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Agenda Item
S5.23 25-0696 Subject: Informational Report On The MACRO Program
From: Oakland Fire Department
Recommendation: Receive An Informational Report On The Progress Of The City Of Oakland's Mobile Assistance Community Responders Of Oakland ("MACRO") Pilot Program
MACRO has the power to transform public safety in Oakland by responding to tens of thousands of calls without police. Please continue to fully fund this invaluable program!
I am another district 6 resident who sees great benefit in fully funding the MACRO program. We need to focus our limited budget on community care that is life-affirming and this is exactly what MACRO provides. Data shows this program works and can help prevent crime, unlike policing, which focuses on punishment after a crime has been committed and actively harms our community. Please continue to fully fund MACRO.
MACRO is a trailblazing program that gives Oakland the opportunity to be on the right side of history and become a true leader in racial equity and public health. I called MACRO once, and was comforted by how compassionate and competent the team was. This is the kind of response we need in crises, not uniforms with guns. It prevents future harms, rather than create more trauma and violence that needs additional response.
Please do what is right and fully fund MACRO by allocating $4 million in the next budget cycle. You will be in my prayers as you make your decision.
I live in D6 and MACRO is a valuable program making a difference in my community. We need non-police responses to support people having mental health and other health related issues in our community. Please continue to fully fund this important program.
I'm a District 5 resident. Macro is making a trasofmrative impact to those that it serves. I support fully funding the program and working to improve it's divertion rates of dispatch calls.
MACRO saves lives. Period. This level of compassionate, intelligent, appropriate care is absolutely essential in Oakland communities, and with all due respect it is not reasonable or desirable for police to provide it. MACRO not only serves our citizens with a non-threatening presence, it also allows police to focus on real police work — areas of perceived need that they were formally trained to address. MACRO is a program that saves our neighbors locally and also provides a useful and practical model for other cities that are willing to genuinely prioritize safety and harmony in their streets. Long live MACRO! The funds for this important program exist - they just need to be allocated sensibly. Please do the right thing.
MACRO has the power to transform public safety in Oakland by responding to tens of thousands of calls without police. But it needs our support—and investment—to survive and thrive. If not fully funded, Oakland risks losing a program that delivers real care and safety to our communities.
MACRO is designed to provide a compassionate, care-first response to non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls, addressing issues like mental health crises, homelessness, and community disturbances without a police-first approach. This not only offers care as opposed to criminalizing but also has the potential to significantly reduce police spending by redirecting calls away from OPD.
City Council needs to allocate a minimum of $4 million in dedicated, annual city funding for the MACRO program to ensure its stability and growth beyond its current grant.
We need to establish robust community oversight for MACRO, ensuring the program is accountable, transparent, and responsive to the needs and goals defined by the community it serves.
We also need to ensure MACRO leadership is empowered and held accountable for expanding the program’s reach and effectiveness, drawing lessons from successful models in other cities like Denver's STAR program.
MACRO needs approximately $4 million to operate in the 2026–2027 fiscal year. Without this funding, Oakland risks losing a program that delivers real care and safety to our communities.
MACRO has the power to transform public safety in Oakland by responding to tens of thousands of calls without police. Please continue to fully fund this invaluable program!
I am another district 6 resident who sees great benefit in fully funding the MACRO program. We need to focus our limited budget on community care that is life-affirming and this is exactly what MACRO provides. Data shows this program works and can help prevent crime, unlike policing, which focuses on punishment after a crime has been committed and actively harms our community. Please continue to fully fund MACRO.
MACRO is a trailblazing program that gives Oakland the opportunity to be on the right side of history and become a true leader in racial equity and public health. I called MACRO once, and was comforted by how compassionate and competent the team was. This is the kind of response we need in crises, not uniforms with guns. It prevents future harms, rather than create more trauma and violence that needs additional response.
Please do what is right and fully fund MACRO by allocating $4 million in the next budget cycle. You will be in my prayers as you make your decision.
I live in D6 and MACRO is a valuable program making a difference in my community. We need non-police responses to support people having mental health and other health related issues in our community. Please continue to fully fund this important program.
I'm a District 5 resident. Macro is making a trasofmrative impact to those that it serves. I support fully funding the program and working to improve it's divertion rates of dispatch calls.
MACRO saves lives. Period. This level of compassionate, intelligent, appropriate care is absolutely essential in Oakland communities, and with all due respect it is not reasonable or desirable for police to provide it. MACRO not only serves our citizens with a non-threatening presence, it also allows police to focus on real police work — areas of perceived need that they were formally trained to address. MACRO is a program that saves our neighbors locally and also provides a useful and practical model for other cities that are willing to genuinely prioritize safety and harmony in their streets. Long live MACRO! The funds for this important program exist - they just need to be allocated sensibly. Please do the right thing.
This is such a valuable program, please continue to fully fund.
comments on the Macro report
MACRO has the power to transform public safety in Oakland by responding to tens of thousands of calls without police. But it needs our support—and investment—to survive and thrive. If not fully funded, Oakland risks losing a program that delivers real care and safety to our communities.
MACRO is designed to provide a compassionate, care-first response to non-violent, non-emergency 911 calls, addressing issues like mental health crises, homelessness, and community disturbances without a police-first approach. This not only offers care as opposed to criminalizing but also has the potential to significantly reduce police spending by redirecting calls away from OPD.
City Council needs to allocate a minimum of $4 million in dedicated, annual city funding for the MACRO program to ensure its stability and growth beyond its current grant.
We need to establish robust community oversight for MACRO, ensuring the program is accountable, transparent, and responsive to the needs and goals defined by the community it serves.
We also need to ensure MACRO leadership is empowered and held accountable for expanding the program’s reach and effectiveness, drawing lessons from successful models in other cities like Denver's STAR program.
Thank you.
MACRO needs approximately $4 million to operate in the 2026–2027 fiscal year. Without this funding, Oakland risks losing a program that delivers real care and safety to our communities.
Please fully fund Macro!