Council Member Noel Gallo, claims oversight duty during expensive free ticket events spree

Council Member Noel Gallo, claims oversight duty during expensive free ticket events spree

By Lynda Carson - September 6, 2022

Oakland - Just try to imagine being a powerful Oakland city official, or county official, Oakland City Council Member, staff member, aide, or Mayor, who is frequently being offered free city tickets to the arena or Oakland Coliseum for some baseball games, or concert venues featuring such performers as Pearl Jam, Paul McCartney, or Disney On Ice.

However, to accept these free city tickets while trying to avoid paying taxes for them or listing the tickets as a gift, the city officials and county officials may have to falsely report that they went to the expensive free city ticket venues for the official purpose of conducting an “oversight of facilities or events that may require City funding or support in the near future,” or for some other phony reason.

According to one news report in 2016, they stated, “This news organization’s October 2016 investigation found officials over three seasons claimed more than 7,000 tickets worth millions of dollars to Golden State Warriors’ games, often going themselves or giving them away to politically connected people. Since then, officials’ use of high-priced tickets, particularly to Warriors games, decreased but did not stop.”

Apparently, in recent years officials’ use of high-priced free city tickets at the arena and the Coliseum may have decreased. However, public records report that during 10/18/2021 through 7/29/2022, City Council Member Noel Gallo and his family went to around 85 free baseball games and concerts, using high-priced free city tickets.

Asides from many baseball games, some of the other venues included free city tickets to the arena or Oakland Coliseum for some concert venues featuring such performers as Pearl Jam, Paul McCartney, or Disney On Ice. At times, recently records show that Noel Gallo and his family received free tickets for several concerts of Paul McCartney and performances of Disney On Ice.

Each time that a pair of tickets (2 tickets) for each event (around 85 events) was used by Council Member Noel Gallo and his family, he reported that he went to each of the events so that he could conduct the “oversight of facilities or events that may require City funding or support in the near future.”

At this point, for any or all of you who are reading this, if you really believe that Council Member Noel Gallo went to around 85 free expensive events at the arena and the Coliseum during 10/18/2021 through 7/29/2022, for the purpose of conducting the “oversight of facilities or events that may require City funding or support in the near future,” please clap your hands, and say hallelujah.

I can only imagine that it must have taken a lot of special training to be able to conduct the “oversight of facilities or events that may require City funding or support in the near future,” while being at a free Paul McCartney concert a few times, or a few times to see Disney On Ice for free.

Oakland’s Ticket Distribution Policy

According to the Public Ethics Commission, “The distribution of City tickets is governed by the City of Oakland’s Policy for Receipt and Distribution of Passes and Tickets (Ticket policy) adopted as City Council Resolution 75052 in June 1999 and later revised as City Council Resolution 82032 in May 2009. This policy authorizes the use of tickets, as exceptions to the state gift rules which impose a current limit of $470 on gifts given to a public official, if the use is for a “governmental purpose” as defined by the Ticket policy. Oakland’s policy includes as a “governmental purpose” the following list of reasons for which a public official or third party may receive and use a ticket and not have the ticket be subject to the state gift limit:”

1. Oversight of facilities or events that have received City funding or support;

2. Oversight of facilities or events that may require City funding or support in the near future;

3. Reviewing a facility’s contribution to blight abatement within a Redevelopment Area;

4. Reviewing the ability of a facility, its operator, or a local sports team to attract business andcontribute to the local economy;

5. Reviewing the ability of a facility or its operator to participate in the City’s job creation goals ortraining programs;

6. Reviewing the contribution of a facility or an event to the City’s goals for fostering arts andculture opportunities for City residents;

7. Rewarding a City of Oakland employee for his/her exemplary service to the City;

8. Rewarding a community activist for his or her service to the City of Oakland;

9. Rewarding a school or nonprofit organization for its contributions to the community;

and 10. Rewarding an Oakland student for outstanding scholastic achievement.

Avoiding The State Gift Rules Which Impose A current Limit Of $470 On Gifts Given To A Public Official:

Simply put, in other words, years ago corrupt Oakland City Council Members passed a resolution that allows them and others to get around state laws with exceptions to the state gift rules which impose a current limit of $470 on gifts given to a public official, if the use is for a “governmental purpose” as defined by the Ticket policy.

According to a January 28, 2022, Public Ethics Commission, staff memorandum, “The Public Ethics Commission (PEC or Commission) is considering draft language for a new ordinance to update and codify the City’s policy for the distribution of City tickets, such as tickets to City-sponsored events, events at City facilities or pursuant to City contracts, and events for which tickets are provided to the City for promotional purposes.”

2017-2018 Grand Jury Investigation Into Bonanza Free Ticket Giveaway:

Additionally, according to a 2017-2018 grand jury investigation, “Expensive tickets seem to be treated as a perk of office or employment. They are often used repeatedly by the same elected or appointed officials and their staff members. Tickets that are reported are supposedly being used for approved public purposes, such as inspecting the facilities. Although not a requirement, no reports are ever generated by officials following their visits, suggesting that the so-called “public purposes” are merely a vehicle for attending exciting games and concerts without having to declare the ticket values as gifts or income. Neither the county nor the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority has a policy to limit or restrict excessive use of tickets by particular individuals, permitting overuse by some, such as appointed authority commissioners, who used the most valuable tickets hundreds of times. The only reports filed and posted regarding ticket usage by officials and employees were designed for another purpose – making free tickets non-reportable as gifts and income –and are of limited value in providing meaningful data to enable tracking of ticket usage, and enforcement of ticket distribution policies that need strengthening.”

According to the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), “Form 700 requires the filer to disclose gifts valued at more than $50 received during the year. Those required to file Form 700 are prohibited by Government Code section 89503 from receiving gifts from any single source valued at more than $470 annually. Reportable gifts include tickets to sporting or entertainment events.”

Council Member Noel Gallo is an Oakland City Council Member for District 5.

Additionally, according to records with the Federal Election Commission, Noel Gallo reports that he is also an employee of Gallo Advantage Consulting, which made a campaign contribution of $900 to Noel Gallo on 8/10/2020.

However, according to records with the Secretary of State in California, Gallo Advantage Consulting has never filed incorporation papers to conduct business legally as an entity in California.

If interested, see the links below for the records of just a few free city tickets used by Council Member Noel Gallo in the past 9 months, allegedly for the purpose of conducting the “oversight of facilities or events that may require City funding or support in the near future.”

Lynda Carson may be reached at newzland2 [at] gmail.com

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