Oakland official departs for Brentwood

"The move caps a dramatic tenure in Oakland for Duffey, who, during his stint as a high-ranking city staffer and briefly the interim city administrator, helped navigate a ransomware attack, saw former mayor Sheng Thao taken down in an alleged bribery scheme, and battled with a local activist in court. Duffey's last day with Oakland was Sept. 26, according to city spokesperson Jean Walsh. Duffey's role was eliminated in the city's budget that was approved by the council in June."

"Duffey told The Oaklandside he was recently interviewed by the city of Brentwood, which is in Contra Costa County. Duffey said the Brentwood City Council still has to approve his contract in a public session scheduled for Oct. 28. "Brentwood is just a phenomenal community that is in the midst of actually transitioning from its historical small town to more of a medium-sized town," Duffey said."

"In Oakland, Duffey also briefly served as the interim city administrator, the top-ranking staff position in the city. Oakland was hit with a devastating ransomware attack in February 2023 that Duffey had to respond to while administrator. He said he worked closely with the FBI and negotiators to try to get city data back from the PLAY group, a hacker network that took credit for the attack. According to Duffey, the city was able to resolve the situation without paying the attackers."

Duffey departed Oakland with his final day on Sept. 26 and a pending Brentwood City Council approval for his new contract scheduled for Oct. 28. Duffey joined Oakland in July 2021 as director of the Public Works Department and briefly served as interim city administrator. Duffey previously served as city manager for Grand Terrace and Compton. Duffey coordinated responses to a February 2023 ransomware attack with the FBI and negotiators and resolved the incident without paying attackers. Duffey oversaw the Lake Merritt algal bloom response, preparations for atmospheric river storms, and closure of the Wood Street encampment. The Oakland role was eliminated in the June budget.

Read at The Oaklandside