Since 2023, Oakland has failed to publish a mandatory report that lists all the city’s contracts for goods and services that were authorized by the administration, without council oversight.
City law requires the council to approve all contracts above $250,000. But Oakland’s city administrator, Jestin Johnson, has the power to issue contracts up to that amount without informing the council and the public. The mandatory annual report is meant to provide transparency into these purchases. The report also requires Johnson and his team to explain if any contracts were issued without a competitive bidding process, and how many awards went to local businesses.
When we asked city officials about the missing reports for the years ending in June 2024 and June 2025 last summer, they assured us the delayed reports would be published in the fall of 2025. That didn’t happen. When we checked in again this week, the city said that the timeline had been pushed back again…