Here's the reason why Oakland is on the 'wrong track,' according to voters

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Most Oakland residents aren't happy with how their city is functioning. In fact, the Oakland Chamber of Commerce conducted a 2024 survey, which found that 75% of Oaklanders say the city is on the "wrong track."

Some blame public opinion on the city charter, which they say is dysfunctional and doesn't hold Oakland leaders accountable.

People will tell you, Oakland has problems. Homelessness, illegal dumping, companies leaving the city, car break-ins, potholes and a budget crisis are only a few of them.

"Oakland's City Government is dysfunctional, and it's by design," stated Steve Falk, of the Oakland Charter Reform Project.

Wait, what? By design? Who did that?

Before taking office, former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown supported Measure X which basically took some powers away from the City Council and shifted them to the City Administrator. Voters passed it in 1998.

Through Measure X, the city administrator now had one and only one boss, Jerry Brown. Things got done at City Hall.

But today, that has changed and many people in Oakland have come to realize that this model of government, which is included in the city's charter, is not working to solve the problems in Oakland.

"Oakland is less responsive compared to other California cities," added Falk.

Falk, a former city administrator himself, is behind the efforts to reform Oakland's charter.

A city's charter is kind of like its constitution, a social contract of sorts that is adopted by the people it governs.

That's you - Oakland voters are responsible for what's in the charter, 132 pages long and every time you vote, things get added to the charter, just like Measure X did.

So, who has the power in Oakland? Let's start with the eight City Council members.

Say residents of one neighborhood are fed up with all this illegal dumping. The most obvious thing to do is to contact their city council member.

Except that yet another charter amendment passed in 2014 says that a council member is not allowed to contact anyone in the Department of Public Works to help solve this problem. That would be considered favoritism.

Take Councilmember Noel Gallo, who has a huge illegal dumping problem in his district and is not allowed to approach the Department of Public Works or anyone from any city department.

"I communicate with them on a regular basis, respectively but I also have to be very careful that I can't tell you what to do or how to do it because then I get accused of micromanaging," explained Gallo.

The only person who can order the Department of Public Works to address the illegal dumping in Gallo's district is the City Administrator, that's if the City Administrator considers it a priority.

And so the illegal dumping issue may not go away.

That's why Councilmember Gallo has his own cleaning team comprised of four men, picking up what people dump illegally.

Councilmembers are allowed to employ up to seven staff members. Rather than work in the office solving other problems, half of his staff is picking up garbage, because the problem is so severe.

What about the mayor? Barbara Lee is not allowed to hire or fire any department heads; only the appointed city administrator can do that.

There's only one person Mayor Lee can hire or fire, the police chief.

Former Mayor Sheng Thao fired police chief LeRonne Armstrong in 2023.

In fact, none of the department heads report directly to the mayor; they answer to the city administrator.

Nor does the mayor have veto power. So let's say the mayor presents her annual budget proposal. Council members can reject it and pass their own budget and there's nothing the mayor can do to stop them.

The mayor does not attend city council meetings; that's in the charter. There's no place at the table for her.

"In Oakland, the mayor is effectively removed from making public policy, which is unlike almost every other city in California," said Falk.

The only way for a mayor to move his or her agenda forward is to work with, you guessed it, the city administrator.

You may think the City Administrator, Jestin Johnson, holds the power - but again, he serves at the pleasure of the mayor who can. at any time, fire him.

There have been six city administrators in the last five years. You may be asking how can anything get done in Oakland when that position has been a revolving door.

"Totally dysfunctional," expressed Robert Bobb, who was already the city administrator when Jerry Brown took office and served for a total of six years.

He says he worked with everyone, not just Jerry Brown.

"It does have to happen in working with members of City Council and also with councilmember staff as it were," added Bobb.

But that was then, Barbara Lee says it's time to ask voters in Oakland whether or not the charter should be reformed.

"We need to have good governance and oftentimes people don't know in the city who is responsible for what. They don't know what are the details of the Charter and this is going to be specifically around the role of elected officials, financial systems and also transparency and good government," insisted Mayor Lee.

Falk believes that right now, nobody at City Hall really has the power to make effective changes in Oakland.

"The great line that we heard during our research from a councilmember is that in Oakland, the buck stops nowhere," said Falk.

Right now, the mayor has put together a group of people who will recommend what changes to the charter are needed. The goal is to improve transparency and define the role of elected and appointed officials. Those recommendations are expected in January. Then, Oakland residents will ask to vote on any changes to the charter.