Oakland's John Russo City Attorney Offered Alameda City Manager Job - Congrats

Well, congratulations are in order for Oakland City Attorney John Russo, who was just offered the Alameda City Manager position, and considering the climate in Oakland, that he got the job at all was a blessing for him.

Russo was painted into a corner in several ways. First, Oakland's enormous budget problems caused him to pair down the City Attorney's Office. Second, the election of Oakland Councilmember Jean Quan as Mayor of Oakland gave him a person more an adversary than an advocate to work with. Third, the counter-reaction to the Oakland Gang Injunction Program threatened to give Russo the first serious challenge to his office in the next election, should he have remained in Oakland.

Plus, John's in his 50s with two twin boys; he's not getting younger and it's time to be at a place where there's just less stress and bullshit. And frankly, Oakland City Hall was becoming more like a high school than a government office, with factions, cliques, games, groups, and enemies. Russo was tired of being part of that. He was concerned that his reputation would be sullied by that.

Now, thank God, he doesn't have to deal with it.

Oakland, or at least its current set of players, won't have Russo to kick around any more.

For a while.

Richard Winnie, Long Time Friend, Alameda County Council, Passes

This really hurts. Discovering the passing of this blogger's long time friend Richard Winnie via social media leaves a mix of emotions. Richard, Mr. Winnie to some, boss, to others, Alameda County Council to more, and godfather and friend to many, was and always will be my friend.

Richard represents a good 20 years of my 48 years life, and most of that talking about the politics of Oakland. But that was a subset. A side event.

Richard spontaneously remembered my birthday, and about a few weeks before August 4th, made sure to call, or have his secretary call, me to set his schedule so we could meet.

And we did, and always at 7:30 AM. For anyone who knows how much that time of morning is a pain in the butt to deal with for me, it was a pleasure knowing I was going to meet Richard.

Richard Winnie was one of the few people who actually bothered to take me aside and be a mentor. I didn't have to ask him or approach him, or drop a name. It was just the way he was.   See, unknown to me at the time in 1991, Richard wanted me to run a then-new organization called "Oakland - Sharing The Vision."(Or as my friend Phil Tagami called it, "Oakland - Sharing The Ham Sandwich.)

That didn't come to pass, but it was a very small episode in our relationship.  I was flattered that, in a city where it seemed I always had to yell to get my point across, someone - Richard - was actually listening.

 There are those people who are your friends - you don't have to ask, they just are. That was - is - Richard Winnie.

But beyond this little corner of the World, Richard was a giant in Oakland; someone many of the younger Oakland bloggers don't know, but should know about.

That strong mayor system we have in place, the one that many point to Jerry Brown for installing and called Measure X, had its roots in a push to change from the weak-mayor system we had, one that was spearheaded, for the most part, by two men and one woman: Richsrd Winnie, who was then partner at Wendel Rosen Black, and Dean, and then-Oakland Councilmember Dick Spees, and a then-little-known labor lawyer named Jane Brunner, who's now Oakland's District 2 Councilmember.

The reason I recall this so well is I was recording the doings of what was called The Oakland Charter Review Commitee when I was a Columnist for The Montclarion, and that was between 1993 and 1995. What became of that effort, Measure F, would, if passed in 1996, had given then-Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris the strong mayor power he wanted for so long. But it failed at the ballot box.

But the basic structure of that Measure, one that Richard Winnie played a key role in crafting, found its way into Measure X, Jerry Brown's version of the same system, that really should be called Jerry Brown's version of a plan created to a large degree by Mr. Winnie.

Why? Because Richard just plain cared about Oakland. He was a constant critic of The Port Of Oakland, and in particular the enormous power it held over waterfront land development decisions. But Richard, a keen intellect, was never a rabble-rousing critic; he always expressed his view with sound logic, and activated a good list of political and business contacts to express his view.

Richard, for much of the 21st Century, battled cancer, and for a time it seemed cancer would never return.  It's hard to think of an Oakland, or my life the same way, without my friend.

Berkeley Citizens' Action Forum On KPFA

From the video description: "Berkeley Citizens' Action held a forum on March 27th, 2011, on the situation at KPFA. Philip Maldari, long time KPFA broadcaster, discusses the reasons the Morning Show was killed by Pacifica's management in these three combined clips."

Couch at 386 Euclid in Oakland Reflects Lack Of Pride Of Place

Couch at 386 Euclid in Oakland still there, originally uploaded by zennie62.

The couch you see in the photo that was at 386 Euclid Avenue near Lake Merritt in Oakland, California is gone now. But it was there for a good six days straight (at least), and is the latest in a totally awful set of examples of the overall lack of price of place that's exhibited in the Adams Point area.

Not that Adams Point is the only place in Oakland that exhibits this problem, but the one within my immediate sphere of influence. I took three photos of this couch and placed them on my Facebook page. But something should be done about this beyond my cyber-complaints. It's a clear sign that many people in the neighborhood just don't care how it looks.

It's not the first time this has happened.

The first time, for me, was last year, when someone left, in order as you walk up Euclid, a couch, two chairs and a table, and a mattress. All between 378 and 380 Euclid and right in the walk path.

What really galls me is we have a nice place to live. Many of the homes are classic Victorians that recall the days when such homes dominated the Lake.

And with this, you'd think someone would care enough to report this. Well,OK, I did. But I feel like the minority here because the first time I took note of the problem I complained to some one riding by on a bike, who came out of one of the homes on that part of the street. Instead of saying anything in agreement, the biker looked at me like I was nuts and said "It's not me."

Yeah, I know. I know.

That wasn't the point.

I just wish he'd have cared.

Oakland Ranked Choice Voting Complaints An Insult To Mayor Quan

There's still discussion over the new Oakland Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) system, with the latest article suggesting that a number of voters didn't understand it. Well, that's wrong headed and an insult to Oakland Mayor Jean Quan that's starting to sound like that high-pitched whine journalists make over the sale of The Huffington Post to AOL. Look, the November election's over and Quan won.

Moreover, Jean Quan won because a healthy number of voters did understand RCV - enough to product an incredible outcome.

In our election recap, Oakland City Attorney John Russo actually explained how Quan could win over Don Perata, who scored about 35 percent of the first-choice votes, before she won, then said that the possibility of Quan getting three-quarters of the second-place and third-place votes was so remote, it wouldn't happen. See this video:



But guess what? It did happen. Russo actually called it. Moreover, it means, once again, that Quan and Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan's gamespersonship worked. That's right. They smartly gamed the RCV system in telling their supporters to vote for the other person's candidate. Nice work.

And before you get upset over my use of that term gamespersonship, which was deliberate, calm down and consider the reverse. Don Perata didn't play the game. He failed to use a campaign strategy of working a deal to make sure even his supporters knew who to pick for second and third choice. Think of what may have happened if none of his supporters picked Quan as their second choice?

Now you see the point.

Even if all voters understood RCV, it would not have translated into a different outcome. The playing field was open to anyone willing to apply a little game theory and marketing. That's what Quan and Kaplan did.

Now Quan's the Mayor of Oakland. Get over it, please. We have too many problems and still not enough jobs for Oakland residents. We need more than a new retail store; we need a manufacturing plant. Our focus should be on Oakland's economic development, and not on ranked choice voting.

SF Public Defender Jeff Adachi On SF Police Surveillance Video Scandal

The San Francisco Police video Surveillance Scandal has hit the media and led to what ultimately could be a sweeping investigation and eventually a wholesale change in how police work is done. This blogger met (for the first time) with San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi to talk about the scandal and its implications on Friday for this video interview.



Mr. Adachi presides over an office of 90 lawyers, a budget of $24 million, and has handled about 25,000 cases over his tenure since he was elected in 2002. Adachi explains that the one truism is "everyone has an eye on you."

That "eye" is the camera, be it a camcorder, standard photo camera, a camcorder, or in the case of the surveillance scandal, a surveillance camera. What happened is a couple of weeks ago, we had a case where the client said the police came into my room without a warrant." Adachi says the police filed a police report that claimed otherwise - that they had consent to enter the place.

What the San Francisco police officers filing the report didn't count on was the existence of a video right in the hallway and which captured their every move and "directly contradicts what the police said."

The Public Defender says "police have to have a warrant in order to go into your home. This is America. This is the constitution." The officers were caught on camera violating the basic constitutional rights of the very people who's homes they broke into. "In one of the videos, you can even see one of the police officers, who knows the surveillance camera is there, put his hand over the surveillance camera." Then the officer took it away once the police were ready to leave. The trouble is, he didn't keep his hand up long enough.

This is the video Adachi's referring to:



"The bottom line," Adachi says, "is the conduct the officer did is illegal and it contradicted what he put in the police report." Jeff says that when an officer writes a police report there's a box that writes "under penalty of perjury." That means if the report is false, the officer has lied to the court with the stroke of a pen.

Even with that, Adachi says the officers don't take the issue of perjury seriously. In the Surveillance Video Scandal, the officer gave testimony consistent with the police report, even as the video contradicting him was shown in court.

Eventually, that, and other videos, led to the San Francisco District Attorney dismissing 57 cases last week. And there may be more.

That's because once an an officer is found to have committed perjury in one case, or officers involved in 57 cases here, that can be applied to other past cases. So this scandal is what Mr. Adachi describes as the "Pandora's Box" that could lead to discoveries of other San Francisco police misconduct examples.

Former Police Chief Backs Off Investigation

The announced investigation that was to be ran by Former SF Police Chief and now San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, but Gascon has announced he will not lead the investigation of the SFPD on this matter. The FBI will take charge of the investigation. (And while they're supposed to, Jeff Adachi says that as of this report, the FBI has yet to contact him. Adachi wants to be kept informed by the FBI.)

On The Matter Of A Master Key

In another case that came to Mr. Adachi and involving the Lutx Residential Hotel, San Francisco Police went to the landlord's office and pushed and intimidated him, demanding a master key. The police used the key on six different occasions to enter rooms, again without a search warrant.  The landlord says he believes in the police, but they can't use him to go into people's apartments, as they have done.

Even with Adachi's public complaint, and the video scandal, San Francisco Police Chief Jeff Godown says his charges will continue to use a master key in drug busts. In a press conference Friday, at about the same time as I was talking with Adachi, Godown said "We're not doing anything (different)," and argued that a "pass key is no different than someone booting down the door with their foot or using a ram."  Adachi has said he would seek legislation to make the police stop their current practices.

The San Francisco Riders Case?

To this blogger, the San Francisco Police Surveillance Video Scandal has all of the marks of Delphine Allen v. City of Oakland, known as The Riders Case in Oakland.  In that famous episode in Oakland Police history, four Oakland Police Officers, beat, intimidated, and abused West Oakland residents, then lied about their activities in their police reports.

It cost the City of Oakland $10.9 million in paid settlements to 119 Oaklanders and their lawyers, and sweeping changes in how the Oakland Police conduct activities with potential suspects. And the OPD is under the watch of an independent monitor, who reports to the Federal Court on a regular basis.

Adachi is not prepared to go as far as to suggest the San Francisco Police have a "Riders" problem with rogue police officers, but that was before Godown's statements. Overall, the appearance is that the San Francisco Police Department's not going to change its practices on its own.

A Hotline To Call

Mr. Adachi says if you have an incident of police misconduct to report, call 415-575-4290. Another practice is to purchase and wear a tiny pen-mounted video camera or use a camera-equipped clock that can rest on your desk.  A cyber walk to Spycameras.com reveals a wide variety of cameras, many at affordable prices.

Another way is to use your Samsung Android smartphone and download Qik.com.  You can activate the Qik.com app, and use the smartphone to livestream any illegal police activity happening before you, then send the video out to you Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts.  If you leave the Qik.com app on for about five minutes, it will broadcast a true livestream video to your viewers.

It's the only way one can protect themselves against illegal police actions and obtain evidence.   Technology is the ultimate disruptive force that can protect the civil rights of innocent San Franciscans.

Stay tuned.

What Is Your Fitness Fortune?

HI ‘Your Fit Day‘ Friends:

Last spring I decided to take my fitness business to a new level. With over 25 years experience in the fitness industry as a personal trainer; four years as a wellness coach; my experience in writing, producing and hosting my own fitness segments for ABC7 news in San Francisco; and along with my experience in sales as a life insurance agent (while also helping clients get fit for better rates), I knew it was time.

For what?

Well…to put it all together into my own global brand - Your Fit Day with DebbyK!

I needed some help with my vision so I sought out the help some coached, one which wasJohn Spencer Ellis.

Who?

John Spencer Ellis

John Spencer Ellis! He is the owner of a fitness business coaching program called Fitness Fortunes. If you’re a fitness trainer – or maybe you’re super-fit but unfulfilled in your current job and that little voice keeps popping into your head saying: “hmmm, should I make that leap and live the life that I’ve been dreaming of, owning my own fitness business?” – you can check them out at www.fitnessfortunes.com

In order to launch all my innovative ideas and systems that will help the world stay healthy and fit I needed some help from those in the industry who had big brains, who were already successful, and who had made all of the mistakes for me! So I hopped on Google, got on some email lists of movers and shakers in the fitness industry, and started doing my research.

What I found was that there are a ton of fitness marketing kings out there claiming to be expert coaches and gurus who, in the end, don’t live up to their word.

Show me the money, right?

Well, not really. I mean yes, I want abundance and security, and trips to Fiji in my lifetime, don’t you? But not at the expense of selling health and fitness products or concepts that, I hate to admit, are mostly crap.

Who you gonna call?

So I needed someone who was great at shameless self promotion, could teach these subtle skills to me, and was on top of how to market the industry’s most current trends. John Spencer Ellis seemed like the ‘go to’ guy. I mean he has three multi-million dollar companies, so he’s obviously doing something right.

But I also had my laundry list of what I wanted in a coach. I wanted someone who had a down to earth presence; who, through the inflection in their voice, I could tell cared about you and your success; someone who was honest; someone who understood your challenges; and frankly someone who had a long history in the fitness industry and was an innovator. (JSE has been in the industry as long as I have, which is a very long time!).

What I liked about John is that after reading his story we had many similar qualities and life experiences. I could relate to him.

There are a lot of newbies in the industry who look great with their ripped abs, sign you up, super-sell their systems, and then leave you hanging, without any options to opt out.

So after my Google-ing and gabbing with others who had used fitness business coaches – some who paid close to $10,000 dollars without the support they expected – I settled onJSE .

1$ Buck signs you up!

Just click on anything remotely related to boot camps or fitness coaching and John Spencer Ellis pops up on the first page of Google. He does a great job of using the internet to promote his empire. I know, because as a certified trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine I was always getting his promotional links in my in-box.

So one day back in the spring of 2010 I decided to click on the link. John was offering a series of free videos that he promised would change my life and bring me to the next level of creating ‘my empire’. I think I must have trashed about six months of these offers before I decided to give him a try. I mean for $1 Buck I could get all this useful ‘free’ information on how to brand and grow my fitness business.

The first month was basically free with no obligation. So I gave up my buck and watched the videos. I had enough good information from that $1 Buck investment to quit the program then. But I didn’t.

You might ask, ‘Gee, if you got so much info from the $1 buck why continue?’

Now that’s a great question.

And here’s my main answer:

In that first month I really received so much useful information and support from John. Even though John new that I had only payed one dollar, and there was a 50% chance that I would take my info and run, he treated me like any other paying monthly Fitness Fortunes member.

In that first month John was able to tap into one of my main challenges. And with a few provoking questions John got down to my core, made me focus, and made me face my fears. All in that first month..for a dollar…that 1$ buck.

The Human Map Quest© For Your Fitness Business

Do you find yourself bombarded with so much information out there that you don’t even know where to start?

John has put together a one stop shop of resources for the fitness professional that helps you chart your own path down river without all the debris mucking up your engine.

Aside from the group coaching calls each month, and with webinars and tele-classes added each week, there’s a clear, self paced, step-by-step guide made available to all members. This makes it much easier to chart my path to success.

Sticking with Fitness Fortunes is like using Map Quest©-assuming it is updated for your area! You don’t get lost; waste time and gas; or find yourself stalled in a ditch by the side of the road.

Is your biz going in this direction?

I want to see how far I can go in building my own fitness empire with the right support; with less flats and the wheels always rolling.

Grab Your Mindset…Ready, Set, Go!

Just like getting into shape and staying fit, at some point if you want to expand and challenge yourself you need to step out of your comfort zone and train your brain. John Spencer Ellis is that coach; that cheerleader; that mentor; and that friend who everyone needs at some point in their lives. In my case it was to learn and acquire the skills needed to grow my business, as well as my mind, and bring abundance into my life as well as yours.

So follow me on my journey to creating my own ‘Fitness Fortune’.

Everything I learn from John and the programs that JSE offers will benefit YOU, my local and global ‘Your Fit Day‘ friends.

For now I will stay the course with Coach John Spencer Ellis and continually update you on my progress for the launch of my new Your Fit Day website.

Tell Me,… What Will Be Your Fitness Fortune?

Have you ever worked with a life, business or fitness or wellness coach? Maybe it was to start a fitness program, lose weight, train for an event, or start your own business.

Or maybe you’re a life or wellness coach or a personal trainer, and have some experiences you’d like to share?

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below.

Make It Your Fit Day with DebbyK!

Oakland's Larry Reid Wrongly Called Cannabis University Graduate

Like his Oakland City Council colleague Councilmember Desley Brooks (District 6 - Central East Oakland), Oakland City Council President Larry Reid (District 7 - East Oakland) also supposedly received a "Diploma of Certified Seedling," last year, and from the Oakland-based institution called UniCann.

Or did he?

The video's title - "Councilmember Larry Reid University of Cannabis graduate" - is just plain wrong. There's no video evidence of Councilmember Reid receiving the kind of diploma Brooks got last year. The video just has Larry expressing his gratitude for the location of the University of Cannabis facility in his District 7. Reid just says "Congratulations. Welcome to Oakland."

Here's the video:



It's no wonder the video's not being pushed via Twitter the way the video with Councilmember Brooks has been (and by members of the local and regional pot growing industry with Twitter accounts at @GroMaster, @M24Cabbage, and @calpotnews) - it's not accurate at all with respect to its title.

I'll bet Larry's going to bust a gut when he sees this.  And he should; they misrepresented him.

Larry Reid almost hates to be on video, or at least he consistently ducks doing a video interview with this blogger, so to see this video - like the Brooks videos, not touched by the general media until this space found them - is a surprise. But it's also a window into why Reid is careful to do videos of any kind - this video was title to by misleading and it is.    The Thinking Pot - the YouTube channel that uploaded the video, should change its title.

Indeed, that wasn't very thoughtful of them.

Oakland Chief Of Police Should Be Elected, Not Appointed

The position of Chief of Police in Oakland should be an elected one. This blogger's reasons start with how a document announcing the search for a new chief in 2009, which became Tony Batts in 2010, was worded.

There' an old job posting for the position of Chief Of Police For The City of Oakland that's still online, here. It's posted text, repeated below in case the City of Oakland had the original removed, explains, among other things, that the Chief of Police "reports to The City Administrator." Now, of course, many Oakland insiders know this, but the public's generally not aware of such things.  (Also, the Chief's salary was set at "up to $17,615.17 per month.  What Batts does with that 17 cents is anyone's guess.)

But with that, one would agree it was wrong for certain members of the Oakland City Council to openly state that Chief Batts should have come to them regarding his job and working condition issues. The document openly states he reports to the Chief Administrative Officer, or "CAO," so they were essentially encouraging Chief Batts to jump over his boss and talk to them.

A City Manager like the legendary Henry Gardner would not have permitted such behavior. Even in a strong mayor system, Gardner would have figured out a way to send a message to the Council.

It's for that reason, and others, that the Chief Of Police should be elected, and not appointed. The Chief of Police should be able to rise above these political games and act at the will of the Oakland public. That way, if Oaklanders don't like how the Chief and his charges are dealing with crime in Oakland, they can make a change at the top. It would also force the Chief and the Oakland Police Department as a whole to be more responsive to community needs.

Well, here's the entire post, again printed here to escape what the City of Oakland might do to get rid of it:

Agency Director, Police Services
(Chief of Police) Oakland, California

The City of Oakland, California is seeking an exceptional leader to serve as Chief of Po- lice and provide direction and leadership to the Police Department and the community in creating a safe and secure Oakland.

The City. Oakland, with a population over 400,000 in 56 square miles, is the largest urban center in the San Francisco East Bay Area, with a strong history of community activism and involvement in community affairs. It has a rich history, and has long been at the forefront of many of the political movements that have shaped our country. It is one of the most diverse cities in the country, a place where more than 150 languages are spoken daily, reflecting the magnitude of this multicultural nature of the community. The city consists of a large number of individual neighborhoods, each with its own character and economic status. Within these neighborhoods diversity is celebrated by many of its residents and business people and who chose to live in Oakland because they are attracted to its environment, social commitment and strong neighborhood orientation. The City is home to some of the wealthiest neighborhoods and some of the poorest in the Bay Area. The city sits across the bay from San Francisco, is one of the country’s top seaports, and is the commercial heart of the Bay Area. Oakland is the only city in California with three professional sports teams and is the home of important museums, a world-class zoo, major shopping areas and several colleges. It is served by an international airport located within the city.

The Oakland community has a history of strong community involvement, and people are often vocal about expressing their views and perspectives on local issues. To the Oakland community, collaboration with government officials and neighborhoods is of particular importance. Whether relating to policing or other government functions, the Oakland community is active and volunteerism is extensive in all of the city’s neighborhoods.

Oakland has a strong mayor-council form of government. The Mayor is elected for a term of 4 years. The City Council has eight members representing seven districts in the city with one member elected at large. Council members serve staggered 4 year terms. The Mayor appoints a City Administrator, subject to confirmation by City Council, who is the chief administrative officer of the city. Other elected city officials include the City Attorney and City Auditor.
The Position. The Chief of Police reports to the City Administrator, and is responsible for the management of the Police Department and delivery of policing services to the Oakland community. The Chief heads a department with an authorized strength of 803 sworn officers and 358 civilians. During the last year, the department has added a number of officers, and is currently at its highest sworn strength in years. The operating budget for the Police Department is over $200,000,000 from the general fund, special revenue and other sources. The expenditure for policing represents almost 40 percent of general fund expenditures.

Crime in Oakland remains of significant concern to Oakland's residents and its business community with most crime occurring in a discrete number of neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods have little crime; others substantial amounts. The rate of crime has fluctuated from year to year but remains at high levels in some neighborhoods. The Police Department has been faced with a number of difficult challenges, and currently operates under a court-supervised consent decree focused on internal investigations, use of force and other related issues.

The recent death of a young man by a transit police officer in a transit station in Oakland has raised community tensions. Following that, there was in an unrelated incident, the death of four Oakland police officers by an armed felon, to which the City Council, Mayor and community as a whole strongly rallied in support of the department.

Recently the department has moved to implement a geographically based patrol structure, which has generally received high marks from the community, although it remains a work in progress. A number of other important initiatives are underway, such as offender reentry strategies, strengthening of community policing and proposals to strengthen development of performance management through CompStat.

The Chief of Police is a member of the city's senior management team and is expected to work closely with other city department heads. Strong, effective leadership is required to address internal department issues, respond to community concerns and collaborate on policing strategies and to control expenditures in a time of severe fiscal challenges faced by the city.
The ideal candidate will have extensive demonstrable success in implementing crime reduction strategies and implementing the core elements of community policing in a highly diverse community, be passionate about collaboration in decision-making on policing strategy that affects the Oakland community, be an articulate spokesperson for the Department and the community on best practices in community policing and com- munity involvement and be committed to developing trusting relationships between the police and the community they serve. Additionally, the ideal candidate will have extensive experience in reducing crime and disorder in a diverse community in a manner that raises the confidence of that community in the policing effort. He or she will be a charismatic person with energy and commitment that inspires trust in the community and respect within the department, as well as being a 24-7 CEO with high visibility within the department and the city's neighborhoods.

The ideal candidate should reflect the following characteristics:
- Be passionate about policing in a diverse community and recognize the impor- tance to the community of that diversity as something to be celebrated;
- Have a track record of demonstrable success in managing a major police agency in a highly diverse community and have demonstrated the ability to lead the agency toward development of relationships of trust and confidence with all sectors of that community, including those in the city who are currently disengaged;
- Have experience in providing leadership within the police agency that improved police officer performance toward community policing objectives; demonstrated ability to increase sworn and civilian personnel acceptance of modernization, community collaboration and strategic initiatives, as well as employee job satisfaction; and ability to manage department resources and expenditures in a time of severe economic downturn;
- Have developed and articulated a vision and strategic plan for policing in such a community and successfully implemented that plan;
• Have demonstrated the ability to implement a crime reduction and crime preven- tion strategy that effectively reduces crime and gains support of the community;
• Be committed to transparency in all aspects of policing, and supportive of strong collaboration with the diverse community in policy development, police strategy development and neighborhood problem-solving;
• Have at least a Bachelors Degree and preferably a Master's Degree and beyond and have attended a nationally-recognized senior management program such as the PERF Senior Management Institute, one of Harvard University’s Senior Management public policy institutes, the FBI National Executive Institute or comparable program;
• Have a strong knowledge of modern technology and how it can be used to improve police officer access to information, performance management and allocation of resources;
• Have political acumen and the ability to interact successfully with a broad spectrum of political leadership, each having their own perspective on issues important to Oakland and the neighborhood they represent;
• Ability to bring resolution to the consent decree’s "negotiated settlement" by adopting as standard practice the values and best practices agreed to under that settlement;
• Ability to bring national "best practices" in policing to Oakland;
• Understand the impact policing practices, such as the expenditure of overtime, patrol strategies and neighborhood collaboration have on other units of govern- ment and the budget;
• Know how to use crime analysis for predictive policing strategies aimed at preventing future crime occurrences, adopting a sophisticated resource allocation methodology;
• Committed to empowerment of lower - level employees providing them with authorization to manage their area of responsibility, holding them accountable for their decisions and results.
• Have a career that demonstrates the highest level of ethics, standards and per- formance; and willing to be held accountable for his or her own actions and those of the department under his or her guidance.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is currently up to $17,615.17 - month. Salary will depend upon candidate’s experience. The previous Police Chief’s salary was at or near the maximum of the salary range. The City provides an excellent benefits package, including participation in the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). The city will negotiate relocation assistance with the successful candidate.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit by e-mail their resume with a cover letter setting forth why they are qualified for the position to either oaklandchief@policy-partners.com or by mail to Oakland Chief Search, Box 577, West Tisbury, MA 02575. This position is open until filled; however the first review of applicants will take place about June 1, 2009.

The City of Oakland is being assisted in this search by the Strategic Policy Partnership. Box 577, West Tisbury, Massachusetts 02575. 617-693-8571.

The City of Oakland is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity at all levels of the workforce.