As a mental health professional, Oakland native, and mother, I strongly support Council Chair Bas' proposed budget amendments. Schaaf's proposed budget goes against the work of activists and the word of the people of Oakland, who took to the streets this last year in response to police violence and in favor of programs that support communities. In particular I am writing in support of adequate funding for MACRO, the Mental Health response unit that the city has piloted, which needs funding to properly respond to and care for the needs of our community. OPD is over-funded, while programs like MACRO--which would decrease violence and improve the health of our community--are not receiving the funding they need to do this vital work. Thank you.

My name is Kelty Kauffman, and I am the Grassroots Organizer for Alameda County at Planned Parenthood Mar Monte. We at PPMM strongly support Council President Bas' proposed budget amendments. At PPMM we see many patients to share that they do not know where to go or how to get support after facing gender based violence. Oakland needs to expand funding to support survivors of gender based violence. Many people are unable to leave abusive relationships because of a lack of resources. There needs to be more funding available for organizations to financially assist survivors of gender-based violence. I urge you to support Council President Bas's budget proposal. Her proposed $17 million for the Department of Violence Prevention is just a first step toward shifting Oakland's approach to violence, but it is a step that needs to happen immediately.

The current budget does not reflect what the people of Oakland want or need. If it isn't clear enough through the Black Lives Matter movement, we don't want more police. They are detrimental to our health. We need health services that actually address issues, not punish poor, Black and Brown, houseless, and other marginalized residents. More specifically, the community was promised that tax money from sugar sweetened beverages would go to support healthy food access and food security here in Oakland. $500,000 in cards and $1 million to grants is a fraction of the money that comes in from the tax and not enough to meaningfully address food access and the related health disparities faced here by low-income communities of color. This is a real health equity and human rights issue. The city needs to make good on its promise to taxpayers and allocate the promised SSB funding to provide direct food support, nutrition education, and increase healthy food options across Oakland.

My name is Allison Tanner. I am Pastor of Public Witness at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in D2. In addition to my congregation, my voice represents 140 faith leaders and 28 faith institutions who have committed to signing on the Faith Moral Budget Letter. Today I am demanding a moral budget that refocuses city resources to enable police to prioritize the most effective strategies to solve violent and serious crime. President Bas’ budget is an effort to modernize policing in Oakland, pivoting from years of failed policies to resourceful strategies to achieve short and long term community safety.

My congregation has hosted Ceasefire events for the past several years. Programs such as this have a proven track record of reducing gun violence in Oakland. Investing in these types of violence prevention programs is essential for developing deeper community ties and creating a safer Oakland where everyone in the community has the opportunity to thrive. I am asking that you shift our budget away from police officer patrol and ensure resources are laser focused on stopping and solving violent and serious crime. Shifting $18 million to violence prevention would go a long way toward refunding our communities and truly protecting and serving our population.

Thank you Council President Bas for your budget amendments which reflect the wishes of Oakland residents (who spoke up in droves last year to join national efforts to redirect a significant amount of police funding). Activists (particulalry the Anti-Police Terror Project), most impacted residents, the Reimagining Public Safety Task force, and Oakland voters are clearly asking Council to support mental health services, housing, and job investments as priorities, and to redirect police funding in order to do so. I would in particular like to highlight the MACRO pilot and see it fully funded in order to reach its full vision of responding to mental health crises with mental health services, not policing.

Please support Council chair Bas' amended budget that backs the work of activists and impacted people who want to see investments in mental health support, housing, and other needs. Speak up for sufficient funding for MACRO, the Mental Health response unit that the city has piloted, but which needs adequate funding in order to be successful.

I strongly support Council President Bas' proposed budget amendments. Libby Schaaf’s proposed budget for FY2021-23 makes significant increases to the police budget, ignoring both the demands of the People of Oakland to Defund OPD and invest in community, and the legislation passed by the City Council last summer which created the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force with the goal reallocating fifty percent of the police general fund budget to programs and investments that actually keep us safe.
While we believe a much larger divestment from law enforcement is necessary, it's promising to see that the Council President’s budget amendments includes a comprehensive audit of the Oakland Police Department to see exactly where our money is being — and to thoroughly examine which positions could be civilianized, moved out of OPD, or a combination of the two.

As a D4 resident working in violence prevention, I urge you to support Council President Bas's budget proposal. Her proposed $17 million for the Department of Violence Prevention is a critical first step toward shifting Oakland's approach to violence, and one that needs to happen immediately. OPD takes almost half of Oakland's general fund each year, taking up essential funds for key needs in the community. We know police do not make us safer, but culturally responsive non police gender based violence prevention does. Oakland needs to provide more funding for non-law enforcement-based support. Not everyone feels comfortable with police involvement, making it crucial that alternative response services are funded.

As a parent and volunteer in District 5, I support the budget amendment which begins to re-align the city's funding to equity and our communities' needs and desires. Doubling the number of police academies is regressive thinking, a slap in the face in these times, and a poor investment of tax dollars. I understand that the rising crime rate is leading to fear in many neighborhoods and that it is easy to resort to a "lock them up" mentality, but police do not prevent crimes. An investment in programs that uplift and reallocate power rather than incarcerate is proven to be better for all. As APTP states (paraphrased): The safest communities are the most resourced communities, where everyone has their basic needs met. Instead of criminalizing our Black and Brown neighborhoods and penalizing the unhoused and poor, the City of Oakland needs to ensure that ALL Oaklanders have secure and affordable access to healthy food and water, quality housing, mental health resources, education, meaningful employment opportunities, and community-based responses to harm and gender violence. As a community member, I do not want to see or feel safer in a militarized city. I feel safer knowing my neighbors have access to shelter, food, and mental health support; that parks, libraries, arts, and youth programs abound; that jobs in enriching fields are growing. This is prevention, empowerment, and justice.

The Oakland Private Industry Council thanks Council President Bas, and the members of her Budget committee, for their forward-thinking amendments to the Mayor’s proposed budget. Proper support of youth and adult workforce development services is vital to Oakland’s community health. Our four decades of providing community services in Oakland have shown us that youth and adult workforce development services are the most effective means of reducing the violence and the racial and income inequality that are the targets of the Public Safety Task Force and the Equity Indicators Report. Adult workforce development is also part of any effective resolution of Oakland’s tragic homeless situation. Pouring all our financial resources into law enforcement, without addressing root causes of crime, violence and homelessness, is like pouring water on one small corner of a huge fire, while the rest perpetually relights itself.

I strongly support the Council President’s proposed budget amendments, and I urge the Council to implement the recommendations of the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force and reallocate funding from policing to more just, more needed community programs and services. The Anti-Police Terror Project has highlighted some of the inspiring and much-needed work local organizers are doing to support arts and culture, youth development and housing, violence interruption, faith-based organizing and mental health and crisis response. These are exactly the types of programs Oakland needs to fund as they truly support the community. I strongly believe our city’s funding should go to services like these that prevent crime and allow people to thrive instead of policing. It’s time for Oakland to lead with a budget that centers the community, not cops.

I am an Oakland homeowner that lives in D4 and I wholeheartedly support Council President Bas' proposed budget amendments. I am so ready to divert funding from the ineffective Oakland Police Department and invest meaningfully in city efforts addressing affordable housing, supporting unhoused folks, community based violence prevention, MACRO, our local economy, clean streets and parks, properly staffed rec centers and pools, etc. -- everything needed to create a thriving community! I hope the City Council members, especially Sheng Thao, will listen to their Oakland constituents who have consistently asked for these changes, who have demanded that we defund the police to refund community resources. I believe this is the best way to invest in the long term health of the Oakland community.

I strongly support the amendments by Bas. We need an audit of OPD. We need to fund our communities by supporting and investing in youth, artists, parks, housing, libraries, jobs and other health and public services. Oakland spends so much money on OPD and that money is sorely needed elsewhere. Libby Schaaf’s proposed budget does not reflect the needs of Oakland residents. It is time to move forward with defunding the police and putting that money into services and resources that actually keep our communities safe.

I strongly support the council president's proposed budget amendments. OPD's budget is criminally bloated, while Oakland's health and public services are left begging for scraps. Oakland residents have risen up and spoken on this again and again - we need to invest in our community and divest from our violent and corrupt police department! Mayor Libby Schaaf needs to stop trying to inflate OPD's already overfunded budget, and needs to listen to what Oakland residents want for our city.

I strongly oppose the reductions to the 911 TACs and to the elimination of the 2 additional police academies to catch up with the loss of police officers. During the Recession, police academies were reduced and the Police Department still does not have a full complement of officers. In my 30+ years of living in Oakland, the OPD has never had adequate staffing; with the increase in crime in the city over the past year, it is ridiculous to even consider it.
The MACRO is a good idea, but find the funding elsewhere!

Keep the budget moral

Thank you for your support of restoring funding for park employees. I volunteer at Morcom Rose Garden and we are desperate for more City support. Jane Bicek

I support Council President Fortunado Bas' proposed budget amendments. Mayor Schaaf's proposed budget does not reflect the recommendations of the Reimagining Public Safety Taskforce nor does it reflect the needs of Oakland residents. We need to invest in the things that actually prevent crime and divest ourselves from the ineffective strategies of policing. I support these budget amendmends and the continued efforts to defund the police and invest in real public safety.

I fully support the Council President's Proposed Budget Amendments. I own two homes in Oakland (mine and my mother's) and believe that we must pursue an equitable use of the budget that is focused on violence reduction, fair housing, and cultural health in order to keep Oakland a place where people want to visit and live.