APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. _______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL MEMBER DAN KALB
RESOLUTION CELEBRATING WHITNEY BARAZOTO’S
EXTRAORDINARY WORK SHAPING AND LEADING THE
PUBLIC ETHICS COMMISSION AND THANKING HER FOR
TEN YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE
WHEREAS, Ms. Barazoto has a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from U.C.
Berkeley and a J.D. from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law; and
WHEREAS, Prior to joining the Public Ethics Commission, Ms. Barazoto served as senior staff to the Commission on California State Government Organization and Economy (Little Hoover Commission), where she managed complex reviews of California State policy, operations and management that produced recommendations to the Governor and Legislature on how the state could improve government efficiency and effectiveness; and
WHEREAS, she previously worked as Government Affairs Director for the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), California’s state-level watchdog for activities related to campaign finance, conflicts of interest, lobbyist registration, and gifts to public officials and was as a legislative aide in the California State Legislatu re, where she developed her interest in the rules that guide elected and appointed leaders in government ethics, transparency, and campaign finance; and
WHEREAS, Whitney is a dedicated public servant who is committed to creating a culture of best practices in Government Ethics in the City of Oakland; and
WHEREAS, Whitney’s passion lies at the intersection of government effectiveness, ethics, and building public trust; and
WHEREAS, her tenacity and vision g rew a small City Commission to the dynamic regulatory body it is today, focused on integrity, fairness and transparency in City government; and
2 WHEREAS, as Executive Director to the Oakland Public Ethics Commission since 2012, she collaborated with the City Council and led the Commission’s expansion of its staffing, authority, and independence following the passage of a City Charter amendment 2014, along wi th the drafting of Oakland’s first local Government Ethics Act adopted unanimously by City Council also in 2014; and
WHEREAS, Executive Director Barazoto has always been a highly respected leader and advocate for the Public Ethics Commission; and
WHEREAS, in building the Public Ethics Commission’s role and team over the past decade, Ms. Barazoto created a three -tiered compliance approach that blends Prevention, Enforcement, and Collaborative leadership to effect lasting culture change based on research- based, organizational development theory that shows how results are the product of actions, beliefs, and experiences; and
WHEREAS, Whitney has been instrumental increasing the scope of the PEC to include leadership and collaboration, education and en gagement, and disclosure and illumination, thereby empowering the people of the government to not only adhere to applicable laws, but greatly increasing the openness and transparency of the government; and
WHEREAS, Whitney’s philosophy of improving compl iance through empowerment and education has made the Oakland PEC a leading Commission in the state; and
WHEREAS, Whitney assembled a great staff which is remarkably effective in working with the Commission; and
WHEREAS, she has spearheaded innovative projects including the Commission’s Race for Power report in 2020 that provided a benchmark for how money in Oakland politics creates and perpetuates disparities across income and race, the Commission’s review and recommendations for Ensuring Ethical and Transparency Distribution of City Tickets to events at facilities such as the Oracle Arena and Oakland Coliseum provided to elected officials, and the Commission’s framework for a more transparent and publicly - engaged City government in Collaborative Transparency; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Barazoto also initiated the Commission’s first creation of www.OpenDisclosure.io, a web application visualizing campaign finance data in partnership with OpenOakland, a Code for America -linked citizen brigade; OpenDisclosure was first developed for the 2014 local election and has been expanded with each election cycle since then; and
WHEREAS, Whitney is a role model for public service, and many City staff are grateful for the chance to have worked with her; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Barazoto possesses a wealth of knowledge and her talents will be missed by the City of Oakland; and Be it
RESOLVED: That the Council, the Public Ethics Commission, Public Ethics Commission 3 staff, broader City staff , and the people of Oakland , greatly appreciate and express their gratitude for Whitney Barazoto’s stellar work and tremendous commitment to the City; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the Council, the Public Ethics Commission, Public Ethics Commission staff, broader City staff , and people of Oakland, wish Whitney success and fulfillment in the next phase of her illustrious public service career.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES – FIFE, GALLO, KALB, KAPLAN, REID, TAYLOR, THAO AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of
the City of Oakland, California