Oakland city administrator resigns over 'degrading, unprofessional' texts
Oakland city administrator resigns after 'degrading, unprofessional' texts: mayor
Oakland Mayor Lee announced that the city administrator resigned after she learned about certain "degrading and unprofessional communications" that he was involved in.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced Monday that a city administrator resigned over "degrading and unprofessional communications" that surfaced in documents obtained through a Public Records Request.
The mayor said in a statement that the city conducted an investigation into texts involving former city administrator Jestin Johnson and accepted his resignation.
‘Degrading, unprofessional’
"I have met with and accepted the resignation of City Administrator Jestin Johnson," Lee said in a statement on Sunday. "On Friday evening, I learned about certain degrading and unprofessional communications involving Mr. Johnson. We promptly conducted our own investigation and verified these communications, which are wholly incompatible with the values of this administration and those of the people of Oakland. Under my watch, I will not tolerate transgressions of this nature."
Dig deeper:
KTVU reviewed a trove of texts sent and received by city administrator Johnson and the former Department of Public Works director G. Harold Duffey, who is now the city manager of Brentwood.
The texts were first reported by The Oaklandside and obtained through a Public Records Request by an anonymous requester, who appeared to be seeking a wide range of information dating back to 2022, possibly related to the former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao corruption trial.
Efforts to speak to Johnson and Duffey via their personal emails were not immediately successful on Monday.
Oakland release of texts between Jestin Johnson and Harold Duffey.
The texts
Dig deeper:
In one text exchange on June 8, 2024, Duffey texted Johnson that he isn't Batman, but rather Superman, explaining that a high-ranking woman in the city is his "kryptonite."
KTVU is not identifying this woman at her request. She declined a request to be interviewed.
Johnson then responded to Duffey, saying that his kryptonite is the high-ranking woman's deputy, who has a "hellava walk."
There were other texts that referred to women in demeaning ways as well.
In a text sent by Johnson on April 18, 2024, Johnson texted former mayoral chief of staff, Leigh Hanson, that he has to deal with "enough bitchy ass and ding dong behavior…just want to minimize the bitch."
Jestin Johnson texting Leigh Hanson on April 18, 2024
Johnson started as city administrator in June 2023, when Thao was mayor.
Johnson’s contract — which guarantees him a salary of $340,000 a year plus a transportation allowance of $750 per month — was set to expire in January 2027.
Before coming to Oakland, Johnson worked as IBM’s corporate social responsibility manager.
He was also Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer from 2019 to 2021, assistant county manager of Athens-Clarke County in Georgia from 2016 to 2019, and city manager of Bisbee, Ariz. He is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
Duffey served as director of the public works department from July 2021 through May 2024, then as an assistant city administrator. He left Oakland in September 2025 to become city manager of Brentwood. His LinkedIn profile also shows he was city manager of Compton, and city administrator of Oroville.
Assistant City Administrator Betsy Lake will temporarily take over as city administrator.