APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
________DRAFT_____
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY VICE MAYOR KAPLAN, PRO TEM THAO, AND
COUNCILMEMBER FIFE
RESOLUTION TO AUTHORIZE AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION
INTO THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE TERMINATION OF DR. SARAI
CRAIN, AND INTO ALLEGATIONS OF THE RECURRENT
MISTREATMENT OF BLACK WOMEN BY THE CITY
ADMINISTRATION
WHEREAS, on July 4, 2017, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 13451, establishing the Department of Violence Prevention (DVP). This department is tasked with fostering a safer and thriving Oakland via community-led intervention strategies for families and communities most impacted by violence, including gender-based violence; and
WHEREAS, one of the positions created within the DVP is the position of Deputy Chief, which includes leading efforts to reduce gender-based violence, sexual abuse, and intimate partner violence; and
WHEREAS, according to a letter received recently by the City Cou ncil, Dr. Sarai Crain, Deputy Chief of the DVP, was terminated after holding the position since June 29, 2020; and
WHEREAS, also within this letter, Dr. Crain alleges the City terminated her as an act of retaliation, after she raised an issue around pay i nequity between another male colleague and herself. The letter further outlines allegations of other forms of gender discrimination, and harrassment such as ”grotesque statements and mistreatment of Dr. Crain”; and
WHEREAS, following Dr. Crain’s termination, at the March 28, 2022 Public Safety and Services Violence Prevention Oversight Committee (SSOC), the DVP presented a new structure for DVP personnel, which eliminated the Deputy Chief position from the organizational chart altogether, and which was described as the proposal of the Mayor and Administration; and
WHEREAS, as outlined in the June 20, 2017 agenda report on establishing a Department of Violence Prevention, the structure included a Deputy Chief position, responsible for strategic planning and inter-agency coordination to improve the City of Oakland’s response to gender - based violence and the commercial sexual exploitation of children; and
WHEREAS, the implications of the elimination of the Deputy Chief position from the DVP’s organizational chart necessitate further examination, and significant changes to the organizational structure of the department necessitate consultation with and approval by the City Council; and
WHEREAS, allegations of gender -based misconduct and pay disparity, in addition to alleged retaliation, are a serious matter which warrant a direct response, investigation, and remedy; now therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That the Oakland City Council authorizes an independent investigation into the circumstances of the termination of Dr. Sarai Crain, the underlying claims of inequity, as well as the grounds for eliminating the Deputy Chief position from the DVP organizational chart, and who initiated the elimination of the position, and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Council authorizes an investigation into allegations of the recurrent mistreatment of Black Women by the City Administration, and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the independent investigator must be able to independently investigate allegations of misconduct and reta liatory firing conducted by the Administration, and shall work at the direction of the Council President and the Chair of the Finance and Management Committee, and shall report back to Council on their findings.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES – FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO,
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California