Oakland on Forum with Michael Krasny
If you didn’t feel completely depressed about Oakland’s government already, you certainly will after listening to yesterday’s show. Of particular note is around the 34 minute mark, Chip Johnson asks David Chai when the search for Edgerly’s replacement began, and even with some forceful pressing, of course gets absolutely no answer. Although he got a big laugh from me when, in response to Chai robotically repeating over and over again “We will have a seamless transition,” he interjects “Not if I can help it!”
Also, if you listen to the whole thing, you’ll get an opportunity to hear yours truly. Other highlights include a call from Patrick McCullough. And you’ll get to hear, unbelievably, David Chai trying to claim that Ron Dellums is responsible for Oakland’s downtown revitalization. (Chip Johnson also calls bullshit on this one. Johnson, BTW, was just totally awesome during the entire show.) Chai also says repeatedly on the program that homicides are down! We are currently at 65 homicides this year, compared to 50 last year. That is a 30% increase!
Today in Montclair has more.
UPDATE: Oakland Focus is now reporting there’s a rumor going around that Edgerly has been placed on paid administrative leave.
UPDATE #2: Now confirmed that Edgerly is on administrative leave until July 31st. Acting City Administrator is, who else, Dan Lindheim. Does this mean I don’t get to write my planned post on him, “Worst CEDA Director ever” for Monday? Eh, I think I’ll do it anyway.
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- len raphael: Unconfirmed that MJQ laid off 100 employees today, blaming RDA court case. How much did she and the CC waste in legal fees betting against Jerry’s lawyers?
- ralph: No, Livegreen, Occupy Oakland is doing plenty good. They are the poster children for the new, “This is Your Brain on Dope” Campaign.
- Livegreen: They seem to b determined to shut down Oakland and little else. They’ve forgotten Wall St. I can’t help but think the Officers who were preventing them from breaking in to City Hall could have spent...
- gregory mcconnell: The Occupest disrupted City Hall today. They managed to make it difficult, but not impossible, to go into City Hall. They demanded that people who accosted cops on Wednesday should be released. I was out...
- livegreen: I watched the M-Y mtg last night, & it was painful. Jose is a nice guy, but he has difficulty running a meeting that gets anything done. They debated for about 1 hour whether they should discuss recommendations...
- len raphael: The murder of 5 year old Gabriel Martinez. Got a call from an acquaintance who lives in East O and often gets supper at his family’s taco stand. She asked where she can sign up to help on the recall.
- Ravi: I’m sure that all of those Quan diehards (“a recall would be a waste of time and too expensive”) are very gratified that this lovely and deserving woman is having such a good time. No doubt they prefer...
- len raphael: JQ “”I’m actually having a lot of fun,” she said after rehashing many of the lower moments from her first year in office.” “http://www.insidebayare a.com/news/ci_19651889R...
- Ravi: And regarding police reform and the crime thing, Judge Henderson could decide to put OPD under Federal jurisdiction because the terms of the NSA haven’t been fulfilled by the City Administration. Those folks in City...
- len raphael: Harbinger of things to come to the City Council when they eventually have to make similar decisions. But they won’t. The Fed bankruptcy judge will do it for them.
- livegreen: Yeah, but OUSD has to do something. There are way too many schools for the school population. There’s simply no choice. At least they’re willing to make the tough decisions. Unlike the City of...
- len raphael: Are those school board recalls entirely over the school closing decisions? Different groups or one umbrella?
- Ravi: Two recall petitions for Quan; five recall petitions for five school board members.
- len raphael: City says there are now 7 concurrent recall petitions. Not clear how many are for Quan and how many for Council Members. Direct democracy at work.
- Ravi: Can the Oakland City Council lead? Nope, nor can the Mayor. It’s up to the citizens, who are deeply divided and have been for a very long time.
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14 Responses to “Oakland on Forum with Michael Krasny”
June 27th, 2008 at 8:59 am
I am new to your blog. Where does someone leave a comment such as: Read the June 27 Montclarion editorial page for David E. Mix’s letter on disputing the LLAD, ending with “…I…hereby protest and contest the LLAD vote tally…”
June 27th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Pauline –
In general, I prefer that comments be relevant to the subject of the post, so in the case, the best thing to do would probably to do a search in the search box for “LLAD,” which would get you this post, and leave the comment there. But as long as people their comments respectful of others and civil, I’m happy to give commenters leeway to talk about whatever they’d like to. So here is fine.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:50 am
V, I will watch it when I have a bit more time. I will say this, however: Dellums needs to learn to talk with the media, and stop putting David Chai in speaking positions that he can NOT handle.
Chai may be a spokesman for Dellums, but that does NOT mean that he should speak for him 99.8% of the time! Maybe 40-50% at very most. Dellums obviously doesn’t like talking with the media, and Chip Johnson must make him want to pee in his underwear (assuming he wears any)– intimidating him to the limit!
Advice to David Chai– if you can’t give a reasonable answer, resign, and let Dellums speak on his own; advise NO ONE to be a spokesperson for him, unless they qualify as a better mayor than him.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Chai is almost unbelievably at bad defending the Mayor’s performance. One caller on the program said “I started out with a very favorable impression of Dellums and have retained it until I’ve been listening to this program this morning. Mr. Chai is doing his employer no favors at all.” Although, in fairness to Chai, as a friend said to me yesterday “Karl Rove couldn’t spin Dellums’ BS.”
June 27th, 2008 at 10:59 am
I listened to the Forum show and heard David Chai quote the FBI report and state that homicides were down from last year – but I had just read on this site that the numbers were up. What is an Oaklander supposed to do when the spokesperson for the mayor goes on the radio and simply lies?
June 27th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Homicides in Oakland were down from 2006 to 2007 (although aggravated assaults were up 11%). But from 2007 to 2008, we’ve seen a huge increase – 65 this year as of July 25th, whereas there were 50 as of the same date last year. Aggravated assaults are currently up 9% from last year.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:07 am
I listened with surprise to the interview.
I watched with dismay over KTVU report.
Shocking, most I find is that David Chai didn’t come to be Chief of Staff as a policy wonk or some constituent liasion. O no, his career has been in the field of political communications.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE2DB123FF936A15754C0A9639C8B63
If his history is as a press aide to the Clinotn’s, the the NYC Council and to Newsom why isn’t he better communicating on behalf of the mayor. Or is it that no one can sell that the emperor has no new clothes.
That’s all.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Paid administrate leave? Isn’t that exactly what you suggested on KQED, V? Is Dellums now taking instructions from you? The city would probably be a lot better run if he started.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
David –
Flattering (and frightening) as that idea is, I’m sure that I’m far from the only person in Oakland who thinks that paid administrative leave is the most appropriate action with respect to Edgerly. In fact, Councilwoman Pat Kerighan just sent out an open letter saying that she has been urging the Mayor to do just that.
June 28th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Omigoodness. I just listened and I want to scream. Actually, I want to print out the forms to start the recall process. David Chai should have just admitted that they hadn’t started the process because they thought she might stay until Dec 31 – not July 31 – and that since this happened, all had agreed to step up the search process.
And taking credit for development in Oakland? Uh, that was all started before him.
Wanting to get to 803 police officers, saying that you ARE going to get 803 police officers, and reality are very different things. Give me a break.
I’m more convinced that a recall is warranted. *I* freaken voted for him and I’m pissed.
June 30th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Pauline Z:
In regard to LLAD and the jerryrigging of the “votes” from the Port of Oakland, I pulled this off http://www.orpn.org/LLAD_B06 (written by Charlie Pine.)
City Tampered with LLAD Tax Vote
The City of Oakland gave a privileged property owner – the Port of Oakland – extra votes in the recent mail ballot on a proposed increase of the Landscape and Lighting Assessment (LLAD) tax.
ORPN previously reported how the City rigged the LLAD vote with outlandish determinations of how much “benefit” one property or another receives from park maintenance, tree trimming, and street lighting. Although a flagrant violation of any democratic standard, it is not automatically illegal.
However, citizen activist David E. Mix has uncovered outright vote tampering. The votes of homeowners, apartments, and other properties were weighted by the proposed increase in their LLAD assessments – but the Port of Oakland’s vote was given extra weight at its total proposed assessment. Port votes were simply manufactured out of thin air.
Instead of votes reflecting approximately a proposed half million dollar tax increase, the Port cast nearly three times as many votes: 1.4 million. Meanwhile, each homeowner vote was typically weighted at 67 or 72, the amount of their proposed increase, not their total proposed assessment of 169 or more.
Port of Oakland got votes for its entire proposed assessment, while single family homeowners got votes only for the proposed increase in their LLAD tax.
With the City’s vote tampering, the LLAD “passed” by 400,000 votes. The Port was given about 850,000 illegal extra votes, all dutifully cast for the tax increase. Without the tampering, the LLAD increase was defeated.
How we verified the vote tampering
California law governing assessment districts like the LLAD requires, “The ballots shall be weighted according to the proportional financial obligation of the affected property.” (California constitution, Art. XIII D, section 4e) City staff stated, “If the ‘yes’ ballots received, weighted by the assessment increase amount, exceeded the ‘no’ ballots received, weighted by the assessment increase amount, the City Council could impose the LLAD assessment increase at the June 17, 2008 City Council meeting.” (June 17, 2008 memo)
Kernighan and Rest of Council Refused to Listen
David Mix raised the vote-tampering issue at the June 17, 2008 meeting of the city council. Councilmember Pat Kernighan replied with contempt, “Recognizing that Mr. Mix opposes every single bond issue that’s ever happened, and has sued us many times, and I have many reasons to doubt what he says, I do think it would be good for the public to hear our attorneys or staff talk about why this vote was proper and accurate and legal.” In fact, the tally was improper, inaccurate, and illegal.
The same councilmember Kernighan worries that the Dellums-Edgerly scandal is eroding “the public’s faith that there is any accountability at all in city government.” (San Francisco Chronicle, June 29, 2008) Exactly, except councilmembers are worried only about public perception, not the reality.
Who masterminded the vote tampering?
* Councilmember Quan, smarting from voters’ defeat of a LLAD increase in 2006, took the lead in pushing a LLAD increase this Spring.
* Dan Lindheim, formerly in the mayor’s office, then head of the community and economic development agency, and now acting replacement for city administrator Deborah Edgerly, is believed to have worked out LLAD deals with the Port and the school district.
* Francisco & Associates tallied the vote on City contract. The firm dutifully reported a tally based on vote tampering. Outsourcing of democracy does not work.
* Kernighan and the city council as a whole refused to see the evidence of vote tampering.
City Hall specializes in tax-grabbing and failure to deliver promised services. Oakland officials are desperately trying to put the scandal of city administrator Deborah Edgerly behind them. They have violated Measure Y, the so-called violence prevention tax, again and again; residents have yet to see the additional police promised in 2004. Now councilmember Kernighan simply sneers at a resident who objects to the tampered LLAD vote.
Council Always Demands More Taxes, Delivers Less Service
Instead of providing an adequately staffed police force of 1,100 officers and other basic services, City officials tap the treasury to reward their favored supporters with giveaway grants and contracts. Every election seems to bring yet another tax proposal, named for a basic service but actually used to free up general fund money for political pork. Oakland winds up with half a police department and threadbare basic services, including reduced gardener staffing for parks, the supposed benefit of the LLAD assessment.
Oakland voters rejected a LLAD tax increase in 2006 and again this year. But in this city, democracy and the law are hard to find.
Unless something is done quickly, Oakland residents will soon pay more money to the City as a result of the city council vote rigging and tampering. The city council has a choice. It can admit that voters defeated its proposed LLAD tax increase and rescind its order to collect the tax increase. Or the council can force a lawsuit, suffering immediate exposure of City Hall’s contempt for democracy while it waits for a judgment that indeed collection of an increased LLAD tax is illegal.
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