16 20-0501 Subject: Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Budget Amendments
From: Council President Kaplan And Councilmember Bas
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution Amending The City Of Oakland's Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget
OPD remains an embarrassment to the city and a lethal threat to Oakland’s Black and Brown communities, while increased police spending shows NO correlation to decreasing crime levels over the past 20 years. Closing Oakland’s $100 million budget shortfall by cutting GOOD investments while we leave 98% of police budget intact is unacceptable. Please make the right choice and invest in the people, not a police force that has shown itself to be violent and ineffective.
I strongly support this budget amendment. We need to cut more money from OPD now in order to invest in alternatives and build up these systems so that we can further defund OPD in the future. The community has been very clear in our demands to defund OPD and we would support even greater cuts than this amendment proposes. It is your job to listen to your community. We want to defund OPD. It's our money. Do the right thing.
The world, the country, the state and we who live in Oakland KNOW WE HAVE AN ORGANIZED CRIME PROBLEM IN OAKLAND. We are severely understaffed with OPD officers to keep us safe and protected from crime. We cannot afford to reduce the OPD budget any more than what was approved with the $14M budget reduction already. Be realistic. There is no well thought out plan in place to off load more work from OPD with trained personnel and systems in place. Put effort towards a solid plan to be implemented on a test and learn basis with actual data. This takes time to build. At least 1 year but most likely longer. Optimize and make corrections the right way with a solid plan that's analyzed and adjusted consistently which takes time.
My name is Sonya Karabel, I'm a north oakland resident (near Adeline and 60th) and I feel very strongly that we must divest from policing and reinvest in our community- housing, living wage jobs, education, etc. This proposal would take us in the right direction.
Hi my name is Rebecca and I'm a 6-year resident of District 2. I strongly support the proposal from Kaplan and Bas to reduce OPD's budget. These funds could benefit the people of Oakland so much more if they are used in areas such as mental health services, housing and job security, restorative justice, schools and youth programs. It is clear that police force does not prevent crime. It only punishes and terrorizes. Why not reallocate funding to programs that are proven to prevent the root causes of crime? Our community members are calling on you to listen and respond by passing this budget, and then continue taking actions to strengthen our community.
I strongly support Councilmember Bas's recommendation. We need to defund the OPD by 50% and re-allocate those funds into supporting the community through mental health, education, and housing.
For too long we have invested in the police and divested from social programs that truly help our communities. We need to reverse that. Because when we divest from social programs, the police are then expected to handle the problems that follow, but they are not trained to do so. We know the harm and damage caused by the police. We should not be criminalizing homelessness. We should not be criminalizing mental health problems. We should not be criminalizing poverty.
Do the right thing. DIVEST FROM POLICE, INVEST IN SOCIAL PROGRAMS!
A District 3 resident who wants you all to be courageous in defunding OPD and imagining a new vision for what community care can look like. Please do not redirect these funds to programs like tuff sheds, but rather real care, like the work East Oakland Collective is doing.
District 2 resident and voter. I strongly support the measure by Councilmembers Kaplan and Bas. Please do not allow yourselves to be badgered by OPD into ignoring the public's opinion like you did during the 6/23 meeting. You are our elected officials, and you are accountable to us - not them.
I am a resident of District 4. I strongly support these budget amendments to redirect funds from OPD to other critical community services.
Police intervention is not an effective solution to the issues facing Oakland residents. Instead, we must invest in housing, mental health and trauma-informed care, workforce development and worker protections, environmental safety, and restorative justice.
Stand with your constituents and evidence-based prevention strategies! Stand up to Interim Chief Manheimer and the police union! Please support these amendments and make additional cuts to further this effort during the next budget cycle! Thank you.
I live in District 3 and support this budget amendment and associated OPD budget cut of at least $25 Million; I would support even more significant reallocation of OPD funds towards improving services for local communities and residents of Oakland if they were on the agenda. In particular the solution to reducing and ending violence and serious crime in Oakland (and in general) is not to further enable and fund a police force that uses tear gas on peaceful protesters, and only knows how to employ state sanctioned force to arrest residents. We need to focus on creative solutions that address the root causes through education, community engagement, economic empowerment, and mental health awareness. The people are awake and are asking for renewed commitment to "defund the police to fund the community".
As a resident of district 3, I strongly support the budget amendments brought forth by Councilmembers Kaplan and Bas (thank you!) to redirect funds from OPD to other community services. I urge you to support these amendments and to make far more drastic cuts to OPD’s budget in the next budget cycle.
Do not let Interim Chief Manheimer and the police union bully you into believing that our streets will be filled with violence if you make these cuts. As Manheimer's own analysis demonstrates, the vast majority of OPD’s work relates to non-violent issues that police officers are incredibly ill equipped to address. It is true that there have been spikes in violent crime across the country in recent months. That’s because people have been thrust further into POVERTY by our devastatingly inadequate response to the pandemic. Police are not and have never been the answer. Please, please invest in addressing root causes and prevention, and pass a budget that demonstrates a serious commitment to justice and liberation for our Black community.
I was really disheartened by the lack of transparency and false sense of urgency in the 6/23 budget decision and infuriated by some of the equity washing I listened to that day, especially by the self-appointed “equity caucus.” You must do better - and we will not relent until you do.
District 3 resident here. Looking forward to this OPD budget cut passing tonight. We are watching. I hope you do the right thing and represent your citizens.
I support this amendment, and I would support even more an amendment which goes further, making more cuts to the OPD. This cut at least should give us the budget to fund a rapid response mental health unit.
I am a long-term District 1 resident. I STRONGLY support this first step to reduce the budget of the Oakland Police Department and would support further reduction in the future.
Our community should be bracing for an economic crisis and should not continue with the same over-inflated budget for an over-militarized police force that will not help our community. A city that spends 44% of the general fund on police is practically a police state. Defund OPD, reinvest those resources in the community.
Hello, my name is James and I am a resident of District 1. I support the proposal from Kaplan and Bas to reduce OPD's budget. I would strongly urge the council to decrease their budget by even more than the $25 million proposed. These funds are desperately needed in other areas such as jobs, housing security, and mental health care, which have been proven to prevent the root causes of crime, rather than punish it after the fact.
This action needs to be followed by further reduction of OPD's budget in future city budgets as well. Please do the moral thing.
I live in district 1 and I strongly support Bas and Kaplan's proposal to reduce the OPD budget by $25 million. We need to defund further, but this is a decent start,
My name is Amanda Amato and I live in District 2. I support Bas and Kaplan's proposal to reduce the OPD budget by $25 million, and would like to see further reduction in the future. Our neighbors need help and the money currently allocated to the police could do more good for the people of Oakland. Thank you.
I am a District 1 resident. I strongly support the budget amendments from Council President Kaplan and Councilmember Bas to defund OPD and reinvest those funds in the community. I support defunding OPD by at least 50% ($150 million) and reallocating these funds. I support the end of unauthorized overtime for OPD. I demand that fines and damages levied against OPD for unlawful actions be paid from their budget and not the city's general fund. I want to see that the money removed from the OPD budget be reallocated toward housing, jobs, health care/mental health services, youth services, education, harm-reduction and other community-driven initiatives that directly help rather than criminalizing our community.
I am a resident of District 1. I strongly support the proposal of Kaplan and Bas, and you should too. We must take prompt action to reduce the OPD budget by 50% and reallocate those funds into community services.
Don't let police chief Manheimer fool you into thinking OPD is too big to fail. You have the power to cut OPD budget and to reduce sworn officer positions to less than 678 (Measure Z) if you adopt a resolution containing factual findings that it is necessary to lay off those officers. You also have an obligation as public servants to renegotiate the police MOU when it fails to serve the public interest. The community is calling on you to take that action now. This proposal by Kaplan and Bas is a great start in that direction, but we need you to do so much more.
Stop taking the retroactive approach to community safety (police), and start taking the proactive approach (education, housing, jobs, and mental health services).
Oakland residents are watching the "equity caucus" very carefully and we will ensure they are voted out of office if they continue to put forth weak proposals and obstruct our key demands to defund OPD by 50% and reinvest into the community.
OPD remains an embarrassment to the city and a lethal threat to Oakland’s Black and Brown communities, while increased police spending shows NO correlation to decreasing crime levels over the past 20 years. Closing Oakland’s $100 million budget shortfall by cutting GOOD investments while we leave 98% of police budget intact is unacceptable. Please make the right choice and invest in the people, not a police force that has shown itself to be violent and ineffective.
I strongly support this budget amendment. We need to cut more money from OPD now in order to invest in alternatives and build up these systems so that we can further defund OPD in the future. The community has been very clear in our demands to defund OPD and we would support even greater cuts than this amendment proposes. It is your job to listen to your community. We want to defund OPD. It's our money. Do the right thing.
The world, the country, the state and we who live in Oakland KNOW WE HAVE AN ORGANIZED CRIME PROBLEM IN OAKLAND. We are severely understaffed with OPD officers to keep us safe and protected from crime. We cannot afford to reduce the OPD budget any more than what was approved with the $14M budget reduction already. Be realistic. There is no well thought out plan in place to off load more work from OPD with trained personnel and systems in place. Put effort towards a solid plan to be implemented on a test and learn basis with actual data. This takes time to build. At least 1 year but most likely longer. Optimize and make corrections the right way with a solid plan that's analyzed and adjusted consistently which takes time.
My name is Sonya Karabel, I'm a north oakland resident (near Adeline and 60th) and I feel very strongly that we must divest from policing and reinvest in our community- housing, living wage jobs, education, etc. This proposal would take us in the right direction.
Hi my name is Rebecca and I'm a 6-year resident of District 2. I strongly support the proposal from Kaplan and Bas to reduce OPD's budget. These funds could benefit the people of Oakland so much more if they are used in areas such as mental health services, housing and job security, restorative justice, schools and youth programs. It is clear that police force does not prevent crime. It only punishes and terrorizes. Why not reallocate funding to programs that are proven to prevent the root causes of crime? Our community members are calling on you to listen and respond by passing this budget, and then continue taking actions to strengthen our community.
I strongly support Councilmember Bas's recommendation. We need to defund the OPD by 50% and re-allocate those funds into supporting the community through mental health, education, and housing.
For too long we have invested in the police and divested from social programs that truly help our communities. We need to reverse that. Because when we divest from social programs, the police are then expected to handle the problems that follow, but they are not trained to do so. We know the harm and damage caused by the police. We should not be criminalizing homelessness. We should not be criminalizing mental health problems. We should not be criminalizing poverty.
Do the right thing. DIVEST FROM POLICE, INVEST IN SOCIAL PROGRAMS!
As a member of District 1, I strongly support this budget amendment and the movement to Defund OPD.
A District 3 resident who wants you all to be courageous in defunding OPD and imagining a new vision for what community care can look like. Please do not redirect these funds to programs like tuff sheds, but rather real care, like the work East Oakland Collective is doing.
District 2 resident and voter. I strongly support the measure by Councilmembers Kaplan and Bas. Please do not allow yourselves to be badgered by OPD into ignoring the public's opinion like you did during the 6/23 meeting. You are our elected officials, and you are accountable to us - not them.
I am a resident of District 4. I strongly support these budget amendments to redirect funds from OPD to other critical community services.
Police intervention is not an effective solution to the issues facing Oakland residents. Instead, we must invest in housing, mental health and trauma-informed care, workforce development and worker protections, environmental safety, and restorative justice.
Stand with your constituents and evidence-based prevention strategies! Stand up to Interim Chief Manheimer and the police union! Please support these amendments and make additional cuts to further this effort during the next budget cycle! Thank you.
I live in District 3 and support this budget amendment and associated OPD budget cut of at least $25 Million; I would support even more significant reallocation of OPD funds towards improving services for local communities and residents of Oakland if they were on the agenda. In particular the solution to reducing and ending violence and serious crime in Oakland (and in general) is not to further enable and fund a police force that uses tear gas on peaceful protesters, and only knows how to employ state sanctioned force to arrest residents. We need to focus on creative solutions that address the root causes through education, community engagement, economic empowerment, and mental health awareness. The people are awake and are asking for renewed commitment to "defund the police to fund the community".
As a resident of district 3, I strongly support the budget amendments brought forth by Councilmembers Kaplan and Bas (thank you!) to redirect funds from OPD to other community services. I urge you to support these amendments and to make far more drastic cuts to OPD’s budget in the next budget cycle.
Do not let Interim Chief Manheimer and the police union bully you into believing that our streets will be filled with violence if you make these cuts. As Manheimer's own analysis demonstrates, the vast majority of OPD’s work relates to non-violent issues that police officers are incredibly ill equipped to address. It is true that there have been spikes in violent crime across the country in recent months. That’s because people have been thrust further into POVERTY by our devastatingly inadequate response to the pandemic. Police are not and have never been the answer. Please, please invest in addressing root causes and prevention, and pass a budget that demonstrates a serious commitment to justice and liberation for our Black community.
I was really disheartened by the lack of transparency and false sense of urgency in the 6/23 budget decision and infuriated by some of the equity washing I listened to that day, especially by the self-appointed “equity caucus.” You must do better - and we will not relent until you do.
District 3 resident here. Looking forward to this OPD budget cut passing tonight. We are watching. I hope you do the right thing and represent your citizens.
I support this amendment, and I would support even more an amendment which goes further, making more cuts to the OPD. This cut at least should give us the budget to fund a rapid response mental health unit.
I am a long-term District 1 resident. I STRONGLY support this first step to reduce the budget of the Oakland Police Department and would support further reduction in the future.
Our community should be bracing for an economic crisis and should not continue with the same over-inflated budget for an over-militarized police force that will not help our community. A city that spends 44% of the general fund on police is practically a police state. Defund OPD, reinvest those resources in the community.
Hello, my name is James and I am a resident of District 1. I support the proposal from Kaplan and Bas to reduce OPD's budget. I would strongly urge the council to decrease their budget by even more than the $25 million proposed. These funds are desperately needed in other areas such as jobs, housing security, and mental health care, which have been proven to prevent the root causes of crime, rather than punish it after the fact.
This action needs to be followed by further reduction of OPD's budget in future city budgets as well. Please do the moral thing.
I live in district 1 and I strongly support Bas and Kaplan's proposal to reduce the OPD budget by $25 million. We need to defund further, but this is a decent start,
My name is Amanda Amato and I live in District 2. I support Bas and Kaplan's proposal to reduce the OPD budget by $25 million, and would like to see further reduction in the future. Our neighbors need help and the money currently allocated to the police could do more good for the people of Oakland. Thank you.
I am a District 1 resident. I strongly support the budget amendments from Council President Kaplan and Councilmember Bas to defund OPD and reinvest those funds in the community. I support defunding OPD by at least 50% ($150 million) and reallocating these funds. I support the end of unauthorized overtime for OPD. I demand that fines and damages levied against OPD for unlawful actions be paid from their budget and not the city's general fund. I want to see that the money removed from the OPD budget be reallocated toward housing, jobs, health care/mental health services, youth services, education, harm-reduction and other community-driven initiatives that directly help rather than criminalizing our community.
I am a resident of District 1. I strongly support the proposal of Kaplan and Bas, and you should too. We must take prompt action to reduce the OPD budget by 50% and reallocate those funds into community services.
Don't let police chief Manheimer fool you into thinking OPD is too big to fail. You have the power to cut OPD budget and to reduce sworn officer positions to less than 678 (Measure Z) if you adopt a resolution containing factual findings that it is necessary to lay off those officers. You also have an obligation as public servants to renegotiate the police MOU when it fails to serve the public interest. The community is calling on you to take that action now. This proposal by Kaplan and Bas is a great start in that direction, but we need you to do so much more.
Stop taking the retroactive approach to community safety (police), and start taking the proactive approach (education, housing, jobs, and mental health services).
Oakland residents are watching the "equity caucus" very carefully and we will ensure they are voted out of office if they continue to put forth weak proposals and obstruct our key demands to defund OPD by 50% and reinvest into the community.
Thank you for your time and consideration.