Right now at #oakmtg. Council President Kaplan announces that there are 150 speakers for public comment, pretty sure they're all about the budget, and I'd bet specifically OPD share of it. Going to be a long Council meeting.

Felipe Cuevas, SEIU member/chapter president. Urging to adopt Kaplan's and Bas' budget amendments. "we watched as city built large reserves and we were told that we could not get the raises we had waited for for so many years" everyone has a minute, and even his lapsed #oakmtg

Speaker says she was shot in the back with less lethal weapons after the youth march on June 1. #oakmtg

The caller is a former employee of East Bay College Fund, Oakland Promise, and Schaaf's pet project and fund. Also called asking to defund OPD. #oakmtg

Another caller asking for 1.5 million to be transferred from the OPD to Dept of Violence Prevention, as per Bas' proposal to do so. It would expand what is now an as yet-unfunded pilot program to answer mental health checks, homeless calls without police #oakmtg

This one minute time limit is flustering people who are trying to fit in several lung fulls of frustration into the 59 seconds that follow "hi, my name is"

No Gun, layoff/Gun, raise. A clever mnemonic from an SEIU worker to track who will benefit and who will lose from the City's proposed budget amendments. #oakmtg

A speaker who campaigned for Measure Q says they had to fight the perception that the money would be used for policing homeless. She says that there was nothing in the Measure that indicated the money would be used that way and pleads for the funding to be dropped #oakmtg

Bas' concrete budget proposals are to transfer $1.5 million of the OPD overtime allocation to the Dept of Violence Prevention for MACRO; and to delete the City's Measure Q suggested allocation of 3 police homelessness unit and transfer back to homelessness spending #oakmtg

Its important to note that at this point, Bas' concrete proposals are only for the 1.5 million OT transfer and the removal of the police chunk from Measure Q. There are no other concrete proposals, but they could be coming by June 30, the deadline. #oakmtg

Almost every speaker has demanded the defunding of the OPD, in addition to promoting funding for programs like MACRO, housing, homelessness services. Several have said votes in November will reflect actions on the budget this month. #oakmtg

C.N.E. Corbin, Vice-Chair of Parks and Rec Advisory Commission: "parks and rec have been defunded. We have to refund our parks and rec system, super-important that Measure Q funding goes to Parks. #oakmtg

Several speakers have spoken in favor of Mandela Hotel in the planning dept appeal submitted by Unite Here. The Council had voted to uphold the appeal over, among other things, the hotels failure to pay living wages. Today's vote is for statutory requirements on appeals #oakmtg

@fineplanner, Transportation Planner at City of Oakland, IFPTE 21 member: "right now the admin's proposal defunds city services and non-sworn city workers. This is a question of equity: no layoffs, no furloughs, or freezes, redirect resources from OPD to city services" #oakmtg

Many callers have mentioned upcoming re-elections of Kalb, Kaplan, McElhaney, Gallo. But some are facing serious challenges from the center/right, including Kalb and Kaplan. Reid is retiring, and his daughter will likely win that election, but other centrists in that race #oakmtg

James Van of Oakland Tenants Union and other community orgs says he supports the budget Bas/Kaplan budget recommendations. He's puzzled by Measure Q police funding still in the City's budget after Schaaf said she would not fight the rejection of it #oakmtg

The majority of speakers have mentioned @APTPaction and their demand to defund OPD by 150 million, 50% budget, and reallocate the money to non-police responses, housing, homeless, community services, and the Black New Deal #oakmtg

Several speakers mentioned Bas' proposed 25 mil reduction. Those reduction proposals remain unclear. Bas' concrete proposals in today's meeting are 1.5 million. Biggest reduction in Kaplan's proposal would redirect 4 mil of OPD OT. Both would delete Measure Q OPD funding #oakmtg

A council person spoke into a hot mic a few minutes ago, and apparently said, "there are 7 other council members here". Last speaker wondered if it was Kalb. #oakmtg

Previous Speaker: "Fuck you Libby Schaaf, the guillotine is waiting" #oakmtg

For those unfamiliar with Council meetings, they will vote as a bloc on the "consent calendar", which are things ostensibly uncontroversial and/or previously approved by a committee unanimously. That will take a minute #oakmtg

One of the items on the consent calendar directs state aid to equity cannabis businesses in the form of no interest loans and grants. Apparently, City will be providing more of the money as grants, not loans due to losses specifically to cannabis during looting #oakmtg

2.21 was pulled out of consent by Taylor, and they'll now consider it out of consent. Its a "zero tolerance policy" for racism by police, and city employees. There's a mostly symbolic version and another that mandates legal action. #oakmtg

But the legal action is already applicable law. The resolution would "urge" civil service board to adopt certain practices. Taylor suggests changes that would address systemic racism at OPD, and not target Black officers who are disproportionately disciplined

The "zero tolerance" item passed, unanimous. #oakmtg

Kaplan announced that the Council will take the remainder items out of order, and that they will take the mid-cycle budget item last. #oakmtg

Bas' tear gas item is symbolic, will only "urge" City to stop using tear gas during covid-19. It will require Police Commission to come back to Council w/a new use policy, which fits in w/Commission policy work currently going on. Its not a ban, as Bas just suggested tho #oakmtg

Reid asks for Interim Chief Manheimer's thoughts before the vote on the tear gas resolution. #oakmtg Manheimer: "we fully understand the concerns. We do use it only as a last resort. We saw over 30 officers injured.

Manheimer brings the boogaloo shooting into it, remarkably and mentions homicides elsewhere. She mentions protesting "bricks" and other myths about protest. She says that no agencies would offer mutual aid. #oakmtg

Manheimer says that without gas, they'd have to retreat to PAB building. But she says they wouldn't be able to protect other areas of the city. She says OPD's been put on notice from Marshals and other offices that they won't offer mutual aid. #oakmtg

Manheimer: The Seattle chaz districts are fully lawless, they are extoring businesses. #oakmtg

Everyone seems to be pretending this is an ordinance, and not a resolution that does not obligate the City to do anything. Perhaps Schaaf will be forced by popular pressure to ban teargas if this passes? Either that or I've misunderstood. #oakmtg

Pretty sure this says "urge" not "shall". There's no obligation to ban teargas in this resolution, during covid or otherwise.

Kaplan reminded Manheimer that tear gas didn't do anything with looting in East Oakland #oakmtg

Manheimer now wonders if everyone is looking at the wrong agenda item and suggests there was another version. McElhaney points out that she's misreading the agenda item description. Mheimer revealing a lot about her comfort with city legal processes if this is all true. #oakmtg

Bas says goal is to strongly as a Council urge the OPD not to use tear gas during Covid. Resolution literaly says this, & succinctly. Bas says that Commission will take up tear gas policy as well as their draft ordinance on militarized equipment #oakmtg

Many council people here are pretending to not understand the resolution for reasons they are only sharing with god #oakmtg

The one binding and important thing that the resolution does, is that it requires Police Commission to submit a recommended use policy to Council, which will put the OPD in a position where they have to publicly oppose it or accept it. That's teeth #oakmtg

Police Commission has been working on a draft ordinance to be submitted to Council that will create a use, authorizing, oversight function for Commission on "militarized" OPD equipt. Its been shelved for months due to covid. I wrote about it here https://www.patreon.com/posts/31665985