APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITYhud
oa®£'u“**'
&OFFICE OF
22JUN-9 PH 5:1 If ! CITY AT|0RNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
89 2 5 6RESOLUTION NO. C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY CITY ATTORNEY BARBARA J. PARKER
RESOLUTION HONORING AND COMMENDING DONDRIA L. MORGAN
FOR MORE THAN 21 YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE TO THE CITY
OF OAKLAND
WHEREAS, Paralegal Dondria L. Morgan will retire on June 30, 2022 from the City of Oakland, Office of the City Attorney; and
WHEREAS, Dondria was bom and raised in Los Angeles, California, moved to Oakland in 1995 and purchased a home in 1997, and has dedicated the last 21 years to serving the employees and residents of Oakland with dedication and integrity; and WHEREAS, Dondria will retire after providing more than 21 years of public service to the Office of the City Attorney, the City of Oakland and Oakland residents; and WHEREAS, prior to joining the Oakland City Attorney’s Office on April 2,2001, Dondria was a paralegal for the Oakland law firm of Goldstein, Demchak, Bailer & Borgen, for ten years; and
WHEREAS, Dondria was a Tax Examiner for the Internal Revenue Service before becoming a paralegal; and
WHEREAS, Dondria earned an Associate of Arts degree and paralegal certificate from West Los Angeles College, and currently is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration at Holy Names University; and
WHEREAS, Dondria provided strategic paralegal services and support to attorneys during hearings, pre-trial, trial and post-trial process; and
WHEREAS, Dondria assisted attorneys in approximately 8 to 10 trials as lead Paralegal, including, the first trial conducted by the Office’s Neighborhood Law Corps in the case of City of Oakland v. Khatri ("Economy Inn Motel”) in 2012 which involved the City Attorney’s first prosecution of motels that were magnets for prostitution and sexual exploitation of minors in Oakland; and the court entered judgment for the City, ruling that the motel presented a severe nuisance to the community and ordered that it to be shut down; and WHEREAS, Dondria assisted the Office’s Neighborhood Law Corps with the trial of People v. Dy, a case involving an illicit massage business that operated in Oakland from 2011 to 2017 and was a front for prostitution and human trafficking, in violation of Oakland’s massage ordinance and state law; and the defendants settled and were liable for violations of the state’s Red Light Abatement Act and for creation of a public nuisance - resulting in permanent injunctions and civil penalties; and
WHEREAS, most recently, Dondria assisted the Office’s Neighborhood Law Corps with the People v. Dario case, an emergency tenant protection lawsuit and request for a restraining order against the owners and operators of an Independent Living Facility for exploiting and threatening their elderly and disabled tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a 2021 settlement of the key claims, securing a victory for the low-income, disabled tenants whose lives were upended by the defendants’ illegal and inhumane business practices.; and WHEREAS, Dondria provided Paralegal support to Deputy City Attorneys in each of the high-profile cases that became widely known as the Occupy Oakland cases; which stemmed from demonstrations resulting from the 2011 BART shooting death of Oscar Grant, and various protests in Oakland that led to multiple arrests and lawsuits against the City and OPD; and WHEREAS, Dondria has proudly served the City of Oakland and says that it has been a privilege to defend and serve her beloved City and its residents, to assist in protecting the rights of Oakland’s residents, including but not limited to: the Negotiated Settlement Agreement in Delphine Allen et al. v. City of Oakland (commonly referred to as the Riders case), Occupy Oakland, Neighborhood Law Corp, Prostitution and Red Light Abatement Motel Injunctions trials and Receiverships (including the Hillside Apartments), Special Prosecution Team Gang Injunctions, successfully representing the City in Small Claims court, successfully managing the Public Record Requests as the Office’s Acting Open Government Coordinator, and the development of illegal dumping intake interviews, investigation, enforcement and subsequent reward program in the face of the explosion of illegal dumping; and WHEREAS, Dondria has expressed appreciation for the vast opportunities that serving the City of Oakland has afforded her, including the opportunity to build invaluable relationships and develop expertise in numerous areas; and says she retires knowing that these relationships and skills will help her advance successfully into the next phase of her life; and WHEREAS, Dondria says it has been particularly fulfilling to coordinate Citywide departmental response to the California Public Records Act Requests (CPRA) acting as Open Government Coordinator, to assist and train staff, and provide ongoing support to City of Oakland departmental colleagues; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the City of Oakland thanks Dondria L. Morgan for dedication, exemplary work ethic and integrity, and for providing over 21 years of service to the City of Oakland; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council and City Attorney, on behalf of the City of Oakland wish Dondria L. Morgan continued success and fulfillment in the next phase of career.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
UUN212022
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES -0
ABSENT -&?
ABSTENTION
ATTEST:
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
31791lOvl
2