Layoffs, pay cuts, and reductions to the police and fire departments are all on the table in Oakland, as the City Council looks for ways to slash the city's budget as they confront a deficit of nearly $130 million.
The City of Oakland must pick their poison, as KRON4 reports the city is now looking at a $129 million deficit next year. An Oakland City Council budget committee held a meeting on Monday, and nearly 100 angry residents showed up to complain about all of the devastating potential cuts that are on the table, knowing that inevitably, some of these cuts are going to have to happen.
“I want to remind ourselves that as a City Council and as a city, we prioritize community safety as well as housing security and the essential services that keep our city healthy and clean, as well as collecting every dollar that is owed to us,” Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said at Monday’s meeting. “And today, given our financial situation, we’re discussing a back-to-basics approach to both our budget and city services.”
KRON4 breaks down the details of the proposed cuts, which are just proposed, as no final decisions have been made yet. They come in two phases. The first phase is cutting nearly $200 million in city staffing and police overtime, and the “browning out” of two fire stations (that means not closing the stations, but reducing the number of shifts worked at them). The second phase browns out four additional fire engine companies, hopes to claw back some financial benefits already given to certain labor unions, and calls for about 100 layoffs of city workers.
"It definitely puts people on edge," city IT worker and IFPTE Local 2 vice president Julian Ware told KPIX. "Further compounded when you think, this is a holiday season. You're talking about two or three weeks out for Christmas."
"It really puts people on edge because it's sort of that uncertainty," he added. "What should I be doing right now? Should I be applying for a job somewhere else?"
Mind you, this all comes in the wake of the Sheng Thao recall, which has left Oakland sort of rudderless and without a mayor right now. Thao is mayor pretty much in name only right now — she’s not really showing any leadership or voice on the budget situation anymore, and she’ll be officially in office only one more week.
Unsurprisingly, Thao’s would-be replacements are running towards TV cameras hoping to bolster their visibility during the budget crisis.
"It's actually very sad. It just breaks my heart to see the budget crisis that we're going through right now," mayoral candidate Renia Webb told KPIX. “It doesn't have to be that way." (Webb was once Thao’s chief of staff when she was an Oakland City Councilmember, but has since turned on Thao once the FBI raids and corruption allegations hit.)
As mentioned, Thao remains mayor until December 17th, when the City Council will officially declare the office vacant. That sets off a very murky line of succession. The City Council President should automatically fill the role, but that president Nikki Fortunato Bas just won a seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. So once Fortunato Bas is elevated, the job will then temporarily go to whoever is elected president of the City Council in January, in a chaotic process that may lead to Oakland having four different mayors in four months by the time a special election to replace Thao is held on April 15, 2025.
Oh, and that special election will cost the city $5 million, further adding to the city’s deficit.
Related: Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Is Reportedly Using an SUV the City Hasn't Paid For [SFist]
Image: Oakland, California, United States - April 26, 2017: Oakland City Hall Oakland City Hall, an architectural landmark in downtown Oakland, California. The historic building showcases Beaux-Arts design with its grand façade, elegant columns, and a distinctive three-tiered structure topped by a domed roof. Surrounded by the vibrant cityscape, it stands as a symbol of civic pride and a hub of local government activities.