COUNCIL PRESIDENT NIKKI FORTUNATO BAS•
DISTRICT 2(510) 238-7002 • Fax: (510) 238-6129 • [email protected] Hall • 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza • Oakland, California 94612www.oaklandca.gov/officials/nikki-fortunato-bas
BUDGET MEMORANDUM
DATE: March 15, 2023TO: Mayor Sheng Thao, Interim City AdministratorSteve Falk, and Members of thePublicFROM: Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas,District 2SUBJECT: District 2 and City Budget Policy Prioritiesfor FY 2023-2025 Dear Mayor Thao, Administrator Falk, and Members of the Public, The goal of our City’s two-year budget should be to focus on delivering effective, equitable services toOaklandersrooted in ourvalues of racial equity,fiscal responsibility, transparency and results.Toaddress the projected budget deficit and set the stage for Oakland’s future where racial disparities areeliminated and all Oaklanders thrive, I am committed to working with all of you in greater unity across thebranches of government as One Oakland.
To deliver core services equitably, we must ensure our current programs are effective, fill the most criticalstaff vacancies, and make every effort to avoid layoffs. To focus our work and follow through on theCouncil’s past direction, we mustimplement policiesand directives the Council has already passed; carryout recommendations in performance audits including for homeless services and 911 service calls. Finally,we must take a more comprehensive approach to our work, breaking through silos by working across citydepartments and collaborating with other government agencies such as the County of Alameda.
In our 2021-2023 budget, we were able to make solid progress toward our goals. Below are a fewaccomplishments that I am proud to have led with my colleagues and our community:
● Expanding a holistic approach to community safety○ Launching MACRO as an alternative response system for non-violent calls for service andexpanding city-wide○ Expanding violence prevention programs, with more violence interrupters and outreachworkers in our most impacted neighborhoods and schools○ Civilianizing certain police functions by moving special events and vehicle enforcement toother departments● Raising critical new revenue for affordable housing, infrastructure and services○ Raising millions for rental assistance focused on low income tenants at 30% AMI andbelow○ Passing a new Housing & Infrastructure Bond that will provide $350 million for2,200 -2,400 affordable housing units over the next 4 - 6 years, $290 million for transportationinfrastructure and safety improvements, and $210 million for facilities upgrades.○ Modernizing our business tax with a progressive and equitable rate structure, and raisingapproximately $20 million more each year for city services
Today, we must close the projected $369 million deficit in the General Purpose Fund and focus investmentsof our nearly $4 billion two-year budget to deliver the core services Oaklanders deserve. In addition, weobviously will not be able to add to the baseline budget without either reducing expenses or identifyingavailable revenue to program, such as fund balance in restricted funds or outside sources. As I develop theCouncil President’s amendments to the Mayor’s proposed budget, I will seek to (1) maximize our resourcesby focusing on the most effective services and programs that will serve all Oaklanders, especially thosewho are most disadvantaged in our Black, Brown, Asian and other communities of color and low incomeneighborhoods; and (2) collaborate with other government partners to coordinate programs and leverageresources. Working together, this focus will set up our city for a better and brighter future for all, includingour unsheltered residents, essential workers, small businesses, artists, and youth.
These are my priorities for the FY 2023-2025 budget cycle.
I. Housing Security & Homelessness Solutions
A. Shelter and Serve Unhoused Oaklanders1. Maintain current programs that are effectively sheltering and servingunhoused Oaklanders,and use unexpended funds andrestricted funds (such asMeasure Q) to expand sanitation and trash collection.2. Open the funded RV/Safe parking programs and identify additional funds toexpand to more locations.3. Expand transitional housing options with more tiny home programs, modularhousing, and other interventions. Ensure programsare accessible to transitionalaged youth, LGBTQ+ residents, and seniors. Provide services including: casemanagement, health and hygiene, food programs, and housing navigation.Collaborate with County, State, Feds and private partners to expand housingoptions.4. Prioritize these encampments in District 2 and provide alternative shelter andservices to unhoused individuals here: median alongE12th Street in San Antonioand Lake Merritt encampments.5. Expedite hiring of “Homeless Administrator”and improvethe effectiveness ofthe position and staff team, based on lessons to date, so that this person can lead amore coordinated and robust program to serve unhoused Oaklanders.
B. Produce Deeply Affordable Housing1. With Measure U funds, create a spending plan for at least 2,200 affordablehousing units. Expedite deployment of funds and ensureconstruction with goodunion jobs for Oaklanders and small, local, minority contractors.2. Ensure robust funding of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund(AHTF) andexpedite financing of housing production. Commit all assessed impact fees,allocate 100% of funds from public land disposition, and designate E 12th parcellease payments to the AHTF.
C. Acquire and Preserve Affordable Housing, Prevent Displacement of Black, Brown,Asian and Other Residents of Color1. With Measure U funds, recapitalize the Acquisition and Conversion toAffordable Housing Program (ACAH)in the Departmentof Housing andCommunity Development, which my office originally established in 2019 as thePermanent Affordability Program. As the City and stakeholders have discussionsabout Measure U housing funding (and the City works to meet our Regional Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, District 2, Budget Priorities 2 Housing Needs Assessment goals), I hope at least one-third of the funds will bededicated to preservation strategies via the ACAH. It is essential to keep a specificprogrammatic allocation for community land trusts and cooperatives to focus onsmaller properties and tenant-led projects that help prevent displacement by takinghousing off the speculative market and making them permanently affordable.2. Establish an active program of utilizing the County of Alameda's “citypreference” procedureto acquire tax-defaulted, foreclosed,and abandonedhouses and buildings for use as transitional and permanent housing.
D. Protect tenants and prevent displacement and homelessness1. Ensure full staffing in Housing & Community Development Department’sRent Adjustment Programto distribute remaining emergencyrental assistancefunds as soon as possible, implement ramp down of eviction moratorium this year,implement rental registry, and serve tenants and property owners with the goal ofhousing stability.Also ensure staffing in other departmentsthat support tenantprotections, including the Office of the City Attorney and Code Enforcement in thePlanning and Building Department.2. Continue to ensure robust legal services, tenant counseling, and rentalassistance,including accessible Asian language resources. At minimum, maintainthe baseline $1 million in funding to Oakland Housing Secure. Identify City funds,such as Boomerang funds, and advocate that the County of Alameda resumeproviding legal services to County residents, including Oaklanders.
II. Community Safety, Prevention & HealingA. Implement the12 prioritized recommendations of theReimagining Public Safety TaskForce, including:1. Expanding MACRO to be 24/7 citywide, take on more low-level 911 calls, andensure cultural & linguistic competency.2. Investing in Community Outreach Workers/Ambassadors and Violence Interruptersin our most impacted neighborhoods.3. Expanding gender-based violence prevention services, including support to womenand children who are victims and survivors of human trafficking.4. Moving most responsibilities of the OPD Internal Affairs Division to theCommunity Police Review Agency (CPRA).B. Implement past budget policy directive for City Administrator to present recommendationsand a work plan for Council consideration for the additional transfer of certain categoriesof non-violent, non-criminal calls for service from the Police Department to alternativefirst responders, including the Fire Department, Department of Transportation, ViolencePrevention, Public Works, etc.C. Implement past budget policy directive for City Administrator to analyze and present toCouncil civilianization of certain sworn functions.D. Implement and expand Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CEPTED) forcrime prevention and traffic calming, ensuring adequate funds for the NeighborhoodEnhanced Service Team (NEST) program in San Antonio and using dedicated funds suchas restricted transportation funds.E. Reduce traffic violence, including implementing improvements on Oakland’s High InjuryNetwork and increasing capacity for rapid response. Identify staffing, policy and fundingsources needed, including restricted transportation funds.F. Build partnership with the County for multi-racial, intergenerational violence prevention Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, District 2, Budget Priorities 3 program with public health framework.My office is participating in initial discussions withthe County and healthcare providers.
III. Good Jobs and Vibrant Economy
A. Empower Workers1. Fully staff the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards, includinghiring Deputy Director and updating job classifications to hire staff to enforce localworkplace rights laws.2. Continue to support and partner with community-based and labor organizationswho are trusted by BIPOC workers to conduct outreach and ensure that workersknow their rights.3. Enhance workforce development and training, and youth jobs programs, includingidentifying state and federal funding.
B. Support Small Businesses and Local Economy1. Fill vacancies in the Planning and Building Department and improve permittingprocesses.2. Prioritize and implement recommendations from past small business work groups,as described in this2022 informational report.
C. Information Security1. Build off the $3.3 million that Council invested in the last budget cycle forinformation security and ensure capacity to modernize and secure IT systems.
IV. Clean, Healthy, Sustainable NeighborhoodsA. Our City workers are our biggest asset in delivering quality services.Prioritize: fillingvacant positions quickly and efficiently, hiring Oaklanders, retaining valuable Cityemployees, and ensuring services are not privatized/contracted out.B. Fill vacancies in Public Works (OPW) and OakDOT to prioritize high-needsneighborhoods and improve street and sidewalk safety, reduce blight, remove illegaldumping, and remove graffiti.C. Increase ability to maintain city facilities, identifying dedicated funds for maintenance,repairs and staffing.D. Support Arts, Culture, Seniors, and Youth1. Develop programming in our public parks and facilities that supports and engagesour youth, artists, culture workers and residents, in partnership with the CulturalAffairs Commission, Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission, Youth AdvisoryCommission, community-based organizations, business improvement districts andassociations, and other partners.2. Ensure strong programming and staffing in our parks, recreation centers, libraries,head start centers, senior centers, and arts and cultural centers.3. Continue Parks Ambassadors Program.4. Continue to maintain Lake Merritt, including operations while Parking BenefitsDistrict begins to generate initial revenue.
V. Capital Improvement ProjectsA. Fire Station 4/MACRO -Measure U and otherpublic& private funds1. As outlined in the Council’s legislative priorities for the state and federalgovernment, development of a new Fire Station 4 (FS4) that will also co-locate the Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, District 2, Budget Priorities 4 MACRO headquarters. Co-location of FS4/MACRO in Central Oakland wouldenable staff to centrally deploy across the city.B. San Antonio Park - Measure U funds1. Support the community vision from the community-led master planning processwith a feasibility study of constructing a Community Library & Resilience Centerin or adjacent to San Antonio Park, with the Oakland Library serving as the anchoragency for the development of the building plan.2. Support the community’s short-term priority to renovate San Antonio Parkplayground, which Alameda County has allocated $100,000 towards.C. Lincoln Square Park - Measure U and other public & private funds1. Secure the balance of funds needed to renovate and expand Lincoln ResiliencyHub and Recreation CenterD. Clinton Park - Measure U and otherpublic & privatefunds1. Recreation Center rehabilitation and improvements2. Park improvements, including lighting and playground VI. Increase/Create New Revenue Streams and Strategic PartnershipsA. Conduct 5-year evaluation of impact fees and consider making fees more comparable withneighboring citiesB. Develop new ballot measure to replace Measure Z, the Oakland Public Safety and ServicesViolence Prevention Act, which expires in 2024C. Advocate that Oakland receives our fair share of resources and services from the County ofAlameda and other government agencies, given the fact that Oakland has 47% of theunhoused population in the County. This includes funds from the County’s Measure Wonce litigation has ended.D. Partner with the Association of Bay Area Governments to place a regional affordablehousing bond measure on the 2024 ballot.E. Continue to support the creation of the East Bay Public Bank and make plans to depositrevenue into the bank to allow for new investments in housing and small businessdevelopment.F. Develop strategic partnerships with government and philanthropic institutions to increaseinvestments in Oakland programs for affordable housing, homeless interventions andservices, community safety and other priorities.
Please save the date for my budget meetings to engage in our budgeting process:● D2 Measure U Housing Discussion: Wednesday, April 12th from 6 - 7:30pm via Zoom● D2 Budget Town Hall: Saturday, May 20th from 10am- 12noon, location TBD I look forward to working with you throughout our budget process to address the most pressing needs ofour Oakland community and chart a longer term path towards an equitable city.
Respectfully,
Nikki Fortunato BasCity Council President, District 2
P.S. — I invite you to read my first term impact reportwhich describes the work we have achievedtogether:bit.ly/d2impactreport.
Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, District 2, Budget Priorities 5