Janani has been exiled

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Oakland Councilmember Janani Ramachandran isn’t fitting in at City Hall and that may be a good thing.

CITY NEWS

OAKLAND

—MEAN GIRLS—Janani Ramachandran is one of the most progressive members of the Oakland City Council, but she’s been marginalized by Mayor Sheng Thao and other colleagues.

—Ramachandran has been relegated to the sidelines for unknown reasons. The first-term councilmember’s natural inclination for questioning the status quo has often visibly rankled her colleagues, including Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas and Carroll Fife.

—Last summer, Thao was annoyed by Ramachandran’s insistence for hiring a dedicated grant writer. A few months later came news the city failed to apply for millions in state funding to combat retail theft.

—Thao, Bas, Fife, and Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan are colloquially known as “The Squad,” a reference to progressive Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib.

—But despite similar political ideologies, Ramachandran has been shunned by the group. There have been rumors The Squad has placed pressure on Councilmembers Treva Reid and Kevin Jenkins to ignore Ramachandran.

—In March, the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California awarded Ramachandran’s efforts for using public records requests to hold her colleagues accountable.

—Ramachandran referenced her banishment, telling the group that “she’s not invited to public events that other city council members attend and has faced retaliation from city leaders, including half the council and even the mayor.”

—It’s not entirely surprising that Ramachandran has not been embraced by her council colleagues.

—While serving as a member of Oakland’s Public Ethics Commission, she waged a strong campaign for the 18th Assembly District special election in 2021. Despite being unknown, Ramachandran advanced to the top two special election against Mia Bonta.

—In that race, Ramachandran attacked the integrity of Bonta when most politicians would have thought twice, fearing the ramifications of upsetting her husband, California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

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