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Dispute on Oakland Police Commission prompts ethics complaint

Oakland Police Department headquarters
Russell Mondy
/
Flickr / Creative Commons
Oakland Police Department headquarters

Retired Alameda County Superior Court Judge Brenda Harbin-Forte alleges [Oakland City Councilman Kevin] Jenkins bullied, threatened and retaliated against Oakland Police Commission Chair Tyfahra Milele.

Harbin-Forte filed the complaint as an Oakland resident. She is demanding Jenkins recuse himself from any decision on the police commission budget and resign from the council. 

Simon Russell, chief of enforcement for the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, confirmed Friday that the commission received the ethics complaint against Jenkins last Wednesday. The ethics commission has not begun an investigation, Russell said.

The unethical behavior alleged by Harbin-Forte is partly contained in an email exchange earlier this month between Jenkins' Chief of Staff Patricia Brooks and the police commission's Chief of Staff Kelly Yun.

According to the complaint, Brooks allegedly sent an "unprofessional and bullying email to Ms. Yun, which excoriated Chair Milele and Ms. Yun for Chair Milele's inability to rearrange her schedule to meet with the councilmember, and which contained this threat, in bold type: 'At this point, the councilmember is ready to join the press, community and others in asking for the resignation of Ms. Milele.' "

Harbin-Forte also alleges Jenkins "is going on a retaliatory attack against Chair Milele" because Brooks blind-copied Oakland Inspector General Michelle Phillips on the email she sent to Yun, according to the complaint.

Jenkins said he was not copied on the email exchange.

A rally is planned for noon at Oakland City Hall to demand Milele and Harbin-Forte resign.

Sunni M. Khalid is a veteran of more than 40 years in journalism, having worked in print, radio, television, and web journalism.