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CITY OF OAKLAND
ONE FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA x 6 TH FLOOR x OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94612 Office of the City Attorney
Ryan Richardson
City Attorney
FAX:
TDD:
(510) 238-3601
(510) 238-6500
(510) 839-6451
March 3, 2026
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
Oakland, California
Subject: City of Oakland v. Oakland Unified School District Alameda County Superior Court Case No. 24CV091999
City Attorney File No. X05545
(City Clerk– Writ of Mandate, and Declaratory Relief)
President Jenkins and Members of the City Council:
Pursuant to Section 401 of the Charter, the C ity Attorney has prepared and requests your approval of a resolution authorizing compromise and settlement of the above-entitled lawsuit for the payment to the City from the Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) of Eight Hundred Sixty Thousand Dollars and No Cents ($860,000.00) representing the full cost of the 2022 School Board Election and for a commitment from OUSD to pay the costs of its future elections.
In 2023, the OUSD school board chose not to fill a vacancy on the school board, triggering the need for a special election. The City determined that under the relevant statutes OUSD was responsible for paying the costs of all of its elections.
OUSD declined to pay the election costs but did not cite legal authority to support its position. After almost a year of discussions during which OUSD refused to pay its election costs, the City Council voted to authorize the City Attorney to file suit to seek the costs of OUSD’s 2022 election, the 2023 special election, and all future OUSD elections.
The City did not pay the costs of 2023 special election and instead requested that the Alameda Registrar of Voters bill OUSD for those costs. OUSD has now indicated that it is willing to settle this matter and pay the full co sts of the 2022 election, totaling $860,000.00, and commit to paying for the costs of its future elections.
The City Council authorized settlement of this case in Closed Session on Thursday, October 9, 2025 (moved by Councilmember Carroll Fife and seconded by Councilmember Charlene Wang - 5 Ayes, 3 excused - Councilmembers Rowena Brown, Ken Houston, and Janani Ramachandran).
Respectfully submitted,
RYAN RICHARDSON
City Attorney
Assigned Attorney:
H. Luke Edwards
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