Special City Council
November 4, 2025
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Honorable City Council FROM: Jestin D. Johnson
City Administrator
SUBJECT: City Response To 2024-25 Alameda
County Civil Grand Jury Report
DATE: September 15, 2025
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The Council President To Submit A Response On Behalf Of The City Council To The 2024-25 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Report.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 2024-2025 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Final Report (Attachment A), issued June
20, 2025, included five sections detailing investigations concerning the City of Oakland:
• “Bad Roads and No Building: Oakland’s Budget Problems Mean No Bonds for the City’s Needs” (this section did not include findings or recommendations requiring a response from the City)
• “Oakland’s Potholes: A Bumpy Road and Inadequate Oversight” • “Oakland’s Poor Stewardship of Measure Q Funds Jeopardizes its Effectiveness” • “Adding Insult to Injury: Oakland Issues Parking Tickets to Stolen Vehicles” • Oakland’s Wildfire Preparedness: Good Vegetation Management but Emergency Access Needs Improvement”
Responses to each of these investigations are requested from multiple City departments and agencies, including Oakland Public Works (OPW), Finance and Management Department, Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT), Oakland Fire Department (OFD), the Office of the City Auditor, and the City Council. The City departments’ responses to the Grand Jury report’s findings and recommendations are included in Attachment B to this report, and a separately submitted response by the City Auditor is included as Attachment C. By default, formal responses to the Grand Jury report would have been due 90 days after the report’s public release. However, the City requested and received an extension of the time to respond from the Grand Jury’s representative. In accordance with the extension, the City’s responses are due no later than Friday, November 7, 2025. Adoption of the proposed resolution will authorize the Council President to submit the responses on behalf of the City Council to the Alameda County Civil Grand Jury.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: City Response To 2024-25 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Report Date: Sept. 15, 2025 Page 2
Special City Council
November 4, 2025
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Four of the five sections of the Grand Jury Report include findings and recommendations which require formal response by the City. In two of the Grand Jury Report sections, “Oakland’s Potholes: A Bumpy Road and Inadequate Oversight” and “Oakland’s Poor Stewardship of Measure Q Funds Jeopardizes its Effectiveness”, several findings and recommendations were directed to the City Auditor. In response, the Office of the City Auditor issued a separate response to the Grand Jury Report on August 7, 2025, included herein as Attachment C.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The production of this report aligns with the City Council’s Citywide priority of responsive and trustworthy government. The complete 2024-25 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Report is included herein as Attachment A, the first five sections (pages 15-78) pertain to the City of Oakland. The City Administrator’s Office collaborated with staff in Oakland Public Works (OPW), Finance and Management Department, Oakland Department of Transportation (OakDOT), and Oakland Fire Department (OFD) to prepare responses to the Grand Jury Report’s findings and recommendations, included as Attachment B. The City Administrator’s Office brings these responses to the City Council and recommends authorization of the Council President to submit the proposed response to the Alameda County Civil Grand Jury on behalf of the City Council.
FISCAL IMPACT
There are no direct fiscal impacts associated with this report. Should an appropriation be needed to respond to the findings or to implement any of the recommendations, those requests will be submitted through the City’s Budget Process.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No outreach was deemed necessary for this report beyond the standard City Council noticing procedures.
COORDINATION
This report and attachments were prepared in coordination between the City Administrator’s Office, Oakland Fire Department, Oakland Public Works, Oakland Department of Transportation, and the Finance and Management Department. The Office of the City Attorney and the Office of the City Auditor were consulted in preparation of this report.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: There are no economic opportunities directly associated with this report; please refer to Attachment B
for additional details related to the potential economic impacts or opportunities associated with the Civil Grand Jury’s findings and recommendations.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: City Response To 2024-25 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Report Date: Sept. 15, 2025 Page 3
Special City Council
November 4, 2025
Environmental: There are no environmental opportunities directly associated with this report; please refer to Attachment B for additional details related to the potential environmental impacts or opportunities associated with the Civil Grand Jury’s findings and recommendations.
Race & Equity: There are no race and equity opportunities directly associated with this report; please refer to Attachment B for additional information and assessment of potential racial equity impacts associated with the findings and recommendations of the Civil Grand Jury Report..
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The Council President To Submit A Response On Behalf Of The City Council To The 2024-25 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Report.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Rose Rubel, Assistant to the City Administrator, at 510-238-6587.
Respectfully submitted,
JESTIN JOHNSON
City Administrator, City Administrator’s Office
Prepared by:
Rose Rubel, Assistant to the City Administrator
City Administrator’s Office
Attachments (3):
• Attachment A: Alameda County Civil Grand Jury 2024-25 Report • Attachment B: City Administrator’s Response to the Grand Jury Report • Attachment C: Oakland City Auditor’s Response to the Grand Jury Report
Jestin Johnson (Oct 30, 2025 16:20:38 PDT)