City Council
January 20, 2026
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: Felicia Verdin
City Administrator Assistant to the City
Administrator
SUBJECT: SUPPLEMENTAL - Selection Panel
Nominations for Police Commissioner
Appointments
DATE: January 13, 2026
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
REASON FOR SUPPLEMENTAL
Councilmember Rowena Brown sent the following statement and questions to the City Administrator’s Office and requested a written response:
1. On October 21, 2025, several Councilmembers expressed a desire to see improved outreach to attract additional qualified applicants. On October 28, 2025, the Administration sent the Council an Oakland Police Commission Outreach and Recruitment Strategic Plan that would guide the recruitment process for the Commission. The plan included the components listed below. How were these strategies employed to attract new applicants, and how did the community outreach conducted for this round of applications differ from the original round?
a. Partnering with local organizations that serve marginalized communities b. Tabling at community events
c. Hosting informational sessions in various districts
Jestin Johnson (Jan 15, 2026 17:01:53 PST)
01/15/2026
Jestin D. Johsnon, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – Selection Panel Nominations for Police Commissioner Appointments
Date: January 13, 2026 Page 2
City Council
January 20, 2026
d. Using City social media, email lists, websites, and media relations to reach a broad audience
e. Advertising a continuous recruitment on the City’s job announcements page
f. Ensuring language and disability access
After the October 21, 2025, City Council meeting, the Administration created a new flyer and translated it to Spanish. The flyer was distributed in locations across the community by CAO administrative support staff. The flyer was also emailed to all City Councilmembers and shared with Citywide Communications. The Administration posted a continuous recruitment on the City’s job announcement page which has been shared on social media.
Since the spring of 2025, the Panel has not initiated a new recruitment process. The Police Commission Selection panel met on December 18, 2025, the first time since July 22, 2025. During their meeting, the Panel established an ad hoc committee to review the draft Oakland Police Commission Outreach and Recruitment Strategic Plan created by the City Administration to assist the Selection Panel in the solicitation of Police Commission applications, as outlined in Oakland City Charter section 604(c)(3)(a). The ad hoc committee will meet to discuss the Strategic Plan and make recommendations to the full Panel on how to fully implement the plan.
The Administration will work closely with the communications team, community partners and stockholders to further it’s recruitment efforts for Police Commission candidates via all viable communication channels.
2. When did the new round of outreach begin? When did the application portal open, and when was the submission deadline for applications to be considered?
The Administration initiated limited outreach efforts in November 2025. Currently, the City Administration is accepting applications on a continuous basis. The administration will send applications to the Panel on a regular cadence. Once five or more applications are received, they will automatically be sent to the Panel for their review.
3. How many new applications were received?
The administration has received 13 new applications.
Jestin D. Johsnon, City Administrator
Subject: SUPPLEMENTAL – Selection Panel Nominations for Police Commissioner Appointments
Date: January 13, 2026 Page 3
City Council
January 20, 2026
4. What was the selection process after the application window closed?
The Selection Panel has not engaged in a new selection process or established a deadline for new applications. During a future meeting of the Panel, they will establish an application deadline. Following the application deadline, the Panel will review the applications and decide which candidates to interview based on their Procedure Manual.
5. How many candidates advanced to interviews and any subsequent rounds of the selection process?
The Panel has not considered or interviewed any new candidates since the October City Council meeting. At the December 18, 2025, Selection Panel meeting, the body voted unanimously to advance the same slate of candidates that the City Council rejected at the October 21 City Council meeting.
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
Respectfully Submitted,
Felicia Verdin
Assistant to the City Administrator