Bay Area

Declaring a Fiscal Emergency is Unnecessary, Say City Leaders

“The Oakland City Council is prioritizing community safety, housing security, essential services to keep our city safe, healthy and vibrant, and collecting outstanding revenue that are owed – as well as transparency in making fiscally sound decisions based on real financial data,” Vice-Mayor and Councilmember-at Large Rebecca Kaplan said in a written statement to the Oakland Post discussing the City Council budget discussion.

Published

1 week ago

December 14, 2024

Ken Epstein

Vice-Mayor and Councilmember-at Large Rebecca Kaplan. File photo.

Council proposes solutions to city’s budget challenges

Community urges county to move forward on Coliseum development

By Ken Epstein

The Oakland City Council has identified proposals for stronger fiscal solutions and will be able to avoid declaring a fiscal emergency in Oakland, according to Vice-Mayor and Councilmember-at Large Rebecca Kaplan.

“The Oakland City Council is prioritizing community safety, housing security, essential services to keep our city safe, healthy and vibrant, and collecting outstanding revenue that are owed – as well as transparency in making fiscally sound decisions based on real financial data,” Kaplan said in a written statement to the Oakland Post discussing the City Council budget discussion.

With a new report brought to Council at its Dec. 9 special budget meeting, there are now several important improvements. The recommendation for declaring a fiscal emergency has been removed, clarifying that Oakland is NOT at risk of insolvency, she said.

Additionally, extra funds from special fund sources and enterprise funds, have been identified that are available to be used to ensure fiscal solvency.

“Yesterday, the City Council discussed a ‘Back to Basics’ approach to our budget and city services,” said Council President Nikki Fortunato-Bas. “While our financial situation requires action, the Council has previously provided direction to the City Administrator through the contingency budget, and we discussed the City Administrator’s further proposals for how to rebalance our Midcycle Budget to close our current fiscal year projected deficit.”

“Importantly, we are ensuring our reserve is at the required level, and we do not need to declare a fiscal emergency under our Consolidated Fiscal Policy,” she said.

Kaplan said, “It is vital to protect core public services and the long-term fiscal solvency of our city.”

Continuing, she said, “I am honored that extra available funds I had previously identified have been confirmed and are being incorporated into budget strategies, allowing Oakland to reduce cuts and restore reserves.”

In addition, she said, Important public-serving and revenue-generating functions are being strengthened, including to reduce blight and provide safer, cleaner streets.”

Councilmember Carroll Fife said she appreciated the leadership of Bas’s new budget team who worked with the City Administrator and the Finance Department “to get us on the right track through exploration of all available options for fiscal stability.”

“No doubt we are facing challenges, but I am confident that the decisions we are making will set us up for long-term success,” Fife said. “I am particularly grateful for the institutional memory and fiscal acumen of Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, who weeks ago suggested some of the steps now being taken that averts the crisis previously communicated to the public. This is a better deal for Oakland.”

‘The safety of the community is front-of-mind,” said Kaplan. “It is vital to protect the public from dangerous hazards, including crime and violence, fires, traffic dangers, and more.”

This new balanced and comprehensive approach protects and strengthens these vital investments in our safety, she said. The Fire Department, which had been preserved from cuts in July, was able to rapidly stop the Keller Fire from growing out of control, preventing a repeat of the horrific loss of life and homes during the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire.

Investments in the Oakland Police Department and the Department of Violence Prevention have yielded the fastest and most dramatic reduction in homicides in our city’s history, with levels now far below those of the prior several years, said Kaplan.

“The City’s deep investments in public safety over the past year continue to pay off, with homicides down 34% year-to-date and overall crime down by 33% since last year,” she said.

“Our Public Safety Leadership team is very strong with OPD Chief Floyd Mitchell, Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) Chief Dr. Holly Joshi, OFD Chief Damon Covington, and their deputy chiefs having over a century of collective experience in Oakland,” Bas said.

The budget proposals preserve Oakland’s Ceasefire violence intervention strategy, prioritize OPD patrol and investigations, and continue services to improve 911 response times, with 71% of calls answered within 15 seconds or less – a dramatic improvement over the prior year, Kaplan added.

“Oakland’s investments in sidewalk repair, street paving, clearing abandoned autos, and safer conditions on our roadways are improving both safety and quality of life,” she said. “The proposals restore funding for important and needed bicycle and pedestrian safety projects, street paving, parking enforcement, and more.”

Along with budget balancing actions in the immediate term, city leaders continue to urge the County to act on the Coliseum land sale, which will strengthen development and bring in revenue to support City and County needs, she said.

Bas said that over 90 speakers at the budget meeting spoke passionately about the city’s cultural arts, senior services, safety, parks and recreation, wage theft enforcement, community well-being, and calling on the County to move forward on Coliseum development.

Speakers also expressed appreciation for the thousands of dedicated city workers – including those who made recommendations for a more sustainable budget and identified efficient and effective strategies.

Ken Epstein

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U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Speaks on Democracy at Commonwealth Club

Based on his first speech as House minority leader, “The ABCs of Democracy” by Grand Central Publishing is an illustrated children’s book for people of all ages. Each letter contrasts what democracy is and isn’t, as in: “American Values over Autocracy”, “Benevolence over Bigotry” and “The Constitution over the Cult.”

Published

6 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Oakland Post

: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries at the Commonwealth Club World Affairs Council on Dec. 2. Photo by Johnnie Burrell. Book cover: "The ABCs of Democracy" by Hakeem Jeffries.

By Linda Parker Pennington
Special to The Post

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries addressed an enthusiastic overflow audience on Monday at San Francisco’s Commonwealth Club, launching his first book, “The ABCs of Democracy.”

Based on his first speech as House minority leader, “The ABCs of Democracy” by Grand Central Publishing is an illustrated children’s book for people of all ages.

Each letter contrasts what democracy is and isn’t, as in: “American Values over Autocracy”, “Benevolence over Bigotry” and “The Constitution over the Cult.”

Less than a month after the election that will return Donald Trump to the White House, Rep. Jeffries also gave a sobering assessment of what the Democrats learned.

“Our message just wasn’t connecting with the real struggles of the American people,” Jeffries said. “The party in power is the one that will always pay the price.”

On dealing with Trump, Jeffries warned, “We can’t fall into the trap of being outraged every day at what Trump does. That’s just part of his strategy. Remaining calm in the face of turmoil is a choice.”

He pointed out that the razor-thin margin that Republicans now hold in the House is the lowest since the Civil War.

Asked what the public can do, Jeffries spoke about the importance of being “appropriately engaged. Democracy is not on autopilot. It takes a citizenry to hold politicians accountable and a new generation of young people to come forward and serve in public office.”

With a Republican-led White House, Senate, House and Supreme Court, Democrats must “work to find bi-partisan common ground and push back against far-right extremism.”

He also described how he is shaping his own leadership style while his mentor, Speaker-Emeritus Nancy Pelosi, continues to represent San Francisco in Congress. “She says she is not hanging around to be like the mother-in-law in the kitchen, saying ‘my son likes his spaghetti sauce this way, not that way.’”

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 18 – 24, 2024

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

“Libraries are such critical facilities for all Oaklanders, whether it’s children coming to story-time, adults reading the newspapers or borrowing the latest novels, and people engaging with a range of services and programs that the library hosts,” said Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. “Such library services and programs are only possible when the facility’s electricity, heating, roof, and lighting are fixed and running efficiently. I’m proud to join this re-opening of our Main Public Library.”

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

The branch had been closed since May for critical infrastructure upgrades

Special to the Post

The City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Main Library after completion of critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance the library’s facilities and provide a better experience for patrons.

Renovations include new roof installation, skylight repair, critical electrical system upgrades, new boiler control system installation, auditorium heating and cooling system installation, and improvements to lighting, flooring and ceilings throughout the building.

“This is truly something to celebrate, the reopening of our wonderful Main Library! I congratulate the staff and our partners for this important project to make the Main Library a more comfortable place for everyone for years to come, said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “Thank you to Oakland voters and the California State Library for making these crucial improvements possible.”

“Public libraries are a wonderful resource for our residents, offering a safe space for learning and being,” said District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife. “It is critical to improve and modernize our libraries so more members of our community can utilize and enjoy them. I’m excited that the necessary renovations to the Main Library have been completed successfully and thank everyone involved, particularly the City team, who helped secured the necessary grant funds for this work.”

“I am proud of the City staff and project partners who kept this important project on schedule and under budget,” said Assistant City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. “The library is an incredibly important resource for our community members, and this project is an investment into the library’s future.”

“December 2nd was a momentous occasion for Oakland Public Library as we proudly reopened the doors of the Main Library following extensive infrastructure repairs,” said Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak. “Closing the Main Library for six months was no easy decision, as it serves as the central hub for our library system and is truly the heart of Oakland. Yet, this renovation was essential, representing more than just physical upgrades—it reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for everyone.”

The City Administrator Jestin Johnson also attended the press conference and signalled his support for the completion of the record-setting completion of the renovations. Gay Plair Cobb, a newly appointed Library Commissioner said the Library represents the soul and brains of our community.

The Oakland Public Library secured funding for these crititcal repairs through a variety of sources. The California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program awarded the Main Branch $4.2 million. To comply with the grant terms, the City of Oakland provided matching funds through Measures KK, as approved by the Oakland City Council in October 2023.

The Main Library will host an Open House to celebrate the reopening on February 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

About the Oakland Public Library

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Locations include 16 neighborhood branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Oakland Tool Lending Library, and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO). The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow. Oaklandlibrary.org