Oakland (Special to ZennieReport.com) – Now former Oakland Assistant City Administrator LaTonda Simmons posted her thanks to her many supporters on the professional social media website Linkedin, yesterday. Readers may remember that Zennie62Media broke the sad story that the Black woman who should be in charge of Oakland Government was terminated by the Black man currently in charge of Oakland Government, the outsider from Atlanta, Jestin Johnson, in what this author called “a jerk move” (and should have added “godless”) in my opinion.
Here’s what was Ms. Simmons posted:
As many of you have heard, I’m no longer with the City of Oakland. I’ve had the pleasure of serving the residents, businesses, and employees of the City of Oakland in ways most visible and unseen. For the many calls, texts, and letters sent to me and on my behalf, I’m most grateful for the value you hold for my leadership, service, and the support you’ve expressed in my interest. While some lament and others may celebrate, it unquestionably has been amongst my greatest honors to serve Oaklanders and my hometown for 23 years. I remain proud of my accomplishments and grateful for the opportunity to have served Oakland as a current and native Oaklander. My focus now is on completing recovery from a broken ankle from five weeks ago and re-evaluating next steps for career and personal interests. Thanks for reading.
What this Oakland blogger wrote bears repeating:
Well, it’s clear that Oakland City Administrator Jestin Johnson has something of a personal issue with the woman he fired, Oakland Assistant City Administrator LaTonda Simmons.
To many inside and outside of the City of Oakland, LaTonda Simmons is one of the few city employees considered “untouchable”. In other words, her combination of talent and community respect are such that no one could consider her less than valuable to the City of Oakland. LaTonda, by anyone’s recollection, can’t be considered to be on the wrong side of any major issue.
For example, LaTonda Simmons is the only person not implicated in the activities of the FBI indictment (publicly known). So this action by Oakland City Administrator Jestin Johnson is considered both unbelievable and erroneous by everyone this vlogger has talked to, to date.
Sources that did not wish to be named assert that Mr. Johnson has been trying to find a reason to “get rid” of Ms. Simmons “since early 2023” because she “wouldn’t play for their team”.
As for Jestin, sources also claim the separation was intended to be cruel and to humiliate LaTonda Simmons. There was no request for her to retire or to resign. Sources say Mr. Johnson is in possession of a doctor’s note written for LaTonda Simmons and knows she has been at home with a broken ankle for the last three weeks. Simmons was also put on modified duty through August 11 2025.
Ms. Simmons is in a cast and her benefits terminate this month. She’s served the City of Oakland for 23 years. 23 years of well-regarded and celebrated service.
That’s why this vlogger says that what Mr. Jestin Johnson did to LaTonda Simmons was an illegal, classless, jerk move. Because, it was. Check California law.
Still No Reason Surfaces For Mayor Lee Backing Jestin Johnson’s Firing Of LaTonda Simmons
As of this writing, there’s no stated reason for the termination of LaTonda Simmons. One Oakland employee guessed that it was because LaTonda is a “truth teller”, in other words, she gives a view of what someone in authority is doing that may be wrong in some way. Indeed, one source claims that LaTonda told Mr. Johnson that some action was against the Oakland City Charter. Just what that action was has not been shared with Zennie62Media to this writing, and we’ve asked around.
Whatever the case, a number of Oakland Mayors have had the chance to make LaTonda Simmons CAO. In the case of now-recalled Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, Sheng reportedly openly dissed her in 2023. Over at Oakland News Now Blog, we reported this:
During the search for a replacement for the outgoing City Administrator Ed Reiskin, Mayor Thao told Oakland Assistant City Administrator LaTonda Simmons that she “found someone with more experience” to replace Mr. Reiskin. LaTonda has logged 20 years and 8 months with the City of Oakland. Thao has not selected anyone who has more experience within the City of Oakland than LaTonda. Everyone who knows Oakland believes LaTonda should have been the next City Administrator after Ed Reiskin.
In the case of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, LaTonda was elevated to Interim Assistant City Administrator in 2020 by then City Administrator Ed Reiskin. Strangely, the City of Oakland web page reporting this news was removed, but Zennie62Media found it thanks to The Wayback Machine. Here’s what was written about LaTonda in 2020:
Oakland, CA— Today Oakland City Administrator Ed Reiskin announced the appointment of two Interim Assistant City Administrators: Ms. LaTonda Simmons and Mr. Jason Mitchell, effective Monday, June 1.
“I’m delighted to appoint LaTonda and Jason to these critical leadership roles,” said City Administrator Ed Reiskin. “Both LaTonda and Jason were born and raised in Oakland, and each of them has been integral to the leadership of this city for many years. They bring a complementary blend of operational expertise, deep institutional knowledge, community connections, and management experience. Their appointments are a testament to locally developed talent and the spirit of service to Oakland. I welcome them both to my executive leadership team as, together with the City’s department directors, we lead this City forward.”
LaTonda Simmons
LaTonda Simmons joins the City Administrator’s Office with over 27 years of public sector experience focused on management, organizational development, compliance, fiscal services oversight, program and project management, and network/systems administration, having supported federal affordable housing, municipal, and legislative services activities.
“LaTonda is a leader who is driven by the passion to make government accessible, solve problems, create operational efficiencies, and serve the organization with candor, precision, and humor,” said Reiskin.
Best known to the organization as the City Clerk, LaTonda has directed the operations for the Office of the City Clerk supporting 7 iterations of City Council, 7 Council Presidents, 14 City Administrators, and 4 Mayors. She is recognized as a member of the City Clerks Association of California, and has been designated as a Certified Municipal Clerk by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks in recognition of her expertise in municipal management and performance of the complex duties in the City Clerk profession.
Her prior experience includes serving as operations manager for federally funded Neighborhood Reinvestment’s Pacific District with a mission of community revitalization through support and regulation of organizational compliance for 25 affordable housing organizations covering the states of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. While within the organization, she managed programmatic and fiscal compliance data, administered NOFA activity for over $60 million in grant funds, and managed District resources for Oakland, LA, and Hawaii Pacific District offices.
“As an Oakland native, this moment isn’t lost on me. It is precious and crucial as we chart and navigate the growth as well as the potential of this amazing city. I am truly humbled, honored and excited to join the executive team, working in great partnership with amazing staff and ready to do this critical work,” said Simmons.
And now Retired Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan wrote this post of support for LaTonda:
Statement From Oakland City Council President Rebecca Kaplan On LaTonda Simmons Hiring As Interim Oakland Assistant City Administrator:
“It is with great pleasure that I congratulate LaTonda Simmons, a native of Oakland, and our current City Clerk, on her appointment as interim Assistant City Administrator. LaTonda Simmons has served the City with exceptional professionalism and fortitude in her many years as City Clerk. She is well-respected state-wide and nationally for her wisdom and leadership. As Council President, I have also been blessed to share the meeting dias with LaTonda, and to closely experience her expertise and dedication, including working effectively with the public and a wide array of stakeholders. During the current pandemic emergency, LaTonda has provided incredible responsiveness, setting up and managing public meetings in a new online environment, and taking action to enable our meetings to move forward and to prevent ‘hacking’ and ‘zoom bombing’ from undermining public needs.
We are fortunate that her exceptional qualities and work ethic will now have further opportunity in the City of Oakland, as she moves into a new role in leadership in the Administration. I look forward to working together to improve Oakland’s response to vital public needs, and to ensure our city produces effective solutions to the current crisis, and actively works to provide the support systems our community, businesses, and residents need for a just recovery and healthier future.”
With All Of Her Support, Why Did Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee Let LaTonda Simmons Be Fired?
All of this good news and statements about LaTonda make her firing by Oakland CAO Jestin Johnson all the more puzzling. And even more so when one considers that new Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee allowed the termination to go forward. Clearly. this is a story that will not go away anytime soon.
Stay tuned.