Stories you shouldn’t miss:
1. The Oakland City Council approved a funding plan that would direct most Measure I funds to the police department if it’s passed by voters, the Chron reports. The funding plan, approved by a majority of the council, would direct $6.2 million annually to police for hiring new cops and crime analysts and buying equipment. Measure I, a parcel tax being voted on in a mail-in-ballot election, would raise about $11 million each year. The council decided to approve a funding plan before the outcome of Measure I is known because of criticism that the ballot measure wasn’t specific enough for how the money is to be spent.
2. The Oakland council also confirmed Jakada Imani, executive director of the internationally known Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, to the port commission, the Trib reports. The council voted 5-3 for Imani. Previously, some councilmembers had blocked Imani’s confirmation because they wanted Mayor Jean Quan to reappoint port commissioner Margaret Gordon.