CITY OF OAKLAND MEMORANDUM
Date: September 28, 2023
To: City Council and Members of the Public
From: Councilmember Treva Reid
Re: ADOPT A RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 20TH, 2023, AS “LOVE LIFE” WEEK IN THE CITY OF OAKLAND
Dear City Council Colleagues and Members of the Public,
On April 5, 2016, the City Council passed Resolution No. 86088 C.M.S. adopting “Love Life” as the City of Oakland’s official motto. Donald Lacy championed the task of making Love Life the City’s official motto and founded the Lovelife Foundation which was cre ated to honor the work and vision of his 16 -year-old daughter LoEshe' Lacy. LoEshe', whose name means “Love Life” in Ibo/Nigerian, was a successful conflict resolution mediator and an innocent victim of a shooting in West Oakland on October 20, 1997.
The “Love Life” motto responds to our communal desire to build an inclusive, equitable, and authentic Oakland and demonstrates united care and concern to inform and guide our practices in our quest to make Oakland a safe, just, sustainable, equitable, and vibrant city.
Through the adoption of this motto, we denounce violence in all forms and the conditions that create violence. We seek to honor every single life lost in Oakland from acts of violence and provide support and love for all who suffer under the conditions that violence creates. Through this motto, we set the intention to model love in practice, in our work, proceedings, and processes, and have established a Love Life acknowledgment to commence meetings, gatherings, events, and open spaces with this intention.
Building on our Love Life acknowledgment, the City Administration has worked to identify ways to embody the motto through citywide communications and activations. Additionally, on October 18, 2022, the City Council passed Resolution No. 8 9445 C.M.S. declaring the week of October 20th as “Love Life” week in the City of Oakland, beginning October 2022, and continuing each year thereafter.
During Love Life Week, the city will host and uplift community events during the week of October 20th that underpins the message of valuing life, depicting love in our arts, honoring those
spreading love through their work, and helping to stop violence in our communities.
This resolution is in alignment with the city’s commitment to uplift a model of Love Life through its action plan to implement the city’s motto with public agency partners, incorporate the use of the motto in all official communication, and be firmly committed to adopting a comprehensive and holistic approach to addressing the conditions that lead to violence. Furthermore, we will continue to work toward creating a climate of restoration and healing for the individuals and communities impacted by violence.
Therefore, I ask you to join me in supporting this resolution, recognizing the week of October 20th, 2023, as “Love Life Week” in the City of Oakland.
Love Life,
Treva Reid
Councilmember, District 7
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. ______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER TREVA REID
RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE WEEK OF OCTOBER 20TH, 2023, AS “LOVE LIFE” WEEK IN THE CITY OF OAKLAND
WHEREAS, on April 5, 2016, the City Council passed Resolution No. 86088 C.M.S. adopting “Love Life” as the City of Oakland’s official motto; and WHEREAS, Donald Lacy championed the task of making Love Life the City’s official motto and founded the Lovelife Foundation which was created to honor the work and vision of his 16-year-old daughter LoEshe' Lacy; and
WHEREAS, LoEshe', whose name means “Love Life” in Ibo/Nigerian, was a successful conflict resolution mediator and an innocent victim of a shooting in West Oakland on October 20, 1997; and
WHEREAS, the “Love Life” motto responds to our communal desire to build an inclusive, equitable, and authentic Oakland and demonstrates united care and concern to inform and guide our practices in our quest to make Oakland a safe, just, sustainable, equitable and vibrant city; and WHEREAS, through the adoption of this motto, we denounce violence in all forms, the conditions that create violence and seek to honor every single life lost in Oakland from acts of violence and provide support and love for all who suffer under the conditions that violence creates; and
WHEREAS, through this motto, we set the intention to model love in practice, in our work, proceedings, and processes, and have established a Love Life acknowledgment to commence meetings, gatherings, events, and open spaces with this intention; and
WHEREAS, we recognize as leaders, we must set an example and precedent for those who have entrusted us with these duties and accept the responsibility to make our city and community a better place, leading with the guiding principle of love; and � ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������
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WHEREAS, we acknowledge and recognize that when we model this practice of love, it will establish a norm that will resonate and be exemplified throughout our city and create the change we all wish to see in our communities; and
WHEREAS, we acknowledge that when we lead with love we are able to uplift a thriving city rooted in equity, equality, justice, inclusion, and opportunity for all regardless of race, gender, age, class, socio-economic status, nationality, religion, sexual preference, housing status, or political affiliation; and
WHEREAS, on October 18, 2022, the City Council passed Resolution No. 89445 C.M.S. declaring the week of October 20th as “Love Life” week in the City of Oakland, beginning October 2022, and continuing each year thereafter; and
WHEREAS,to activate the “Love Life” motto and more prominently uplift it to ultimately be embraced by the community, the City will continue its work through the implementation of some of the City’s core strategies related to Violence Prevention and Cultural Arts; and
RESOLVED: That the City Council does hereby recognize the week of October 20th, 2023 as “Love Life Week” in the City of Oakland.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, JENKINS, KALB, KAPLAN, RAMACHANDRAN, REID, AND PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS NOES – ABSENT – ABSTENTION – ATTEST: ASHA REED City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the City of Oakland, California WHEREAS, building on our Love Live acknowledgment, the City Administration has worked to identify ways to embody the motto through citywide communications and activations; and
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