Berkeley is defying the will of voters to hold police accountable

"The resignation of Kitty Calavita and Julie Leftwich from Berkeley's Police Accountability Board (PAB) last month should alarm every resident who believes democracy is more than a ballot box moment.These were not casual departures. Calavita and Leftwich were the two most senior members of the PAB and the last original members who helped carry forward Berkeley's long tradition of civilian police oversight."

"Their joint letter describes an obstructionist city administration and a police department that, in their view, has systematically undermined the authority voters explicitly granted to the PAB in 2020.That election was not close. More than 84% of Berkeley voters approved the creation of the Police Accountability Board and the Office of the Director of Police Accountability. The mandate was clear: strengthen civilian oversight, expand transparency, and ensure meaningful accountability of the Berkeley Police Department."

"What has been unfolding instead is a continued erosion of voter intent. According to the resigning members and others before them, the PAB has struggled to access records, faced reversals of its findings, and watched key policies rewritten without its input. The board has reportedly had to resort to subpoenas simply to obtain information necessary to do its job. Even the basic task of establishing operating rules has been delayed or constrained by the city administration, with proposed regulations kept from public discussion."

"For decades, Berkeley was recognized nationally as a leader in civilian police oversight. That reputation was built not on symbolism, but on a genuine commitment to independent review, transparency, and community trust. When oversight bodies exist in name only, when their authority is narrowed once they begin to function as intended, trust is not merely strained. It. is broken. The League of Women Voters has long supported effective civilian oversight of law enforcement as essential to democratic gov"

Two senior original members of Berkeley's Police Accountability Board (PAB), Kitty Calavita and Julie Leftwich, resigned citing obstruction by the city administration and systematic undermining by the police department of the PAB's authority. Voters approved the PAB and the Office of the Director of Police Accountability in 2020 with over 84% support to strengthen civilian oversight, expand transparency, and ensure meaningful accountability. The PAB has reportedly struggled to access records, faced reversals of findings, seen key policies rewritten without input, and resorted to subpoenas to obtain necessary information. Establishing operating rules has been delayed and proposed regulations withheld from public discussion. Erosion of oversight authority damages public trust.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org