Thursday, October 13, 2011
Thursday Must Read: Batts Quit After Bad Report; Jordan Expected to Take Over OPD
Politics / Law Enforcement & Crime / Health & Medicine Robert Gammon — Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 9:57 AM
Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. Outgoing Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts announced his resignation just days after the city received a scathing report from court monitors overseeing the police department, the Chron reports. The report by the monitors, who are all veteran law enforcement officials, criticized OPD for “backsliding” in implementing mandated reforms. The monitors also appeared to pin blame on Batts, stating that “it is ultimately the leadership of the department that must be the impetus for reform and public confidence.” During his two years in Oakland, Batts has made very little progress in implementing the reforms that grew out of the Riders’ case.
2. Oakland City Administrator Deanna Santana and Mayor Jean Quan are expected to name Assistant Police Chief Howard Jordan as the department’s interim chief today, the Trib reports. Jordan, an OPD veteran, previously served as interim chief in 2009 after ex-Chief Wayne Tucker resigned and before then-Mayor Ron Dellums hired Batts.
3. A US attorney in Southern California plans to go after newspapers, radio stations, and other media outlets that take ads from medical marijuana dispensaries, California Watch reports. US Attorney Laura Duffy, whose district includes San Diego and Imperial counties, said she will specifically target any media outlet that publishes ads that promote the sale of medical pot. Duffy’s announcement comes at a time when the Obama Justice Department is increasingly targeting medical cannabis dispensaries, however, it’s unclear whether the US attorney for Northern California will also go after media outlets.
4. California Democrats are slamming the Obama administration for its failure to help middle and lower-income homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages, the Chron reports. The Dems note that many economists agree that the nation’s economy will not recover until the housing crisis eases. Yet banks are refusing to help homeowners who are in trouble and may go into foreclosure, and the Obama administration is refusing to do anything about it.
5. Amazon.com’s attempts to pass a national law that would exempt it from having to collect sales taxes appears to be in trouble, because a new bipartisan bill in Congress would give states more power to force online retailers to charge sales tax. The Trib reports that Bay Area Congresswoman Jackie Speier has co-authored the bill with a Republican from Arkansas, and it would allow states to force Amazon.com to collect sales taxes even in states where it has no physical presence.
6. Right-wing Christian groups who want to overturn a new state law that requires schools to teach kids about the accomplishments of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and disabled people failed to gather enough signatures for their ballot measure, the Chron reports. However, the groups are expected to try again for the November 2012 election.
7. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted 8-6 to purchase a giant, old warehouse in San Francisco for $93 million, the CoCo Times reports. MTC plans to leave Oakland and move into the building after renovating it. The agency also plans to share it with other regional agencies and rent out a substantial portion of it to private interests — a move that some critics contend may be illegal.
8. And the City of Berkeley may consider banning plastic bags in the wake of a recent state Supreme Court decision that upheld a plastic bag ban in Manhattan Beach, the Berkeley Voice reports. In addition, the Alameda County Waste Management Authority is putting together a new plan that may allow other East Bay cities to ban plastic bags as well.
Comments (5)
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Lawngun! I was wondering where you'd gone! You got the hell out of here? Where are you? Your post is like a breath of fresh air... I've been just sort of sitting here, watching this city in open-mouthed horror...Soon, the police dept. will be taken over by the feds, the city will declare bankruptcy, property values will go through the floor, the murder rate will reach double digits, and Quan will fly out of here into some federal appointment leaving us all to go to hell.
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Damn! Though I have left Oakland for good and promised never to worry myself again about the dysfunctional town I called home for over two decades, the latest turn of events just can't go by without comment. As Max has pointed out, people are finally waking up to the horror of a mayor they put in office this year. The poll is misleading in one respect -- it ignores the general dissatisfaction with the eight councilmembers sitting on the dais every two weeks and Oakland's other elected officials. Word, Tucker and Batts -- none the PERFECT police chief. Just three guys who, for a while, gave a damn about the City of Oakland and tried to do the right thing. Just three guys who found their efforts stymied at every corner.
Each of the three resigned their position citing lack of support and outright interference from the elected officials. What does it take for the citizens of Oakland to detect a pattern here? Tired old politicians with tired old ideas about how to solve the crime problem with hugs, after school programs and jobs for felons.
Good luck, Max. Good luck, yoyo g. Good luck all people who are ready for real change...positive change. The City of Oakland Charter has no recall provisions. A trip to the Secretary of State's website and a search for "recall" will provide the necessary procedures. Any changes under the current administration will be so much window dressing.
I won't go so far to parrot the Stones and call for violent revolution. Enough violence already. The time has come for revolution, though, no doubt. An across the board recall would be an excellent good start.
If failure to conform to the NSA was the problem, then Quan's decision to appoint Jordon interim chief is puzzling. Isn't he the one who oversaw NSA compliance?
http://informant.kalwnews.org/2011/05/fede…
Also, according to Trib columnist Tamerlin Drummond, Batts phoned her a day before he quit and said he was "getting it from all sides" (may not be the exact quote). That included Henderson, but clearly, also ... ahem... more LOCAL issues....
"The monitors appeared to pin the blame on Batts."
In a related story, which despite being big news today did not make the "Must Read" list, the people of Oakland appear to pin the blame on Mayor Quan.
http://www.surveyusa.com/index.php/2011/10/13/honeymoon-ends-for-oakland-mayor-jean-quan/
A poll of 500 residents conducted yesterday by SurveyUSA shows that mayor Quan's approval rating has fallen to 28%, while 53% disapprove. And 68% say they have little or no confidence that mayor Quan can reduce crime.
See the results at http://www.surveyusa.com/client/PollReport.aspx?g=01fc2c64-614f-43cb-96f7-afee797bace5
Petition (Online) >>> We still need over 4,000 Signatures >>> Only 12 Days to go!!!
Prisoners being held for the peaceful,non-violent possession,sale,transport or cultivation of cannabis must be released http://wh.gov/gf3
I just started a petition on the White House petitions site, We the People.
Will you sign it? http://wh.gov/gf3
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