Bay Area

Mayor Thao Proposes New Budget that Avoids Layoffs and Protects Oakland City Services

Mayor Sheng Thao this week released her “One Oakland” Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2025 Proposed Budget. Despite a massive two-year deficit of $360 million, the budget proposal closes the gap and makes needed investments in community priorities while streamlining city government.

Published

1 year ago

May 11, 2023

Oakland Post

Mayor Sheng Thao.

The proposal closes a $360 million two-year deficit while investing in affordable housing, infrastructure, and early childhood education.

By Post Staff

“We inherited the largest deficit in Oakland’s history, but thanks to the ingenuity and hard work of our City staff, we have found a way to not only close that gap, but actually lay the foundation for Oakland to be stronger in the future,” said Thao.

“We had to make some tough choices in this budget, but in the end, we not only avoided catastrophic closures and cuts, we made real investments in our shared future,” said Thao. “This is a roadmap to weathering this crisis, making us more resilient to future challenges.”

Though the city’s General Purpose Fund faces a large deficit, other revenue sources do not. The proposed budget leverages these funding sources to make significant investments, including:

The largest investment in affordable housing in Oakland’s history:The proposal allocates over $200 million over two years for affordable housing.
Expansion of early childhood education:Utilizing federal, state, and local funds would allow for expansion of hours and services at Oakland’s Head Start and Early Head Start program.
Infrastructure improvements:The budget proposes more than $106 million to build, repair and upgrade parks, recreation facilities, libraries, storm drains, and non-road infrastructure, including $87 million for street repaving.
Safer streets:More than $9.1million will be directed to calm traffic, improve intersection safety and provide safe routes near schools to help reduce traffic violence and save lives. This includes $3.2 million for bike and pedestrian plans.
Reimagining public safety:The proposals continue city efforts to ‘civilianize’ certain functions of the Oakland Police Department by moving responsibility for Internal Affairs investigations from OPD to the Community Police Review Agency, allowing police investigators to be transferred to critical community safety units.
Information technology: The proposal adds $10 million to upgrade and harden cybersecurity protections.

Nikki Fortunato Bas.

Carroll Fife

Rebecca Kaplan.

Kevin Jenkins.

Other changes would consolidate and streamline departments to make government more effective and efficient.

Homelessness services would be merged with the Housing & Community Development Department for improved coordination.

Intergenerational family support programs provided by Parks, Recreation and Youth Development Department and Human Services Department will be combined into a new Department of Children, Youth and Families to provide more seamless services for families.

The Department of Economic & Workforce Development will be merged into the Department of Planning, Building, and Economic Development to provide a streamlined approach to housing production and major project development.

Releasing a press statement Monday, Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas and her budget team, including Councilmembers Carroll Fife, Kevin Jenkins, and Rebecca Kaplan, commended Thao for her plan to achieve a balanced budget while avoiding layoffs, maintaining critical services, and making record investments in affordable housing.

“We are very pleased to see the largest investment in affordable housing in Oakland’s history — $200 million over two years,” said Council President Bas. “Affordable housing is Oakland residents’ top priority, and we will finally make progress creating housing that’s accessible to very low-income and working families.”

“Oaklanders want results, and the proposed reorganization is a smart strategy to cut the bureaucracy and make government deliver,” said Fife. “I’ve called for the integration of Oakland’s housing and homelessness programs, together with my colleagues. (These changes) will help us focus on actually housing our unsheltered neighbors.”

“The mayor’s budget builds on the foundation the Council put in place to create a holistic community safety system,” said Councilmember and Public Safety Chair Rebecca Kaplan.

“This plan advances the work that I initiated with our community by expanding alternative crisis response through the Fire Department’s MACRO program,” Kaplan said. “It also continues critical violence prevention programs and civilianizes Internal Affairs investigations so those officers get out onto our streets.”

“Unlike past budget deficits, there are no federal bailouts this time,” said Councilmember and Finance Chair Kevin Jenkins. “I appreciate that the mayor used every possible tool to close the deficit and maintain current City of Oakland employees — from the hiring slowdown announced in March to freezing vacancies and attrition.”

Oakland city workers represented by SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, IAFF Local 55, and IBEW Local 1245 have released a joint statement in support of the mayor’s proposal.

“We applaud the mayor for balancing a historic deficit while protecting essential city services, preventing layoffs, and making the largest investment in affordable housing in Oakland’s history, the unions’ statement said.

“While we understand brownouts in fire services are a reality, we hope that as the budget improves, we focus on restoring services for residents,” said firefighter and paramedic Zac Unger, IAFF Local 55 President.

“The decision to balance the budget by freezing some vacant positions instead of laying off city workers is a critical one to protect services for residents,” said lead electrician Michael Patterson, IBEW Local 1245 chief steward.

“Many city workers are currently doing the jobs of two or three people. The mayor’s budget proposal is a major step towards addressing the understaffing crisis so that we can deliver better services to residents,” said recreation center director Angelica Lopez, chapter treasurer of SEIU Local 1021. “As we move forward with the budget process, ensuring that there are no service cuts for residents and no impact on filled positions must be major priorities for all of us.”

The City Council held a special meeting May 3 where Mayor Thao presented her budget proposal. Councilmembers will host Community Budget Forums between May 17 and June 5. On June 14 at 4:00 p.m., City Council will hold a special meeting to hear the Council President’s Budget Amendments and any additional amendments from Councilmembers.

The City Council must approve a balanced budget by June 30.

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Homelessness Committee and Advocates Urge City to Stop Confiscating Unhoused People’s Belongings

Encampment sweeps are not a new method of action to evict people from living and sleeping on the streets in San Francisco. However, recent reports indicate that city staff are not following proper policy, exacerbating the problems for unhoused people. Homeless advocates and allies held a press conference on Thursday at City Hall, condemning staff workers for destroying people’s property during encampment evictions and asking officials to ensure that important documents and medication are not being stripped from these individuals.

Published

3 days ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

"By destroying the very items that could help people regain stability, the city is not just punishing people for being poor, but actively making it harder for them to escape homelessness," Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said.

By Magaly Muñoz

Homeless advocates and allies held a press conference on Thursday at City Hall, condemning staff workers for destroying people’s property during encampment evictions and asking officials to ensure that important documents and medication are not being stripped from these individuals.

“By destroying the very items that could help people regain stability, the city is not just punishing people for being poor, but actively making it harder for them to escape homelessness,” Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness, said.

Friedenbach criticized the city for not fixing their housing problem or finding new ways to shelter people, instead they are further adding to the harm of the “humanitarian crisis that San Francisco is facing.”

The press conference was held before the monthly Homelessness Oversight Commission (HOC) meeting, where commissioners discussed a draft resolution to submit to city staff highlighting the importance of not separating people from their items as this might cause further distress.

The resolution lists ssential items that workers should be cautious of not destroying or throwing away including medical documents and medication, work permits, identification, and survival gear, such as blankets or tents.

City policy instructs workers to “bag and tag” items left behind after an encampment sweep. These items are labeled by Public Works and kept at their operations yard for 90 days before being discarded.

But according to several reports and videos of the sweeps, the city has not always followed this policy and has on numerous occasions thrown away people’s medications or tents, leaving individuals without their essentials.

During the meeting, commissioners suggested adding school records and family related support items, such as diapers, to the resolution because of the increasing number of families living on the streets.

Virginia Taylor, senior policy advisor for Safe & Sound, said 531 families are waiting for housing in San Francisco. Many of these families are living out of their cars or in RVs, yet the city has limited safe parking spots where people can situate themselves.

Along with not throwing out people’s belongings, advocates are also continuing to ask the city to stop the encampment sweeps because all they are accomplishing is moving unhoused folks block to block without solving the root problem of lack of consistent housing.

“We need urgent action, more family shelter beds, a stop to vehicle sweeps, expanded safe parking programs and housing solutions that keep our multi-generational families together. Our children’s futures depend on it. Let’s build a San Francisco where no family falls through the crack and every child has the opportunity to thrive,” Taylor said.

Speakers referenced the RV sweep conducted in early August on Zoo Road, where dozens of people, many of them non-English speaking immigrants, were asked to leave the parking lot or else their vehicles would be towed and they would be cited.

While people were offered shelter beds or housing vouchers, some worried about where they would stay while the city processed their applications. This drew criticism of San Francisco’s method of not always having immediate options for people yet continuing to sweep unhoused folks with nowhere to go.

Commissioners of HOC agreed that the city is not trying to exacerbate the issue and the resolution is one of many steps to ensure that there are no setbacks in the progress to ending homelessness in San Francisco.

The HOC will approve the resolution at a later meeting once amendments and changes are made.

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Bay Area

Former Mayor Willie L. Brown Endorses Dana Lang for BART Board District 7

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown has announced his endorsement support for Dana Lang for BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes voters from both sides of the Bay, and in San Francisco includes Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island. Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

Published

3 days ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo courtesy of Dana Lang.

By Oakland Post Staff

Brown acknowledged that Lang has been a behind-the-scenes force in transportation funding for many years and can help BART manage its financial challenges.

“When I met with Dana Lang I asked many questions, then I asked others about her contributions. Getting to know her I realized that she truly understood transportation. At a time when BART is facing a “fiscal cliff” and an upcoming deficit of nearly $360 million per year, Dana is more than ready for this job, she is ready to meet the moment!”

Over the past 24 years Lang has been a funding and grants specialist with several municipal transportation agencies, including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, San Francisco Muni, San Francisco Police Department and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

Lang says, “I’ve faced a number of fiscal crises in my career — such as securing $52 million in new transit security funding for SFMTA (Muni) during the 2008 Great Recession, when others thought it was not possible. I have always managed to identify new funding and ways to make transit more secure. Facing a crisis is the best time to act, through advocacy and policy setting. We’ve got to keep BART running and make it safer and more vibrant in order to meet the needs of our riders, our work force, and our community.”

Lang grew up in the low-income minority community of East Palo Alto, CA, and knew that locating grants and resources could positively impact an entire city and its surrounding region — helping to create and retain agency jobs, getting transit riders to their workplaces, and encouraging small business development near transit hubs.

With that in mind, she pursued a bachelor’s degree in economics from Wellesley College, then an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She started her municipal career as a policy advisor to Mayor Elihu Harris and helped secure grants for the City of Oakland before moving to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to serve as a transportation grants specialist.

During her 24-year career she has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for Bay Area transit agencies and municipalities. In addition to BART’s financial health, Lang’s priorities for BART also include safety, cleanliness, station vitality — and bringing riders back to BART. She has served on the BART Police Civilian Review Board since 2022.

Lang is also endorsed by BART Board Director Robert Raburn, former BART Board Director Carole Ward Allen, the Rev. Amos Brown, pastor of San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church, Alameda County supervisors Keith Carson and Nate Miley, former Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris, District 4 Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, Oakland Chinatown leader Carl Chan, and many others.

Lang is seeking the BART Board District 7 Seat, which includes San Francisco’s Bay View Hunters Point and Treasure Island, a large portion of Oakland, the cities of Alameda, Emeryville, Piedmont, and a small portion of Berkeley.

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Art

Phenomenal Woman’ Maya Angelou Monument Unveiled at San Francisco Main Library

In a joyful community celebration attended by over 200 people, including Mayor London Breed, the highly anticipated ‘Portrait of a Phenomenal Woman’ monument to Dr. Maya Angelou was unveiled at the San Francisco Main Library on Sept. 19. Oakland-based artist Lava Thomas created the 9-foot bronze and stone monument in the form of a book featuring a portrait and quotes from the celebrated author, poet, civil rights activist and former San Francisco resident.

Published

3 days ago

October 2, 2024

Oakland Post

Attending the unveiling of the monument to the late Dr. Maya Angelou were, from left, Dr. Gina M. Fromer, CEO Glide Foundation; San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Rosa Johnson, (Angelou’s niece); Ralph Remington, San Francisco director of Cultural Affairs; Lava Thomas, artist and creator; Denise Bradley-Tydus, former interim director of Cultural Affairs; San Francisco Poet Laureate Genny Lim, and San Francisco City Librarian Michael Lambert. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

By Linda Parker Pennington

Oakland-based artist Lava Thomas created the 9-foot bronze and stone monument in the form of a book featuring a portrait and quotes from the celebrated author, poet, civil rights activist and former San Francisco resident.

The work was commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission in response to legislation passed in 2018 by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, requiring at least 30% female representation in the public realm.

Attending the unveiling were Angelou’s grandson, Elliott Jones, social advocate, philanthropist, and board member of the Dr. Maya Angelou Foundation; and Rosa Johnson, Angelou’s niece and family archivist, who spoke about the historic unveiling of this first public monument portraying a Black woman in San Francisco’s history.