City Government

Oakland’s $3.8 Billion Budget for 2021-2023 Funds Roads, Parks, Youth and Boosts Money for OPD

District 6 City Councilmember Loren Taylor says while the budget includes many items that he supports, he ultimately voted against it because he believes leaves much to be desired.

Published

4 years ago

July 17, 2021

Isabelle Price

Oakland City Council Members Debating Issues courtesy oaklandca.gov

The Oakland City Council approved the city’s FY21-23 budget on June 24 by a 7-2 vote. The $3.8 billion budget will include funding for police and fire departments, roads, parks, homeless services, affordable housing, cultural grants, youth programs, and much more.

Although the council all but promised that it would ‘defund the police’ last summer in the wake of local and national unrest following the murder of George Floyd, about a week after the current budget was approved it was revealed that, in fact, the Oakland Police Department would get $674 million. That is an increase of $38 million over the previous budget cycle from 2019-2021, which was $635 million.

District 6 City Councilmember Loren Taylor says while the budget includes many items that he supports, he ultimately voted against it because he believes leaves much to be desired.

“I ultimately voted ‘no’ on the budget because at the end of the day it did the same as other budgets before it—perpetuating many inherent inequities that have plagued Central & Deep East Oakland for decades,” Taylor said in a recent newsletter to his constituents.

“Many things I advocated for are crucial to equitably addressing the needs of Oakland residents,” he said.

Let’s look at what items made the cut. Below are a few highlights which include:

$17 million investment into violence prevention programs
Doubled funding for MACRO Pilot (alternatives to armed police response)
Significant investments into homelessness services and affordable housing
A 3% cost-of-living adjustment for city workers;
A new fire station and regional fire-training/education center on 66th Avenue
Restoration and reactivation of Tomas Melero-Smith and 85th Avenue Mini Park
Investments into community partners providing workforce development services.

Taylor pointed out several items he and council members Sheng Thao and Treva Reid proposed that didn’t make the cut.

Millions of dollars in traffic calming infrastructure and sideshow deterrence including the MacArthur Blvd/Millsmont Traffic Corridor
Surveillance cameras to improve public safety in commercial districts and to address illegal dumping
Cost neutral shift of funds for the Police Academy to the first year of the budget to reduce 911 response times
Establishment of “City Hall East” to provide East Oaklanders with greater access to city departments and services
Increased staffing for illegal dumping/litter enforcement and abatement
Startup costs for a District 6 Business Improvement District (BID)
Arroyo Viejo Park upgrades (including parking lot resurfacing, commercial kitchen upgrade, and funding for pathway lighting)
Dedicated resources to eliminate race & gender disparities in City contracting
Removal of dangerous trees from Skyline Blvd. median

Taylor says he, Reid and Thao plan to introduce amendments that will address traffic safety, economic development, and community parks. He is calling on constituents to support these amendments which call for deeper investments in East Oakland.

Isabelle Price

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

Published

3 days ago

January 2, 2026

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

Published

2 weeks ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

2 weeks ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.