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Agenda Item
6 26-0364 Subject: Reorganizing Of The Parking Division
From: Councilmembers Unger And Brown
Recommendation: Receive An Informational Report From The City Administrator On The Proposed Reorganization Of The Department Of Transportation's Parking Division, Including (1) The Rationale For The Proposal; (2) A Fiscal Impact Statement Including Any New Or Unfrozen Staff Costs And An Analysis Of Operational Cost Savings; (3) A Summary Of Outreach That Occurred To Department Of Transportation Staff, The Public, And The Business Community; And (4) Information On How The Change Would Impact The Parking Division's Collaboration With Other Departments
We need more civilianization of enforcement tasks to save money. Plus I have firsthand experience that the police tow vehicles people live in, which is totally counterproductive as a form of homelessness response.
I strongly oppose this policy. It would be extremely dangerous to give OPD the power to enforce parking given that they also have the ability to track and stalk vehicles using Flock surveillance. There is plenty of secondary reporting of how other police departments abuse flock surveillance to stalk private citizens [1][2][3] and giving OPD more powers around vehicle enforcement will only make Oakland less safe.
The duties of the various city departments should be kept separate. Parking violations should be relegated to fines. We cannot trust the police, who claims they have too much to do and not enough support, to competently perform any new responsibilities especially given that they are by far the most bloated, inefficient, and wasteful department [4].
OPD has shown utter irresponsibility, the entire nation has seen it's flagrant misuse of overtime funds. In particular, OPD has repeatedly tow ed"abandoned" vehicles that are used by shelter by extremely vulnerable unhoused people. We have witnessed first hand OPD do 0 due diligence and claim vehicles are abandoned despite personally knowing the owners. Please do not give more power to those who clearly lack the expertise to protect the public in this arena.
Do not shift vehicle towing to the Oakland Police Department. It's not good interest for public safety, citizens' welfare, city finances, or the city's businesses.
We need more civilianization of enforcement tasks to save money. Plus I have firsthand experience that the police tow vehicles people live in, which is totally counterproductive as a form of homelessness response.
I strongly oppose this policy. It would be extremely dangerous to give OPD the power to enforce parking given that they also have the ability to track and stalk vehicles using Flock surveillance. There is plenty of secondary reporting of how other police departments abuse flock surveillance to stalk private citizens [1][2][3] and giving OPD more powers around vehicle enforcement will only make Oakland less safe.
The duties of the various city departments should be kept separate. Parking violations should be relegated to fines. We cannot trust the police, who claims they have too much to do and not enough support, to competently perform any new responsibilities especially given that they are by far the most bloated, inefficient, and wasteful department [4].
[1] https://lookout.co/georgia-police-chief-arrested-for-using-flock-cameras-for-stalking-and-harassment-searched-capitola-data-earlier-this-year/story
[2] https://haveibeenflocked.com/news/ga-misuse
[3] https://www.carscoops.com/2026/01/flock-camera-police-abuse-citizens-exposed/
[4] https://oaklandside.org/2026/01/30/opd-overtime-investigation-oakland-takeaways/
OPD has shown utter irresponsibility, the entire nation has seen it's flagrant misuse of overtime funds. In particular, OPD has repeatedly tow ed"abandoned" vehicles that are used by shelter by extremely vulnerable unhoused people. We have witnessed first hand OPD do 0 due diligence and claim vehicles are abandoned despite personally knowing the owners. Please do not give more power to those who clearly lack the expertise to protect the public in this arena.
Do not shift vehicle towing to the Oakland Police Department. It's not good interest for public safety, citizens' welfare, city finances, or the city's businesses.