Mean Streets
Oakland's embattled mayor faces a major challenge to her administration as she continues to fend off organized recall efforts. Quan, in office less than a year, profited from Oakland's rank-choice voting beating a field of contenders including the assumed front runner Senator Don Perata. Quan's progressive credentials coupled with her living in the city for 32 years prepared her for confronting Oakland's long-playing recording of crime, grime, negative image, and a failed economy.
According to Quan's biography, her family roots in Oakland go back to 1906 when her grandfather came across the Bay and settled in Oakland’s Chinatown. Her political career started in1989 when she worked toward saving the school district's arts and music programs; she served three terms on the Oakland Board of Education. Quan brought her community-based style of politics to the City Council. Oakland, a city of 446,000 elected the first Asian American woman mayor of a major U.S. city. The Mayor was also the first Asian American woman elected to Oakland’s City Council eight years ago.
To overcome her expected problems; Quan relied heavily upon a hyper local agenda to concentrate on fixing Oakland from the grassroots level up. After the departure of absentee mayor Ron Dellums, Oakland was ready for a hands-on consensus builder. Quan didn't see the hidden-in-plain-sight long-standing derisions within the City.
City Hall is a red-hot cauldron of neighborhood politics, old vs. new residents, race, and ambitions of dominance by an active minion of City Council members.
Traditionally, the mayor (regardless of administration) litters the City with her or his own appointees and concentrates and expands power from the top. Quan's administration was no exception until a sour relationship with the police chief, lukewarm support from local business, the politics of race, and stumbling over the Occupy Movement combined and now threaten to topple her from office.
Gene Hazzard, a member of the Oakland Black Caucus and photographer for the Oakland Post is behind one of the major recall petitions. The Caucus carefully notes it neither supports or disagrees with the recall. Despite her short tenure, Hazzard maintains Quan hasn’t done enough to reduce crime, encourage sustainable development and create jobs. He was also a strong critic of the administration of Governor Brown who preceded Dellums in the mayor’s seat.
Hazzard is a self-promoting race man and member of an old guard of irrelevant blacks in and out of publc office existing along the fringes of downtown Oakland politics who envision themselves kingmakers.
Hazzard accused the Mayor of using divisive politics to turn the black community against itself when she appointed Jakada Imani to the position of Commissioner of the Port of Oakland instead of reappointing Margaret Gordon (both are African-American). After witnessing the resulting uproar, Imani withdrew his nomination.
According to the Bay Citizen, Hazzard flagrantly shows his dimissed Quan calling her a “good cheerleader."
“But you can’t take a “cheerleader” and put her on a football field calling plays.” Hazzard now paints the other recall efforts as attempts to piggyback off his efforts.
Volunteers must attain 19, 800 signatures by May 14 to get Quan out of office. Two additional recall petitions are certified by the Oakland City Clerk’s office.
Quan lost friends and made enemies since taking office; missteps dealing with her police department, indecision with Occupy, and looming budgetary problems make her politically vulnerable and open to attack on all fronts. A public falling out with friend and long time associate Dan Siegal was both professional and personal. Even the Occupy Movement she once supported in principle and handled with kid gloves vilifies her. Monday night she began a press conference to try and put a positive spin on the closure of the Port of Oakland earlier in the day. When informed of a plan of a second day of forced work stoppage she grew visibly angry and jettisoned her prepared statements and declared the Occupy Movement as holding the city captive. Should Quan be recalled, a new election must be held. Cost to the City, Millions.
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