NEWS FROM:
 Council
President De La Fuente
MEDIA RELEASE
July 2, 2008
RESIDENTS
CALL FOR LEADERSHIP AND A VISION FOR OAKLAND
De
La Fuente re-affirms his commitment to fight for a better Oakland
OAKLAND,
CA - Sixteen years ago, Ignacio De La Fuente ran for the Oakland city council as a youthful, energetic
idealist on a mission to reform city hall by making it more responsive to
citizens, creating job opportunities for Oaklanders, and improving the quality
of life for residents. He's never diverted from this mission.
Two years ago, after his second
unsuccessful effort to become Oakland's Mayor, and to finally gain the
authority and leverage to make real systemic change to fix Oakland's ills,
Ignacio stepped back, out of respect, to allow Mayor Ron Dellums the
opportunity and the space to lead the city in the way the voters elected him to
do. But now, Oakland residents are demanding
leadership from their Councilmembers, and Ignacio is answering the call to step
up and lead the City and to establish a vision for Oakland.
"Oakland residents have run out of patience,"
said Council President Ignacio De La Fuente.
"Residents want to see action, they want change, and they are asking for
someone to lead the way. I am ready and willing to do just that and I am
calling on residents to join me."
After years of attempting to affect
change from within City Hall, today Council President De La Fuente calls
on Oakland residents to join him in pushing to
change City Hall as he presents a vision and a set of proposals to move Oakland forward. He
will continue to work with the Mayor and recognizing the division of powers
between the executive and legislative branch of government, he is calling on
the people of Oakland to work beside him to help
him realize the Oakland
he envisioned sixteen years ago when he first ran for office.
"The time is now. Today I
present a vision, based on feedback I've received from Oakland residents over many years, and my
deep understanding of this City. I invite you to work with me, my office,
and the City Council to achieve this vision. Together, we can create:
1. A
City Hall that works for you. A City government that is responsive,
accountable, and delivers the services we pay for.
2. A
vibrant economy with new quality jobs, retail, housing and revitalized
neighborhoods.
3. A
safe City with increased police service, true community policing, and modern
technology.
Here are some of the First Steps I have already taken or
will take in the immediate future:
1.
Having the responsibility of approving the Mayor's
candidate, I strongly encourage the Mayor to hire a City Administrator with a
national reputation for excellence ASAP, so that all Oaklanders can be sure
their city is being well-managed. No more patronage system, nepotism or
cronyism.
2.
Introduce an Ordinance to Establish the City of Oakland's Anti Nepotism
Policy.
3.
Ensure accountability in city operations by
implementing a Hiring Practices Audit of the last 24 months.
4. Re-establishing
investor confidence in Oakland by ensuring that
new planning commission appointees, agency directors, and bureaucratic
decision-makers understand that we need revenue growth brought about by
economic expansion in order to pay for the services that Oakland needs (like more police, better
parks, more affordable housing, and improved infrastructure).
5.
Conduct and implement Citywide financial and
performance audits that will identify cost savings and reallocate funds to
increase our police force without raising taxes.
6.
Install GPS in all City vehicles and implement a
real-time data monitoring system so we can identify hot spots and trends based
on crime stats, and respond effectively.
With a need for strong leadership
in Oakland, Council President De La Fuente calls on Oakland residents to stand
with him and help him bring focus and leadership back to the City, and to keep
our City moving forward with a clear vision and a sense of direction.
"Since I just won re-election, I'm
not running for anything, so I have four years to simply work hard for Oakland, the city I've
dedicated much of my life to. In the face of some of my own personal
challenges recently, I revisited the reasons why I ran for Council 16 years
ago. I ran to fix this city because I love it and believe in it, and
wanted to raise the quality of life for everyone and that's what I'm going to
do. I'm back" said Ignacio in closing.
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