Activism

City Debates Priorities for a $3.2 Billion Budget

Published

5 years ago

May 10, 2019

Mayor Libby Schaaf’s administration this week released its proposal for the city’s $3.2 billion, two year-year budget for 2019-2021, which must be approved by the end of June.

Schaaf was scheduled to present the spending plan at a special meeting of the City Council, but she was “under the weather,” according to City Administrator Sabrina Landreth, who explained the proposal along with members of her staff.

While the administration says its proposal is designed to “prevent cuts in current service levels for Oakland residents,” Landreth and her staff emphasized that although the economy may be booming, the city is facing a severe shortfall and has limited ability to fund new expenditures because costs such as employee pensions and fringe benefits are increasing dramatically.

Under the administration proposal, the city would leave hundreds of employee vacancies unfilled and lay off gardeners who maintain city parks. Only $400,000 is recommended to support summer jobs for youth. The administration’s proposal mentions nothing about the amount of the largest budget expenditures, the amount that goes to the Oakland Police Department for annual overspending on police overtime.

A survey conducted by the city in February indicated that residents say the top issues in Oakland are affordable housing and homelessness, the first time in decades that police and public safety are not rated number one, according to city staff.

City Council President Rebecca Kaplan announced at the meeting that she will assemble the spending priorities of council members and the community to amend the mayor’s proposed budget.

“As council president, it is my duty to closely review the Mayor’s budget proposal and to present my amendments,” Kaplan said. “On June 10, I will present the President’s Budget, and the community will be able to review the Council’s priorities.”

Meanwhile, a number of community groups, the Refund Oakland Community and Labor Coalition, rallied outside the council meeting, criticizing the Schaaf administration’s budget proposal and calling for a budget that funds “Oakland’s city services, infrastructure and to hire local residents.”

“The city has annually underestimated an average of $45 million in general fund revenue over the past seven budget cycles. This means there is roughly $315 million in revenue over the past seven years that could have gone to fund public employee salaries, social programs, etc.,” according to the coalition.

Unemployment remains high in Oakland, “city services are deeply lagging, and city workers continue to go underpaid relative to local municipalities,” according to the coalition’s media release.

Some coalition members emphasized that the city can redirect its spending priorities toward the community and city workers rather than utilizing its income as it has in the past, pouring money into runaway spending for the Oakland Police Department and police overtime and programs catering to high-end real estate developers.

District One Councilmember Dan Kalb distributed his expenditure priorities at the council meeting. They included helping homeless residents, affordable housing, public safety and violence prevention, fire prevention and disaster preparedness, environmental services and parks and programs for youth and young adults.

District 5 Councilmember Noel Gallo raised concerns that “Illegal dumping is getting worse and worse and worse. It’s out of control.”

District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas said, “We spent a lot of time surveying the public. In this particular budget we need to prioritize the things we heard loud and clear from our residents: housing and homelessness.”

Bas continued, “We are booming. We have been booming for at least a decade. And to be talking about not mowing our parks and these other reductions, it just doesn’t sit well.

She said under the Schaaf administration’s budget proposal, “We see that less than 2 percent is allocated toward housing. That’s not enough. When we see less than 1 percent is allocated toward homeless, that’s not enough.”

She also raised questions about whether the administration is underbudgeting.

“I looked at the last budget cycle, 2017-2018, where we predicted a $ 70 million shortfall, but we ended up with $140 million surplus,” she said.

“Two years prior, we predicted a $39 million shortfall and ended up with a $130 surplus,” said Bas.

“I understand being conservative, but the reality is that we’ve been underbudgeting, and now is the time to spend that money on our city, our workers, our services and our residents.”

Ken Epstein

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Activism

S.F. Black Leaders Rally to Protest, Discuss ‘Epidemic’ of Racial Slurs Against Black Students in SF Public School System

Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.

Published

1 day ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church. Photo courtesy Third Baptist Church.

By Carla Thomas

San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church hosted a rally and meeting Sunday to discuss hatred toward African American students of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church, along with leadership from local civil rights groups, the city’s faith-based community and Black community leadership convened at the church.

“There has been an epidemic of racial slurs and mistreatment of Black children in our public schools in the city,” said Brown. “This will not be tolerated.”

According to civil rights advocate Mattie Scott, students from elementary to high school have reported an extraordinary amount of racial slurs directed at them.

“There is a surge of overt racism in the schools, and our children should not be subjected to this,” said Scott. “Students are in school to learn, develop, and grow, not be hated on,” said Scott. “The parents of the children feel they have not received the support necessary to protect their children.”

Attendees were briefed last Friday in a meeting with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne.

SFUSD states that their policies protect children and they are not at liberty to publicly discuss the issues to protect the children’s privacy.

Some parents said they have removed their students from school while other parents and community leaders called on the removal of the SFUSD superintendent, the firing of certain school principals and the need for more supportive school board members.

Community advocates discussed boycotting the schools and creating Freedom Schools led by Black leaders and educators, reassuring parents that their child’s wellbeing and education are the highest priority and youth are not to be disrupted by racism or policies that don’t support them.

Virginia Marshall, chair of the San Francisco NAACP’s education committee, offered encouragement to the parents and students in attendance while also announcing an upcoming May 14 school board meeting to demand accountability over their mistreatment.

“I’m urging anyone that cares about our students to pack the May 14 school board meeting,” said Marshall.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.

Oakland Post

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Oakland Ambassadors Strengthen Ties and Aid Efforts in Ghana

Oakland natives and esteemed members of the African American Sports and Entertainment Group (AASEG), Jonathan P. Jones and Dr. Maritony Efua Jones, recently embarked on a significant journey to Ghana as guests of the World Martial Authority Ghana. This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Elder Jorg Klebingat, Flint Mensah, Richard Burton, H.E. Dr. Maritony Jones, Amb. Jonathan Jones, Elder S. Gifford Nielsen, Elder Alfred Kyungu. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

This trip signifies a crucial opportunity to bolster partnerships, explore new avenues of collaboration, and contribute to impactful initiatives in Ghana.

Upon their arrival at Katota Airport in Accra, Ghana, the Joneses were warmly received by His Royal Majesty Okatakyie Asafo Boakye III, the distinguished king of Sanzule Kingdom in the Eastern Nzema, and Etse Nyamedi of World Martial Authority, Ghana.

Nyamedi accompanied the Joneses to the city of Mepe, which had recently experienced flooding, to assess damages and engage with local leaders, elders, and youth regarding the city’s urgent needs after major floods last fall.

Key concerns and priorities identified by the community include comprehensive flood mitigation measures, agricultural support, housing initiatives, educational enhancements, improved healthcare access, and the development of communal recreational spaces.

The Joneses were also graciously invited to meet with leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at their headquarters in Accra. This meeting provided insights into ongoing humanitarian efforts in Ghana and explored avenues for collaboration to further assist Ghanaian communities.

The LDS leaders shared their prompt response to the recent flood, demonstrating their commitment to humanitarian aid by dispatching substantial supplies including medical provisions, sanitation items, blankets, and food to assist flood victims just four days after the disaster.

Additionally, Boakye extended a special invitation to the Joneses to his palace, where they were pleasantly surprised with a heartfelt recognition ceremony. Maritony Jones was honored as the Queen Mother of the Sanzule Kingdom in acknowledgment of her dedicated work, while Jonathan Jones was lauded and welcomed as the ambassador of the Sanzule Kingdom, symbolizing a meaningful homecoming to their ancestral land.

The visit not only strengthens ties between Oakland and Ghana but also underscores the collaborative spirit and commitment to meaningful progress and humanitarian endeavors shared by all involved parties.

Oakland Post

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Calif. Anti-Sex Trafficking Advocates Discuss Competing Bills, Strategies

Advocates from across California are challenging state officials and community leaders to support legislation that provides resources and services for survivors and victims of human trafficking, as well as assistance as they transition back into civil society.  Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

Published

3 days ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

Shutterstock

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

According to the FBI, a report covering a two-year period found Black children accounted for 57% of all juvenile arrests for prostitution. In addition, 40% of sex trafficking victims were Black and 60% of those victims had been enrolled in the foster care system.

“It is time to hold the perpetrators who take advantage of our children accountable,” said the Rev. Shane Harris, a San Diego-based activist, former foster youth and founder of the Peoples Association of Justice Advocates, (PAJA), a national civil rights organization and policy think tank.

“It is time to send a thorough message that if you seek to buy a child for sex, you will pay the highest criminal penalties in this state,” added Harris who was speaking at a rally at the State Capitol earlier this month. Harris was speaking in support of Senate Bill 1414, authored by Sen. Shannon Grove (D-Bakersfield), which calls for people who buy sex from minors to be punished with a felony. The punishment includes a two-year prison sentence and a $25,000 fine.

Harris said the PAJA is the only civil rights organization in the state that supports SB 1414.

Harris urged other Black-led groups who favor anti-trafficking legislation more focused on criminal justice reforms (as opposed to stiffer penalties), to “join the movement.”

Many of those civil rights groups fear that SB 1414 could lead to the incarceration of more Black youth.

Those sentiments were echoed in a panel discussion organized by Black women advocates on April 26 to examine the cause and effects of human trafficking in California’s Black communities. The virtual event was hosted by the Forgotten Children, Inc, a faith-based nonprofit that advocates for survivors and victims of human trafficking through anti-trafficking campaigns and initiatives.

Panelists shared the psychological impact of sexual exploitation on youth and children in the long term.

Author and educator Dr. Stephany Powell shared statistics and information revealing that African American women and girls are the most trafficked nationwide.

Powell, who serves as the senior advisor on law enforcement and policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said that national data indicates that sex trade survivors are disproportionately women of color. She stated that male survivors often go unnoticed because boys rarely report trafficked crimes.

Powell said that decriminalizing prostitution in California could increase human trafficking. She argued that Senate Bill 357, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which was signed into law in 2022 and legalized loitering for prostitution, caused a surge in street-level prostitution.

Panelist and psychologist Dr. Gloria Morrow shared opposing views on decriminalizing prostitution. She said that decriminalizing prostitution could help survivors gain access to state resources and support.

Despite opposing views, Powell and Morrow agree that the Black community needs resources and educational programs to address human trafficking.