Groups File Public Ethics Complaint Against Councilman Guillen

OAKLAND (BCN)

Opponents of a controversial high-rise, market-rate apartment complex near Lake Merritt in Oakland said today that they've filed a public ethics complaint against City Councilman Abel Guillen alleging that he received improper donations from the project's developers.

The complaint filed by the Oakland Justice Coalition, Eastlake United for Justice and the East 12th Coalition says that Guillen received $1,300 in contributions from the lawyer and a former lobbyist of the primary developer, UrbanCore, and $500 from an employee of the East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, another partner in the final project.

The complaint alleges that during the lengthy period that the City Council considered the issue, Guillen cast at least three votes in favor of the developers' proposed project at the corner of East 12th Street and Second Avenue and was a regular supporter of UrbanCore's various proposals.

The complaint says Guillen also played a key role in advancing the project through the council's important Community Economic Development Committee, which he sits on, and failed to recuse himself for any conflict of interest.

The City Council first approved the project, which is on city-owned land, in June 2015, but opponents said it violated the state's Surplus Lands Act, which requires cities to make surplus land available for proposals for affordable housing developers and to give priority to plans to build affordable housing.

The council then reconfigured the $5 million project, which calls for 300 residential units, and approved it a second time on July 27, 2016.

However, ground has still not been broken for the project, according to Sarah Reilly, a spokeswoman for the groups who filed the complaint against Guillen.

In a statement, Guillen, who was elected to the council in 2014 and is running again this year, said, "My re-election campaign enjoys support from a broad cross-section of donors from all backgrounds and walks of life and I am confident we have complied with all local donation regulations."

Apparently referring to Nikki Bas, who is running against him, Guillen said, "It is unfortunate that backers of my opponent have chosen to focus on false, politically motivated attacks rather than working on actual solutions to our housing, safety and infrastructure needs."

Minister Cherri Murphy of the Oakland Justice Coalition alleged in a statement that, "It's been revealed that Councilmember Guillen has failed to uphold basic ethical standards for conduct in public office" and said, "Not only is this an ethical failure, it's a spiritual disgrace."

Murphy said, "His decisions conspired to maintain an epidemic rate of evictions, 2,100 homeless people and countless more who can barely afford rent. It's clear we need to be better about this and we need elected officials who will stand with community, not with greedy private interests."

Dunya Alwan of Eastlake United for Justice said, "Councilmember Guillen supported the developers lining his pockets instead of his constituents. He prioritized personal gain over taking action to address the housing crisis in Oakland."

The groups that filed the complaint against Guillen said the campaign contributions were found through searching public campaign filings.

The complaint alleges that Guillien accepted unlawful contributions from persons with pending contracts before city council.

Oakland's Public Ethics Commission has the authority to enforce violations of the city's campaign finance and transparency law.