On Public Safety:
Quan: “Secured a federal grant for 25 more officers”
Rebuttal: Mayor Quan would have the residents of Oakland believe that she was responsible for securing the federal grant for 25 more officers. The fact is that former Police Chief Anthony Batts was responsible for securing the federal grant during Mayor Dellums’ administration, due to Chief Batts’ close relationship with Attorney General Eric Holder.
Mayor Quan wants to take the credit for work that Chief Batts had done. Now, Chief Batts is no longer with us.
Quan: “Held 8 town hall meetings with 3,000 residents and a Neighborhood Safety Summit with over 1,000 participants.”
Rebuttal: Crime continues to soar! While Mayor Quan speaks at town hall meetings and safety summits, we need to ask ‘Where are the results?’. Crime is at a record high from the previous administration.
Port of Oakland:
Quan: “Led China trade missions, regional and international meetings to promote the Port.
Rebuttal: While Quan may have participated in the trade missions to China, the Executive Director and other Port staff have been negotiating with China for years. Former City Councilmember Henry Chang, along with Port Staff have been responsible for laying the groundwork for the current relationship with China.
Quan: “Secured City, Port, Developer agreement on $400 million development to bring millions in Federal and State grants and create 3000 jobs”.
Rebuttal: Quan has totally misrepresented the current negotions with the Port. In a letter from Mark Erickson, Senior Maritime Projects Administrator, dated October 7, 2011 a different story emerges. A few excerpts: “Our respective negotiating teams have worked hard and in good faith to reach agreement on a future development deal for the Oakland Army Base (OAB), but thus far, we have not been able to resolve enough issues for the Port to feel confident in moving forward. As you know (largely at your insistence), the Predevelopment Agreement established July 31, 2011 as a due for reaching agreement on (i)a Master Development Plan, (ii) a detailed financing plan that includes a schedule for obtaining firm commitments for each source of funds identified in the financing plan, and (iii) a term sheet for preparing the final Transaction Documents. While we have made a fair amount of progress in some of these areas, we still have not determined with any real degree of certainty how the approximately $200 million financing gap for the public infrastructure will be filled, and we have not yet reached agreement on the term sheet sufficiently detailed as to allow for the preparation of the final transaction document.”
“Everybody, including the Port, is even more risk averse than ever before, and there still appears to be too many uncertainties in this transaction for either of us to reach agreement on some very import issues”. “…we have yet to begin any substantive negotiations on many of the other issues presented in that detailed term sheet”.
“Board of Port Commissioners will be considering whether to continue with the Predeveloment Agreement…”
“The Port’s mission remains to manage the seaport consistent with its duties and powere under the City Charter and as a trustee of the state tidelands”.
“We continue to believe that economic development, job growth, and expanded trade facilities accomplished on the port’s (OAB) property, but we do not believe negotiating a long-term land development lease at this time is in our best interests.”
Note: emphasis is our own and did not appear in the original letter to Mark Hansen, Senior Vice President, Investment Officer Prologis, Dan Letter, Vice President, Prologis, and Phillip H, Tagami, Managing General Partner of California Capital & Investment Group.
Also worth noting: Similiar issues of financial uncertainity were evident regarding the Fox Oakland Theater which began as a$33 million endeavor and ended up costing close to $100 million . The recent Performance Audit of the Fox by Oakland City Auditor, Courtney Ruby gives some startling revelations regarding the financing.
