Eli Wolfe

San Francisco

City Hall Reporter at The Oaklandside

City Hall reporter for @Oaklandside. Previously @SJSpotlight and @FairWarningNews. Always looking for stories: [email protected].

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Articles

Alameda County taxpayers group settles lawsuit with Oakland over 2022 mayoral election

6 days ago | oaklandside.org | Darwin BondGraham |Eli Wolfe

Oakland has settled a lawsuit that accused city officials of breaking election rules in 2022 and violating public records laws, among other claims. On Tuesday, the City Council approved a $207,812 settlement with the Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association and Marleen Sacks, an attorney who has sparred with Oakland in previous legal disputes. The city also agreed to improve records retention and election procedures.
Incoming Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee appoints chief of staff

6 days ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

Oakland Mayor-elect Barbara Lee is appointing Miya Saika Chen as her chief of staff, marking the first big appointment of her administration.
City unions urge Oakland to get police overtime spending under control

1 week ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

Oakland’s new two-year budget proposes a lot of cuts, but not when it comes to police overtime. The budget announced by Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins yesterday would give OPD $33.6 million to spend on overtime for the fiscal year ending in June 2026, and $38.2 million for the 2026-2027 year. City officials say this level of overtime is necessary to backfill patrol and respond to 911 calls, investigate violent crimes, and conduct special operations.
New Oakland budget would slash unfilled jobs to avoid public safety cuts

1 week ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

Oakland Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins unveiled his proposed two-year budget for the city today, which he said is just the start of a longer process toward getting the city back to fiscal stability. The full budget won’t be released until later today. But on Monday afternoon Jenkins released a document that explains in broad strokes what he hopes to achieve with the $4.2 billion spending plan that will span 2025 through 2027.
Who is on Mayor-elect Barbara Lee’s transition team?

1 week ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe |Darwin BondGraham

In a press release on Friday, Lee announced that has selected 15 people for her transition committee. The group will help Lee execute her 100-day plan, which will focus on public safety, homelessness, and good governance goals. “With the help of these dynamic leaders and residents, this is what we will deliver together,” Lee said in a statement.
Oakland’s top budget official is leaving the city

1 week ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

The head of Oakland’s Finance Department is resigning, The Oaklandside has learned. The surprise announcement comes days before Oakland’s interim mayor is scheduled to unveil his proposed two-year budget. “This afternoon, City Administrator (Jestin) Johnson informed the City Council that Finance Director Erin Roseman is transitioning from the City of Oakland effective June 15 to pursue other opportunities,” a city spokesperson told The Oaklandside.
Is a flawed overtime formula costing Oakland money?

2 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

Oakland’s massive budget deficit and need to slash spending has made city leaders’ ears perk up any time a source of potential savings is identified. That’s why the findings of a new report from the City Auditor in February got so much attention. The auditor revealed that the city had paid more than $1.6 million in excess overtime to some transportation and public works employees since 2018.
Housing company targeted in Oakland FBI investigation pitched Berkeley too

2 weeks ago | berkeleyside.org | Eli Wolfe |Natalie Orenstein |Darwin BondGraham

The company at the center of the FBI corruption investigation in Oakland also sought business in Berkeley, records obtained by Berkeleyside reveal. The documents show that Evolutionary Homes, a company that was seeking millions of dollars in contracts to provide housing for homeless people, was in touch with Berkeley Councilmember Ben Bartlett’s office in 2023. The communications didn’t lead to any deals between Evolutionary Homes and Berkeley.
Oakland police commissioner called chief investigator a 'rat,' according to complaint

2 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

Last April, Mac Muir, the executive director of the Community Police Review Agency, filed an ethics complaint against one of his bosses — a police commissioner.
Fired Oakland mayor’s staffer was city’s key witness against lawsuit by ex-OPD chief

3 weeks ago | oaklandside.org | Eli Wolfe

Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins’ decision to fire his chief of staff, Leigh Hanson, could limit the city’s ability to defend itself in a high-profile lawsuit. Jenkins fired Hanson on April 6 after records from last year surfaced showing that Hanson, while taking notes during a meeting with then-Mayor Sheng Thao and others, jotted down the words “use BP people as tokens.” Critics of Thao, who originally hired Hanson, seized on the phrase, accusing Hanson of racism.