Oakland Councilwoman Desley Brooks is a bully. It’s time for voters in her southeast district to remove her from office.

For 15 years, the city has endured her self-centered behavior. But her assault of former Black Panther leader Elaine Brown in a restaurant altercation that will cost Oakland taxpayers $3 million is the final straw.

At the time of the 2015 incident, Brooks was 54, and Brown was 72. No criminal charges were filed. But an Alameda County civil court jury recently found that Brown was the victim of elder abuse and battery, and that Brooks was acting within the scope of her city employment.

That means the city is on the hook for a $3.75 million jury award, of which its insurance carrier will only cover the amount above $3 million. And, this month, the same jury found that Brooks personally must pay $550,000 in punitive damages.

Brooks “was a bully,” juror Rudy Taylor, of Hayward, told reporter David DeBolt. “She needs anger management. I’m hoping she learns her lesson and she won’t do this again. But I didn’t think she cared. She thought she was going to get away with it.”

“I hope (Brooks) gets help,” added juror Eric Shaw, of Newark. “She definitely has anger-management issues. She definitely abuses her power.”

Those jurors saw right through the councilwoman’s act. Voters should too if Brooks refuses to do the right thing by resigning and then stands for re-election later this year. After all, this isn’t the first time the four-term councilwoman has abused her power.

For example, in 2013, the city auditor found that Brooks interfered with the construction of two city recreation centers, meddled in the contracting for demolition of an Oakland Army Base building and threatened a city employee’s work assignment.

In the case of the teen centers, Brooks micromanaged the projects, even going so far as to directly hire people as city employees. They started jobs that have direct contact with minors before the legally required fingerprinting, drug testing and background checks had been completed.

Simply put, Brooks lacks appropriate boundaries. We see it in her behavior at council meetings. She professes to be a champion for the poor. And she is indeed a fierce advocate. But she refuses to play by the rules and, consequently, she’s far more disruptive than constructive.

The civil court judgment is the ultimate example. Brown accused Brooks of pushing her down after a heated exchange about housing for Oakland’s black community.

Related Articles Jury: Oakland councilwoman must pay $550,000 in punitive damages to former Black Panther leader

Former Black Panther leader awarded millions over dispute with Oakland councilwoman

Oakland councilwoman accused of assaulting former Black Panther leader Now the city is out $3 million. That’s money that could have helped the homeless, repaired city streets, kept more libraries open or provided funding for employment training programs the councilwoman supports.

It’s time to rid Oakland of Brooks’ poisonous behavior. For the sake of the city, for the sake of her constituents, let’s hope District 6 voters this fall see Brooks for what she is and replace her.