| Libby Schaaf | |
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Oakland City Council member and Mayor-Elect Libby Schaaf commemorating the centennial of women gaining the right to vote in California.
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| 50th Mayor of Oakland | |
| Assumed office January 5, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Jean Quan |
| Member of the Oakland City Council from District 4 |
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| In office 2011 – January 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Jean Quan |
| Succeeded by | Annie Campbell Washington |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elizabeth Beckman Schaaf November 12, 1965 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Salvatore Fahey |
| Children | Dominic Fahey Lena Fahey |
| Alma mater | Rollins College Loyola Law School |
| Website | libbyforoakland |
Elizabeth Beckman "Libby" Schaaf (born November 12, 1965) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party. She is the mayor of Oakland, California and a former member of the Oakland City Council.[1] Schaaf won the November 4, 2014 Oakland mayoral election in the 14th round in ranked choice voting with 62.79% of the vote.[2]
Biography[edit]
Schaaf holds a B.A. in political science from Rollins College and a J.D. from Loyola Law School.[3] Schaaf served as chief of staff to council member Ignacio De La Fuente and later as an aide to Mayor Jerry Brown. Schaaf is Jewish.[4][5] She lives in Oakland with her husband, Salvatore Fahey, and her children, Dominic and Lena.[6]
In her race for the city council, she was endorsed by fellow council members De La Fuente and Jane Brunner, as well as former council members Henry Chang, Dick Spees, and Danny Wan. Schaaf was also endorsed by the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce (OakPAC).[7] In 2006, Schaaf became Public Affairs Director for the Port of Oakland.[8][9][10] In 2010, Schaaf was elected to represent District 4 on the Oakland City Council.[11][12] In the wake of the 2011 Oakland General Strike, Schaaf co-authored a resolution directing city administrators to use "whatever lawful tools we have" to stop future shutdowns at the Port of Oakland.[13] The resolution was twice defeated.[14][15] In the race for Oakland mayor, Schaaf was endorsed by Governor of California Jerry Brown and US Senator Barbara Boxer.[16][17] She was inaugurated on January 5, 2015.
Controversy Over Freedom of Assembly[edit]
In May 2015, she instituted a ban on nighttime marches without permits in public roadways in Oakland, citing existing city policies. The first enforcement of this ban was on May 21, during a #SayHerName[18] march, a nationwide coordinated march focused on ending state violence against black women and girls in the US. Demonstrators met at Frank Ogawa Plaza before sunset for a rally. After the rally, demonstrators began to march onto the street. Police officers told them to keep to the sidewalks, and cited California Vehicle Code Section 2800, making it an arrestable offense not to comply with the police order.[19]
On May 25, a follow-up march was held, organized by the women who organized the May 21 march. By the end of the march, 47 protestors were detained and cited for violating state Penal Code 409: unlawful assembly, and five were arrested. At least one was arrested after refusing a police order to move on to the sidewalk. Other protestors were arrested at a police blockade at the intersection between 3rd and Washington after attempting to push through the blockade. Police detonated at least two teargas canisters behind police lines “to deter the demonstrators from continuing to physically push or assault officers,” according to Oakland Police Officer Johnna Watson. Members of the Oakland Police Department, California Highway Patrol, and Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies ran behind protestors in an apparent move to trap and mass arrest them. In response, demonstrators sat down on the street. Some protestors were led away on their feet, while others were carried by officers. Local attorney, journalist, and UC Berkeley professor Geoffrey King reported in a tweet[20] that several city police officers appeared to defy the department's policy of wearing body cameras, and that some did not activate the cameras they did wear. He also tweeted that he'd witnessed police officers threaten to arrest journalists.[21]
Enactment of this policy brought harsh criticism and allegations of illegality from some constitutional lawyers, including civil rights attorney and one of the co-authors of Oakland Police Department's Crowd Control and Crowd Management Policy, Rachel Lederman: "My general impression is the police took an unduly aggressive approach that not only violated their own crowd control policy, but also the First Amendment... This was an unreasonable interference with the demonstration given that there had been no serious crimes committed." Other legal experts pointed to similar policies in cities like New York, which have been ruled constitutional.[22]
References[edit]
- ^ "Councilwoman Libby Schaaf files to run for Oakland mayor". KTVU. December 2, 2013.
- ^ "2014 Mayoral Election Results". OaklandWiki. November 4, 2014.
- ^ "Questionnaire for Candidates for Oakland City Council" (PDF). East Bay Young Democrats. 2010.
- ^ Jewish Daily Forward: "California Councilwoman Libby Schaaf Targeted With Swastikas in Oakland" January 21, 2014
- ^ CBS News: "Flyers Of Jewish Councilwoman With Swastika On Her Face Posted In Oakland" by Michelle Griego January 19, 2014
- ^ City of Oakland: "District 4 - Libby Schaaf" retrieved January 21, 2014
- ^ Endorsements of Libby Schaaf[dead link]
- ^ New American Media (2007) Truckers and the Pollution Dilemma in West Oakland
- ^ Libby Schaaf Appointed New Director of Public Affairs at the Port of Oakland
- ^ SF Chronicle (Wednesday, August 6, 2008) Oakland port to eliminate 100 jobs
- ^ Vote results
- ^ 2010, East Bay Express - Schaaf and Worthington win
- ^ KTVU (2011) - City council resolution takes aim at port shutdowns
- ^ Oakland City Council rejects proposal to get tough on protests
- ^ SF Gate - "Oakland backs off increasing Occupy enforcement"
- ^ "Gov. Jerry Brown lends support to ex-aide in Oakland mayor’s race". SFGate.com. San Francisco Chronicle. October 9, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
- ^ "U.S. Sen. Boxer endorses Schaaf for Oakland mayor". SFGate.com. San Francisco Chronicle. October 28, 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ https://twitter.com/search?q=%23sayhername&src=typd
- ^ Bond Graham, Darwin. "Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Institutes Ban On Nighttime Street Protests". East Bay Express. East Bay Express. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
- ^ https://twitter.com/geoffwking/status/602344507397406721
- ^ Bond Graham, Darwin. "Hundreds Challenge Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's Nighttime Protest Ban, Planning Commissioner Among Those Detained". East Bay Express. East Bay Express. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
- ^ Barnard, Cornell. "Protests held in Oakland over mayor's new ban on nighttime marches". ABC7 News Bay Area. ABC7. Retrieved 2015-05-24.
External links[edit]
- Bio at Oakland City Council
- Biographical material at SmartVoter
- Articles about Schaaf at East Bay Express, Oakland Local, Oakland North, and Oakland Post
- Libby Schaaf at Oakland Wiki
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