City Government

Kaplan to Propose Amendments to Schaaf’s Budget at June 10 Meeting

Published

6 years ago

May 29, 2019

City Council President Rebecca Kaplan has called a special City Council meeting in June to present proposed amendments to the $3.2 billion, two-year budget proposal recently released by Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration.

“I have been working with numerous stakeholders, my team and community to ensure we have the opportunity to adopt a budget to protect and enhance vital needs and honor Oakland’s communities and priorities,” said Kaplan in a media release.

“In drafting my amendments, I will be taking into consideration the importance of a budget that is sound and thoughtful and respects vital needs and equity in our community,” Kaplan wrote. She is “still considering and receiving suggestions” and already has some initial proposals.

Her proposed amendments seek to address:

•“Significant and Inequitable Harm to our Parks.”

Mayor Schaaf’s budget proposal cuts 8.5 full-time employees who perform park maintenance.

“This would result in unacceptable degradation of these important public spaces, as they become less well maintained and more trashed, and less usable by our communities,” wrote Kaplan. “Even worse, they propose to cut maintenance inequitably—for some parks and not others—leaving some of our hardest hit communities with more blight and less safe spaces for healthy recreation.

• “Stronger Action Needed on Homelessness.”

“Over the past few years, the number of people living on the streets, sidewalks and underpasses in Oakland has increased dramatically,” Kaplan wrote. “Oakland’s…budget needs to respond to the scale of the crisis we face. This should include navigation centers and designating allowable locations for people in tents and RVs which are staffed and clean and have storage options and toilet access. We also need to prevent more people from being pushed into homelessness, by strengthening support for tenants facing displacement.”

Kaplan encouraged residents to send budget suggestions to jwedge@oaklandca.gov

The special council meeting will take place Monday, June 10, 5 p.m., at Oakland City Hall. The city is required to approve a new budget by the end of June.

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Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of January 8 – 14, 2025

Published

4 days ago

January 11, 2025

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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Barbara Lee Launches Campaign for Mayor of Oakland

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided, but a community united,” she Lee. “If elected I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city, so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

Published

7 days ago

January 8, 2025

Oakland Post

By Post Staff

Barbara Lee on Wednesday morning formally announced her candidacy for Mayor in Oakland’s April 15 special election.

“Time and time again, Oaklanders have faced our toughest obstacles by uniting to meet our challenges,” said Lee.

“At this critical moment, we must not be a city divided but a community united,” she said. “If elected, I will bring my hands-on leadership, new ideas, and decades of experience in identifying billions in resources for our great city so all residents and businesses are stronger and safer and our community has optimism and confidence in Oakland’s future.”

“As Mayor, I’ll address our homelessness crisis, prioritize comprehensive public safety and mental health services, and lead with fiscal responsibility to deliver the core City services residents and business owners deserve. Let’s do this – together.”

“I’ve never shied away from a challenge,” said Lee. “I’m always ready to fight for Oakland.”

Watch her campaign video here, which is online at BarbaraLee4Oakland.com

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Who Wants to Be the Next Elected Mayor of Oakland?

The Oakland Post is issuing a CALL to all candidates to present their answers, plans, or solutions in response to our list of questions.

Published

1 week ago

January 7, 2025

Oakland Post

An aerial view of the downtown Oakland skyline on a clear sunny day. The federal building and other iconic buildings fill the skyline. Photo: iStock.

By Paul Cobb

Many of you probably recall the oft-repeated expression when describing leadership that “many are called but few are chosen.” We will be inundated during January with many claims of qualifications by those who want to lead Oakland.

As of Jan. 1, 2025, we have heard the names of 14 potential candidates who might become Oakland’s next Mayor.

The Oakland Post is issuing a CALL to all candidates to present their answers, plans, or solutions in response to our list of questions.

Any candidate who wishes to receive a free announcement, publicity or space in the paper must submit solutions.

The first questions we propose are 1) What is your budget balancing plan?
What is your position on requiring all city employees to work full-time in their designated offices rather than remotely from their homes?
What is your plan to provide open-access opportunities to all police officers for overtime pay?
Since many businesses, especially downtown, have closed, what is your plan to attract and increase revenues?

Please send your submissions of 300 words or less to each question to Social@postnewsgroup.com or visit www.postnewsgroup.com