CITY OF OAKLAND | CITY ADMINISTRATION
OAKLAND POLICE COMMISSION
SELECTION PANEL
2026 SELECTION PROCESS
Burt Jones
City Administration
Oakland Police Commission Selection Panel
POLICE COMMISSION SELECTION PANEL • 2026
FEBRUARY–MARCH 2026
Transition, Recruitment & Review Process
01 Recruitment → Panel Leadership →
Independent Review
POLICE COMMISSION SELECTION PANEL • 2026
Pursuant to Oakland City Charter 604(c)3 which in part states:
The Selection Panel, with the assistance of the City Administrator, will solicit applications from those willing to serve on the Commission. The Selection Panel will review the applications, and interview applicants to serve as members of the Commission.
In February 2026, the City Administrator assigned me to staff the Police Commission Selection Panel and assist the body with the recruitment and application solicitation process. That support included expanding and diversifying the applicant pool. We updated the recruitment flyer and created a brochure in four languages to increase accessibility and outreach across every Council district. The recruitment was promoted through the City of Oakland and members of the City Council’s social media, nonprofits and public meetings and forums, senior centers, and Oakland libraries: Main, Rockridge, West Oakland, Diamond, Fruitvale, and Eastmont.
Materials were distributed at neighborhood businesses throughout Oakland, including Chipotle on lakeshore, Highwire Coffee, Hudson Bay Café, Prescott Market, It’s Grind Coffee House, and Sana’a Café, along with other community gathering places.
These efforts ultimately resulted in 45 submitted applications.
During the March 19, 2026, meeting, the Selection Panel established an evaluation process, agreeing that each panelist would independently review the applications using the Panel’s approved rubric and submit their Top 10 candidates to City Admin Staff, establishing the first round of the two-round selection process.
APRIL–MAY 2026
From Applications to Interview Candidates
02 Application Deadline → Top 10
Compilation → May 13 Deliberation
POLICE COMMISSION SELECTION PANEL • 2026
During the April 16, 2026, meeting, the Selection Panel established the remaining timeline for the application review and interview process.
All applications submitted by the April 30 deadline were provided to panelists for independent review, evaluation, and ranking. The panelists’ evaluations were then compiled, and the results were agendized for discussion and action at the May 13 Special Meeting.
At the May 13 meeting, the Panel reviewed the results and agreed to advance the candidates who received the strongest collective support. The remaining applicants did not advance.
There was a three-way tie for the 10th and final interview spot between Ricardo Garcia-Acosta, David Newton, and Maury McFadden. The Panel voted to resolve the tie and finalize the 10 candidates who would advance to the interview round. The Panel also approved the interview questions and structure for the next phase of the process.
The candidates receiving the strongest collective support were Jean Quan, Cynthia Munoz, Anne Weills, Michael Johnson, Nicholas O’Brien-Kovari, Joey Harrison, Katie Fahey, Tyron Jordan, and Douglas Wong, with Ricardo GarciaAcosta, David Newton, and Maury McFadden tied for the final spot.
MAY 13, 2026
Establishing the Interview Pool
03 POLICE COMMISSION SELECTION PANEL • 2026
The three-way tie that involved Ricardo Garcia-Acosta, David Newton, and Maury McFadden. The Panel conducted an
additional vote to determine the final interview
position. Ricardo Garcia-Acosta received the most votes and advanced, while David Newton and Maury McFadden remained tied.
The Panel also considered what would happen if a selected candidate withdrew before the interviews. Rather than returning to the full applicant pool, David Newton and Maury McFadden were retained as the next candidates eligible to advance.
That decision became important almost immediately. Before the interviews began, two selected candidates withdrew, resulting in David Newton and Maury McFadden being elevated into the interview pool.
MAY 28 & JUNE 4, 2026
Candidate Interviews / Proceed with Nine Candidates
05 Round One: May 28 → Round Two: June
4 POLICE COMMISSION SELECTION PANEL • 2026
The interviews were conducted over two meetings. On May 28, the Panel interviewed Jean Quan, Cynthia Munoz, Douglas Wong, and Ricardo Garcia-Acosta. On June 4, the Panel scheduled to interviewed Katie Fahey, Joey Harrison, Michael Johnson, Nicholas O’Brien-Kovari, Maury McFadden, and David Newton.
On the day of the second round, one candidate withdrew after being selected to serve as an Alameda County judge, reducing the interview pool from 10 candidates to 9.
The Panel then had to decide whether to elevate another applicant into the interview pool or continue with the nine candidates already in the process. The Panel decided not to elevate another applicant and to proceed with the nine.
The Panel also agreed that it would first determine whether it could identify four finalists from the nine candidates. If four finalists could not be identified, the recruitment process would be reopened.
JUNE 10, 2026
Reference Review & Final Four
07 FINAL FOUR: O’Brien-Kovari • Quan •
Garcia-Acosta • Harrison
POLICE COMMISSION SELECTION PANEL • 2026
At the June 10 Special Meeting, the Selection Panel moved into the final stage of the selection process.
Following the interviews, the Panel reviewed the remaining candidates, considered the interview results, and discussed the results of the reference checks.
The Panel determined that it had a sufficient candidate pool and identified its Final Four: Nicholas O’Brien-Kovari, Jean Quan, Ricardo Garcia-Acosta, and Joey Harrison.
The remaining candidates: Cynthia Munoz, David Newton,
Katie Fahey, Maury McFadden, and Douglas Wong were
retained in the reserve pool.
From February through June, the process progressed from recruitment and application review to independent panelist scoring, Top 10 selection, interviews, reference checks, and deliberation, ultimately resulting in the Panel’s Final Four candidates for the two slates.