Oakland City council candidate questionnaire 2014

1. City Council Candidate Questionnaire
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Candidate: Annie Campbell Washington
District: 4
Note: Please limit your answers to 250 words except where the question
indicates a different word limit.
1. Please state your position on the following November ballot measures along with a brief
(No more than 30 word) statement supporting your position.
 Measure Z: Public Safety (Parcel tax for police, fire and violence prevention programs)
 Measure XX: Public Ethics (Restructuring of Public Ethics Commission and mandatory
funding for its staff)
 Measure XX: Redistricting (Redistricting commission for City Council boundaries )
I support Measure Z: Public Safety. We cannot afford to lose a single dollar dedicated to
police services and violence prevention in this city. This is the continuation of an
existing tax that currently pays for police officers, fire service and outreach
workers/violence interrupters doing the work of the Ceasefire initiative. We need these
vital services to continue.
I support Measure CC: Public Ethics. This Measure strengthens the Public Ethics
Commission in critical ways to ensure that it has the resources and authority to fulfill its
mission of enforcing campaign finance, lobbying, transparency and ethics laws.
I support Measure DD: Redistricting. Measure DD establishes a 13-member Independent
Redistricting Commission that will be responsible for drawing the boundaries of the
seven districts for the election of Councilmembers and Oakland Unified School Board of
Directors. A 13-member board will provide a new degree of neutrality and independence
to this work that we have not experienced in the past.
2. MOBN!’s public safety plan calls for increasing Oakland’s police force to 900 sworn
officers within four years. To reach this goal, MOBN! advocates that the city should: 1) not layoff
any Oakland police officers under any circumstances; 2) schedule, fund, and conduct sufficient
police academies each year to increase that number, not simply replace officers who retire or
otherwise leave the force; and 3) make increasing the size of the police department its number
one priority. Do you agree or disagree?
As Councilmember, I will not vote to layoff any police officers under any circumstances.
I will schedule, fund, and conduct sufficient police academies to increase the number of

2. the force, not simply replace officers who retire or otherwise leave. Increasing public
safety is my number one priority – the strategies to accomplish that will be multi-faceted.
3. OPD’s difficulty in achieving the authorized sworn staffing level appears to
be exacerbated by high attrition and low morale, as shown by the department’s internal polling
(http://tiny.cc/OPDPoliceSurvey) and it’s loss of officers only months after they complete their
training. How should the City solve OPD’s attrition and morale problems?
OPD’s attrition and morale problems could be greatly reduced through the following:
1) The Mayor and City Council must budget for adequate equipment and technology
upgrades in the Police Department every year.
2) The Mayor and City Council must develop funding and budget for a new Police
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Administration building.
3) The Mayor and City Council must stay focused on finally getting into compliance
with the Negotiated Settlement Agreement.
4) The Mayor and City Council must develop personal relationships with the
leadership in OPD and OPOA built on mutual respect.
4. OPD has been under Federal Court supervision for close to twelve years. While
Oaklanders have repeatedly been told that the end is in sight, in late July, Judge Henderson
stated that Oakland’s disciplinary processes have violated Court orders, and that continuing the
same practices will "undermine any confidence in the sustainability of the reforms that have
been and continue to be achieved." Then, on August 14, the Judge criticized the City’s recent
inability to sustain through arbitration an officer termination in connection with response to the
Occupy Oakland protests. (Source: http://tiny.cc/ArbOrder.) The Court opined that Oakland
could not be in compliance with two NSA tasks if internal investigations were inadequate and
“discipline is not consistently imposed.” Many people believe the Monitor has repeatedly
imposed requirements on Oakland that far exceed the literal requirements of the NSA, and that
as a result of the Monitor’s shifting standards, Oakland may never be able to extricate itself from
Court supervision. As a City Council member, to what extent would you be prepared to oppose
continued and changing demands from the Monitor, and what is your plan to end the era of
Court supervision?
As Councilmember, I will do absolutely everything in my power to end Court supervision
of our police department. My opinions on these issues result from being personally
involved with the Negotiated Settlement Agreement from December 2011-December 2013.
I believe that the key Oakland players in these issues are the Mayor, the City Attorney,
the Chief of Police and the Plaintiff’s Attorneys. The City of Oakland has an extremely
limited ability to impact the Court at this point. In the past three years, the Judge has not
met with the Mayor or City Attorney in person and has met with the Chief of Police less
than a handful of times. I am realistic about the amount of leverage the City Council has
in this situation, but I will still do everything in my power as Councilmember to ensure
that the City remains in compliance with the NSA and we end Court supervision.
5. According to the Public Works Department, Oakland is on an 85-year repaving schedule,
meaning a street that is repaved today won’t be repaved again for 85 years. Further, according
to Public Works, maintaining the existing pavement condition on Oakland’s streets would
require an estimated $28 million annually, while the amount allocated annually has been less
than $6 million in recent years. Sixty percent of the City’s curb ramps are non-compliant or non-existent.
The total needed to rehabilitate Oakland streets is over $435 million. How do you plan

3. to reverse the ongoing deterioration of our streets and sidewalks? If you are elected, when will
Oaklanders see a difference?
The abhorrent quality of the streets in Oakland is a critical issue for me. It disturbs me
greatly that even in very good economic times, the City of Oakland has never funded
street repair at a level that can even make a dent. Because we have high priority
demands on our city dollars – namely public safety and unfunded liabilities – I support
Measure BB, the Alameda County measure that will be on the ballot in November 2014 to
ensure that we have a significant, stable and sustainable funding stream for this work for
the next 30 years. This measure will provide a significant funding stream for local street
repair projects in the City of Oakland -- $17M per year/$577M over 30 years for local
streets maintenance and safety.
6. The extent to which the City faces unfunded liabilities and what should be done about
them has been a contentious issue in recent years. As recently as last December, the City
Administrator projected that for the three fiscal years beginning July 1, 2015, Oakland faces all-funds
budget structural shortfalls totaling $795 million if it addresses its deferred capital
expenses and deferred liabilities, and $342 million if it does not (Source: December 12, 2013
Update to Five-Year Financial Forecast, Attachment D, http://tiny.cc/5yrupdate.) Do you believe
Oakland faces a financial shortfall, and if so, how will you address it if elected in November?
I believe that the City of Oakland does not have the revenue it needs to fund every
project and initiative that is desired in Oakland, so in this sense we will always face a
financial shortfall that will require budget trade-offs by the Mayor and City Council.
There is an incredible amount of deferred maintenance of sewers, streets and facilities in
Oakland, so there will always be a higher demand for revenue than we can possibly
collect.
The City Council must remain vigilant in budgeting conservatively for our future. The
most important role of the City Council is adopting a balanced budget that provides for
the core needs of the residents and business owners of Oakland.
As Councilmember, I will remain focused on ensuring that the Council adopts a budget
that:
 uses one-time revenue for one-time expenditures;
 provides a clear, reasonable and continuous payment plan for unfunded liabilities;
 accounts for all new expenses on the horizon resulting from previously approved
contracts with our employees, rising healthcare and other benefits costs;
 continues to fund police officer academies to ensure that we are doing better than
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just meeting attrition;
 funds technology, equipment and programs in the Oakland Police Department
with the intention of creating true community policing and reducing violent crime
 funds services that create safety in every neighborhood – illegal dumping
abatement; graffiti abatement; after-school programs at libraries; recreation
centers and parks; local business attraction and support;
 identifies a funding stream for affordable housing, such as a percentage of the
boomerang funds from Redevelopment
 funds a clear, reasonable and continuous plan for street maintenance and
transportation projects – ideally funded outside of the City’s general fund

4. 7. Operation Ceasefire has been described as the centerpiece of Oakland’s violent crime
reduction effort. We understand that funding for its manager has been dependent on grant
funding and that there is an insufficient number of case managers to maximize Ceasefire’s
success. Do you support expanding Operation Ceasefire? Where specifically do you propose
allocating resources and staffing?
I support identifying a sustainable, stable and ongoing funding source for Ceasefire.
Ceasefire is the cornerstone of the City of Oakland’s plan to reduce violent crime. It
must be funded fully in the next two year budget. The manager, case managers and
violence interrupters/outreach workers are currently funded by grants and the existing
Measure Y. I am prepared to fund this work with General Purpose fund dollars in the
next two year budget if other funding sources are not available.
8. In 2012-2013, Oakland contracted with Strategic Policy Partners (Robert Wasserman et
al.) to present a comprehensive public safety plan. Strategic Policy Partners made a large
number of recommendations, some of which have been implemented and some of which have
not. (The reports are here: http://tiny.cc/SPPReport, http://tiny.cc/Bratton1,
http://tiny.cc/SPPBest) If the voters elect you in November, please state whether you will
support implementing the following recommendations (We are looking for a “yes” or “no”
answer, with explanatory narrative not exceeding 25 words for each recommendation):
 Call for Service Reduction strategy; Yes – the Department must continue to look for
ways to reduce the number of calls actually requiring an officer to visit the
location by increasing the number of calls that can be handled by civilian staff or
staff of other departments and increasing the number of calls that can be handled
online.
 Expanded investigation capacity in each of the City’s 5 policing districts, so that each
district has an investigative sergeant, 3 investigators, and 3 to 5 police
officers. Yes – this staffing plan is ideal and should be implemented as revenue
allows.
 Increased sworn police personnel to a ratio of 2 officers for every 1,000 in the population
(i.e., 800). Yes – I believe that we do not have enough police officers because
residents do not feel that they can get a quick response when they call 911. I will
vote to support a budget that funds police academies to ensure that we are
beating our attrition rate.
 Expansion of the Ceasefire initiative. Yes -- answered in previous question.
Ceasefire is the cornerstone of our public safety plan to reduce violence in the
City.
 Redesign of community policing, so that the entire Police Department, not just PSOs,
are focused on community relationship building. Yes – I don’t believe we have ever
truly implemented community policing and as much as I love the work of the
PSOs, it has siloed community policing to a very small group of officers. Every
police officer in Oakland should be a community policing officer.
 Measurement of the state of community / police relations. Yes – I would like this to be
part of an annual survey to the community.
 Moving restorative justice practices into the community, to address neighborhood
disorder and minor crimes in a manner that brings community into the process and
prevents future crime and disorder occurrences. Yes – restorative justice programs
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5. and practices are very successful in Oakland schools and can also be very
effective in the community.
 Appointing a Director of Community Improvement who will be responsible for
coordinating collaborative action by city agencies, community groups and state and
federal partners, to address both quality of life issues and crime. No – I am not in favor
of creating a new position every time we identify a need in the community. There
are talented employees in the City of Oakland. This is critical work. The Mayor
and City Administrator must identify an existing staff person who can handle this
charge excellently. City Councilmembers can help facilitate this work because
they often have the closest relationships to the community members.
 Appointing a team of representatives from the community to work with the Director of
Community Improvement, the Police Department and other government agencies to
insure community coordination. Yes – this work is imperative and should be
prioritized by the Mayor, City Council and City Administrator.
 Bringing Security Ambassadors into the crime reduction strategic plan and require
advanced training to those who patrol downtown areas, so they are active and have the
ability to intervene in minor situations that impact public security. Yes – the Security
Ambassadors play a critical role in providing safety in our business districts.
Their work is commendable. The City should proactively bring them closer by
providing training and ensuring deep working relationships between the
Ambassadors and police officers.
9. In early 2010, Oakland’s Finance and Management Committee received a presentation
from staff and visiting personnel from the City of Baltimore concerning CitiStat, a leadership
strategy a mayor can employ to mobilize city agencies to produce specific results. (More
information is at http://tiny.cc/q00ojx ). CitiStat involves use of a round-the-clock 311 reporting
system for any request for city services other than policing. It uses data in a manner similar to
ComStat. High level city management uses the 311-generated data and benchmarks and
regular meetings to hold departments accountable, judge successes and failure, reveal what
agencies are doing and not doing to achieve benchmarks and provide the best possible
services to residents. Explain your familiarity with CitiStat and whether you believe such a
program can and should be implemented in Oakland. If you do not believe it should be
implemented in the near future, explain why. If you think it should, explain what you will do to
support implementation.
Yes – I support CitiStat and believe it should be implemented in Oakland. As
Councilmember, I will surface CitiStat as a priority for funding and will work hard to build
consensus around the funding of Citi
10. Oakland has room to improve its policies in the areas of crime reduction, budget
processes, street maintenance, and economic maintenance. What cities can Oakland learn
from, and adopt or emulate policies from with respect to these subjects? What policies from
other cities would benefit Oakland?
I am thrilled, as a graduate of the Goldman School of Public Policy, to bring my expertise
in public policy research and analysis to each and every problem facing Oakland as it
becomes necessary as a Councilmember. In addition, I will have the opportunity to have
a small staff to research best practices and develop solutions to problems facing
Oakland.
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6. 11. Do you support the following policies and, briefly, why or why not?
A. Creation by Charter amendment of a Rainy day fund as recommended by MOBN! and the
Budget Advisory Committee (BAC)? Support. I am a proponent of a Rainy Day Fund.
B. Annual polling of city residents on their satisfaction with city services? What would you do
with that information? Support. It would help inform my budgeting decisions.
C. Conducting a police resource deployment study to determine the number of officers actually
need by OPD and how they should be deployed? Support. Must be done with support of
OPD leadership.
D. Will you support the preparation of a comprehensive public safety plan? Support. One
major benefit of a comprehensive public safety plan is that it will provide elected
officials, city hall leaders and the community a sole plan to refer to and to work as a
collective body to implement. Currently, these issues feel confused and disjointed and
the community has lost faith in city hall.
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