As a resident of D7 and as political director of Oakland Rising who represents approx 60K voters in the Oakland flatlands, I am urging the City Council to reopen the budget and add additional amendments to include the additional $25M cuts to Oakland Police and divert these funds to critical and vital life-affirming services in the community. We urge the council to consider the participation of community orgs and labor at the table during the transition plan creation. A strong coalition of community organizations and individuals have been calling on City Council to join this moment in time to take bold steps to creating a budget that reflects the value of putting community first and prioritizing providing services such as youth services, stable affordable housing, and healthcare.
I am a resident of District 3, and I strongly support reconsidering the 2020-21 budget amendments. The original passage was rushed and lacked public support. We continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
I live in District 2. The Council has ignored the demands of the public. A 2.5% reduction in police budget, compared to the $150M we've requested, is just insulting. Oakland needs to lead by example. Invest in the Black New Deal and in our communities, rather than in the police, or we will vote you all out -- very soon. We want community and labor input on any transition plan before it is scheduled. Please also cancel the CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland.
I find it unacceptable that councilmembers are not on video during these meetings. How are we to know if you are paying attention or even listening to us? The Oakland School Board meetings use the same zoom technology as you, but everyone is on video the whole time. We are months into shelter in place and it is inexcusable that our City Council has not implemented this basic level of transparency in their operation.
I am a resident of District 4 and I strongly urge the Oakland City Council to reopen and reconsider the current budget plan, specifically further defunding of the Oakland Police Department and reinvesting in community programs that actually protect and serve the residents of Oakland. There is an immediate need for funds that provide the people of Oakland with the housing, education, employment, and human services that they sorely need.
My name is Jimmy and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
Thank you for being on the right side of history. We will remember in November.
I am a resident of Oakland District 2 and I support the following:
Defund the Oakland Police Department
Invest the money from defunding OPD into housing and healthcare
Stop the use of violence of any kind against protestors (ban chokeholds, restraints, tear gas, rubber bullets)
The city’s review of 911 calls must have community participation and involvement
We must have a transparent, democratic process in reconsidering the “equity caucus” budget amendment
Like many I found the lack of transparency & democracy in passing the budget not acceptable. But as a former Mayor and Finance Chair, I know many parts of the budget can be and will be revised. I urge you to use the next few months reviewing & accepting many of the proposals by Councilwoman Bas and starting the process for your pledged 2021-2023 budget that cuts OPD by 50% immediately.
1) You will be doing a budget revise in the fall, when the City's budget for this year is closed out.
2) You could establish a budget priority list for changes as revenues change
3) With the large number of OPD vacancies you can use the cost savings on many immediate projects IF you hold down the Police Overtime with monthly checks.
4) You can continue civilization of current police duties, many are revenue neutral or cost saving
5) Consider helping OUSD by having specific unit trained to work with students for liaison with their new system and funding some of the school ambassadors and intervention staff.
I am a resident of District 3. I listened to the entire City Council meeting last week with disgust. Shame on you for ignoring the overwhelming call from your constituents to defund OPD and for forcing an unnecessary and wildly undemocratic vote on the budget without allowing time for public review or comment.
We are not fooled by your performative speeches, your efforts to equity wash the budget by inventing a so-called “equity caucus,” or your manipulation of budget line items to make it look like you are cutting funds from OPD when you're actually just moving money around. It’s political theater, and we will not tolerate it.
I strongly urge you to reopen the FY21 budget, divest from OPD by 50%, and reinvest those funds in the Black New Deal. I support Councilmember Bas’s proposal as a starting point. I am grateful to her for standing on the right side of history last week, and to Kalb and Thao for refusing to participate in the undemocratic budget vote. Kaplan, McElhaney, Reid, Gallo, and Taylor, we are watching you.
I am a resident of Oakland District 2, and I am angry about last week’s meeting and the way this council disregarded the very loud and very clear demands of Oaklanders. You were wrong, and you have the chance to make it right. Defund OPD by at least 50% during this budget cycle and reinvest that money into the communities brutalized by police violence— into programs that actually make our community safer and healthier.
I live in District 1. I am utterly disappointed with the Council ignoring the thousands of constituents. We email, we sit through your meetings, we comment when told to, we march to your homes. We plead for change and you do nothing. We need the inhumane police department to be defunded. Invest in the Black New Deal. Invest in our communities.
Ammend Measure Z. You cannot wait for departments to be set up before funding them, you have to allocate our money where we want. IMMEDIATELY.
I have tried working within your system. I am at the point where I am going to beseech my neighbors to vote you all out in November.
Acting as if anything pushed through at last week's meeting was "equitable" is a complete joke. Listen to your constituents, and your fellow council members speaking out for measures to DRASTICALLY remove funds from OPD - 2% won't cut it, neither will a commitment to "eventually" defunding by 50%. Defund large amounts NOW and move these budgets to much-needed community resourced such as housing, food, healthcare, and education. We stand with APTP and support ALL of their demands. We will be watching to ensure you do as well.
My name is Steven Hanson of District 1 and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
District 1. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs. The initial decision around the budget was if not illegal, immoral, without giving the public access to read the documents in full ahead of time.
We continue to ask that you defund the OPD by $150 M and redistribute the funds to social services and alternative ways of spending the money. Over the last few weeks of listening to these calls, I've observed gross negligence with the handling of public funds in addition to the inhuman treatment of POC.
Please make the right decision and appeal to the public's demands.
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
Thank you for being on the right side of history. We will remember in November.
Support the additional civilianiization of sworn OPD positions to transfer to civilian agencies, especially eliminating IAD and transferring complaints of police misconduct to CPRA.
I'm a district 3 resident and I am asking you drastically cut the ODP budget, cutting it by at least 50% and to support Councilmember Bas' plan to partner with the community instead, we can do much better by our community than spending the money on police
I am a resident of District 1 and I support the re-opening of the 2020-2021 budget amendments. If Dan Kalb's vote to abstain in the last meeting was meant to push the discussion to another meeting, then he too will vote to re-open the budget amendments in an effort to make the following changes.
1. Defund OPD by 50% and invest in education, healthcare, employment, and housing.
2. Invest in the Black New Deal (as articulated here by the Anti-Police Terror Project: https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/blog-entire/2020/4/22/black-oakland-demands-in-light-of-covid-19-and-rates-of-black-death)
3. Show that you support our constitutionally protected right to protest by stopping Police violence against protesters.
4. Cancel CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
Oakland is watching how you vote! Our city council should respond to the demands of its citizens and understand that an extraordinarily activated citizenry is prepared to ensure that your term ends this election cycle if you are unwilling to listen to the people. Council members Kalb, McElhaney, Gallo, Reid, and Kaplan will all be up for re-election this fall.
I am in agreement with other commentators here. Please reconsider the 2020-2021 budget passed last week. We need to defund OPD and reinvest the community, schools, and social services. OPD receives an absurd percentage of the cities budget. Hundreds of millions of dollars being given to an organization that does not protect and serve, but rather brutalizes its populace. This is not a police state, defund OPD, and reinvest in our communities.
My name is Charlie Mintz. I am a District 1 resident.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
As a resident of D7 and as political director of Oakland Rising who represents approx 60K voters in the Oakland flatlands, I am urging the City Council to reopen the budget and add additional amendments to include the additional $25M cuts to Oakland Police and divert these funds to critical and vital life-affirming services in the community. We urge the council to consider the participation of community orgs and labor at the table during the transition plan creation. A strong coalition of community organizations and individuals have been calling on City Council to join this moment in time to take bold steps to creating a budget that reflects the value of putting community first and prioritizing providing services such as youth services, stable affordable housing, and healthcare.
I am a resident of District 3, and I strongly support reconsidering the 2020-21 budget amendments. The original passage was rushed and lacked public support. We continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
I live in District 2. The Council has ignored the demands of the public. A 2.5% reduction in police budget, compared to the $150M we've requested, is just insulting. Oakland needs to lead by example. Invest in the Black New Deal and in our communities, rather than in the police, or we will vote you all out -- very soon. We want community and labor input on any transition plan before it is scheduled. Please also cancel the CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland.
I find it unacceptable that councilmembers are not on video during these meetings. How are we to know if you are paying attention or even listening to us? The Oakland School Board meetings use the same zoom technology as you, but everyone is on video the whole time. We are months into shelter in place and it is inexcusable that our City Council has not implemented this basic level of transparency in their operation.
I am a resident of District 4 and I strongly urge the Oakland City Council to reopen and reconsider the current budget plan, specifically further defunding of the Oakland Police Department and reinvesting in community programs that actually protect and serve the residents of Oakland. There is an immediate need for funds that provide the people of Oakland with the housing, education, employment, and human services that they sorely need.
My name is Jimmy and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
Thank you for being on the right side of history. We will remember in November.
I am a resident of Oakland District 2 and I support the following:
Defund the Oakland Police Department
Invest the money from defunding OPD into housing and healthcare
Stop the use of violence of any kind against protestors (ban chokeholds, restraints, tear gas, rubber bullets)
The city’s review of 911 calls must have community participation and involvement
We must have a transparent, democratic process in reconsidering the “equity caucus” budget amendment
Like many I found the lack of transparency & democracy in passing the budget not acceptable. But as a former Mayor and Finance Chair, I know many parts of the budget can be and will be revised. I urge you to use the next few months reviewing & accepting many of the proposals by Councilwoman Bas and starting the process for your pledged 2021-2023 budget that cuts OPD by 50% immediately.
1) You will be doing a budget revise in the fall, when the City's budget for this year is closed out.
2) You could establish a budget priority list for changes as revenues change
3) With the large number of OPD vacancies you can use the cost savings on many immediate projects IF you hold down the Police Overtime with monthly checks.
4) You can continue civilization of current police duties, many are revenue neutral or cost saving
5) Consider helping OUSD by having specific unit trained to work with students for liaison with their new system and funding some of the school ambassadors and intervention staff.
I am a resident of District 3. I listened to the entire City Council meeting last week with disgust. Shame on you for ignoring the overwhelming call from your constituents to defund OPD and for forcing an unnecessary and wildly undemocratic vote on the budget without allowing time for public review or comment.
We are not fooled by your performative speeches, your efforts to equity wash the budget by inventing a so-called “equity caucus,” or your manipulation of budget line items to make it look like you are cutting funds from OPD when you're actually just moving money around. It’s political theater, and we will not tolerate it.
I strongly urge you to reopen the FY21 budget, divest from OPD by 50%, and reinvest those funds in the Black New Deal. I support Councilmember Bas’s proposal as a starting point. I am grateful to her for standing on the right side of history last week, and to Kalb and Thao for refusing to participate in the undemocratic budget vote. Kaplan, McElhaney, Reid, Gallo, and Taylor, we are watching you.
I am a resident of Oakland District 2, and I am angry about last week’s meeting and the way this council disregarded the very loud and very clear demands of Oaklanders. You were wrong, and you have the chance to make it right. Defund OPD by at least 50% during this budget cycle and reinvest that money into the communities brutalized by police violence— into programs that actually make our community safer and healthier.
I live in District 1. I am utterly disappointed with the Council ignoring the thousands of constituents. We email, we sit through your meetings, we comment when told to, we march to your homes. We plead for change and you do nothing. We need the inhumane police department to be defunded. Invest in the Black New Deal. Invest in our communities.
Ammend Measure Z. You cannot wait for departments to be set up before funding them, you have to allocate our money where we want. IMMEDIATELY.
I have tried working within your system. I am at the point where I am going to beseech my neighbors to vote you all out in November.
Acting as if anything pushed through at last week's meeting was "equitable" is a complete joke. Listen to your constituents, and your fellow council members speaking out for measures to DRASTICALLY remove funds from OPD - 2% won't cut it, neither will a commitment to "eventually" defunding by 50%. Defund large amounts NOW and move these budgets to much-needed community resourced such as housing, food, healthcare, and education. We stand with APTP and support ALL of their demands. We will be watching to ensure you do as well.
My name is Steven Hanson of District 1 and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
District 1. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs. The initial decision around the budget was if not illegal, immoral, without giving the public access to read the documents in full ahead of time.
We continue to ask that you defund the OPD by $150 M and redistribute the funds to social services and alternative ways of spending the money. Over the last few weeks of listening to these calls, I've observed gross negligence with the handling of public funds in addition to the inhuman treatment of POC.
Please make the right decision and appeal to the public's demands.
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I continue to urge you to defund OPD. Please reopen the budget so we can preserve funding for our youth, homelessness, jobs, and other care programs.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
Thank you for being on the right side of history. We will remember in November.
Support the additional civilianiization of sworn OPD positions to transfer to civilian agencies, especially eliminating IAD and transferring complaints of police misconduct to CPRA.
I'm a district 3 resident and I am asking you drastically cut the ODP budget, cutting it by at least 50% and to support Councilmember Bas' plan to partner with the community instead, we can do much better by our community than spending the money on police
I am a resident of District 1 and I support the re-opening of the 2020-2021 budget amendments. If Dan Kalb's vote to abstain in the last meeting was meant to push the discussion to another meeting, then he too will vote to re-open the budget amendments in an effort to make the following changes.
1. Defund OPD by 50% and invest in education, healthcare, employment, and housing.
2. Invest in the Black New Deal (as articulated here by the Anti-Police Terror Project: https://www.antipoliceterrorproject.org/blog-entire/2020/4/22/black-oakland-demands-in-light-of-covid-19-and-rates-of-black-death)
3. Show that you support our constitutionally protected right to protest by stopping Police violence against protesters.
4. Cancel CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
Oakland is watching how you vote! Our city council should respond to the demands of its citizens and understand that an extraordinarily activated citizenry is prepared to ensure that your term ends this election cycle if you are unwilling to listen to the people. Council members Kalb, McElhaney, Gallo, Reid, and Kaplan will all be up for re-election this fall.
I am in agreement with other commentators here. Please reconsider the 2020-2021 budget passed last week. We need to defund OPD and reinvest the community, schools, and social services. OPD receives an absurd percentage of the cities budget. Hundreds of millions of dollars being given to an organization that does not protect and serve, but rather brutalizes its populace. This is not a police state, defund OPD, and reinvest in our communities.
My name is Charlie Mintz. I am a District 1 resident.
As Oakland residents, we continue to demand that you take immediate action to ensure the following:
1. DEFUND OPD by 50%
2. INVEST ALL SAVINGS in the Black New Deal
3. STOP the use of violence against protesters
4. CANCEL CHP's contract & remove them from Oakland
Thanks for your good work.