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Agenda Item
5 24-0534 Subject: FY 2024-25 Proposed Midcycle Budget Legislation
From: Finance Department
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution:
1. Adopting The Midcycle Budget For Fiscal Year 2024-25 And Appropriating Funds To Cover Expenditures Approved By Said Budget;
2. Authorizing The City Administrator To Transfer Funds Between Departments, Programs And Funds As Necessary To Support Departmental Reorganization As Set Forth In The Adopted Policy Budget For Fiscal Year 2024-25;
3. Creating The Following Funds: Fund 4510 - Personnel Management Fund, Fund 5338 - Measure KK Infrastructure Series 2024E GOB (Tax Exempt), Fund 5342 Measure U: Infrastructure Series 2024 B-1 GOB (Tax Exempt), Fund 5343 - Measure U: Affordable Housing & Infrastructure Series 2024B-2 GOB (Taxable);
4. Taking All Steps Necessary To Apply For And Receive Additional Funds Required To Advance And Complete The Projects Identified In The Capital Improvement Program And Accept And Appropriate Any Additional Funds Provided That Such Acceptance Is Consistent With And Does Not Otherwise Negatively Impact The City's Capital Improvement Program;
5. Declaring A State Of Extreme Fiscal Necessity And The Existence Of A Severe And Unanticipated Financial Event;
6. Suspending For Fiscal Year 2024-2025 The Charter Mandated Minimum Staffing Budget Set Asides For The Office Of The City Auditor; And
7. Suspending The Minimum Budget Set Asides For The Democracy Dollars Fund And For Non-Staff Costs Related To The Public Ethics Commission's Administration Of The Oakland Fair Elections Act's Democracy Dollars Program;
8. Adopting A Contingency Budget And Associated Fiscal Measures That Shall Take Effect No Later Than October 1st 2024 If Anticipated Revenue From Land Sales Is Not Available By September 1st 2024
My name is Humphrey Obuobi. In addition to being a student and small business owner here in the city, I am part of the REAL People's Organizing Collective, a collective of Oakland-based entrepreneurs, businesses, worker-owned cooperatives, and grassroots organizers. The fact remains that small business owners – especially people of color – are really struggling to survive in Oakland. Yet many reports and studies have shown that small businesses can put people in Oakland back on their feet, whether through stable employment or opportunities for building social and financial wealth.
With that in mind, I am here to plead city council to at least consider the following changes to the budget:
1. Restore $1 million funding for community and grassroots-led safety ambassadors as a public safety and workforce development program. - The separate amendments proposed by different council members could combine their funding sources — along with the Mayor’s new allocation — to restore this desperately needed non-police response service to its full allocation.
2. Restore $227K funding for the Lake Merritt vending program that prioritizes Latinx and African American entrepreneurs — or otherwise commit to eliminating penalization of these vendors through robust amnesty programs.
3. Add an amendment to the Film Rebate Program to include an additional 2.5% incentive for hiring co-op businesses in Oakland, on top of the 2.5% incentive for hiring businesses from high-unemployment zip codes.
I strongly oppose moving Neighborhood Services from The City Administration Dept. to Oakland Public Works. I see no benefits for the NCPCs and the residents of Oakland by the City Council approving this transfer! The NCPCs are already suffering from the lack of services once offered by the NSD/NSCs, and some NCPCs have been dissolved because of the lack of support from The City of Oakland! The NCPCs are a major line of defense for the residents of Oakland as community members who work directly with OPD and provide crucial information on a myriad of criminal activities that plague our city. The NCPCs should be supported in all possible ways to continue the critical networking between law enforcement and the community, as well as provide useful information and announcements to the residents of their Beats and the wider community! Billyjene Carter - Chairperson NCPC Beat 35x
This is to urge City Council members to include funding for ShotSpotter in the the upcoming budget. Although the system is criticized for it's inaccuracy, the vetted data show that 100+ people per year are found from a ShotSpotter activation who are suffering from a gunshot wound with no corresponding 911 call.
Thank you.
Hello, I am an employee in the City of Oakland's Planning and Building and a member of IFPTE Local 21. I am writing in opposition to the proposed budget as it proposes cuts to the budgets of departments (including position freezes) that provide essential services to the people of Oakland, and forces the residents and the private sector to disproportionately and inequitable bare the brunt of the city's economic mismanagement.
The budget is being promoted as a way to proceed with providing services to the residents, but it clearly picks and chooses which department services are "priority". The budget is said to implement the city's priority of economic and workforce development and housing; but it does little to fill vacancies in various city departments which are struggling to provide the bare minimum when it comes to public services. This includes my department of planning and building (P&B). While the Housing Department and Economic and Workforce Development are often lauded as driving growth in our city. However it is P&B that has to review and permit everything from new windows on a home, to a new 100% affordable housing project; make daily choices that impact the physical and built environment of the city; and does so while protecting public health and ensuring compliance with local and state laws. Please staff up Oakland, and stop sacrificing public services the people deserve, and staff sanity.
Thank You.
My name’s J. Noven, 13-year East Bay resident, retail business manager, Executive Director; over the years I’ve lived and worked in Oakland regularly.
I’m proud to help represent over 40 worker-owned businesses across the Bay, including Mandela Grocery Cooperative, Arizmendi Lakeshore, and Understory — as part of the 30-year-old Network of Bay Area Worker Co-ops, or NoBAWC.
I wanted to thank you for all that you’ve done for worker cooperatives and for worker power in Oakland — but there's still so much more to do to ensure the thriving of our best small businesses in Oakland. Please consider the following in the upcoming budget:
1. Restore $1 million funding for community and grassroots-led safety ambassadors as a public safety and workforce development program. - The separate amendments proposed by different council members could combine their funding sources along with the Mayor’s new allocation.
2. Add an amendment to the Film Rebate Program to include an additional 2.5% incentive for hiring co-op businesses in Oakland.
3. Restore $100K for the implementation of Democracy Dollars, the overwhelmingly-voter-approved campaign finance reform program supported by the People’s Budget Coalition.
4. Restore $227K funding for the Lake Merritt vending program that prioritizes Latinx and African American entrepreneurs — or otherwise commit to eliminating penalization of these vendors through robust amnesty programs.
My name is Jessie Nguyen, and I am part of the REAL People's Organizing Collective - we are Oakland entrepreneurs, businesses, worker-owned cooperatives, and grassroots organizers advocating for the preservation and investment of critical programs & resources that prioritize the safety and well-being of Black, Indigenous, Latine, AAPI + communities of color. I urge our city council members to consider the following amendments for the mid-cycle budget:
1. Restore $1 million funding for community and grassroots-led safety ambassadors as a public safety and workforce development program. - The separate amendments proposed by different council members could combine their funding sources — along with the Mayor’s new allocation — to restore this desperately needed non-police response service to its full allocation.
2. Add an amendment to the Film Rebate Program to include an additional 2.5% incentive for hiring co-op businesses in Oakland, on top of the 2.5% incentive for hiring businesses from high-unemployment zip codes.
3. Restore $100K for the implementation of Democracy Dollars, the successful, overwhelmingly-voter-approved campaign finance reform program supported by the People’s Budget Coalition.
4. Restore $227K funding for the Lake Merritt vending program that prioritizes Latinx and African American entrepreneurs — or otherwise commit to eliminating penalization of these vendors through robust amnesty programs.
I oppose cuts to public safety, fire, and police at a time when many people and businesses are suffering persistent break-ins, thefts, armed robberies, and gun violence all across the city. We've needed to bring in "surge" help from the CHP, the Town just suffered a mass shooting event last week, and officer Tuan Le was killed in the line of duty barely six months ago.
The vibrancy of Oakland has taken a big hit over the past 18 months with businesses closing and people afraid to visit. Let's not take a step back before we lose so much that it becomes hard to bounce back.
My name is Bruce Thrupp and I have been frequenting Montclair Village for 25 years.
Please support Councilmembers Ramachandran, Gallo, and Reid’s budget amendment for East Oakland Safety Ambassadors! Montclair, as well as other East Oakland neighborhoods, need funding for community safety ambassadors because of increased crime and numerous break-ins. The crime is negatively affecting our businesses as people do not feel safe coming to shop and eat in the neighborhood.
Community Safety Ambassadors have been successful in other parts of Oakland. A small six-week pilot program in the Laurel last holiday season resulted in a 36% reduction in violent crime, and 90% of residents surveyed said they felt safer in the district. We know that having more eyes and ears on the street can be impactful in increasing the sense of public safety in our neighborhoods.
For a more personal context, I have attached a description of a disturbing incident that happened to me recently in Montclair.
Please fund safety ambassadors in Montclair Village in this year’s budget!
Thank You,
Bruce Thrupp
Montclair District, Oakland, CA
Oppose cuts to the bulky block parties. Eliminating this function will increase illegal dumping on Oakland streets. Oppose not filling the Environmental Enforcement Officer position in Public Works.
Thank you for your dedication and continued focus during this difficult time.
I’m Bill Joyce, a retired public school teacher of 32 years, resident of the Laurel/District 4, a leader with public safety at St. Columba Church and FIAEB, and long time volunteer at the Oakland Catholic Worker, District 7. I’m also a long time participant of the Friday night Ceasefire walks throughout Oakland.
Thanks for also reviewing my comments re: the final budget proposal, particularly restoration of funding for Shotspotter (below).
I applaud again Mayor Thao for ordering the Audit Report on Ceasefire and appreciate Council for having accept its recommendations in full. I’m extremely impressed also with the exacting realignment and focus of OPD and DVP and am particularly excited about the changes under Dr. Joshi’s leadership.
- Thank you for demonstrating your continued commitment
by including funding in the budget for the data analyst
position and, critically, the case management positions.
Most importantly at the moment, please restore funding for Shot-Spotter. It’s not only a vital component to make the key weekly Shooting Review functional for the Ceasefire strategy. It allows police responses even without a 911 call and is estimated to have save almost 400 lives from 2020 to 2023. Please make sure this key piece to Ceasefire is included in the budget.
My name is Humphrey Obuobi. In addition to being a student and small business owner here in the city, I am part of the REAL People's Organizing Collective, a collective of Oakland-based entrepreneurs, businesses, worker-owned cooperatives, and grassroots organizers. The fact remains that small business owners – especially people of color – are really struggling to survive in Oakland. Yet many reports and studies have shown that small businesses can put people in Oakland back on their feet, whether through stable employment or opportunities for building social and financial wealth.
With that in mind, I am here to plead city council to at least consider the following changes to the budget:
1. Restore $1 million funding for community and grassroots-led safety ambassadors as a public safety and workforce development program. - The separate amendments proposed by different council members could combine their funding sources — along with the Mayor’s new allocation — to restore this desperately needed non-police response service to its full allocation.
2. Restore $227K funding for the Lake Merritt vending program that prioritizes Latinx and African American entrepreneurs — or otherwise commit to eliminating penalization of these vendors through robust amnesty programs.
3. Add an amendment to the Film Rebate Program to include an additional 2.5% incentive for hiring co-op businesses in Oakland, on top of the 2.5% incentive for hiring businesses from high-unemployment zip codes.
I strongly oppose moving Neighborhood Services from The City Administration Dept. to Oakland Public Works. I see no benefits for the NCPCs and the residents of Oakland by the City Council approving this transfer! The NCPCs are already suffering from the lack of services once offered by the NSD/NSCs, and some NCPCs have been dissolved because of the lack of support from The City of Oakland! The NCPCs are a major line of defense for the residents of Oakland as community members who work directly with OPD and provide crucial information on a myriad of criminal activities that plague our city. The NCPCs should be supported in all possible ways to continue the critical networking between law enforcement and the community, as well as provide useful information and announcements to the residents of their Beats and the wider community! Billyjene Carter - Chairperson NCPC Beat 35x
This is to urge City Council members to include funding for ShotSpotter in the the upcoming budget. Although the system is criticized for it's inaccuracy, the vetted data show that 100+ people per year are found from a ShotSpotter activation who are suffering from a gunshot wound with no corresponding 911 call.
Thank you.
Hello, I am an employee in the City of Oakland's Planning and Building and a member of IFPTE Local 21. I am writing in opposition to the proposed budget as it proposes cuts to the budgets of departments (including position freezes) that provide essential services to the people of Oakland, and forces the residents and the private sector to disproportionately and inequitable bare the brunt of the city's economic mismanagement.
The budget is being promoted as a way to proceed with providing services to the residents, but it clearly picks and chooses which department services are "priority". The budget is said to implement the city's priority of economic and workforce development and housing; but it does little to fill vacancies in various city departments which are struggling to provide the bare minimum when it comes to public services. This includes my department of planning and building (P&B). While the Housing Department and Economic and Workforce Development are often lauded as driving growth in our city. However it is P&B that has to review and permit everything from new windows on a home, to a new 100% affordable housing project; make daily choices that impact the physical and built environment of the city; and does so while protecting public health and ensuring compliance with local and state laws. Please staff up Oakland, and stop sacrificing public services the people deserve, and staff sanity.
Thank You.
Distinguished Council —
My name’s J. Noven, 13-year East Bay resident, retail business manager, Executive Director; over the years I’ve lived and worked in Oakland regularly.
I’m proud to help represent over 40 worker-owned businesses across the Bay, including Mandela Grocery Cooperative, Arizmendi Lakeshore, and Understory — as part of the 30-year-old Network of Bay Area Worker Co-ops, or NoBAWC.
I wanted to thank you for all that you’ve done for worker cooperatives and for worker power in Oakland — but there's still so much more to do to ensure the thriving of our best small businesses in Oakland. Please consider the following in the upcoming budget:
1. Restore $1 million funding for community and grassroots-led safety ambassadors as a public safety and workforce development program. - The separate amendments proposed by different council members could combine their funding sources along with the Mayor’s new allocation.
2. Add an amendment to the Film Rebate Program to include an additional 2.5% incentive for hiring co-op businesses in Oakland.
3. Restore $100K for the implementation of Democracy Dollars, the overwhelmingly-voter-approved campaign finance reform program supported by the People’s Budget Coalition.
4. Restore $227K funding for the Lake Merritt vending program that prioritizes Latinx and African American entrepreneurs — or otherwise commit to eliminating penalization of these vendors through robust amnesty programs.
Dear City Council,
My name is Jessie Nguyen, and I am part of the REAL People's Organizing Collective - we are Oakland entrepreneurs, businesses, worker-owned cooperatives, and grassroots organizers advocating for the preservation and investment of critical programs & resources that prioritize the safety and well-being of Black, Indigenous, Latine, AAPI + communities of color. I urge our city council members to consider the following amendments for the mid-cycle budget:
1. Restore $1 million funding for community and grassroots-led safety ambassadors as a public safety and workforce development program. - The separate amendments proposed by different council members could combine their funding sources — along with the Mayor’s new allocation — to restore this desperately needed non-police response service to its full allocation.
2. Add an amendment to the Film Rebate Program to include an additional 2.5% incentive for hiring co-op businesses in Oakland, on top of the 2.5% incentive for hiring businesses from high-unemployment zip codes.
3. Restore $100K for the implementation of Democracy Dollars, the successful, overwhelmingly-voter-approved campaign finance reform program supported by the People’s Budget Coalition.
4. Restore $227K funding for the Lake Merritt vending program that prioritizes Latinx and African American entrepreneurs — or otherwise commit to eliminating penalization of these vendors through robust amnesty programs.
Thank you for your consideration
I oppose cuts to public safety, fire, and police at a time when many people and businesses are suffering persistent break-ins, thefts, armed robberies, and gun violence all across the city. We've needed to bring in "surge" help from the CHP, the Town just suffered a mass shooting event last week, and officer Tuan Le was killed in the line of duty barely six months ago.
The vibrancy of Oakland has taken a big hit over the past 18 months with businesses closing and people afraid to visit. Let's not take a step back before we lose so much that it becomes hard to bounce back.
Dear City Council,
My name is Bruce Thrupp and I have been frequenting Montclair Village for 25 years.
Please support Councilmembers Ramachandran, Gallo, and Reid’s budget amendment for East Oakland Safety Ambassadors! Montclair, as well as other East Oakland neighborhoods, need funding for community safety ambassadors because of increased crime and numerous break-ins. The crime is negatively affecting our businesses as people do not feel safe coming to shop and eat in the neighborhood.
Community Safety Ambassadors have been successful in other parts of Oakland. A small six-week pilot program in the Laurel last holiday season resulted in a 36% reduction in violent crime, and 90% of residents surveyed said they felt safer in the district. We know that having more eyes and ears on the street can be impactful in increasing the sense of public safety in our neighborhoods.
For a more personal context, I have attached a description of a disturbing incident that happened to me recently in Montclair.
Please fund safety ambassadors in Montclair Village in this year’s budget!
Thank You,
Bruce Thrupp
Montclair District, Oakland, CA
Oppose cuts to the bulky block parties. Eliminating this function will increase illegal dumping on Oakland streets. Oppose not filling the Environmental Enforcement Officer position in Public Works.
6/27/24
Council Members -
Thank you for your dedication and continued focus during this difficult time.
I’m Bill Joyce, a retired public school teacher of 32 years, resident of the Laurel/District 4, a leader with public safety at St. Columba Church and FIAEB, and long time volunteer at the Oakland Catholic Worker, District 7. I’m also a long time participant of the Friday night Ceasefire walks throughout Oakland.
Thanks for also reviewing my comments re: the final budget proposal, particularly restoration of funding for Shotspotter (below).
I applaud again Mayor Thao for ordering the Audit Report on Ceasefire and appreciate Council for having accept its recommendations in full. I’m extremely impressed also with the exacting realignment and focus of OPD and DVP and am particularly excited about the changes under Dr. Joshi’s leadership.
- Thank you for demonstrating your continued commitment
by including funding in the budget for the data analyst
position and, critically, the case management positions.
Most importantly at the moment, please restore funding for Shot-Spotter. It’s not only a vital component to make the key weekly Shooting Review functional for the Ceasefire strategy. It allows police responses even without a 911 call and is estimated to have save almost 400 lives from 2020 to 2023. Please make sure this key piece to Ceasefire is included in the budget.
Bill Joyce