1. Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire
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Candidate: Dan Siegel
Note: Please limit your answers to 250 words except where the question
indicates a different word limit.
1. Please state your position on the following November ballot measures along with a brief
(No more than 30 word) statement supporting your position.
 Measure Z: Public Safety (Parcel tax for police, fire and violence prevention programs)
 Measure CC: Public Ethics (Restructuring of Public Ethics Commission and mandatory
funding for its staff)
 Measure DD: Redistricting (Citizens’ redistricting commission for City Council
boundaries )
Answer: 1. Yes to all three.
2. As of May 31st, the OPD had 649 sworn police personnel, and projected that it would
have 681 by July and 716 by December, 2014. 63 of these officers are funded by Measure Y,
which expires at the end of this year, and 35 by Federal grants, which, if not renewed, will expire
next year. If the voters elect you in November, how many police will Oakland have as of the end
of 2018? If you plan to either maintain current levels or increase them, describe how you will
fund police (a) if Measure Z succeeds and if it fails; (b) if current grants for police are renewed
or replaced and if they are not.
Answer: 2. I want to reorganize the department based on 700 officers by assigning 513 to patrol as
compared with 277 today. That means each of 57 beats has five patrol officers, two investigators, one
problem solving officer, and one sergeant. I want to test this model for two years and then see if 700
officers are enough by the end of 2016. No-one knows or can honestly say how things will look at the end
of 2018, either with respect to the number officers or how OPD will be funded.
3. OPD’s difficulty in achieving the authorized sworn staffing level appears to be
exacerbated by high attrition and low morale, as shown by the department’s internal polling
(http://tiny.cc/OPDPoliceSurvey) and it’s loss of officers only months after they complete their
training. How will you solve OPD’s attrition and morale problems?
Answer: 3. I will provide clear leadership to the City and OPD. Officers will know what is
expected of them and what to expect from the City in return. My investigation suggests

2. that low morale is a result of poor and inconsistent leadership from City Hall and the
Department. I will make sure that officers are appreciated for doing a good job and
following the rules.
4. OPD has been under Federal Court supervision for close to twelve years. While
Oaklanders have repeatedly been told that the end is in sight, in late July, Judge Henderson
stated that Oakland’s disciplinary processes have violated Court orders, and that continuing the
same practices will "undermine any confidence in the sustainability of the reforms that have
been and continue to be achieved." Then, on August 14, the Judge criticized the City’s recent
inability to sustain through arbitration an officer termination in connection with response to the
Occupy Oakland protests. (Source: http://tiny.cc/ArbOrder.) The Court opined that Oakland
could not be in compliance with two NSA tasks if internal investigations were inadequate and
“discipline is not consistently imposed.” Many people believe the Monitor has repeatedly
imposed requirements on Oakland that far exceed the literal requirements of the NSA, and that
as a result of the Monitor’s shifting standards, Oakland may never be able to extricate itself from
Court supervision. As Mayor, to what extent would you be prepared to oppose continued and
changing demands from the Monitor, and what is your plan to end the era of Court supervision?
Answer: 4. A major problem with the NSA is that the Court does not trust the City. I will
work with the Chief to make sure that Oakland is fully in compliance by June 30, 2015,
and stay in compliance for one year so that the NSA ends on June 30, 2016. I believe
that I will have the confidence of Judge Henderson and Chief Warshaw to win the
Court's approval for ending the NSA. I will also review and if necessary fix the arbitration
process to make sure that cases of police officer misconduct are competently presented
and fairly judged.
5. According to the Public Works Department, Oakland is on an 85-year repaving schedule,
meaning a street that is repaved today won’t be repaved again for 85 years. Further, according
to Public Works, maintaining the existing pavement condition on Oakland’s streets would
require an estimated $28 million annually, while the amount allocated annually has been less
than $6 million in recent years. Sixty percent of the City’s curb ramps are non-compliant or non-existent.
The total needed to rehabilitate Oakland streets is over $435 million. How do you plan
to reverse the ongoing deterioration of our streets and sidewalks? If you are elected, when will
Oaklanders see a difference?
Answer: 5. This situation must be attributed to the ineffective leadership of the Mayor
and the Council. I proposed that the $28 million "windfall" received by the City this year
be used to begin street repair. Tentatively, based upon further consultation, I will
propose that we raise the funds needed to overcome the years of neglect through
issuing funds, while future budgets provide funds for ongoing maintenance.
6. The extent to which the City faces unfunded liabilities and what should be done about
them has been a contentious issue in recent years. As recently as last December, the City
Administrator projected that for the three fiscal years beginning July 1, 2015, Oakland faces all-funds
budget structural shortfalls totaling $795 million if it addresses its deferred capital
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3. expenses and deferred liabilities, and $342 million if it does not (Source: December 12, 2013
Update to Five-Year Financial Forecast, Attachment D, http://tiny.cc/5yrupdate.) Do you believe
Oakland faces a financial shortfall, and if so, how will you address it if elected in November?
Answer: 6. This question is related to the previous one. I think that the anticipated
budget shortfalls must be viewed with caution for at least two reasons: (1) The
figures are already over a year old, based upon information available as of June 30,
2013. As we all know, Oakland's revenues are very dynamic, as the unexpected $28
million "windfall" surplus earlier this year demonstrates. The trend of increased real
estate transfer taxes and gross receipts taxes based on rental income continues and
will have a substantial impact on deficit projections going forward. I do not believe that
the deficits will be as large as projected in June 2013. (2) As the report indicates, most
of the projected deficit consists of deferred capital expenses, which can be further
deferred or financed outside of the general fund. It does not make sense to me to pay
for those expenses by severe cuts to current expenditures. We need to fix the
streets and other infrastructure but there is little fat in terms of excess personnel in any
city department.
My plan includes: (1) accurate monitoring of projections as they change over time; (2)
careful auditing of all City expenses to reduce waste; (3) exploration of new funding
sources, including but not limited to increases in certain
categories of the gross receipts tax (such as rental housing income and supermarket
sales), exploring a payroll tax on incomes over $100,000, and windfall profits taxes on
property speculation, as is currently being considered
in San Francisco; (4) efforts to equalize the pension contributions of the various
categories of City employees; (5) vast reductions in the $10 million spent annually to
resolve cases of police misconduct and monitor the
Negotiated Settlement Agreement; (6) increased revenue from the Port of Oakland.
7. Operation Ceasefire has been described as the centerpiece of Oakland’s violent crime
reduction effort. We understand that funding for its manager has been dependent on grant
funding and that there is an insufficient number of case managers to maximize Ceasefire’s
success. Do you plan to expand Operation Ceasefire? In what respect? Where specifically do
you intend to allocate resources and staffing?
Answer: 7. "Operation Ceasefire" is at best a very modest success, and I am not
convinced to allocate general fund revenues to it. I believe that reorganization of OPD,
as described above in response to question 2, is our best plan to reduce violence. Over
the medium and long term only efforts to improve education and create jobs will solve
Oakland's crime problems.
8. What is your understanding of the relative responsibilities of the Mayor and City
Administrator as established in the Charter? What are the duties of each? What is the Council’s
responsibility in this regard?
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4. Answer: 8. I hope we are all clear on what the City Charter states. I am not sure why
you would want candidates for Mayor to prove that they can read!
9.. If the voters elect you in November, will Oaklanders see changes in the following from
City Government? If so, what changes and why?:
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 Leadership
 Management
 Strategic Planning
 Transparency
Answer: 9. I will be a strong, transparent leader who will provide consistent and honest
answers to all questions and who can be trusted to protect the City's interests in every
interaction with a developer, business person, or labor union. I will demonstrate my
ability to analyse issues and problems - such as ending the NSA or working out
contracts with athletic teams or garbage contractors - and work creatively and
collaboratively for good solutions. The media will have constant access to my office so
that all meetings and transactions can be reported to the public. I will tell the truth,
always.
I plan to hire a competent City Administrator who shares my values and approaches to
issues so that we can speak with one voice. I will insist that all City employees be
accountable for excellent work and value to the public.
I will re-institute strategic planning along the model of Oakland Sharing the Vision during
the Elihu Harris term as mayor.
10. In 2012-2013, Oakland contracted with Strategic Policy Partners (Robert Wasserman et
al) to present a comprehensive public safety plan. Strategic Policy Partners made a large
number of recommendations, some of which have been implemented and some of which have
not. (The reports are here: http://tiny.cc/SPPReport, http://tiny.cc/Bratton1,
http://tiny.cc/SPPBest) If the voters elect you in November, please state whether Oakland will
implement the following recommendations (We are looking for a “yes” or “no” answer as to each
recommendation, with explanatory narrative not exceeding 25 words for each recommendation):
 Call for Service Reduction strategy;
 Expanded investigation capacity in each of the City’s 5 policing districts, so that each
district has an investigative sergeant, 3 investigators, and 3 to 5 police
officers.
 Increased sworn police personnel to a ratio of 2 officers for every 1,000 in the population
(i.e., 800).
 Expansion of the Ceasefire initiative.
 Redesign of community policing, so that the entire Police Department, not just PSOs,
are focused on community relationship building.
 Measurement of the state of community / police relations.
 Moving restorative justice practices into the community, to address neighborhood
disorder and minor crimes in a manner that brings community into the process and
prevents future crime and disorder occurrences.

5.  Appointing a Director of Community Improvement who will be responsible for
coordinating collaborative action by city agencies, community groups and state and
federal partners, to address both quality of life issues and crime.
 Appointing a team of representatives from the community to work with the Director of
Community Improvement, the Police Department and other government agencies to
insure community coordination.
 Bringing Security Ambassadors into the crime reduction strategic plan and require
advanced training to those who patrol downtown areas, so they are active and have the
ability to intervene in minor situations that impact public security.
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Answer: 10. (a) yes
(b) no - see #2 above; I want two investigators in each precinct.
(c) not yet - see #2 above; Oakland cannot afford 800 officers now
(d) not convinced; maybe
(e) yes
(f) yes
(g) YES!
(h) yes, in some form. I will probably assign these responsibilities to
someone in the mayor's office.
(i) yes
(j) yes, in some form
11. In early 2010, Oakland’s Finance and Management Committee received a presentation
from staff and visiting personnel from the City of Baltimore concerning CitiStat, a leadership
strategy a mayor can employ to mobilize city agencies to produce specific results. (More
information is at http://tiny.cc/q00ojx ). CitiStat involves use of a round-the-clock 311 reporting
system for any request for city services other than policing. It uses data in a manner similar to
ComStat. High level city management uses the 311-generated data and benchmarks and
regular meetings to hold departments accountable, judge successes and failure, reveal what
agencies are doing and not doing to achieve benchmarks and provide the best possible
services to residents. Explain your familiarity with CitiStat and whether you believe such a
program can and should be implemented in Oakland. If you do not believe it should be
implemented in the near future, explain why. If you think it should, explain what you will do to
implement it and when this will be accomplished.
Answer: 11. This is a good proposal. I will investigate its application to Oakland and
adopt some version of it.
12. Oakland has room to improve its policies in the areas of crime reduction, budget
processes, street maintenance, and economic maintenance. What cities can Oakland learn
from, and adopt or emulate policies from with respect to these subjects? What policies from
other cities would benefit Oakland?
Answr: 12. Our platform provides numerous examples of cities that have created good
examples from which Oakland can learn on various issues. For example, our neighbor
Richmond seems to be doing well on crime reduction and another neighbor, Emeryville,
is doing well on economic development.

6. 13. Do you support the following policies and, briefly, why or why not?
A. Creation by Charter amendment of a Rainy day fund as recommended by MOBN! and
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the Budget Advisory Committee (BAC)?
B. Annual polling of city residents on their satisfaction with city services? What would
you do with that information?
C. Conducting a police resource deployment study to determine the number of officers
actually need by OPD and how they should be deployed?
D. Will you support the preparation of a comprehensive public safety plan?
Answer: 13.
A. No. This should not be in the Charter. It is a good practice.
B. Good idea. If we poll residents, we should use the data.
C.Yes
D. Yes