elected with just 15 or 20% of the vote, depending on how many candidates run and how they divide the total vote. Contrast this with Mayor Quan’s election, where she received more than 50% of the votes in the ranked-choice ballot when none of the 10 candidates received anything approaching a majority in the first round, and second and third choice votes were counted.

Does this sound like a good process to you? Should Oakland conduct an expensive single issue election and remove a mayor and select a replacement in a predictably low-turnout electoral process?

Moreover, has Jean Quan done or not done anything that rises to the level of corruption, malfeasance, or dereliction of duty, the normal reasons for removing an official from office? Most voters, even her supporters, recognize some missteps and mistakes, and Quan has apologized for them.

Who among us, or in public office, has not also made mistakes:  Ron Dellums? Jerry Brown? Elihu? Lionel? Barack Obama? Should all of them have faced recall or impeachment for their missteps? Is this how we want to govern our city?

The best way to avoid this train-wreck of an idea is to not sign the petition and avoid exposing Oakland to an expensive, low-participation election that is not fair or wise, and which could saddle Oakland with a Mayor chosen by a small minority of the electorate.  Equally important, it will put Oakland on the slippery slope of recalling officials for policy disagreements, errors whether major or not, and simple political or personal enmity, a factor at work already for some of the leaders of this recall effort.

–Don Link, North Oakland

Editor’s Note: Have views you’d like to share? Send them to editor@oaklandlocal.com