City Government

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

Published

5 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 April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

1 week ago

April 26, 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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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.