APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
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CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. ______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT KEVIN JENKINS
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT TO
SUBMIT A RESPONSE ON BEHALF OF THE CITY COUNCIL TO
THE 2025-2026 ALAMEDA COUNTY CIVIL GRAND JURY REPORT
WHEREAS, on June 15, 2026, the Alameda County Civil Grand Jury issued its 2025 - 2026 Alameda County Civil Grand Jury Final Report; and
WHEREAS, one section in the Grand Jury Report concerns the City of Oakland (“City”); and
WHEREAS, the Grand Jury requested responses from various City departments and City officials, including the City Council, to this section; and WHEREAS, the section that requires responses from the City Administration and City Council is regarding “Illegal Dumping in Oakland”; and
WHEREAS, the Grand Jury report concludes with the determination that: “At this point, the public deserves a coordinated strategic plan for the problem of illegal dumping;” and “Education, Eradication, and Enforcement;” and
WHEREAS, Oakland leadership agrees, and appreciates the alignment with the recommendations of the Grand Jury, and the actions the City has taken; and WHEREAS, Oakland’s Illegal Dumping Expenditure Action Plan (“Plan”) was presented at a noticed open meeting of the Public Works and Transportation Committee on May 12 th, 2026; and
WHEREAS, the Plan includes Education, Eradication, and Enforcement, which matches the recommendations in the Report; and
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2 WHEREAS, the Plan was approved unanimously by the City Council on May 19th, 2026; and
WHEREAS, the Plan funds and authorizes multiple actions to remedy illegal dumping, including new and improved technology, additional personnel time, working trucks and equipment, enforcement cameras, hand-held electronic devices to be better able to issue and collect citations, and more; and
WHEREAS, in adopting the Plan, the Council also gave authorization to pursue additional funding, including public and private grants, to further enhance these efforts; and
WHEREAS, the City has been awarded grants from CalRecycle to expand targeted cleanups of hard-hit corridors, and from the EPA to acquire new cleanup vehicles; and
WHEREAS, on June 11
th, 2026, the Crankstart Foundation and the Mayor of Oakland announced a major $9.3 million contribution, to dramatically expand and scale up these eradication, education, and enforcement efforts; and
WHEREAS, the new funding from Crankstart enables Oakland to scale-up identified solutions, undertake new programs and evaluate impacts, and includes many of the recommendations in the Grand Jury Report; and
WHEREAS, on June 12th, 2026, the Oakland City Council adopted the amended budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, which added $1 million for illegal dumping cleanups and $900,000 for additional new vehicles for clean-up crews; and
WHEREAS, the Grand Jury report encourages increasing the amounts authorized by Oakland for illegal dumping penalties; and
WHEREAS, an Ordinance to amend Oakland’s illegal dumping penalties, increase fines, strengthen enforcement, and address vehicles used in illegal dumping was passed by the Oakland City Council on April 14
th and May 5th; and
WHEREAS, the Grand Jury Report states: “Previously, Oakland hosted free bulky-waste drop-off events, allowing residents to bring items to a specific location on a set day. Witnesses largely described them as successful and well attended. The city ended these drop-off events due to budget constraints,” -- these events have now been reinstated; and
WHEREAS, the approval of the Plan on May 19
th, 2026, included funding for “Bulky
Block Parties” – free events where Oakland residents can drop off bulky waste, and these events have been restarted; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to California Penal Code section 933(c), the City shall respond to the Grand Jury findings within 90 days of the public release date of the Grand Jury report; and
3 WHEREAS, the City Administration has prepared a response on behalf of the Mayor and the relevant City departments and said response is included as Attachment B to the City Administrator’s Agenda Report accompanying this resolution, including descriptions of actions the City has taken and funding Oakland has obtained for these efforts, in alignment with the recommendations in the Report; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to join the City Administrator and submit the proposed response on behalf of the City Council as well; and
WHEREAS, The City Council wishes for the Grand Jury and the public to have knowledge of and access to Oakland’s Illegal Dumping Plan, which, as the Grand Jury states, they “deserve”; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That a copy of the Plan, Resolution, Staff Report, and Presentation shall be provided to accompany the response to the Grand Jury Report; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Council hereby authorizes the Council President, on behalf of the Council, to submit the City Administrator’s proposed response, in substantially the form of Attachment B to the Agenda Report accompanying this resolution, to the Alameda County Civil Grand Jury as the City Council’s formal response to the 2025-2026 Civil Grand Jury Report.
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - BROWN, FIFE, GALLO, HOUSTON, RAMACHANDRAN, UNGER, WANG, AND
PRESIDENT JENKINS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
A T T E S T :
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California
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