Category Archives: City Hall

Open Government May Close

Posted on February 16, 2024 by Irene

On February 20, the city council will decide the fate of the Open Government Commission and whether there will be any meaningful oversight of the council itself. On the table is whether to continue having the commission hear complaints about … Continue reading →

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Bigger Council Is Not Better

Posted on January 5, 2023 by Irene

Out of the blue, Councilmember Tony Daysog suddenly has a new priority.  He wants to expand the city council from five to seven members.  (Daysog’s Swearing-in Ceremony Speech, Alameda Sun, Dec. 29) What gives?  This expansion was not part of … Continue reading →

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Funding the Police

Posted on October 15, 2020 by Irene

Alameda is joining numerous cities across the country in rethinking how we provide policing before next year’s city budget is prepared.  What level of policing we want and expect from the Alameda Police Department (APD) will determine the funding we … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Education, Quality of Life | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Watchdog has no bite

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Irene

On February 18, the city council stripped the Open Government Commission of its authority to enforce the Sunshine Ordinance, Alameda’s open-government law.  The commission no longer has the power to nullify an action passed in violation of the Sunshine Ordinance … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Open Government | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Unchecked Executive Privilege at City Hall

Posted on January 30, 2020 by Irene

So authoritarian.  An effort is underway to amend the enforcement provision of Alameda’s Sunshine Ordinance, its open-government law.  The change would grant the city council the sole right to police itself when a violation occurs, unless the matter is taken … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Open Government | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Holy Smokes!

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Irene

What a mess!  City staff made a mistake by not telling the city council that the amendments to the marijuana (cannabis) ordinance they were considering had not been properly noticed to the public.  Instead of admitting and fixing their mistake, … Continue reading →

Posted in Alameda Businesses, City Hall, Open Government | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another One Hits the Road

Posted on August 23, 2018 by Irene

What a shame.  What a loss. The latest person to give their departure notice to the city is Alameda’s Base Reuse and Transportation Planning Director Jennifer Ott.  She is going to serve the City of Hayward as their deputy city … Continue reading →

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A Missing Thank You

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Irene

On May 23, a lot of kudos were handed out at the Site A groundbreaking ceremony for the first new neighborhood at Alameda Point.  One individual was not mentioned, but certainly deserves much of the credit:  John Russo. As city … Continue reading →

Posted in Alameda Point, City Hall | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

No Rush to Judgments

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Irene

The city clerk, in coordination with the city manager, routinely prepares the agenda for city council meetings.  There are times, however, when an individual councilmember would like to add an issue to the agenda.  When this occurs, the councilmember must … Continue reading →

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Make-Believe Traffic Remedy

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Irene

The chant coming from city hall is a familiar one: “What do we want? Another consultant! When do we want it? Now!” Hiring consultants can be helpful at times, but when an issue has been studied to death, it’s make-believe … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments