Oakland Council Race Heats Up

Candidates for the at-large seat on the Oakland City Council expressed their opinions on a range of issues during a forum Monday night, and the incumbent swiftly rebuked one of her opponents on the matter of district outreach.

Rebecca Kaplan, a lesbian who has served as the at-large councilmember for eight years, took exception to a comment made by her chief opponent, Peggy Moore, when answering a question about practical and structural changes in city government. Moore, also a lesbian and a former senior adviser to Mayor Libby Schaaf, said that from the standpoint of the at-large representative, she would support having "ambassadors" who could go to all of the seven council districts to talk with community members and elicit feedback.

"Communication from the city to the community," Moore said of her proposal.

When Kaplan got a chance to respond a few minutes later, she said, "My opponent suggests having five times the staff budgeted for. I think it'd be awesome but where would the money come from?"

Later, during another question, Moore clarified that she wasn't talking about hiring staff when she mentioned ambassadors. Rather, she would enlist volunteers.

"I'm not thinking about additional resources," she said. "I'd encourage people who want to be involved."

During her comments, Kaplan touted her accomplishments on the council, including securing free bus passes for school kids and enforcing renter protection laws. She also said she voted for the strongest police accountability possible when the City Council decided this summer to place Measure LL on the November ballot. It's a charter amendment that calls for establishing a civilian police commission to oversee the Oakland Police Department and forms a community police review agency to investigate police misconduct and recommend discipline.

Moore said the top three things she is focused on are affordability, the relationship between the community and police, and the relationship Oaklanders have with each other.

"I am an organizer to the core of my soul," said Moore, who served in that role for President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign under Obama for America. She also said that she organized the Sistahs Steppin' in Pride event for lesbians that took place for many years before Oakland Pride relaunched.

Asked about their priorities, Kaplan talked about transportation and how she's focused on prioritizing and getting money for projects, such as filling potholes. She said the city's current road maintenance program is inefficient and she advocates a zone-based approach.

"If it's not on the list it doesn't get done," she said for why pothole maintenance is done. "It's inequitable and inefficient."

The October 17 forum, presented by the League of Women Voters Oakland and the North Hills Community Association, was held at the College Preparatory School in the Oakland hills. About 50 people attended.

The candidates were asked about Measure KK, a $600 million bond for street and pedestrian infrastructure. One candidate, Nancy Sidebotham, said she'd vote against it. The other four candidates, Kaplan, Moore, Bruce Quan, and Matt Hummel said they would vote for it.

"Although I'm voting for it, the bond measure ticks me off," Hummel said, adding that years of deferred maintenance has led to the current situation. "The best thing we have going is low interest rates."

Kaplan agreed it's cheaper now while interest rates are low, and that the streets will only get worse if nothing is done.

Moore said street maintenance needs to be addressed "right now."

Quan said there wasn't much choice and that he would vote for it.

On other transportation issues, Kaplan said she "landed us a grant" that launched the free Broadway shuttle, which connects Uptown with BART, Jack London Square, the ferry and Amtrak.

Fire protection is a big issue in the Oakland hills, which this week marked the 25th anniversary of the firestorm that killed 25 people and destroyed over 2,800 single-family homes and over 400 apartments and condominium units. Hummel said he rejected the question, which was about improving fire safety.

Kaplan disagreed, and said that climate change makes it even more important to continue to improve fire safety and prevention, such as increased brush clearance.

"We need up-to-date fire trucks that can navigate the hill streets," she said.

Moore supports wildfire prevention but acknowledged she has not "dug into all the issues" on it.

On education, the candidates were asked about improving public schools and reducing the dropout rate.

Kaplan referenced the bus passes for students and also said she worked with District 1 Councilman Dan Kalb on his project to hire social workers who go into elementary schools to help students who are chronically absent.

"We also need to look at teacher retention," Kaplan said, noting that the housing affordability crisis has affected teachers.

Moore cited her support for Oakland Promise, a cradle-to-career initiative started by Schaaf that aims to triple the number of college graduates from Oakland in the next decade. The program opens universal college savings accounts for kids. It started this fall for public school students and is planned to expand to charter schools next year.

"This is happening," she said of Oakland Promise, adding that her wife is a teacher.

During their closing comments, Moore said the city needs an at-large councilmember who can "bring the whole city together." She said she wants to lift people up, to get them involved and pointed to her experience at companies such as Clear Channel Outdoor in addition to working for the city. She's received the endorsement of the East Bay Times .

Kaplan said she wants to continue her work representing all Oaklanders. She said that she's been able to get unanimous support from her colleagues, and said those 8-0 votes were not easy. The Democratic Party has endorsed her, as has the Bay Area Reporter.

Hummel said he liked what Moore said about communication and said the Green Party endorsed him.

Sidebotham said she has run before, and said that a city of 400,000 cannot rely on the eight-member City Council "to make decisions for you."

Quan, a retired law professor, said he's running "because I came back to the city that nurtured me and found it sideways."