Bay Area

Declaring a Fiscal Emergency is Unnecessary, Say City Leaders

“The Oakland City Council is prioritizing community safety, housing security, essential services to keep our city safe, healthy and vibrant, and collecting outstanding revenue that are owed – as well as transparency in making fiscally sound decisions based on real financial data,” Vice-Mayor and Councilmember-at Large Rebecca Kaplan said in a written statement to the Oakland Post discussing the City Council budget discussion.

Published

5 months ago

December 14, 2024

Ken Epstein

Vice-Mayor and Councilmember-at Large Rebecca Kaplan. File photo.

Council proposes solutions to city’s budget challenges

Community urges county to move forward on Coliseum development

By Ken Epstein

The Oakland City Council has identified proposals for stronger fiscal solutions and will be able to avoid declaring a fiscal emergency in Oakland, according to Vice-Mayor and Councilmember-at Large Rebecca Kaplan.

“The Oakland City Council is prioritizing community safety, housing security, essential services to keep our city safe, healthy and vibrant, and collecting outstanding revenue that are owed – as well as transparency in making fiscally sound decisions based on real financial data,” Kaplan said in a written statement to the Oakland Post discussing the City Council budget discussion.

With a new report brought to Council at its Dec. 9 special budget meeting, there are now several important improvements. The recommendation for declaring a fiscal emergency has been removed, clarifying that Oakland is NOT at risk of insolvency, she said.

Additionally, extra funds from special fund sources and enterprise funds, have been identified that are available to be used to ensure fiscal solvency.

“Yesterday, the City Council discussed a ‘Back to Basics’ approach to our budget and city services,” said Council President Nikki Fortunato-Bas. “While our financial situation requires action, the Council has previously provided direction to the City Administrator through the contingency budget, and we discussed the City Administrator’s further proposals for how to rebalance our Midcycle Budget to close our current fiscal year projected deficit.”

“Importantly, we are ensuring our reserve is at the required level, and we do not need to declare a fiscal emergency under our Consolidated Fiscal Policy,” she said.

Kaplan said, “It is vital to protect core public services and the long-term fiscal solvency of our city.”

Continuing, she said, “I am honored that extra available funds I had previously identified have been confirmed and are being incorporated into budget strategies, allowing Oakland to reduce cuts and restore reserves.”

In addition, she said, Important public-serving and revenue-generating functions are being strengthened, including to reduce blight and provide safer, cleaner streets.”

Councilmember Carroll Fife said she appreciated the leadership of Bas’s new budget team who worked with the City Administrator and the Finance Department “to get us on the right track through exploration of all available options for fiscal stability.”

“No doubt we are facing challenges, but I am confident that the decisions we are making will set us up for long-term success,” Fife said. “I am particularly grateful for the institutional memory and fiscal acumen of Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, who weeks ago suggested some of the steps now being taken that averts the crisis previously communicated to the public. This is a better deal for Oakland.”

‘The safety of the community is front-of-mind,” said Kaplan. “It is vital to protect the public from dangerous hazards, including crime and violence, fires, traffic dangers, and more.”

This new balanced and comprehensive approach protects and strengthens these vital investments in our safety, she said. The Fire Department, which had been preserved from cuts in July, was able to rapidly stop the Keller Fire from growing out of control, preventing a repeat of the horrific loss of life and homes during the 1991 Oakland Hills Fire.

Investments in the Oakland Police Department and the Department of Violence Prevention have yielded the fastest and most dramatic reduction in homicides in our city’s history, with levels now far below those of the prior several years, said Kaplan.

“The City’s deep investments in public safety over the past year continue to pay off, with homicides down 34% year-to-date and overall crime down by 33% since last year,” she said.

“Our Public Safety Leadership team is very strong with OPD Chief Floyd Mitchell, Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) Chief Dr. Holly Joshi, OFD Chief Damon Covington, and their deputy chiefs having over a century of collective experience in Oakland,” Bas said.

The budget proposals preserve Oakland’s Ceasefire violence intervention strategy, prioritize OPD patrol and investigations, and continue services to improve 911 response times, with 71% of calls answered within 15 seconds or less – a dramatic improvement over the prior year, Kaplan added.

“Oakland’s investments in sidewalk repair, street paving, clearing abandoned autos, and safer conditions on our roadways are improving both safety and quality of life,” she said. “The proposals restore funding for important and needed bicycle and pedestrian safety projects, street paving, parking enforcement, and more.”

Along with budget balancing actions in the immediate term, city leaders continue to urge the County to act on the Coliseum land sale, which will strengthen development and bring in revenue to support City and County needs, she said.

Bas said that over 90 speakers at the budget meeting spoke passionately about the city’s cultural arts, senior services, safety, parks and recreation, wage theft enforcement, community well-being, and calling on the County to move forward on Coliseum development.

Speakers also expressed appreciation for the thousands of dedicated city workers – including those who made recommendations for a more sustainable budget and identified efficient and effective strategies.

Ken Epstein

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Activism

Asm. Corey Jackson Proposes Safe Parking for Homeless College Students Sleeping in Cars

Assemblymember Corey Jackson (D-Moreno Valley), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC), is the author of AB 90, which would require community colleges and California State University campuses to create overnight parking programs where students can sleep safely in their vehicles. With one in four community college students in California experiencing homelessness in the past year, Jackson says the state must act urgently.

Published

3 days ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Assemblymember Corey Jackson. File photo.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

As California’s housing crisis continues to impact students, new legislation, Assembly Bill (AB) 90, promises to allow college students without stable housing to sleep in their cars on campus, offering a stark but practical solution aimed at immediate relief.

“This just deals with the harsh realities that we find ourselves in,” he said at a recent hearing.

The bill passed its first committee vote and is gaining attention as housing affordability remains a top concern across the state. California rents are more than 30% above the national average, and long waitlists for student housing have left thousands in limbo. CSU reported more than 4,000 students on its housing waitlist last year.

Supporters stress that the bill is not a long-term solution, but a humane step toward helping students who have no other place to go. A successful pilot program at Long Beach City College has already shown that safe, supervised overnight parking can work, giving students access to restrooms, Wi-Fi, and a secure environment.

However, the CSU and community college systems oppose the bill, citing funding concerns. Critics also worry about safety and oversight. But Jackson and student advocates argue the crisis demands bold action.

“If we know students are already sleeping in their cars, why not help them do it safely?” said Ivan Hernandez, president of the Student Senate for California Community Colleges.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Faces Around the Bay: Author Karen Lewis Took the ‘Detour to Straight Street’

“My life has been a roller-coaster with an unlimited ride wristband! I was raised in Berkeley during the time of Ron Dellums, the Black Panthers, and People’s Park. I was a Hippie kid, my Auntie cut off all our hair so we could wear the natural styles like her and Angela Davis.

Published

3 days ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Karen Lewis. Courtesy photo.

By Barbara Fluhrer

I met Karen Lewis on a park bench in Berkeley. She wrote her story on the spot.

I got married young, then ended up getting divorced, raising two boys into men. After my divorce, I had a stroke that left me blind and paralyzed. I was homeless, lost in a fog with blurred vision.

Jesus healed me! I now have two beautiful grandkids. At 61, this age and this stage, I am finally free indeed. Our Lord Jesus Christ saved my soul. I now know how to be still. I lay at his feet. I surrender and just rest. My life and every step on my path have already been ordered. So, I have learned in this life…it’s nice to be nice. No stressing, just blessings. Pray for the best and deal with the rest.

Nobody is perfect, so forgive quickly and love easily!”

Lewis’ book “Detour to Straight Street” is available on Amazon.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Barbara Lee Accepts Victory With “Responsibility, Humility and Love”

“I accept your choice with a deep sense of responsibility, humility, and love. Oakland is a deeply divided City,” Lee said in an April 19 statement. “I answered the call to run to unite our community, so that I can represent every voter, and we can all work together as One Oakland to solve our most pressing problems.”

Published

3 days ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

Barbara Lee. File photo.

By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌,
California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media‌

As a candidate for mayor, former U.S. Representative Barbara Lee released a “10-point plan” last week to reassure residents that she will tackle Oakland’s most pressing challenges.

Now that she has edged out her competitors in the ranked-choice special election with 50% or more of the vote, the former Congresswoman, who represented parts of the Bay Area in the U.S. House of Representatives, can put her vision in motion as the city’s first Black woman mayor.

On Saturday evening, Taylor conceded to Lee. There are still about 300 Vote-by-Mail ballots left to be verified, according to county election officials. The ballots will be processed on April 21 and April 22.

“This morning, I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor said in a statement.

“I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic, results-driven leadership.”

The influential Oakland Post endorsed Lee’s campaign, commending her leadership on the local, state, and federal levels.

Paul Cobb, The Post’s publisher, told California Black Media that Lee will bring back “respect and accountability” to the mayor’s office.

“She is going to be a collegial leader drawing on the advice of community nonprofit organizations and those who have experience in dealing with various issues,” Cobb said. “She’s going to try to do a consensus-building thing among those who know the present problems that face the city.”

Born in El Paso, Texas, Lee’s family moved to California while she was in high school. At 20 years old, Lee divorced her husband after the birth of her first child. After the split, Lee went through a tough period, becoming homeless and having to apply for public assistance to make ends meet.

But destitution did not deter the young woman.

Lee groomed herself to become an activist and advocate in Oakland and committed to standing up for the most vulnerable citizens in her community.

Lee traveled to Washington, D.C. to work for then U.S. Congressman Ron Dellums after receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mills College in Oakland in 1973. Lee later won a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fellowship to attend the School of Social Welfare, and she earned a Master of Social Work from the University of California-Berkeley in 1975.

Lee later served in the California State Assembly and State Senate before she was elected to Congress in 1998.

After serving in the U.S. Congress for more than 25 years, Lee ran unsuccessfully for California’s U.S. Senate in the 2024 primary election.

Lee joins current Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass and former San Francisco Mayor London Breed as Black women serving as chief executives of major cities in California over the last few years.