There is an item for consideration by the Oakley City Council that is the most bigoted and discriminatory piece of local legislation that I have seen in decades. The item is 5.4 on the Oakley City Council agenda and pertains to proclamations. The legislation is reminiscent of the backwoods Louisiana Swamp Bayou local legislation of the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s.
The proposed legislation marginalizes and erases large demographic groups based on ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religious beliefs, among other demographic identifiers. Such groups are excluded from receiving proclamations from the city council. The bigoted legislation seems to be driven by Mayor Randy Pope’s homophobic fear of same-sex relationships, his disdain for any ethnic group other than white, and Mayor Pope’s demonstrated hatred towards unhoused people.
The policy approves Mayor Pope speaking on behalf of the City Council, which he does with or without the approval of the City Council. Whatever the outcome of the vote, I publicly state that I do not trust, nor have confidence in, Mayor Randy Pope, and he does not represent me in any way.
Brentwood has a similar proclamation in place. One can see the results of such a policy with the unfortunate situation that developed at Ron Nunn Elementary School. The crossing guard at the school, a Muslim woman, was wearing a hijab, assisting elementary school students in crossing the street safely. A group of people continually harassed her as she protected the children, shouting, “this is America. Take off your mask.” The hecklers referred to the crossing guard’s hijab and attempted to bully her to remove it. Such are the consequences of a governmental policy that marginalizes demographic groups.
My thoughts are all people, whether inside or outside the community, should email Joshua McMurray and call for his removing item 5.4 from the agenda. Mr. McMurray’s email is:
I would encourage all people, whether inside or outside the community, to email Libby Vreonis, Oakley’s City Clerk, asking her to notify the City Council of their opposition to the policy proposal. Ms. Vreonis’ email is:
However, the most effective action at this juncture is to attend the City Council meeting at 6:30 PM, Tuesday, March 8, Oakley City Hall, 3231 Main Street, Oakley, to voice their opposition to the measure. I have provided a URL to the proposed policy agenda item, along with a press release about the Ron Nunn Elementary School incident.
https://fullerforoakley.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/proclomationpolicy2022.pdf
https://fullerforoakley.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ronnunnelementaryschool.pdf
George Fuller, MPA, MA
City Councilmember, City of Oakley, CA
