Bay Area

Council Members Propose Amendments to Oakland’s Proposed Budget

Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, joined by members of the Oakland Council’s Budget Team, this week released amendments to the city’s 2023-2025 Proposed Budget. At its June 14 meeting this week, the council was scheduled to begin consideration of amendments to the budget proposed by Mayor Sheng Thao on May 1. “In the face of the worst deficit in Oakland’s history, we are standing together as One Oakland, focused on addressing the challenges we face,” said Council President Bas.

Published

10 months ago

June 22, 2023

Oakland Post

Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Rebecca Kaplan, Kevin Jenkins, Carroll Fife. File photo.

Amendments will increase funds for public safety, fire services, housing, cultural affairs, and park upkeep

By Post Staff

Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, joined by members of the Oakland Council’s Budget Team, this week released amendments to the city’s 2023-2025 Proposed Budget.

At its June 14 meeting this week, the council was scheduled to begin consideration of amendments to the budget proposed by Mayor Sheng Thao on May 1.

“In the face of the worst deficit in Oakland’s history, we are standing together as One Oakland, focused on addressing the challenges we face,” said Council President Bas.

“Thanks to revenue and expenditure adjustments, we are now able to build upon Mayor Thao’s thoughtful and creative budget proposal to provide more support for the vital services residents rely on, including fire services, public safety, violence prevention, housing and economic development,” she said.

The Council Budget Team is comprised of Bas, councilmembers Rebecca Kaplan (At-Large), Carroll Fife (District 3) and Kevin Jenkins (District 6). Their amendments are based on weeks of public hearings and community meetings where members of the community weighed in on the proposed budget.

The Amendments include:

Strengthening fire safetyby designating FEMA SAFER grant funds to reverse a proposed rolling Fire Station brown-out, allowing the City to maintain fire service in all communities.
Supporting public safetyby adding funding for 24/7 crisis response, community ambassadors in business corridors, two civilian police investigators, and dedicating resources to allow MACRO to fill vacant positions more quickly.
Working to reduce violenceby investing $2.1 million in violence prevention programs, including $600,000 focused on sex trafficking.
Housing homeless residentsby creating a Rapid Response Homeless Housing Acquisition Fund with $8.8 million to create housing more rapidly for unhoused residents.
Supporting the economyby increasing Cultural Affairs grants by $300,000 each year, adding funding for the activation of Frank Ogawa Plaza, providing business support by continuing the Facade Improvement Program and staffing for multilingual business assistance.
Promoting clean and healthy neighborhoodsby increasing funding for park maintenance and traffic safety improvements

“Over the last month, we have received a tremendous amount of feedback from Oakland residents and these amendments will allow us to better address community priorities,” said Kaplan. “By bolstering resources for violence prevention, homelessness, and economic and cultural development, we can support thriving and healthy communities.”

“Despite this tough budget year, I am excited and encouraged by Mayor Thao’s leadership and the progress we are seeing under her administration,” said Fife

“We are standing together to close the gap while preserving critical services and investing in our future,” she said.

“Our residents are asking for safer, cleaner and healthier communities, and we are going to deliver,” said Jenkins. “While we still had to make hard choices, we were able to find the resources to do more so we can be stronger tomorrow.”

The Council began consideration of these and other amendments at its June 14 meeting. A subsequent budget meeting is scheduled for June 26 at 4 p.m. The final budget must be approved by June 30.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

HNU Sold To Los Angeles Real Estate Firm

Don't Miss

Police Commission Appoints New Executive Director of Community Police Review Agency

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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

Published

2 days 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

Posts by Oakland Post

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

5 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

Posts by Oakland Post

Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

1 week ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”