Oakland City Hall welcomed the public to view several candidates vying for Oakland’s City Council Districts 1 and 3 on Monday, to speak in a forum hosted by the Sierra Club’s Northern Alameda County Group and Oakland Climate Action Coalition (OCAC).
Four questions were devised by the Sierra Club and OCAC concerning environmental issues that affect Oakland. Oakland residents within the audience composed the rest of the questions. The Sierra Club and OCAC said they do not endorse any of the candidates.
Candidates for District 1 consist of Amy Lemley, Don Link, Vincent Cruz (representing Donald Macleay), Richard Raya and Dan Kalb, along with Craig Brandt who was not present at the forum.
Candidates for District 3 who were present at the forum included Damon Eaves, Lynette McElhaney, Alex Miller-Cole, Derrick Muhammad, Nyeisha Dewitt and Sean Sullivan.
On the issue of reducing green house gases, all candidates said they were in support of the Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) model of keeping energy sources local and sustainable. The CCA would allow the city of Oakland residents to retain alternative energy supply contracts within their area.
Link mentioned he approves of the CCA model and that one was adopted in Marin County.
“It was considered radical at first; PG&E continues to own and maintain transmission lines, but we can put their feet to the fire” said Link. “Do we want to support PG&E given their record, or do we want more sustainable electrical production?”
Eaves pointed out the CCA would promote the local economy in addition to reducing green house gasses. He also alluded to PG&E’s millions in spending to defeat Proposition 13, which capped property taxes in California, according to the California State Board of Equalization. Eaves suggested Oakland should have oversight of the energy practices so there are no mistakes within the system.
On the issue of growing sustainable food in Oakland, most candidates recognized urban agriculture as a good source of “food justice”.
Raya spoke of North Oakland as the urban farming capital, though he suggested that Oakland still needs more help from the city and that it has been sluggish in response to the “do it yourself activity.”
Sullivan – who is a member of the Sierra Club – stated with excitement that he worked at Covenant House, a nationwide youth homeless agency, hosting a Victory Garden produced by young people on the streets. There, he said, they learned to cook in a kitchen and grow sustainable food. The former board member to Oakland’s Rainbow Chamber of Commerce secured funds to start the largest urban farm where sustainable food is now sold in the West Market.
Lemley also alluded to Oakland as the leader in urban agriculture. Yet, she questioned the policies set in place specifically on animal slaughter. The youth advocate pointed out that investigations are currently taking place but said, “This kind of experience has had me raise questions of if that is advisable on an agricultural level.”
Differences began to appear with the question of preventing displacement for Oakland residents from transit-oriented areas. While some in District 1, like Lemley, spoke on having rent control and tenant protection, others such as Cruz, Link and Raya spoke on the necessity for transit-oriented areas. However, the push for affordable housing units seemed to be the most popular within District 3, most saying people should not be pushed out of their homes.
Miller-Cole was the only District 3 candidate who spoke on his advocacy for home ownership.
“What I will do to make sure people are not misplaced is advocate for home ownership,” said Miller-Cole. “Right now is a perfect time to consider home ownership. It is time for us to take charge [so] that all members in the community can become property owners in Oakland.”
The two-time candidate for Supervisor District 5, Kalb, stated he was a member of East Bay’s House Organization and that he had been working on affordable housing for years, stating change needs to happen in making more affordable housing for low income families.
As for environmental issues dealing with extreme heat, cold, wild fires and rain runoff, District 1 candidates such as Cruz, Link and Kalb recognized the rise in sea level. Link also mentioned he did not believe in global warming. For District 3, McElhaney suggested education would help, while Miller-Cole, Eaves, Muhammad, and Sullivan suggested alternatives to dealing with green house gasses.
Lemley referred to her background on an Iowa farm to which she said, “Our entire corn crop will not pollinate, because of the temperature, it is completely lost.” Lemley suggested “core training to include adaptation” along with “designed guidelines” could be the solution.
The two councilmembers who are leaving are councilwomen Jane Brunner of District 1 and Nancy Nadel of District 3. Brunner is now running for Oakland’s City Attorney, while Nadel started a gourmet chocolate company located in Oakland. Both have been working on city council for over a decade.
