Meron Semedar for Oakland City Council, District 3
POLICIES RUNNING ON
1. Reshaping Policing and Redirecting Funds to Community Services
Reassessing our values as a society by DIVESTING in police and INVESTING in the community through education, social services, and healthcare.
1.1. Police will be funded- NOT over funded.
- Police budget will be redistributed and invested in members of the community and infrastructure i.e schools and hospitals
- Transparency on vacancy report on a quarterly basis, and freeze funds allocated for job vacancy within the department.
- Cutting police over time pay.
- No more funding military-grade equipment and its maintenance.
1.2. Police will not be responsible for everything- instead will focus on crimes and criminals ONLY. Qualified and trained professionals will be called for issues surrounding:
- Mental health and medical issues
- Social work
- Education and child behavioral issues
- Homelessness
1.3. Increased accountability and transparency at a higher level- by regulating the police commission that regulates issues below, while working closely with the community and the union:The commission should be reflected in a diverse group of people with at least one member having a working legal knowledge of the criminal justice system
- Ensuring officers policing Oakland are residents of Oakland.
- Mandatory quarterly anti-racism training across the board for all levels of employees at the department (not only officers).
- Police to be trained on de-escalation tactics and techniques.
- Dismiss police officers with known ties to domestic terrorist groups such as the KKK.
- Dismiss police officers with history of violence and racism both on and off the job.
- Regulating diversity and inclusion within the force (not just officers but at all levels of the department).
- Dismiss police officers known for profiling black and brown community members.
2. Housing
When we confront the housing crisis, we address poverty at its root cause. Issues surrounding housing can be traced to 2 major factors, corporate gentrification, and locals not having access to well-paying jobs and resources. Aiming to address these issues by:
2.1. Stronger regulations around existing corporations and developers to:
- Pay fines or worse if they do not meet quotas for income based housing
- Paying fines or worse if they are not creating enough jobs within the community for the locals
2.2. Taxing businesses based on net sale to avoid small businesses and large corporations being taxed at the same rate.
2.3. Taxing new corporations and developers and:
- Ensuring they meet the quota for income based housing
- Are prioritizing locals for employment opportunities within the corporation
- Investing back into the community where they are taking space through community outreach, and engagement etc.
2.4. Making low income and affordable housing applications procedure more efficient:
- Easier accessibility for community members
- Transparency and faster response with existing projects
- Increase case workers to ease burden and speed up process.
2.5. Stricter tenant protections through
- Revisiting policy that allows for loop holes and gaps in the system
- Offering legal counseling to tenants, with training in harmonizing/ de-escalation tools for tenant and landlord relations
3. Providing Shelter and Dignified Treatment for Our Homeless Population
Having a place to live is a human right and shouldn’t be treated as a privilege afforded to some not all. Taking a holistic approach to solving the housing crisis by:
3.1. Investing the city’s budget (which will be financed by divesting from the police budget) into purchasing temporary housing for the homeless.
- Building new housing structures
- Develop deserted and empty buildings
3.2. Developing housing to be versatile and multi-functioning rehabilitation centers for homeless people to have access to:
- Safe shelter (above all)
- Mental health and well- being counseling
- Drug counseling
- Career development
- Vocational job training and workshops
- Access to free or affordable education around math, science and I.T.
- Financial literacy
3.3. Allocating more funds to organization that provide education and training in:
- Vocational careers.
- Computer/ I.T and other technical skills.
SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN - MAKE A CONTRIBUTION TODAY
Your support and contribution will enable us to reach out to all members of the District 3 constituency. I pledge to listen to your input, what is important to you, and champion our collective agenda to improve the quality of life in District 3 and Oakland. My thanks for your support in advance.