Make Oakland Better Now's Mayoral Candidates' Questionnaire 2014 - Courtney Ruby

1. !
Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire !
Candidate: Courtney Ruby !
Note: Please limit your answers to 250 words except where the question indi-cates
a different word limit. !
1. Please state your position on the following November ballot measures along with a brief
(No more than 30 word) statement supporting your position.
• Measure Z: Public Safety (Parcel tax for police, fire and violence prevention programs)
• Measure CC: Public Ethics (Restructuring of Public Ethics Commission and mandatory
funding for its staff)
• Measure DD: Redistricting (Citizens’ redistricting commission for City Council bound-aries)
!I
believe in increased police and violence prevention programs, a strengthened Public
Ethics Commission and citizen control of redistricting. !
Unfortunately, I cannot take a specific position on these ballot measures or any local bal-lot
measures due to my position as City Auditor. The Oakland City Auditor is responsible
for preparing the impartial fiscal analysis for each ballot measure. In order to keep my
impartiality, I follow government auditing standards set by the auditing industry that au-ditors
perform their professional responsibilities with integrity and independence. As
such, auditors and audit organizations must maintain independence so that their opin-ions,
findings, conclusions, judgments, and recommendations will be impartial and
viewed as impartial by objective third parties with knowledge of the relevant information. !2
. As of May 31st, the OPD had 649 sworn police personnel, and projected that it would
have 681 by July and 716 by December, 2014. 63 of these officers are funded by Measure Y,
which expires at the end of this year, and 35 by Federal grants, which, if not renewed, will expire
next year. If the voters elect you in November, how many police will Oakland have as of the end
of 2018? If you plan to either maintain current levels or increase them, describe how you will
fund police (a) if Measure Z succeeds and if it fails; (b) if current grants for police are renewed
or replaced and if they are not. !
We need a mayor who will lead the fight for public safety every day. No more excuses.
The key is for Oakland’s next mayor to lead a comprehensive effort, driven by account-ability
and outcomes, that can achieve effective coordination between police, various
levels/branches of government (including courts), nonprofits, and other community part-ners.
!
!1

2. Regardless if Measure Z succeeds or fails, or current grants are renewed, we have a plan.
We start by adding 200 police officers by finding $40 million in budget savings through
Mandatory Management Audits over the next four years. (Please refer to my initiative on
Mandatory Management Audits for Oakland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=Jzymw85ovmo) In the public works agency budget alone, we found $9 million in sav-ings
– that’s 7.5% of the what the department was spending. If we find just half that level
in savings throughout Oakland’s budget we will have the money required. And, when I
am Mayor, we will fully implement community policing and tie police promotions to the
measured goals and standards of community policing. !
Many parts of the solution are operating in our community right now. Recommitting to
Ceasefire and related violence prevention strategies funded by Measure Y is the right
idea. Oakland needs a Mayor who will see this through - keeping everyone accountable
and driving results - not only in an election year, but for the long term. !3
. OPD’s difficulty in achieving the authorized sworn staffing level appears to be exacer-bated
by high attrition and low morale, as shown by the department’s internal polling (http://
tiny.cc/OPDPoliceSurvey) and it’s loss of officers only months after they complete their training.
How will you solve OPD’s attrition and morale problems? !
City government lacks clear accountable leadership in public safety. Once we bring that
leadership to the Mayor's office and OPD management we will find success. We can
produce the finest police department when we provide the right training at the academy
and in-service, such as community policing, use of force training, human relations, cul-tural
sensitivity and diversity. Since 1990, Oakland has not been able to enact community
policing. We will change that by basing officer promotion on their demonstrated level of
effective community policing. !
Oakland needs to be seen as experts in public safety while leading a department well-versed
in the skills to reduce urban crime and homicides. That while garner the respect
and confidence of the community and will translate into higher job satisfaction and in-creased
morale of our officers. That can be accomplished with leadership, hiring more
officers from Oakland and increasing diversity in the ranks. !!4
. OPD has been under Federal Court supervision for close to twelve years. While Oak-landers
have repeatedly been told that the end is in sight, in late July, Judge Henderson stated
that Oakland’s disciplinary processes have violated Court orders, and that continuing the same
practices will "undermine any confidence in the sustainability of the reforms that have been and
continue to be achieved." Then, on August 14, the Judge criticized the City’s recent inability to
sustain through arbitration an officer termination in connection with response to the Occupy
Oakland protests. (Source: http://tiny.cc/ArbOrder.) The Court opined that Oakland could not be
in compliance with two NSA tasks if internal investigations were inadequate and “discipline is
not consistently imposed.” Many people believe the Monitor has repeatedly imposed require-ments
on Oakland that far exceed the literal requirements of the NSA, and that as a result of the
Monitor’s shifting standards, Oakland may never be able to extricate itself from Court supervi-sion.
As Mayor, to what extent would you be prepared to oppose continued and changing de-mands
from the Monitor, and what is your plan to end the era of Court supervision? ! It is the job of the mayor to ensure we are meeting the requirements of the NSA and that
we have effective systems in place to ensure constitutional policing. Some have com-plained
that the NSA standards for evaluation are inconsistent and, if so, these deficien-cies
must be pointed out and addressed. We see the greater challenge to be when OPD's
!2

3. internal policies do not sufficiently address operational issues and its stated procedures
are not adhered to. It makes it difficult to engage in a dispute with the monitor when we
can’t get “our side of the street” right. !
We must strive for the best police department we can have by having fair and consistent
policies, consistent leadership, appropriate oversight, clear documentation and a de-partment
that is motivated to be the best while focused on its mission. !
5. According to the Public Works Department, Oakland is on an 85-year repaving schedule,
meaning a street that is repaved today won’t be repaved again for 85 years. Further, according
to Public Works, maintaining the existing pavement condition on Oakland’s streets would require
an estimated $28 million annually, while the amount allocated annually has been less than $6
million in recent years. Sixty percent of the City’s curb ramps are non-compliant or non-existent.
The total needed to rehabilitate Oakland streets is over $435 million. How do you plan to re-verse
the ongoing deterioration of our streets and sidewalks? If you are elected, when will Oak-landers
see a difference? !
Oaklanders will see a difference immediately. When my administration delivers on public
safety, we will start to attract more businesses and entrepreneurs to create jobs and in-crease
revenue. But we can’t deliver residents to their jobs without dependable in-frastructure.
City government is here to address these large issues to get Oakland to re-alize
its potential. !
My 2009 audit of the Public Works Agency made 292 recommendations to make the de-partment
work more efficiently and address our deteriorating streets and sidewalks.
Once we get our transportation priorities aligned, we will look for more funding on the
local, county, state, and national levels.
To understand my view of streets and sidewalks please view my 2009 audit here: http://
www.oaklandauditor.com/images/oakland/pwa_perf_audit4.09.pdf
6. The extent to which the City faces unfunded liabilities and what should be done about
them has been a contentious issue in recent years. As recently as last December, the City Ad-ministrator
projected that for the three fiscal years beginning July 1, 2015, Oakland faces all-funds
budget structural shortfalls totaling $795 million if it addresses its deferred capital expens-es
and deferred liabilities, and $342 million if it does not (Source: December 12, 2013 Update
to Five-Year Financial Forecast, Attachment D, http://tiny.cc/5yrupdate.) Do you believe Oakland
faces a financial shortfall, and if so, how will you address it if elected in November? !
Yes, Oakland will face a financial shortfall – and it’s time for our city leaders to get real
about it. ! There are no easy solutions. We must prioritize core services with public safety being
first. We must define the appropriate level of service we can afford, and we must deliver a
safe, well-run city to increase our economic base and maintain city services. Finally, we
must have a leader who leads the city in long term financial planning that identifies quan-tifiable
savings which means addressing pension reform, retiree healthcare, and neces-sary
charter changes including contracting out. !
7. Operation Ceasefire has been described as the centerpiece of Oakland’s violent crime
reduction effort. We understand that funding for its manager has been dependent on grant fund-ing
and that there is an insufficient number of case managers to maximize Ceasefire’s success.
!3

4. Do you plan to expand Operation Ceasefire? In what respect? Where specifically do you in-tend
to allocate resources and staffing? !
Yes, I plan to expand Operation Ceasefire. Public safety is my first priority and more po-lice
officers is only one part of the strategy. As a city, we need to develop public safety
experts who can drive results in our police department and with our nonprofit partners.
Currently, Operation Ceasefire is only operating in East Oakland - and just last spring it
was reported that it was only working with 11% of the population involved in criminal ac-tivity.
Ceasefire needs to be expanded and we must demonstrate our leadership in this
strategy to drive more funds to bring this program to scale. Oakland Unite has been able
to refine its use of Measure Y dollars to support programs tied to violence prevention and
the mission of Ceasefire - and we can do better. We have to use data driven models to
drive results, focus funding, and get to predictive policing. ! The right execution is critical. Ceasefire success requires several rounds of direct com-munication,
and follow-through from enforcement, social services, and community part-ners.
Accountability and driving results are important in Ceasefire implementation and is
part of the training involved in creating a great community police officer. !
8. What is your understanding of the relative responsibilities of the Mayor and City Adminis-trator
as established in the Charter? What are the duties of each? What is the Council’s respon-sibility
in this regard? !
My job as Mayor is to deliver a safe, well-run city. The City Council job is to set policies
and appropriate funding. We serve Oakland best by excelling in our roles and being uni-fied
in delivering a safe, economically viable city. !
My job as City Auditor has been to hold City Hall politicians accountable. I am the only
candidate for mayor who has taken on City Hall and gotten results. As mayor, my first
priority will be public safety - and that will take leaders focused on better policies, not
endless politics. As we secure early wins improving public safety, Oakland City Council
will share in that success and together we can work to improve other areas of govern-ment.
The key is to have clear goals, hold people accountable, and drive results. !9
. If the voters elect you in November, will Oaklanders see changes in the following from
City Government? If so, what changes and why?: !•
Leadership YES - I will bring what city hall lacks. A results-driven government, that
does the math -- reports out transparently, and holds itself and others account-able.
• Management YES - All department directors will be asked to resign immediately,
they will be assessed on their skill set, and I will decide if they should be rehired,
or if we should bring in someone new.
• Strategic Planning YES
• Transparency YES - Transparency is the hallmark of my time as Oakland Auditor,
and it will be as Oakland mayor. !1
0. In 2012-2013, Oakland contracted with Strategic Policy Partners (Robert Wasserman et
al) to present a comprehensive public safety plan. Strategic Policy Partners made a large num-ber
of recommendations, some of which have been implemented and some of which have not.
(The reports are here: http://tiny.cc/SPPReport, http://tiny.cc/Bratton1, http://tiny.cc/SPPBest) If
the voters elect you in November, please state whether Oakland will implement the following
!4

5. recommendations (We are looking for a “yes” or “no” answer as to each recommendation, with
explanatory narrative not exceeding 25 words for each recommendation): !
• Call for Service Reduction strategy; YES - I am open to any strategy geared toward
reducing the number of calls for service for patrol officers so that they can use
their time conducting proactive patrols and solving problems.
• Expanded investigation capacity in each of the City’s 5 policing districts, so that each
district has an investigative sergeant, 3 investigators, and 3 to 5 police officers. YES
• Increased sworn police personnel to a ratio of 2 officers for every 1,000 in the population
(i.e., 800). YES
• Expansion of the Ceasefire initiative. YES
• Redesign of community policing, so that the entire Police Department, not just PSOs,
are focused on community relationship building. YES - effective community policing
will be my main focus.
• Measurement of the state of community / police relations. YES
• Moving restorative justice practices into the community, to address neighborhood disor-der
and minor crimes in a manner that brings community into the process and prevents
future crime and disorder occurrences. YES
• Appointing a Director of Community Improvement who will be responsible for coordinat-ing
collaborative action by city agencies, community groups and state and federal part-ners,
to address both quality of life issues and crime. YES
• Appointing a team of representatives from the community to work with the Director of
Community Improvement, the Police Department and other government agencies to in-sure
community coordination. YES
• Bringing Security Ambassadors into the crime reduction strategic plan and require ad-vanced
training to those who patrol downtown areas, so they are active and have the
ability to intervene in minor situations that impact public security. YES ! 11. In early 2010, Oakland’s Finance and Management Committee received a presentation
from staff and visiting personnel from the City of Baltimore concerning CitiStat, a leadership
strategy a mayor can employ to mobilize city agencies to produce specific results. (More infor-mation
is at http://tiny.cc/q00ojx ). CitiStat involves use of a round-the-clock 311 reporting sys-tem
for any request for city services other than policing. It uses data in a manner similar to
ComStat. High level city management uses the 311-generated data and benchmarks and regu-lar
meetings to hold departments accountable, judge successes and failure, reveal what agen-cies
are doing and not doing to achieve benchmarks and provide the best possible services to
residents. Explain your familiarity with CitiStat and whether you believe such a program can
and should be implemented in Oakland. If you do not believe it should be implemented in the
near future, explain why. If you think it should, explain what you will do to implement it and
when this will be accomplished. !I
am a vocal and long time supporter of Citistat. Once I put my team in place, Citistat will
be one of the management tools I will use to measure and drive results. It is relatively in-expensive
to start and maintain since it uses existing technology that is owned by the
city (Microsoft Office and GIS mapping software). It costs Baltimore about $400,000/year
to run their operation and that is mostly salaries. In short, the small cost of running Citis-tat
will be outweighed by the savings we reap from better management. My greatest con-cern
on expense comes from people favoring a 311 system. Some cities rely on 311 for
their customer relations management (CRM) information gathering, but it can be expen-sive
(anywhere from $3-$5 a call). There are other cities that use cheaper CRM systems
and I would favor those over the more expensive 311 approach. !
!5

6. 12. Oakland has room to improve its policies in the areas of crime reduction, budget pro-cesses,
street maintenance, and economic maintenance. What cities can Oakland learn from,
and adopt or emulate policies from with respect to these subjects? What policies from other
cities would benefit Oakland? !
Baltimore - Citistat. I plan to use this approach as Mayor. CitiStat is a leadership strategy
that employs data-driven management systems to monitor and improve the performance
of city agencies, on the task of producing clearly specified results on a bi-weekly basis. !
Chicago - Budget savings commission. When Rahm Emanuel was elected Mayor, a non-profit
entity coordinated a team of senior partners from the major consulting and law
firms on a pro bono basis to put together strategies to make government more efficient.
The Mayor puts together reform plans and the senior partners are assembled to further
the goals through traditional business analytics, research, and strategy. Chicago saved
$50M in in the mayor’s first 100 days of office. !
Seattle/San Francisco - Open Data. All agencies, including the police, release data on a
tight timeline and the data is routinely updated using affordable and widely available
software. It leads to a more transparent government, better coordination between city
agencies and spurs economic development in the civic/tech sector.
Seattle - Sector Panels. Seattle brings together state and local workforce development
officials, educators and business leaders to identify needed, industry specific skill-sets
and then design the needed training programs. The program has resulted in greatly ex-panded
training capacity for the city’s growing health care, green jobs, maritime and in-teractive
media sectors - similar sectors right here in Oakland. !1
3. Do you support the following policies and, briefly, why or why not? !
A. Creation by Charter amendment of a Rainy day fund as recommended by MOBN! and
the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC)?YES
B. Annual polling of city residents on their satisfaction with city services? What would
you do with that information?YES
C. Conducting a police resource deployment study to determine the number of officers
actually need by OPD and how they should be deployed? YES
D. Will you support the preparation of a comprehensive public safety plan? YES
!6