* Concurrent Meeting of the Oakland Redevelopment Successor Agency and the City Council, May 5, 2026
Approved: Amendment to Council Rules of Procedure adding Rule 33 (hybrid meeting disruptions), 6-0
What happened
On May 5, 2026, Oakland approved Amendment to Council Rules of Procedure adding Rule 33 (hybrid meeting disruptions) (6-0).
The Oakland City Council voted 5-2 to reconsider and adopt staff's recommendation imposing a $915,135.40 penalty on property owner Matthew Bernard for illegally removing 38 protected trees at a parcel on Claremont Avenue (APN 048-8767 2-18) in violation of Oakland Municipal Code…
- Jurisdiction
- Oakland, CA
- Governing body
- Final authority
- Date
- May 5, 2026
- Decisions
- 7 zoning decisions
- Outcome
- Approved, 6-0
Free sample: decision 1 of 7
Penalty for illegal removal of 38 protected trees on Claremont Avenue parcel
Public hearing on a resolution finding Matthew Bernard and Lynn Warner, owners of record of assessor parcel 048-8767 2-18, in violation of OMC chapter 12.36 for illegally removing 38 protected trees, imposing a penalty of $915,135.40, placing a hold on building permits, and a lien on the property. Council first voted 5-2 to reconsider the prior action (Brown and Fife dissenting), then voted 5-2 to adopt staff's recommendation for the full fine (Brown, Fife, Houston dissenting). Competing motion by Brown for reduced 'option one' fine was superseded.
- hold on issuance of any approvals or permits for the parcel
- lien on the property until penalty paid in full
The other decisions are listed below. Available full write-ups and conditions are included with Pro.
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Key Decisions (7)
Penalty for illegal removal of 38 protected trees on Claremont Avenue parcel
Amendment to Council Rules of Procedure adding Rule 33 (hybrid meeting disruptions)
Cooperative purchase agreements for Oakland Public Works fleet and equipment
Construction contract for septic and water system repairs at Feather River Camp
Cellbrite phone extraction technology contract for OPD
Peregrine Technologies law enforcement records search platform contract for OPD
Consent calendar (items 6.0 through 6.30 as amended)
Full write-ups and conditions for all 7 decisions in Pro.
Development Activity (1)
Feather River Camp septic and water system replacement
Infrastructure
Market Signals (5)
Infrastructure
Oakland's fleet infrastructure is in crisis: 12 of 13 sewer/storm…
Sentiment
Council enforced the full $915,135 penalty for illegal removal of…
Commercial Demand
City is actively working to revitalize the Hagenberger Corridor (gateway…
2 additional market signals with full detail in Pro.
Who spoke
19 distinct speakers; 5 identified names.
All speaker roles: 1 Witness, 1 Clerk, 7 Public, 7 Councilmember, 2 Staff, 1 Chair.
Identified name roles: 4 Councilmember, 1 Chair.
Speaker sample: Jenkins, Chair.
4 more identified names in Pro: 4 Councilmember.
Full speaker roster in Pro
Meeting audio
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Zoning terms (9)
21 recorded timestamps
- public hearing (2 timestamps)
- motion to approve (3 timestamps)
- approved (7 timestamps)
- special use permit (2 timestamps)
- deferred (1 timestamps)
- denied (1 timestamps)
Decision moments (7)
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Go deeper on this meeting
7 recorded decisions, 3 conditions across 2 decisions. Available full write-ups are included with Pro for Oakland.
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