Oakland Panel Sends $1.56M Gun Relinquishment Grant to Council
Public Safety Committee • OaklandOctober 13, 2026
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Oakland's Public Safety Committee voted 4-0 on Oct. 13, 2026, to ratify a court-funded agreement that pays police to take guns away from people barred from having them. The vote came after members learned the deal had been signed under a former chief but never brought to the City Council. The committee also delayed a police oversight report over a missing slide deck and heard calls to rethink reporting now that 23 years of federal oversight have ended.
- $1,563,571 firearm relinquishment grant advances 4-0 to the Oct. 20 Council consent calendar
- OPD says 65 of 67 homicides in 2025 involved a firearm
- CPRA oversight report pushed to Oct. 27 after its PowerPoint missed the agenda packet
- Public commenter urges retiring NSA reports as federal oversight ends; pending list stays unchanged, 4-0
A Gun Grant That Skipped a Step
The basics: A gun violence restraining order, or GVRO, is a court order that temporarily bars a person from possessing firearms. The grant pays the Oakland Police Department, or OPD, for the staffing and equipment needed to enforce those orders and other relinquishment requirements.
Why it matters: The money covers police staffing and overtime for gun removal at what staff described as no added city cost. It comes in a city where, according to OPD, nearly every homicide this year involved a gun.
Where things stand: The Alameda County Superior Court selected OPD in December 2024 for up to $1.56M in reimbursement. The money comes from Judicial Council of California funds tied to a $40 million state allocation in 2022. Then-Chief Floyd Mitchell signed a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, but it was never taken to the Council. The gap surfaced when OPD prepared to invoice the court. Work under the agreement began in July 2025, so the resolution both ratifies the MOU and appropriates the funds.
Lieutenant Gabriel Urquiza of OPD's real-time operations and ceasefire section said the grant funds up to four sworn officers and one professional staff member already assigned to the unit. "This does not require any additional expenditures by the City of Oakland," said Urquiza. He reported 54 firearms recovered through the initiative.
Councilmember Charlene Wang, the committee chair, questioned whether residents know the tool exists. "My understanding is right now the GVRO process is pretty underutilized," said Wang. OPD had no exact filing count and said it typically handles two to three active cases at a time.
Councilmember Carroll Fife pressed on whether the grant buys anything new. "The work that is done that is reimbursable by this grant, would we be doing it anyway?" asked Fife. Urquiza said yes, but the reimbursed positions are full time, while field work runs on overtime. "For the field teams that go out as far as serving the GVROs or proactive enforcement related to prohibited persons in possession, that would be the work that's done on overtime," said Urquiza.
Thin ranks: Staffing came up repeatedly. "I think we're at 16 officers within the ceasefire section currently, which is probably about half or less than half of what we've had in the past," said Urquiza.
Technology questions: Councilmember at Large Rowena Brown asked "how these funds are supposed to be allocated, utilized, and the programming that's supposed to come from this particular program." She also asked about a technology integration platform and community education. OPD said it now favors staff who connect existing systems over building a new platform, and that the work does not involve surveillance technology.
The other side: No one opposed the grant. A public commenter asked whether owners can have surrendered guns destroyed and whether storage fees apply. "We don't resell firearms at any time, so they would be destroyed," said Urquiza, adding that no storage fees apply.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Brown moved and Fife seconded the motion to forward the resolution on consent. For: 4 (Brown, Fife, Houston, Wang), Against: 0, Absent: 0. OPD gains reimbursement for work already underway. The court system gains an enforcement partner. Residents in GVRO cases face faster follow-through. The episode also raises an oversight question: how a signed MOU bypassed Council review until invoicing began.
What's next: The full Council takes up the resolution on its Oct. 20 consent calendar. The staff report and resolution are posted.
Police Oversight Report Stalls on a Technicality
Why it matters: The Community Police Review Agency's bi-annual report, required under OMC 2.46.030, is the committee's main civilian oversight update on OPD. Its delay pushes public review back two weeks.
Where things stand: CPRA Director Antonio Lawson, who had lost his voice, said lawyers blocked his slides. "I've been informed today by the City Attorney's Office that it cannot be presented since it wasn't a written document attached with the agenda," said Lawson. Wang proposed moving the item to the next committee meeting, with materials due by the 17th. Lawson said he would submit them that day.
Lawson also offered final annual reports to members, and Brown asked that the digital report be linked in the agenda report. Public speakers waived their time.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Brown moved and Wang seconded a motion to continue the item to Oct. 27. For: 4 (Brown, Fife, Houston, Wang), Against: 0, Absent: 0. The episode shows how strictly Oakland applies its agenda-materials rules, even to oversight agencies.
What's next: The CPRA report returns to the Public Safety Committee on Oct. 27. The staff report and supplemental report are posted.
After the NSA: What Should Oversight Look Like?
Why it matters: Federal oversight of OPD under the Negotiated Settlement Agreement, or NSA, has ended after 23 years. That leaves the committee to decide what recurring police reporting stays on its agenda.
Where things stand: One public commenter praised the cross-departmental effort that ended federal oversight. "I encourage this committee to reconsider the need for continued NSA reports," the commenter said. The commenter noted that OPD already holds twice-yearly risk management meetings and that the Police Commission reports annually to the Council. The commenter suggested periodic updates from OPD Risk Management or the Constitutional Policing Administrator instead.
The other side: Another public commenter pushed for broader scrutiny, urging review of Stanford's report by Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt, STOP data, officer wellness, truancy and hate-crime reporting. "We need to have a discussion of the difference between militarized equipment for police officers and protective equipment for police officers," that commenter said. During open forum, the same commenter cited the federal judge's remarks on continuing racial disparities and urged vigilance on racial profiling, excessive force and falsified records.
Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Wang, Fife, Houston and Brown praised Assistant City Administrator Michelle Phillips for her work. Brown moved and Wang seconded a motion to keep the list of outstanding committee items unchanged. For: 4 (Brown, Fife, Houston, Wang), Against: 0, Absent: 0. For now, NSA-related reporting remains on the list.
What's next: No timeline was set for revisiting the list.
Residents Flag Slow Non-Emergency Reporting
A public commenter said many non-emergency crimes must be reported in person to an officer, often late at night or days later, which leads residents to stop reporting. "I think we do need to assess the actual workflow for non-emergency crimes," the commenter said, asking the city to work with dispatch on a streamlined process. "You read my mind," replied Wang.
A former member of the Wood Street People's Collective said her group survived hundreds of arson incidents, was denied fire extinguishers, and faced misconduct by shelter managers. She also said the Department of Public Works removed her RV on Willow Street. "We are not at the table when anyone's making decisions about the homeless or unhoused people," she said. The city did not respond to her claims during the meeting.
- Gun violence remarks: Opening the meeting, Wang said "we as the Public Safety Committee should each play our role to take more guns off the streets." Councilmember Ken Houston said "gun violence has affected everyone's life on this dais" and showed video of recovered weapons.
- Coverdell grant rerouted: The OPD Paul Coverdell 2026 Grant was withdrawn from the agenda and moved to the Oct. 20 Council consent calendar.
- Creek cleanup offer: A speaker from Community Brothers offered crews for San Leandro Creek Parkway, saying "it needs a lot of cleaning." Houston will connect the group through a briefing.
- Commemorative bench: Wang announced a bench honoring Wilson Riles Jr. on Oct. 27.
Looking ahead: The full Council considers the firearm relinquishment grant on Oct. 20. The committee hears the delayed CPRA oversight report on Oct. 27.