City Government

Opinion: City Workers are Standing Up for a Better Oakland

Published

5 years ago

June 14, 2019

City workers are fighting for what we love: the people of Oakland.

City services, including picking up illegal dumping, filling potholes, and implementing affordable housing programs don’t happen by magic. Without an intentional investment in these services, it is not sustainable, and it takes people to do that work.

Oakland is booming, and still certain communities are not transitioning from the boom or services. City workers make these services happen, but 20 percent of non-uniformed civilian positions in the city are vacant. This is the highest vacancy rate in recent history. We’re stretched thin. Eighty percent of the people cannot do 100 percent of the work.

Nearly one out of every five positions in both the Department of Public Works and in the Department of Transportation is vacant. That means illegal dumping doesn’t get removed, and potholes don’t get filled because we don’t have the staff to get the job done.

Oakland is facing a housing and homelessness crisis, yet 23 percent of the positions in our Housing and Community Development Department are vacant. Oakland’s Rental Adjustment Program only has 18 full-time staff to serve 90,000 rental units. Each of our workers is working on more than 200 cases at any given time.

The backlog on processing illegal rent adjustments is up to five months. Many Oakland tenants can’t afford inflated rent for five months, and that wait period could leave them homeless.

This reality is not lost on the city workers who are working these cases. The reason we can’t keep positions filled in our city is because many of our coworkers leave for higher paying jobs—not necessarily at Google or Facebook, but at nearby public agencies where they can get a 15-20 percent pay increase.

We have chosen careers in public service because we are committed to our Oakland community. Oakland’s leadership and unions have a common goal to protect the health, safety and wellness of our workforce and constituents.

That’s why we’re demanding that the city’s leadership invest in city services, and this has to start with a fair wage increase for city workers.

City workers don’t go into public service for the money. We stuck through the Great Recession, when our take-home pay was slashed by 10 percent to keep the city afloat. Those of us that are still here continue to stay because we truly love Oakland.

Oakland deserves our very best city leadership working collaboratively to pass a budget that invests in city services and puts resources back into our communities.

Members of IFPTE Local 21

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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

Published

18 hours 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.

Oakland Post

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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

4 days 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.

Oakland Post

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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

4 days 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.