City Council
January 20, 2026
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson
City Administrator
FROM: Felicia Verdin
Assistant to the City
Administrator
SUBJECT: Selection Panel Nominations for
Police Commissioner Appointments
DATE: December 21, 2025
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt One Of The Following Pieces Of Legislation:
A Resolution Accepting The Police Commission Selection Panel’s Slate Of Ricardo Garcia-Acosta And Omar Farmer To Serve On The Oakland Police Commission
Or
A Resolution Rejecting The Police Commission Selection Panel’s Slate Of Ricardo Garcia-Acosta And Omar Farmer To Serve On The Oakland Police Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In accordance with the City Charter, the Selection Panel’s slate of nominees must be submitted to the City Council for approval or rejection. These proposed resolutions consider the Selection Panel’s slate of nominations of Ricardo Garcia-Acosta and Omar Farmer to serve on the Police Commission. If approved by the City Council, Ricardo Garcia-Acosta will be appointed as a Regular Police Commissioner for a term ending on October 16, 2028 and Omar Farmer will be appointed as an Alternate Commissioner with a term ending on October 16, 2028. The two nominees are incumbents and currently continue to serve on the Police Commission in holdover status.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The Oakland Police Commission was first established by voter approval of Measure LL on November 8, 2016, and subsequently amended by Measure S1 on November 3, 2020.
Measures LL and S1 added section 604 of the City Charter and established a seven-member Police Commission, with two Alternate Commissioners, charged with overseeing the Oakland Police Department (OPD) to ensure that its policies, practices, and customs meet national standards of constitutional policing.
Jestin Johnson (Jan 8, 2026 22:00:13 PST)
01/08/2026
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Selection Panel Nominations for Police Commissioner Appointments Date: December 22, 2025 Page 2
City Council
January 20, 2026
The duties of the Police Commissioners include overseeing the Community Police Review Agency (CPRA), which conducts investigations into allegations of officer misconduct, overseeing the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), which performs independent audits of OPD, proposing changes to, approving, or rejecting current or proposed OPD policies, hiring and removing the Chief of Police, and other duties.
Measures LL and S1 also established a nomination process whereby a nine-member Selection Panel is responsible for nominating four (4) Police Commissioners and one (1) Alternate Commissioner to the Police Commission. The Selection Panel meets as needed to determine its selection process, including reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and selecting commissioners. The Mayor nominates the remaining three (3) Police Commissioners and one (1) Alternate Commissioner to the Police Commission.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
This recommendation is connected to responsibilities outlined in the Oakland City Charter. The work of the Selection Panel in nominating Police Commissioners is a required function and an essential component of community oversight. The Selection Panel’s timely nominations help ensure that the Police Commission has the necessary number of individuals that are representative of the community and can fulfill their obligations in a matter that is fair, impartial and transparent. The Police Commission is responsible for overseeing policies and other work governing the OPD, the OIG, and the CPRA.
For the 2025 nomination period, the Selection Panel was tasked with selecting two commissioners whose terms were set to expire on October 16, 2025. Staff submitted a slate including Ricardo Garcia-Acosto and Omar Farmer to the City Council on September 25, 2025.
Following extensive deliberations, the Oakland City Council rejected the Selection Panel’s slate on October 21, 2025, by a vote of seven (7) ayes, with one (1) Councilmember absent.
Following the City Council’s action, staff has created a recruitment strategy, which included printing and distribution of flyers and the use of social media platforms to expand outreach and encourage a broader pool of applicants. Recruitment information was also provided to the City Council and community partners to further promote community participation. At the December 18, 2025, Selection Panel Meeting, the panel members deliberated on agenda items related to the nomination process.
The Selection Panel ultimately selected two (2) candidates as its nominees to the Police Commission: Ricardo Garcia-Acosta and Omar Farmer. Mr. Garcia-Acosta was originally appointed as an Alternate Police by the Selection Panel with his original appointment approved by the City Council on November 13, 2023, pursuant to City Council Resolution No. 89985
C.M.S. O n May 8, 2024 Mr. Garcia-Acosta was elevated to Commissioner during a special Police Commission meeting to replace Commissioner Jesse Hsieh. Mr. Farmer was appointed by the Selection Panel as Alternate Police Commissioner, with his original appointment was approved by the City Council on June 18, 2024, pursuant to Resolution No. 90315 C.M.S. Both Commissioners Garcia-Acosta and Farmer applied as incumbents during the 2025 nomination process, and their applications remained on file for consideration by the Selection Panel.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Selection Panel Nominations for Police Commissioner Appointments Date: December 22, 2025 Page 3
City Council
January 20, 2026
Mr. Garcia-Acosta and Mr. Farmer’s application materials are included herein as Attachments A and B.
Pursuant to City Charter Section 604(c)(3)(c), if the City Council does not accept or reject the entire slate of nominees within sixty days after completion of the background checks and submission by the Selection Panel, the nominees shall be deemed appointed to the Police Commission.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with City Council action on this report.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
During Spring 2025, public outreach for the Police Commission vacancies was conducted through a press release; social media postings, including Nextdoor; outreach emails to local nonprofit organizations; and advertisements placed in the Oakland Post and El Mundo. The Selection Panel members also distributed Police Commission recruitment flyers in East Oakland. Additionally, City Administration staff distributed flyers and provided recruitment information to the City Council.
COORDINATION
This report has been prepared in coordination with the Office of the City Attorney.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: There are no economic opportunities associated with this report.
Environmental: There are no environmental opportunities associated with this report.
Race & Equity: There are no race and equity opportunities associated with this report.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: Selection Panel Nominations for Police Commissioner Appointments Date: December 22, 2025 Page 4
City Council
January 20, 2026
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt One Of The Following Pieces Of Legislation:
A Resolution Accepting The Police Commission Selection Panel’s Slate Of Ricardo Garcia- Acosta And Omar Farmer To Serve On The Oakland Police Commission
Or
A Resolution Rejecting The Police Commission Selection Panel’s Slate Of Ricardo Garcia- Acosta And Omar Farmer To Serve On The Oakland Police Commission
For questions regarding this report, please contact Felicia Verdin, Assistant to the City Administrator, at (510) 238-3128.
Respectfully submitted,
Felicia Verdin
Assistant to the City Administrator
Attachments (2):
A. Ricardo Garcia-Acosta – Application for Police Commissioner B. Omar Farmer – Application for Police Commissioner