View Attachment D — Rules & Legislation Committee, May 15, 2025

Oakland Police
Department
FY 2025-27 Budget
Floyd Mitchell, Chief of Police
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 • Continue efforts to reduce crime to improve public safety. • Maintain community trust.
• Attempt to sustain compliance with the Negotiated Settlement Agreement (NSA).
• Prepare for the future of police service delivery.

Service Impacts
3 Sworn Personnel – FY 2025-27 Proposed Budget:

Under the Mayor’s Proposed Budget for FY 2025-27, the total number of sworn personnel remains at 678 positions, consistent with the FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget. However, internal adjustments were made within the sworn classifications. To comply with federal court requirements, OPD established an additional Deputy Chief position to oversee the Internal Affairs Bureau and reduced the number of Captain positions by one to support its creation. Please note that the proposed budget does not comply with Measure NN requirements, which mandate that OPD maintain a sworn staffing level of at least 700 personnel.

Professional Staff – FY 2025-27 Proposed Budget Position Reductions:

At the beginning of FY 2024-25, OPD was allocated funding for 306.5 professional staff positions, totaling $56,956,937. However, as of March 21, 2025, 241 positions were filled. Under the Mayor’s Proposed Budget for FY 2025-26, funding is allocated for 266.5 positions, totaling $48,645,798, representing a 13% reduction from the previous FY, which includes 41 frozen positions. For FY 2026-27, the proposed budget increases funding to 271.5 positions for a total of $49,293,125, unfreezing five positions while continuing to freeze 36. Please note that these reductions will have significant repercussions for both the Department and the community, substantially impacting the range of services the Department is able to provide.

Service Impacts (continued)
4 • Overtime Reductions: A 25% reduction from the FY 2024-25 allocation of $44,638,900 would yield savings of $11,071,614, bringing the FY 2025-26 total allocation to $33,567,286. However, this reduction would limit funding to only support backfill, extension of shift, and reimbursable overtime for third-party special events, which would be directed back into the General Purpose Fund (GPF).

This would directly impact officers’ ability to respond to calls for service, increasing risks to public safety. Additionally, citywide special operations, including burglary, robbery, and vice suppression details, would be significantly curtailed or eliminated, further compromising community safety. Thirty- day crime plans, sideshow enforcement, and encampment responses would also be adversely impacted. In FY 2026-27, an increase of $4,639,386 is anticipated to accommodate sworn personnel raises, resulting in a total allocation of $38,206,672. • Operations and Maintenance (O&M): A 57% increase from the FY 2024-25 allocation, totaling $33,685,543, is necessary to address ongoing inflationary costs to ensure the Department can continue to provide critical operational supplies, personnel training, and fulfill contractual obligations with external vendors. Additionally, the proposed funding includes an allocation for three police academies. The total proposed increase across all funds amounts to $12,291,769. • Police Academies (Restored): The proposed budget funds three Police Academies in FY 2025-26, with the first academy funded for 20 Police Officer Trainees (POTs) and the remaining academies funded for 35 POTs. Three police academies are planned for FY 2026-27.

Thank you
5 Department of Violence
Prevention
FY2025-27 Budget
Holly Joshi, Chief of Violence Prevention
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 The DVP’s approach to the budget centered the Department’s City Charter mandates. They direct the DVP to reduce homicides and shootings, incidents of gender-based violence, and address trauma associated with those forms of violence
To this end we prioritized:
• The Ceasefire Strategy- movement toward full implementation of this research based, data-driven focused deterrence strategy.  Life coaches
 Violence Interrupters
 Client Incentives and Supports
• Continuing an investment in the important non-profit services working directly with Oakland’s high-risk, vulnerable populations (as required by Measure NN legislation).
 Group violence
 GBV-intimate partner violence and commercial sexual exploitation  Healing supports
Service Impacts
3 GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
> Employment is decreasing from $175K to $0.
• 30 fewer people served by employment services.
> Healing is decreasing from $1.15 million to $945K
• 325 fewer support groups held for girls at Skyline, Tech, and West Oakland Middle School; 30 fewer children aged 0 -5 served by therapy for survivors of domestic violence.
• Note: Beginning next school year, Skyline and Tech will have the School VIP Program on campus, which includes a GBV specialist. > Legal services are decreasing from $650K to $530K
• 100 fewer individuals provided with legal services.
> Transitional housing is decreasing from $300k to $150k while emergency housing is increasing from $800K to $850K. • 15 fewer survivors served by transitional housing while 15 more survivors will be served by emergency shelter. > Hotline services are decreasing from $200K to $100K
• 125 fewer hotline calls answered, and survivors supported with safety planning and service referrals.

GROUP VIOLENCE
> Employment is decreasing from $750K to $700K.
• 8 fewer people served by employment services.
> Family support is decreasing from $905K to $835K while healing supports is increasing from $370K to $640K • 90 fewer neighborhood healing events hosted while 175 individuals at the center of group violence will now receive therapy.

> Violence interruption services are decreasing from $1.8M to $1.65M • 1 fewer violence interrupter funded, and 50 fewer violence interruption conversations held.

SCHOOL VIP PROGRAM
> Restorative justice services are decreasing from $350K to $0. • 100 fewer healing/support groups held for students at Castlemont and Rudsdale.

Additional Context
4 In the coming year, we will hold ourselves and our non-profit partners to high standards, prioritizing our responsibilities to be reliable stewards of public dollars and dependable public safety partners working to reduce crime and increase safety through:
• Ensuring services are focused on individuals at highest risk for group/gun violence, intimate partner violence, and commercial sexual exploitation in Oakland. • Realigning services with evidence-based models and promising practices. • Initiating independent evaluations of the Ceasefire strategy (implementation, progress, and outcomes).
• Expanding our capacity to assess participant experience and transformation. • Enhancing the City’s ability to evaluate the impact of Measure-NN-funded services. • Improving fiscal accountability practices for all contracted agencies through audits, clarified indirect cost rates, and standardized fiscal sponsorship fees.

Thank you
5 Oakland Fire Department
FY2025-27 Budget
Chief Damon Covington, Fire Department
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 • Opportunity for position right-sizing throughout the department • Each division reviewed vacancies for conversion into the positions needed going forward, in this new economic climate/reality
• Evaluated expenses for fund shifts where appropriate
• Continuing to provide services, even if reduced due to staffing challenges • Medical Services, Emergency Management Services, Fire Prevention • Defer major purchases (Apparatus)
• Fire has an aging fleet with significant apparatus replacement needs. A consistent budget over multiple years vs uneven large sum budgeting would allow for more effective fleet replacement.
• Reviewing civilian positions (freezing, add/deletions) • Final Resort: Evaluate Brownouts
• Fire initially presented a budget proposal with 3 brownouts continuing into FY 26 and FY 27 to try to meet initial department targets for GPF 1010 allocations • Currently, 1 brownout is proposed.
• While 1 is 1 too many, OFD appreciates the Mayor and Councils prioritization of the safety of the Oakland community
Service Impacts
3 • Any Brownouts are a reduction in community safety
• Uncertain funding for major apparatus replacement
• Civilian positions frozen/deleted - Not eliminating any services – but impacted • FASD
• Fire Prevention
• Admin staff cuts impact plan check review, inspection turnarounds • MACRO – not maximizing approved positions will mean less outreach, intervention, outcomes. Balancing vacancies against remaining grant funds and reducing need for GPF 1010 additional support.
• Emergency Management Services
• Outreach, training, emergency response (EMSD)
• Fire Payroll Resources
• Critical to be able to Hire Budgeted Vacancies
Additional Consideration
4 Minimum Staffing & SAFER
• Current Operational Sworn FTE (Filled): 432
• SAFER Requirement for minimum staffing: 477
• Fall Academy hope to yield 30-35 new Firefighters
• Measure NN Requirement for minimum staffing: 480
Measure MM
• Fire or OPW lead/budget allocation decision (only $100k to Fire for outreach in proposed) Measure NN (former Z)
• Elevated Funding will support:
• Safety Equipment Needs: Turnouts & Helmets with new safety technology • EKG/Defribrillator & Lucas Machines Replacement
Additional Consideration
5 Payroll Support and Clarity on Centralization
• Fire needs at least one more full-time payroll clerk assigned. An Account Clerk III vacancy in Fire FASD was proposed to be deleted in exchange for an additional Payroll Clerk position in Finance/Payroll. The New Payroll Clerk III position added to Finance/Payroll’s position count is critical to be allocated to Fire Payroll and to keep in the budget.

MACRO
• State Grant funding (funds most positions) will be exhausted end of Q3 FY2026. • GPF 1010 is proposed to pick up through FY 2027
• New grant opportunities are being pursued to continue MACRO Fleet Needs
• OFD has ongoing unfunded needs to replace a very aging fleet. • $5.0M is budgeted in each of FY 25-26 and FY 26-27 for Public Safety Vehicles. • $2.5M/yr over next 4 years would allow OFD to order 3 Trucks and 3 engines Thank you
6 Office of the Inspector
General
FY 2025-27 Budget
Zurvohn A. Maloof, Inspector General
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 • The OIG suggested the two (2) Program & Performance Auditor positions get frozen in exchange for a two-year contract of $245,000 for a qualified auditing firm.
• The Office of Inspector General (OIG) did not prioritize or suggest the pending proposed budget reductions to Freeze four (4) FTEs from the OIG:
• Policy Analyst
• Program & Performance Audit Manager
• Program & Performance Auditor
• Program & Performance Auditor
 FY 25-27 = $1.1M (43%) in reduction
 $2,582,057 to $1,477,680
 One of the most significant
department cuts
 Other departments faced cuts of
less than 30%

Service Impacts
3 Reducing the OIG budget by 43% including freezing four (4) positions would have significant service impacts, particularly on police oversight, accountability, and public safety in Oakland. Here’s how the cuts would affect operations:

1. Reduction in Policy Reviews: The OIG has provided 10 reports with 33 policy recommendations. Deleting the policy analyst position will significantly limit the OIG’s capacity to provide critical policy recommendations that improve public safety and police operations.

2. Weakened Police Oversight & Accountability: Limiting the OIG’s capabilities can have a disproportionate effect on marginalized communities who have historically been subject to OPD’s ineffective policies, practices, and procedures.

3. Delay the Continuation of Audits: The entire audit staff of the OIG was frozen in 2024. The proposed budget offers two years of contracting with an auditing firm. Once the proposed contract ends, a deletion (rather than freezing) in the auditing staff will delay hiring staff and the continuation of audits.

Other
4 Consequences to proposed budget changes:
• Hinders Ability to Address Systemic Issues: The OIG is the only City department that is authorized to conduct performance audits of OPD policies, practices, and procedures and make recommendations that address systemic issues.
• Limits Assessments of OPD’s compliance with the Negotiated Settlement Agreement (NSA): A lack of resources will limit the OIG’s abilities to monitor OPD’s compliance with policy reforms and make recommendations that improve public safety and police operations. • Hinders Long-term Accountability: While the Independent Monitoring Team (IMT) transitions out of Oakland, the OIG’s role in auditing and evaluating OPD policies is essential for long-term accountability and sustainability. • Reduced Public Trust & Transparency: Measure S1 established the OIG to independently audit OPD. Current proposed reductions might hinder the OIG’s ability to address systemic issues so that OPD operates fairly and transparently.
• Slows Potential to Save Oakland Money with Continued Policy Reforms: If policy reforms can result in a reduction in civil payouts, the OIG’s continued recommendations for policy reform can support a reduction in civil lawsuits and potentially save the City of Oakland money.

Thank you
5 Zurvohn A. Maloof, Inspector General
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
Oakland Public Works
FY2025-27 Budget
Josh Rowan , Interim Public Works Director
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 • Legal mandates
• Equity in service delivery
• minimize disproportionate impacts on vulnerable and underserved populations
• find operational efficiencies, e.g., illegal dumping
• Preserve and maintain as best as possible functions that are essential to overall City service delivery
• Continue delivering important capital projects via voter-approved Measures U/KK
Service Impacts
3 • All eliminated positions are vacant.
• O&M has been reduced to bare minimum.
• There are no redundancies and no cushion. No additional security, no special event setup and clean-up, etc.
• Tree services admin staff eliminated. Length of time to respond to tree removal permits will grow significantly, which will cause delays to building permits.
• Existing challenges continue, e.g., Equipment Services loses 7.0 FTE (all vacant) while the backlog of out-of-service vehicles grows... and outsourcing repairs is more expensive.
• Find new approaches
Thank you
4 Department of
Transportation
FY2025-27 Budget
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 OakDOT B udget
Approximately $111M annual operating budget
Source Associated Funds Annual
Amount
Primary Uses
General Purpose Funds 1010, 1750 FY26 - $33M
FY27 - $34M
On-street and off-street parking management
and enforcement (revenue-generating)
Measure BB/VRF 2215, 2218, 2219 FY26 - $33M
FY27 - $34M
Traffic safety, traffic operations, bicycle and
pedestrian programs, abandoned auto removal
State Gas Tax 2230, 2232 $23M Pavement and sidewalk repair, streetlights Development Services Fund 2415 $14M Permitting and inspection for private construction in the public ROW
Other special funds 2310, 2416, 2425 FY26 - $8M
FY27 - $9M
Streetlighting, crossing guards, private
sidewalk repair,
Enhanced Parking Management
3 • Approx. $5M in additional expenses to expand operations • Add 13 FTE Parking Control Technicians
• 400 new parking meters and expanded meter operations
• Unfreeze 2 FTE Parking Meter Repair Workers
• Use additional resources for revenue-generating activities • Fewer broken meters
• Sunday parking meters (12pm-6pm)
• Add parking enforcement graveyard and swing shifts
• Increase parking fines consistent with inflation
Capital Budget
4 • $192M total capital budget proposed, including $158M of Measure U bonds
• Citywide resurfacing (paving) - $117M
• Accessible sidewalks and curb ramps - $23M
• Complete Streets and grant matching - $35M
• Emergency repairs and bridges - $7.5M
• Bike, pedestrian and traffic safety - $8M
Cost- Recovery Funds
5 • Development Services Fund (2415)
• Increase fees based on comprehensive fee study
• Freeze targeted vacancies to reflect current permitting volume • Right-of-Way Repair and Maintenance Fund (2425)
• New fund to administer “Notice to Repair” sidewalk program • Anticipate need to scale-up program for ADA compliance • 13 FTE (new and existing) associated with fund
Thank you
6 Housing and
Community Development
FY2025-27 Budget
Emily Weinstein, Director
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 2
Approach & Prioritization

STAFFING STRATEGY
•No Staffing Cuts: No cuts to HCD’s 73 existing filled positions. •Housing Development & Preservation: Maintain staff responsible for managing existing affordable housing projects under construction, loan closings of pipeline projects and asset management.
•Generating Resources: Maintain staff dedicated to applying for resources and increasing funding sources for affordable housing development and preservation. •13.5 Frozen Positions: Freezing 13.5 FTEs vacant positions will yield $3.4M of gross saving each year but will result in lower service levels in RAP services, reliance on consultants, increases risks of non-compliance and longer administrative processes.
•Proposal maintains over $6M in Fund 1870 for staffing costs including executive leadership, HCD administration, housing development and preservation staff, RAP staff, etc. 3 PROGRAM STRATEGY
•RAP Fiscal Solvency: Transfer 2.41 FTE / $860+K of RAP staffing to Affordable Housing Trust Fund 1870 to maintain RAP's fiscal solvency.
•HUD/CDBG Compliance: Proposal maintains staff that administer federal HUD grants and ensure compliance. Transfer 5.18 FTEs or $1.35M of staffing for CDBG activities not-covered by HUD grant to Affordable Housing Trust Fund 1870 to maintain compliance with HUD CDBG grant. •Funding for Homelessness Prevention & Eviction Defense: Propose no capital funding from Affordable Housing Trust Fund 1870. Instead propose $1.8+M and $2.3M for targeted homelessness prevention and $1.1+M and $1.3M for eviction defense. This is prioritized as the most economical and evidenced based way to reduce homelessness.
•RLS Program Delivery Improvements: Increase impact of residential lending services by freezing 3.5 FTE vacant positions and contracting program elements to outside contractor to serve low-income homeowners. •Inclusion of $180 M of Measure U Funds: Original budget proposal did not include Measure U bond proceeds.

Current budget includes $100M in FY 25-26 and $80M in FY 26-27. Budget proceeds will allow HCD to proceed with loan closings with new construction projects awarded through NC NOFA funds and the partnership with the Housing Accelerator Fund for preservation.

Approach & Prioritization
Service Impacts (1/2)
4 13.5 Frozen FTEs will result in the following service impacts: RAP Service Reductions:
• Additional 36-48 hours of response time per inquiry for over 4,200 housing counseling inquiries received annually
• Approx. 320 few rent adjustment petitions responded to per year • 84 fewer rent mediations settled per year
• Longer processing time for rent registry forms-includes phone and e-mail inquiries, workshops/seminars, filing on behalf of clients-in-need, and more • Fewer tenant and property owner educational workshops offered *MFS includes a proposal to increase RAP Fee ($101/unit to $137/unit) not reflected in budget proposal
Service Impacts (2/2)
5 Housing Development, Preservation & Asset Management Service Reductions:
• Reduced capacity to underwrite or close construction for 15+ new affordable housing projects and manage project construction draws.
• Delay in implementing housing funding programs including predevelopment loan program, R2H2/homeless housing, and asset management funding. • Increased risk of non-compliance with state and federal funds e.g. Homekey, HOME, IIGC, and more
•HCD Administrative Service Reductions:
•Decreased external communications
•Extended timelines to respond to Public Records Requests. •Longer timelines for contract management and funding requests •Residential Lending Increased Service Levels
•Residential lending services (RLS) will contract elements of the low- income homeowner rehabilitation program to serve more households •Allows HCD to maintain spending ratios for CDBG compliance.

Other
6 HCD Funding Highlights:
• HCD Funding does not include General Fund (Fund
1010)
• HCD Funding is primarily restricted to capital
expenses
• CDBG Funds are restricted by service and
administrative caps
• Fund 1870 pays for approx. $6M-$7M for staffing to
maintain compliance with program restrictions and
fiscal solvency across funds
• Proposal incudes $180M Measure U funds for capital
investments in housing development and
preservation over the next two fiscal years

Thank you
7 Human ServicesFY 2025-27 BudgetLaTonda Simmons, Assistant City AdministratorRobin Love, Department Point of ContactMay 28, 2025Budget Study Session Presentation 1 S E R V I N G C O M M U N I T I E S , S U P P O R T I N G G E N E R A T I O N SDivision Service/FuncƟon Aging & Adult Services Delivers services that support independence, safety, health, and active living for seniors. In conjunction with community partners, services include nutrition, care management, job training, volunteering, recreation and transportation assistance as well as community-based case management for low-income seniors focused on mental health, wellness support and healthcare enrollment assistance. Operates of 4 Senior Centers throughout Oakland. StaffsMayor’s Commission on Aging . Alameda County-Oakland Community Action Partnership Alleviating poverty and working toward institutional change to enhance the ability of low-income residents to achieve self-sufficiency in Oakland and throughout Alameda County (excluding the City of Berkeley). Priority focus areas are: family self-sufficiency, entrepreneurship/job training and employment placement, low income housing, community economic development, supportive services, civic engagement, advocacy, and capacity building. StaffsAC-OCAP Administering Board. Children & Youth Services -OFCY As the largest grant-funding program within the City, OFCY's funding for community-based programs and services provides critical support to Oakland's most vulnerable children, youth and families to support 4 goals: healthy development of young children, children's success in school from elementary to high school/post secondary student success, youth development & violence prevention and successful transitions to adulthood. StaffsPlanning and Oversight Commission and Youth Advisory Commission . Community Homelessness Services Strengthens Oakland’s homelessness safety net services and works with partners to provide housing services for homeless and at-risk populations. Services include: Emergency Housing Program, Winter Relief Program, Emergency Winter Shelter, Homeless Mobile Outreach Program, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), and more. Formerly Community Housing Services; liaises with MACRO program. Early Childhood & Family Services Head Start/Early Head Start is a free early childhood education program that promotes school readiness for children from birth to age five. Program also offers family services to low-income Oakland residents, including health Services; nutrition services & food distribution, disability Services and mobile classroom Intensive early childhood services. StaffsAdvisory Board and Parent Policy Council . ReCAST Promotes resiliency, healing, belonging, joy, and equity for Oakland’s high-risk youth and families, focusing on those most affected by the interrelated challenges of violence, civil unrest, and trauma, including trauma resulting from the disparate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes residents of low-income, high-stress neighborhoods in East and West Oakland; youth attending high-stress schools; victims of violence; African American youth and families; and Indigenous and other vulnerable populations of color . Expand the usage of trauma-informed practices and increase alignment of plans to promote trauma-informed systems across City agencies and local service provider networks. HSD AdministraƟon Provides executive support to all 6 HSD divisions; coordinates and monitors Department's legislative work; plans and executes special projects that extend beyond the scope of other HSD divisions; provides contract coordination and monitoring for the 6 HSD divisions, which includes 50% of all City grants; conducts all Department personnel and recruitment functions for 275+ employees; and monitors Department data collecƟon and analysis. HSD Fiscal & Budget Manages HSD budget and fiscal functions, grant coordination and oversight for 55% of the City’s grants, regulatory direction as well as monitoring and compliance advisory; and provides purchasing, accounts payable and accounts receivable services to all 6 HSD Divisions.

Approach, Prioritization, & Service Impacts
3 DIVISION APPROACH & PRIORITIZATION SERVICE IMPACTSAging & Adult Services (AAS)Approach:Focused on maintainingservice continuity and minimizing theimpact on staffing and criticalservices while seeking sustainablefunding solutions.Prioritization•Preservation of In-Person Assistance•Empowering Choice •Revenue Expansion •Increased Vulnerability: The reduction in senior center hours and days significantly impacts the ability ofvulnerable seniors to receive the hands-on support necessary for navigating services.•Limited Access to Services: Without adequate in-person guidance from I&A specialists, seniors are at risk of notreceiving the services they need, leading to potential health and safety risks.•Increased Burden on Seniors: Seniors may experience increased frustration, confusion, and isolation due to a lackof proper guidance in accessing services.•Long-Term Harm: Without these vital services, seniors may suffer immeasurable harm, including unmet healthand social needs.Community Homelessness Services (CHS)Approach:Focused on reducingreliance on General Purpose Funds(GPF) by utilizing alternative fundingsources and realigning programservices to maintain homelessnessservices despite fiscal challenges.Prioritization•Maintaining Essential Services•Minimizing Program Cuts•Staff Retention and Support•Service Continuity•Program Closures & Reductions: Continued budget cuts and reliance on alternate funding sources may lead toprogram closures, affecting the unsheltered population and leading to increased encampments and unsafe livingconditions.•Reduced Hygiene Support: Budget cuts may lead to the reduction of hygiene supports for unsheltered individuals.•Staffing Challenges & Increased Workload: A 40% vacancy rate and the absence of key managerial positions, suchas the CHS Division Manager and Health and Human Services Planner, lead to limited oversight, overworked staff,and reduced operational capacity, resulting in burnout and decreased efficiency.•Data Analysis Limitations: Freezing the Data Analyst III position limits the division’s ability to conduct robustreviews of data and assess program outcomes effectively.

Greatest Barriers to Delivering Mission•Given the need forreduced reliance upon General Purpose funds, HSD has not proposed increases needed to meet the costs ofproviding existing services. Combined withinflation, increased personnel, operations and materials costsexperiencedby community partners and grantees, maintaining the same level of GPF allocations will result inservice decreases. This will havedisproportionate impact on the vulnerable communitiesthe Department serves.•One-time funds dedicated to homeless emergency and interim interventionsdivert the focus away fromlong range plannedresponses. Without asustainable plan, there isno stability of purposefor a City that currently lacks asufficient amount ofshelter spaceandextremely low-income housing units.•Thepace of City of Oakland internal processesdoes not allow HSD to match thepace of community need.Contractingrequirements create delaysin our ability to distribute funding as it is available, which impacts HSD’s abilityto deliver on theCity’s commitment to its grantees and contractors.•Thelengthy process to hire full-time professional staffmakes it difficult for the Department to meettime sensitive,performance-based grant obligations.With a vacancy rate above 25%, the Department faces a significant staffing shortfall.(i.e.,The shortage of early education teachersis a national, state, county, and City crisis. In particular, the Early Childhood andFamily Services program has a35% vacancy rateamong teaching staff, directly affecting the program's ability tomaintain andexpandessentialservices).

The Human Services Department promotes the health, education, and well-being of Oakland children, youth, their families and older adultsby providing free programs and building strong communities though grassroots leadership and civic engagement. We collaborate with a diverse group of local organizations to help address inequities, eliminate racial disparities and address the emerging needs of the community.

CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
5 CHALLENGES OPPORTUNTIESSTAFFING & OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCYElevated vacancy levelsCurrent staff absorbing tasks carried over from vacant positionsDelays in contract execution, resulting in delayed service implementation and timely payments to vendorsLack of formal training and support with changing city process, such as contracts, purchasing, A/P , and hiringPARTNERSHIPS, PLANNING, & ADVOCACYCollaboration with C.B.O.'s to increase advocacy & community resiliency projects Improve strategic partnerships with Alameda County Social Services Agency (Upon Hiring of HSD Director) HUD Technical Assistance Support for Strategic Planning, System's Improvement, and Leverage for Coordination with Alameda County FUNDING & RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS Over-reliance on one-Ɵme limited duraƟon funding Ongoing reducƟons of City funds Insufficient Support and Distribution of ALCO Resources for homeless community needs Issues with the CoCs PrioriƟzaƟon of Community Needs Issues with Coordinated Entry System Lack of Service Providers to Support the Intervention and Capital Project Support FUNDING & RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT Increase capacity to apply for new funding (when dept. is fully staffed, and HSD Director is hired) Expand Med-CAL billing for eligible programs Measure W Funding From Alameda County State Legislation – Senate Bill 16; Providing for County funding of City Shelter programming BOARDS & COMMISSIONS Board member recruitment and retention Consistent attendance for action items (Quorum)COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & CAPACITY BUILDING Oakland ReCAST will continue partnering across East & West Oakland to strengthen community resilience to create a more trauma-informed and responsive network of services HSD BUDGET FY 24/25 - After 12/2024

Thank you
7 Workplace and
Employment Standards
FY2025-27 Budget
Emylene Aspilla,
Department of Workplace and Employment
Standards (DWES)
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 Past and Present
DWES never fully formed as a
new City Department.

Approach
Re-organize processes, people,
and technology to maximize
meeting the minimum with a
smaller budget – do more with
less.

Prioritization
Start with fully implementing
legal mandates.

Measure and
Improve
performance
Focus on
Customer
Service
Collect Existing Fees.

Align Jobs to Maximize
Outcomes.

Fully Comply with
Legal Mandates.

Legal Gaps = Equity Gaps
Service Impacts
Expenditures reduced from $6.82 million (FY 24-25) to $5.88 million (FY 25-26) and $5.86 million (FY 26-27) 3 Citywide Labor Standards
• Impact: Limited capacity to investigate complaints will continue.

Low-wage workers are at risk of wage theft during an economic downturn.
• Collect fees already on the books.
• Restore Fair Labor Oakland (FLO) for outreach.
• Reorganize positions from Contract Compliance Officers to Labor Investigators.

Citywide Contracting Equity
• Impact: Build out administrative capacity to assess and develop programmatic operations and policies.
• Internal Funding Sources: “Customers” also include City Departments – they pay for DWES bottlenecks.
• Local Hire does not help employ residents or contractors due to many waivers.
• Local/Small Local Business Inclusion: Outreach is not aligned with the services the city buys. Results in setting requirements to 0%. Using the default 50% results in failed solicitations.

Performance Management
4 Proposed Budget Inputs
Better off?
$ Worker Restitution
$ Quality Jobs and Career Mobility
$ Oakland Businesses Grow and Graduate
$ Wealth Creation
City Projects executed efficiently and effectively
How much?
# Workers
# Residents
# Businesses
# Dept Requests
How Well?
# Closed investigations
# Residents employed
# Businesses working
on City contracts
# Depts requests done
efficiently and
effectively
Planned: Measure Results +
Disaggregate by Race and Industry

Thank you
5 Economic & Workforce
Development Department
FY2025-27 Budget
Ashleigh Kanat, EWDD Director
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 1. Revenue: Identify revenue adjustments

2. Labor: Document core services and identify staff and labor costs needed to deliver core services, consistent with the Economic Development Action Plan (EDAP); account for known
retirements/resignations; shift staff to non- 1010, non- 56xx funds to the extent possible

3. Contracts: Identify ongoing contract obligations and future contract needs

4. O&M: Identify opportunities to consolidate and streamline O&M expenses

5. Non -Departmental Expenses: Identify and describe critical non - departmental expenses and projects managed by EWD that
require financial support
Service Impacts
3 • Budget proposal prioritizes maintaining the staff needed to deliver on our Department’s core services
• Prioritizing staff means fewer resources for grants, programs, contracts, O&M • Shifting some staff costs to 56xx funds highlights that we are facing finite resources in these funds, and we need to identify new sources to pay for PPD and Real Estate staff
• Frozen Special Event Permit Coordinator reduces staff resources to support Fairs and Festivals and eliminates a revenue-generating position in 25/26
• Deleted Admin. Assistant in Workforce eliminates admin support for the Board; work will need to be absorbed by staff
• Reduced funding requires that Cultural Affairs identifies a clear work program for 25/26 and 26/27
• Cultural Funding Program will off-ramp direct grant funding and focus on Cultural Districts, Cultural Facilities and Assets, and Technical Assistance Other
4 o If there are any realized savings, EWDD will prioritize the following revenue- generating positions:

1. Funding for the Special Activity Permits Coordinator to unfreeze this position in 25/26

2. Funding for a Special Activity Inspector starting in 25/26 rather than 26/27
o The next priorities could be the Summer Youth Employment Program, the Day Laborer Program, restoring the $5 after 5 parking program, or additional funding for Corridor Safety Ambassador Programs.

Thank you
5 EWD Core Role/Responsibilities
6 1. Business Development – sustains, attracts and grows businesses; increases investment in Oakland.

2. Cultural Affairs – supports and enhances the role of culture in creating a just and equitable City through cultural facilities and festivals, public art, and technical assistance and artist professional development. Staffs the Cultural Affairs Commission and Public Art Advisory Committee.

3. Public/Private Development – negotiates and implements real estate development on City -owned land, with a focus on affordable housing.

4. Real Property Asset Management – manages acquisition, dispositions and activations of City properties in partnership with all departments for a variety of uses including homelessness interventions.

5. Special Activity Permits – promotes equitable ownership and employment opportunities within the cannabis industry; issues and enforces permits for special events, special uses, and film production.

6. Workforce Development – oversees workforce investments and job creation initiatives in the City; staffs the Oakland Workforce Development Board (OWDB).

Planning & Building
FY2025-27 Budget
William Gilchrist, PBD
March 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Service Impacts
2 • At this time, PBD is not proposing any reductions in service. As one of the revenue generating
departments responsible for City development
services, the fiscal budget is critical toward improving the department’s service level.
• By maintaining the current fiscal year's budget
amount for the fiscal year 25-27 budget cycle, PBD will be able to continue improving services to the public
by filling the vacant positions we are currently in the process of recruiting. These recruitments, along with
process improvements, will allow us to better support
the development necessary to help address the City's
current fiscal challenges.

Approach and Prioritization
3 • Principal focus is to improve permitting,
enforcement and development services.
• Based on the PBD fee increases that Council
adopted this fiscal year, and the revenue PBD
has collected to date, we are forecasting
our revenue to be an additional $9,000,000 on
top of the target that was provided by the
Finance department.
• PBD proposes using approximately $22,000,000
of fund balance for each fiscal year.
• PBD proposes using approximately $2,000,000 of
carry-forward funds for each fiscal year.
• PBD is expecting to enter 3 contracts totaling
$970,000.

Other
4 • PBD is prioritizing both digital and in-person services:
• Extending Office Hours
• Working with ITD and other Permitting
Departments to enhance our software services for
easier public interaction
• Working with ITD to enhance software to track and
manage transaction times and staff performance
• Management and Technical Training
• Continued sourcing for on-call services to assist in
processing permits, plan reviews, and inspections as
needed during continued staffing shortages.

Budget Advisory Commission Action Calendar Wednesday, May 28, 2025 To: Honorable Members of the Oakland City Council From: Budget Advisory Commission Subject: Recommendations on the FY 2025-27 Proposed Policy Budget Statement of Purpose The Consolidated Fiscal Policy (“CFP”) (13279 C.M.S.) requests that the Budget Advisory

Commission

(“BAC”)

“Commission”)

submit

published,

written

report

the

City

Oakland’s

biennial

budget

each

year,

prior

June

1st.

submitted,

the

statement

shall

published

part

the

budget

report

the

City

Council.

This report is prepared pursuant to the CFP. A preliminary draft was published on May

9th,

2025.

its

May

14th,

2025

meeting,

the

BAC

authorized

the

ad-hoc

subcommittee

incorporate

feedback

and

updated

budget

information,

and

submit

and

present

Council

behalf

the

entire

BAC.

Recommendation The BAC recommends that prior to adopting the FY 2025-27 Proposed Policy Budget,

Council

request

additional

information

and

make

appropriate

budgetary

adjustments

for

the

following

items:
● Prioritize the use of general purpose funds to comply with mandatory voter-approved

measures,

including

funding

for

public

libraries,

the

City

Auditor,

and

parks

maintenance.

Use

additional

GPF

funding

rebuild

depleted

reserves.
● Request additional information on the uses of proposed contracts and grants in

cases

where

details

are

light

absent.

Make

deliberate

trade-offs

re-allocate

grants

and

contracts

away

from

general

purpose

fund

(GPF)

monies

restricted

funds

where

permissible,

order

free

GPF

monies

for

complying

with

mandatory

voter-approved

measures.
● Develop contingency strategies in case of an economic downturn, or if anticipated

revenues

not

materialize.
● Review proposed stafﬁng levels and classiﬁcations for appropriateness and operational

needs.

Background and Overview Oakland has faced an ongoing budget crisis since 2020. Pandemic-driven reductions in

revenues

(from

business

taxes,

hotel

taxes,

parking

taxes,

etc)

and

increased

Page 1 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission expenses, including unbudgeted police overtime, led to a $30.42 million deﬁcit in the 2019-20

budget
1 .

While

this

amount

was

patched

with

about

$40

million

federal

funding,

the

reduction

revenue

continued

present

persistent

budget

challenges,

with

projected

$62.3

million

deﬁcit

the

2020-21

budget,

projected

$81.3

million

deﬁcit

the

2021-22

budget,

and

projected

$68.5

million

deﬁcit

the

2022-23

budget,

according

January

2021

staff

report
2 .

Half

this

2020-21

budget

shortfall

was

closed

with

$29

million

administratively

ordered

cuts

public

safety

services,

hiring

freezes,

and

reductions

senior

staff

pay
3 .

The

remaining

2020-21,

2021-22,

and

2022-23

budget

gaps

were

subsequently

closed

with

one-time

COVID

relief

funding

from

the

American

Rescue

Plan

Act

(ARPA),

including

$87

million

2021-22
4 and

$68

million

2022-23
5 .

While

ARPA

funds

could

continue

used

through

2024,

the

City

used

all

its

available

ARPA

funding

before

June

30,

2023
6 .

Despite this ongoing reliance on one-time COVID relief funds to plug persistent and continuous

revenue

shortfalls,

the

City

continued

budget

though

revenues

would

recover

2023-24

levels

sufﬁcient

offset

the

loss

federal

funds.

precautions

were

taken

keep

expenses

check

–

even

revenue

continued

come

under

projections

(by

16%),

the

City

budgeted

for

new,

ongoing,

increased

expenses;

depleted

reserve

funds

(from

$140

million

2022

$20

million
in 2024); and continued to violate its CFP (as identiﬁed in the BAC’s June 2024 Midcycle Budget Report). Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the General Purpose Fund (GPF) revenue grew only 10%,

from

$687

million

$756

million.

After

accounting

for

inﬂation,

this

net

decrease

GPF

revenues,

equivalent

nearly

$100

million

per

year

reduction.

Major

funding

sources,

including

the

Real

Estate

Transfer

Tax

(RETT),

business

license

tax,

transient

occupancy

tax,

and

service

charges

continue

come

lower

than

their

inﬂation-adjusted

2019-20

levels,

well

lower

than

anticipated

budget

cycles.

6 https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/SLFRF-Recovery-Plan-Performan ce-Report-City-of-Oakland-June-14-2024.pdf
5 https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/City-of-Oakland-ARPA-SLFRF-Re covery-Plan-2023-informational-memo-7-17-23.pdf
4 https://cao-94612.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/documents/City-of-Oakland-ARPA-SLFRF-Re covery-Plan-2022-informational-memo-7-26-22-signed.pdf
3 https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/city-administration-directs-29-million-in-immediate-cuts-to -curb-projected-62-million-deﬁcit
2 https://oaklandside.org/2021/01/26/oaklands-budget-deﬁcits-are-getting-worse/ 1 https://oaklandside.org/2020/12/07/oaklands-current-budget-crisis-called-worse-than-the-gre at-recession/

Page 2 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission At the same time, GPF expenses have grown at twice the rate of revenue, increasing by

21%:

from

$697

million

2020-21

$843

million

2024-25.

This

included

additional

staff

for

general

city

operations,

well

new

labor

contracts

with

higher

pay

and

beneﬁts.

Some

these

contracts

were

approved

outside

the

standard

budget

process

and

without

ﬁnancial

analysis

provided

Council,

all

while

the

City’s

revenues

continued

come

short.

This

expense

growth

far

outpaced

the

growth

revenues;

while

the

gaps

were

ﬁlled

with

one-time

funds,

emergency

reserves,

and

the

prospect

the

Coliseum

sale,

signiﬁcant

efforts

were

made

reduce

expenses.

The BAC has previously reported on the sources and causes of this structural deﬁcit, including in BAC’s June 2024 Mid-Cycle Budget Report and January 2025 presentation to Council. Ultimately, Oakland has fewer ﬁnancial resources available today, after adjusting for inﬂation, than it had available prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One-time

revenue

sources

have

run

out,

ﬁnancial

reserves

have

run

out,

and

revenues

have

not

recovered.

Council

must

budget

conservatively

help

rebuild

the

city’s

ﬁnancial

health.

Guiding Principles for BAC Recommendations The Budget Advisory Commission has been providing support to City Council since 1999.

providing

these

recommendations,

the

BAC

aims

consistent

general

guiding

principles

inform

ﬁscal

priorities.

full

listing

BAC

ﬁndings

and
recommendations was presented to Council in June 2024, and BAC previously issued recommendations on the FY 2023-25 budget. This memo restates a selection of these priorities as they apply to the FY 2025-26 Proposed Policy Budget. ● Adherence to the Consolidated Fiscal Policy. The CFP sets forth a number of budgeting

practices,

including:

adopting

balanced

budget;

allocating

excess

RETT

stabilization

funds

and

paying

off

debt

obligations;

using

one-time

revenues

solely

for

one-time

expenditures,

including

unassigned

GPF

revenue;

and

maintaining

healthy

Vital

Services

Stabilization

Fund

balance

least

15%

GPF

revenues.

The

adopted

budget

should

adhere

these

requirements.
● Focus spending on community priorities. The CFP requires a public survey to

inform

community

priorities

the

budgeting

process.

This

year,

the

survey

was

completed

the

BAC;

2025

priorities

include

safety,

cleanliness,

and

housing.

The

adopted

budget

should

reﬂect

these

community

priorities.

For
the complete survey results, see the February 2025 presentation here.

Page 3 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission ● Adherence to the requirements of voter-approved measures. Oakland’s budget

supported,

and

constrained,

wide

variety

voter-approved

measures.

Many

these

measures

contain

“maintenance

effort”

requirements,

obligating

the

City

make

particular

budget

decisions

continue

receive

the

beneﬁts

the

tax.

While

these

measures

can

suspended

times

ﬁscal

emergency,

consistent

with

the

CFP

requirements

focus

spending

community

priorities,

the

BAC

believes

that

these

voter-approved

requirements

reﬂect

core

community

priorities,

and

that

these

legal

mandates

should

prioritized

over

other

initiatives

the

greatest

extent

feasible.

● Following best practices and lessons learned from other cities . Oakland is not

unique

its

service

provided,

community

concerns,

its

ﬁscal

challenges.

While

our

challenges

may

larger

scale,

best

practices

applied

other

cities

are

also

relevant

Oakland.
● Keep equity considerations at the forefront of decision-making. Oakland is home

many

diverse

and

long-underserved

communities.

Equitable

budget

practices

means

that

after

ensuring

the

city’s

long-term

ﬁnancial

health

and

meeting

legal

obligations,

additional

revenue

should

allocated

ways

that

ensure

all

members

the

community

access

and

beneﬁt

from

City

services

equitably.

Sound

ﬁnancial

practices

help

ensure

that

lifeline

programs

for

disadvantaged

communities

can

continued

even

times

budget

shortfalls.

Review and Findings in the FY 2025-27 Proposed Policy Budget BAC has conducted a careful review of the FY 2025-27 Proposed Policy Budget, including

reviewing

the

Mayor’s

Message,

Budget

Priorities,

Service

Impacts,

Signiﬁcant

Budgetary

Changes

reports,

department-level

budgets

and

changes,

and

proposed

contracts

and

grants

spending.

Below

present

our

ﬁndings

and

short-term

recommendations

for

the

current

proposed

budget.

later

section

discusses

long-term

recommendations

for

Council,

staff,

and

BAC

explore

further,

with

the

potential

improve

the

budget

future

cycles.

Positive: The Proposed Budget is a balanced budget that minimizes layoffs, preserves

core

city

services,

and

generally

follows

the

CFP.

The Corrected Proposed Budget projects $2.166 billion in both revenues and expenses

2025-26,

and

$2.201

billion

2026-27.

This

represents

increase

from

the

2023-24

actual

spend

$2.023

billion,

roughly

$143

million

2025-26

and

$178

million

2026-27.

The

Corrected

Proposed

Budget

revised

upwards

(by

few

million

dollars)

compared

the

original

budget,

increasing

interfund

Page 4 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission transfers, transfers from fund balances, and service charges, but without otherwise increasing

other

revenue

projections.

Relative to 2024-25, the General Purpose Fund is proposed to decrease , from $807 million

$788.1

million

2025-26,

before

increasing

$856.2

million

2026-27.

This

increase

roughly

$69

million

general

fund

expenditures

between

2025-26

and

2026-27

dependent

as-yet-proposed

$40

million

per

year

local

tax.

also

depends

upon

signiﬁcant

increases

assessed

property

tax

values

(from

$307

million

2024-25

$322

million

2025-26,

and

$332

million

2026-27).

Sales

taxes

are

also

projected

increase

signiﬁcantly,

attributable

the

passage

Measure

growing

from

$61.7

million

2023-24

$84.1

million

projected

2025-26,

followed

$94.5

million

2026-27,

consistent

with

revenue

projections

included

the

measure

language.

This budget maintains conservative estimates for volatile tax revenue: RETT is projected

just

$68.3

and

$70.3

million

for

2025-26

and

2026-27,

respectively,

line

with

2023-24

actuals

$57.5

million.

contrast,

the

adopted

2023-25

budget

had

originally

anticipated

over

$110

million

RETT

2023-24,

major

contributor

the

unanticipated

shortfalls

these

past

two

years.

This

re-leveling

expected

RETT

revenues

Because of the anticipated new revenue source, the budget is able to maintain alignment

with

community-wide

priorities

around

public

safety,

cleanliness,

and

housing.

Staff

layoffs

are

almost

nonexistent:

instead,

vacant

positions

are

frozen

eliminated,

reducing

the

need

budget

for

those

vacancies.

Lastly,

the

budget

also

avoids

the

use

one-time

funds

for

ongoing

expenses,

breaking

with

troubling

past

practice

and

better

aligning

with

the

CFP.

However, the proposed budget has structural risks in the event of an economic downturn.

Recommendation: Budget cautiously, and consider ways to further reduce spending

should

revenue

projections

missed.

The Proposed Budget makes assumptions about future revenues that depend upon signiﬁcant

growth

assessed

property

taxes,

new

voter-approved

parcel

tax,

and

sustained

strength

sales

tax

revenue.

Notably,

the

Proposed

Budget

projects

5.1%

growth

assessed

property

taxes

for

the

GPF

2025-26,

while

these

revenues

grew

just

2.5%

from

2023-24

2024-25.

The

draft

Five-Year

Financial

Forecast

states

that

“In

2025-26,

the

growth

projected

3.0%

over

the

estimated

Page 5 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission 2024-25 amount.” In FY 2026-27, it assumes a more conservative 3.1% growth. The draft

Five-Year

Financial

Forecast

assumes

that

this

growth

will

occur

result

“New

construction…

the

estimated

annual

construction

average

from

2017

2024

excluding

outlying

years.”

However,

new

construction

has

virtually

halted

Oakland

due

elevated

interest

rates

and

soft

real

estate

market.

addition,

the

Proposed

Budget

and

Five-Year

Financial

Forecast

project

weak

RETT

revenues,

roughly

$70

million.

Due

Prop

13,

property

tax

appreciation

restricted

per

year

unless

the

property

sold;

result,

RETT

revenues

should

correlate

with

the

growth

assessed

property

values.

unclear

what,

any,

indicators

suggest

that

5.1%

growth

property

tax

revenues

realistic

for

2025-26.

realized

assessment

growth

instead

2.5%,

comparable

2024-25,

would

result

immediate

revenue

shortfall

least

million

and

put

the

city

behind

revenue

projections

for

2026-27.

In addition, changes to federal trade policy or other unpredictable events could result in

economic

downturn

later

2025

2026,

potentially

causing

other

revenue

projections

missed

and

resulting

greater

budget

deﬁcit.

City

Council

should

prepare

list

priority

budget

changes

should

anticipated

revenue

fail

materialize.

Issue: The Proposed Budget fails to meet the requirements of Measure NN. The proposed budget only funds 678 sworn ofﬁcers, rather than the minimum of 700 required

Measure

NN.

While

the

un-freezing

78 sworn

positions

and

restoration

3 full

police

academies

improvement

over

budgets,

ongoing

attrition

will

mean

that

the

city

likely

maintain,

rather

than

increase,

existing

stafﬁng

numbers.

Additional

funding

and

police

academies

are

necessary

see

stafﬁng

growth

over

time.

Recommendation: Improve compliance with other voter-approved measures While many voter-approved measures are being complied with, Measure NN and others

have

fallen

the

wayside

and

compliance

not

being

met.

These

include:
● $2.8 million annual shortfall in library funding . Under Measures C & D, the City is

required

budget

for

$14.5

million

general

purpose

funds

for

the

Library

Department.

Under

the

2025-26

Proposed

Policy

Budget,

GPF

allocations

the

Library

Department

are

$11.7

million

each

ﬁscal

year,

resulting

$2.8

million

annual

shortfall

the

required

appropriations.
● 2-5 FTE shortfall in the City Auditor’s ofﬁce (estimated $0.4-1 million) . Under Measure

the

City

Charter

requires

the

budget

for

the

City

Auditor

sufﬁcient

hire

least

fourteen

(14)

full-time

equivalent

(“FTE”)

employees

Page 6 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission relevant classiﬁcations. The FY 2025-27 Proposed Policy Budget funds 9 or 10 FTE

2025-26

(errata

proposes

adding

one

FTE,

but

this

not

reﬂected

the

table)

and

12 FTE

2026-27,

falling

short

the

required

14 FTE

each

year.

● $4 million annual shortfall in Democracy Dollars Fund . Under Measure W, the City

required

allocate

million

annually

the

Democracy

Dollars

Fund

support

public

ﬁnancing

elections,

increasing

with

inﬂation.

This

initiative

aims

reduce

the

inﬂuence

of,

and

dependence

on,

outsized

independent

expenditures

elections.

The

2025-27

Proposed

Policy

Budget

allocates

this

fund.
● $2.2 million shortfall in parks maintenance required by Measure Q funds .

Measure

Q’s

maintenance

effort

provisions

places

limitation

the

maximum

amount

measure

funding

that

can

spent

maintaining

services

their

2019-20

levels.

For

2025-26,

this

amount

roughly

$12.09

million.

Instead,

the

Proposed

Budget

includes

$14.29

million

for

maintaining

existing

parks

services,

cutting

spending

for

the

new

services

intended

the

measure.

Issue: At least $62 million in proposed contracts and grants lack details, require oversight
The FY 2025-27 Proposed Policy Budget includes roughly $230 million budgeted for contracts

and

grants

each

ﬁscal

year,

with

nearly

900

independent

contracts

grants

proposed.

Most

these

contracts

are

well-deﬁned,

with

clear

purpose,

and

assigned

appropriate

fund.

While

many

have

“TBD”

undeﬁned

the

vendor,

this

expected

for

contracts

and

grants

that

through

competitive

bidding

process,

where

vendor

can

identiﬁed

prior

issuing

the

request

for

proposals.

However, some 77 grants and contracts were submitted without descriptions provided

(either

blank

“TBD”),

ranging

from

just

few

thousand

dollars

much

million

each.

These

amount

total

$27

million

2025-26

and

$35

million

2026-27,

overwhelmingly

from

the

Human

Services

Department

($26

million

and

$33.9

million

for

each

ﬁscal

year,

respectively).

uncounted

number

other

grants

and

contracts

are

proposed

with

minimal

descriptions

due

time

constraints,

all

line

items

have

not

yet

been

reviewed.

matter

best

practice,

Council

should

not

approve

millions

dollars

for

unspeciﬁed

purposes,

and

should

receive

descriptions

for

each

line

item

from

Human

Services

and

other

departments

prior

approving

these

fund

allocations.

Page 7 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission Recommendation: Review proposed contracts and grants to identify funding opportunities

meet

voter-approved

measures
A total of $33.6 million in contracts and grants spending in FY 2025-26 is proposed to be

met

with

general

purpose

funds

(fund

1010).

While

much

this

for

GPF-funded

departments

police,

ﬁre,

and

general

government

departments,

some

these

proposed

expenditures

would

likely

suitable

candidates

for

restricted

funds.

This

includes

$190k

from

the

Department

Violence

Prevention

(DVP)

for

“Third

Party:

Grant

Contracts”,

$500k

from

Economic

Workforce

Development

Department

(EWDD)

for

the

Corridor

Ambassador

program,

and

$2.9

million

from

Human

Services

for

“(blank)”

(most

these

grants

appear

earmarked

for

nonproﬁts

providing

homeless

and

children’s

services).

The

DVP

and

EWDD

funding

are

suitable

candidates

for

Measure

funds,

while

the

Human

Services

programs

are

likely

eligible

for

range

other

restricted

funds

(some

the

same

grantees

are

listed

under

multiple

different

funding

sources).

This is not free money: moving these GPF allocations to restricted funds requires equal

reductions

those

restricted

funds,

which

are

already

proposed

fully

allocated.

For

example,

Council

adopted

resolution

May

20th

fully

allocating

the

Measure

grant

funds

for

2025-26.

Moving

the

EWDD

Corridor

Ambassador

program

Measure

for

2026-27

would

require

reducing

other

DVP

grant

awards

the

same

amount.

Evaluating

performance

metrics

for

grants

across

both

GPF

and

restricted

funds

may

help

identify

suitable

opportunities

for

re-allocation.

Other

sources

funding

may

also

come

available,

e.g.

for

homeless

services

from

the

countywide

Measure

newly

unlocked

after

resolving

legal

challenges.

Ultimately, Council must evaluate trade-offs and decide whether to meet the legal requirements

voter-approved

measures,

fund

other

essential

and

nonessential

services.

outlined

previously,

one

BAC’s

guiding

principles

that

these

legal

mandates

should

prioritized

over

other

initiatives

the

greatest

extent

feasible;

this

likely

help

build

voter

trust

and

ensure

support

for

future

revenue

measures

bolster

funding

for

other

services.

Issue: Review proposed FTE allocations to ensure appropriate staff classiﬁcations and

levels
In many areas of the budget, vacant positions are frozen or deleted to keep stafﬁng costs

down,

and

opportunities

for

promotions

are

limited.

However,

the

2025-27

Proposed

Policy

Budget

breaks

with

this

trend

for

the

Ofﬁce

the

Mayor:

instead

freezing

reducing

vacant

positions,

all

twelve

(12)

FTE

staff

positions

reporting
directly to the Mayor are promoted to Special Assistant to the Mayor III, a class

Page 8 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission speciﬁcation that pays between roughly $150k - $250k annually. Most of these positions

are

currently

vacant.

the

2024-25

budget,

the

11.5 FTE

for

the

Mayor’s

ofﬁce

were

divided

across

combination

Special

Assistant

(3.5

FTE,

pay

$91,137

$157,822),

Special

Assistant

(3.0

FTE,

pay

$111,558

$181,756),

and

Special

Assistant

III

(5.0

FTE).

justiﬁcation

offered

for

this

increase

classiﬁcation

level.

The

GPF

allocation

the

Ofﬁce

the

Mayor

increasing

from

$4.0

million

2023-24

$5.7

million

2025-26.

At the same time, the Police budget proposes to freeze 41 FTE non-sworn positions across

crucial

divisions

including

Patrol,

Records,

Crime

Lab,

Criminal

Investigation,

Property

and

Evidence,

Human

Resources,

and

Crime

Analysis.

noted

the

proposed

policy

budget,

“
These

cuts

are

expected

decrease

efﬁciency

and

affect

service

delivery”

(emphasis

added),

“…including

responsiveness

emergency

and

non-emergency

calls

for

service.”

The

cuts

would

reduce

staff

availability

and

are

likely

“…lead

delays

investigations

and

court

cases…

backlog

cases…

longer

wait

times

for

trials

and

impacting

the

rights

the

accused

timely

trial.”

addition,

“The

impact

employee

health

and

wellness

and

the

negative

effect

morale

could

lead

employees

seeking

jobs

outside

the

City

Oakland,

further

burdening

the

remaining

staff.”

Instead

having

non-sworn

positions

providing

support,

these

cuts

will

increase

the

burden

the

remaining

sworn

ofﬁcers,

decreasing

our

police

departments’

efﬁciency

and

reducing

our

ofﬁcers’

effectiveness.

Lastly, the Human Services Department is currently without a director and the vacant

position

reportedly

frozen.

evidenced

the

missing

information

for

the

departments’

proposed

contracts

and

grants,

this

lack

leadership

presents

challenges

for

operational

efﬁciency

and

effectiveness.

While

the

proposed

budget

restores

deputy

director

position

the

department,

justiﬁcation

provided

why

the

director-level

role

remains

frozen

and

unﬁlled

over

other

positions.

These and other proposed stafﬁng levels should be reviewed for appropriateness in classiﬁcations

based

the

work

and

responsibilities

the

position,

and

needs

the

department.

Adjusting

stafﬁng

levels

best

achieved

when

roles

are

vacated

due

ordinary

turnover

and

requires

long-term

strategy.

Suggested Long-Term Improvements While our short-term recommendations focus on cost savings and reallocations, the BAC

believes

that

long-term

ﬁnancial

sustainability

will

come

from

combination

new

and

expanded

revenue

streams

and

ﬁscal

prudence

and

efﬁciency

over

the

Page 9 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission few years. Our commission has identiﬁed the following areas for potential exploration,

and

looks

forward

partnering

with

the

Mayor,

Council,

and

staff

evaluate

the

feasibility

and

impact

these

strategies:
● Implement the strategic plan in alignment with the 5-year ﬁnancial forecast .

Oakland’s

strategic

plan

calls

for

alignment

between

city

priorities

and

ﬁscal

policy.

Currently,

the

lack

strategic

plan

has

meant

that

budget

allocations

were

made

without

identifying

long-term

goals.

The

current

strategic

plan

recommends

Council

identify

and

determine

priorities,

and

prepare

the

budget

accordingly.

● Fully implement the City Auditor’s recommendations in the police overtime audit
.

While

signiﬁcant

improvements

have

been

made,

there

remain

outstanding

and

unresolved

issues

with

police

overtime

budgeting

and

practices.

Thirteen

the

City

Auditor’s

21 recommendations

remain

open,

and

police

overtime

has

exceeded

its

budget

for

16 of

the

last

18 years,

forcing

mid-cycle

adjustments

other

departments.

Though

some

improvements

have

been

made,

better

cost

controls

and

efﬁcient

police

operations

are

needed

both

support

public

safety

and

provide

consistent

and

predictable

budget.

● Explore new revenue opportunities, like the proposed parcel tax . The FY 2025-27

Proposed

Policy

Budget

includes

new

$40

million

new

parcel

tax

supporting

the

GPF.

BAC

can

help

engage

with

the

community

gauge

support

and

buy-in

for

new

tax

measures.

the

meantime,

urge

Council

prioritize

funding

for

existing

voter-approved

requirements

order

build

trust

and

support

with

the

public

prior

proposing

any

new

measures.

● Evaluate and benchmark pension and beneﬁt costs, and explore cost-savings opportunities
.

With

contract

negotiations

coming

up,

BAC

can

help

evaluate

employee

beneﬁts

comparable

and

neighboring

jurisdictions.

addition,

while

the

City

has

large

unfunded

liabilities

these

areas,

there

may

opportunities

help

meet

reduce

these

liabilities

through

proposals

such

reﬁnancing

the

CalPERS

debt,

adjustment

post-employment

beneﬁts,

new

cost-neutral

taxes

replace

the

expiring

PFRS

Override

Tax,

other

strategies

ensure

sustainable

progress

reducing

the

unfunded

liabilities.
● Explore the allocation of services between the City and the County . Oakland has

signiﬁcant

expenditures

associated

with

homeless

services

and

affordable

housing,

which

may

fall

under

the

County’s

jurisdiction.

addition,

there

may

Page 10 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission be opportunities for cost savings through integrating ambulance services with the

Oakland

Fire

Department

Berkeley.

Exploring

potential

reallocation

responsibilities

could

free

budgets,

overhead,

other

resources

for

core

City

services.

● Establish metrics and evaluate performance of grant programs . The FY 2025-27

Proposed

Policy

Budget

includes

$159

million

grants

over

the

two-year

period.

However,

the

criteria

for

awarding

these

grants,

and

the

performance

metrics

for

the

service

providers,

are

not

always

well-speciﬁed

and

tracked,

even

though

the

intention

grant

programs

generally

achieve

speciﬁc

and

measurable

outcomes.

Fully

stafﬁng

the

City

Auditor’s

ofﬁce,

required

the

City

Charter,

could

help

provide

additional

oversight

and

evaluation

ensure

grant

monies

are

being

spent

appropriately.

Identifying

citywide

priorities,

recommended

the

strategic

plan,

can

help

outline

goals

and

expectations

for

this

grant

money

enable

this

evaluation

process.
● Improve investments in Oakland’s operational infrastructure, including IT and HR
.

Oakland’s

dedicated

civil

servants

are

the

backbone

the

city’s

operations,

and

they

all

rely

modern

solutions

their

jobs

effectively

and

efﬁciently.

Unfortunately,

the

2025-27

Proposed

Policy

Budget

includes

slight

reductions

both

and

stafﬁng,

resulting

less

capacity

recruit

talented

staff

and

ﬁll

vacancies,

and

equip

them

with

the

necessary

technology

achieve

exceptional

performance.

preliminary

review

other

similarly

sized

California

cities

(Long

Beach

and

Sacramento)

suggests

Oakland

may

comparatively

under-staffed

IT;

additional

research

needed

fully

understand

how

Oakland’s

stafﬁng

levels

benchmark

against

other

cities.

Effective

use

modern

technology

critical

improving

performance

and

outcomes

across

City

service

delivery.

● Support the Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD) and the

updated

Economic

Development

Action

Plan

(EDAP).

long-term,

consistent

economic

development

strategy

key

growing

Oakland’s

tax

base

and

ensuring

sustainable

long-term

revenue.

However,

the

2025-27

budget

for

EWDD

reduced

from

$35.2

million

2024-5

$24.9

million

2025-26,

and

further

reduced

$24.2

million

2026-27.

EWDD

preparing

updated

EDAP,

which

will

help

attract,

retain,

and

grow

Oakland

businesses;

create

positive

environment

and

image

for

Oakland

business;

and

promote

workforce

development

create

jobs

for

Oaklanders

Page 11 of 12 ends

Budget Advisory Commission and help Oaklanders ﬁnd employment. Supporting these efforts, maintaining a

robust

and

effective

EWDD,

and

other

Council

actions

help

small

and

large

businesses

thrive

Oakland,

will

help

bolster

long-term

revenue

growth

and

better

enable

the

city

provide

services

residents.
● Update the CFP to more accurately reﬂect the variability in real estate transfer tax

(RETT)

revenues
.

evidenced

over

the

past

15-20

years

economic

cycles,

the

RETT

highly

volatile

and

unreliable

source

funds.

The

current

CFP

establishes

clear

requirement

that

than

15%

the

GFP

should

budgeted

for

from

RETT

revenue,

but

that

level

has

not

been

updated

reﬂect

the

changing

structure

the

GFP

over

time

and

real-world

data

RETT

variability.

Updating

the

CFP

set

dollar

value

threshold

–

rather

than

percentage

threshold

–

for

RETT

revenues

available

for

GFP

purposes

can

help

smooth

out

the

City’s

budget

during

economic

downturns,

and

provide

additional

revenues

during

economic

upcycles

help

pay

down

long-term

liabilities,

invest

infrastructure,

save

for

rainy

day.

BAC will be working on these and other items per our work plan. Additional strategies

and

recommendations

that

have

been

discussed

recent

BAC

meetings
can be found in the March 2025 and April 2025 BAC meetings packets. Contact Information Jane Yang, Budget Advisory Commission Chair Mike Forbes, Budget Advisory Commission Vice-Chair Mike Petouhoff, Budget Advisory Commission Ad-Hoc Committee Ben Gould, Budget Advisory Commission Ad-Hoc Committee Additional References: 2021 GPF Revenues and Expenditures 2024-25 Estimated GPF Rev and Exp - Q2 R&E GPF Revenues vs Forecast - Presented in Oakland Report Decline in Reserve Funds - See P12

Page 12 of 12 ends

Parks, Recreation, &
Youth Development
FY2025-27 Budget
Fred Kelley, OPRYD
May 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 Service Reduction Prioritization
• Neighborhood Need & Equity: Decisions
were guided by equity factors,
community demographics, and proximity
to alternative facilities.
• Staff-to-Youth Ratios: Program
adjustments ensure compliance with
established policies to maintain safe and
effective supervision.

Service Impacts
3 Services that will be eliminated or reduced.
• Recreation Centers: Reduced hours for non- Town
Afterschool Program (TAP) sites.
• Youth & Afterschool Programs: Potential
consolidation of TAP recreation center sites.
• Afterschool Sports & Arts: Reduction of after-school
sports and adult programs.
• Park & Building Safety: Reduction of security services at major parks and recreation centers.
• Safety & Compliance Voids: Gaps created by reduced
permanent supervisory staffing.

Service Impacts cont'd...*
4 Youth Program Capacity Reductions: fewer youth served due to deletion or freezing of critical staff positions, affecting:
• Town Afterschool Program & Afterschool Sports
• Town Camp & Town Camp + Swim
• Studio One Summer Camp
• Oakland Fine Arts Summer School
Decreased supervisory personnel and increased
supervisory workload:
• Administrative Analyst II - Frozen
• Recreation Services Manager - Frozen
• Recreation General Supervisor - Frozen
• Recreation Supervisor – Frozen
Partnerships Reductions: Partner-led programs at City
owned sites will be impacted.

Thank you
5 LIBRARY
FY2025-27 Budget
Jamie Turbak, Oakland Public Library
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 • OPL’s General Purpose Fund budget was reduced by approximately $890,000 in year 1 and year 2 of the biennial and costs were transferred to Library funds Measures C and D.
• OPL’s total General Purpose Fund budget is approximately $11.7m each year, which is $2.8m below the minimum maintenance of effort (MOE) requirement of $14.5m for Measure C. OPL’s FY2025-2027 General Fund appropriation represents 1.43% of the City’s total General Fund budget. • In recent years OPL has utilized Measure C and D reserves to cover General Fund costs without impacting service. However, this cannot be sustained in the long-term without reduction to services. • A total of 8.54 FTE vacant positions were frozen and 0.60 FTE were deleted across all funds to balance the biennial budget.

Service Impacts
3 • Cost transfers from the General Fund into Measures C and D have resulted in numerous position deletions and freezes in Library funds over the years.
• In FY20 OPL had a budgeted FTE count 269.18 FTE, compared to 226.45 FTE in the current proposed budget. This amounts to a reduction of 42.73 FTE or 16% in OPL’s workforce over a 7-year period of mostly vacant part- time positions.
• The impact of freezing temporary part-time positions is that library locations may not have sufficient on-call employees to work when permanent employees are on leave or call out sick. As a worst case, this could cause closures of libraries. However, Library Management would first attempt to redeploy employees from fully staffed locations. • Freezing positions also limits OPL’s ability to expand service delivery, which will remain stagnant until positions can be budgeted and filled.

Other
4 Greatest Barriers to Delivering OPL’s Mission:
• Insufficient Capital Improvement Project Management support, deferred maintenance, and custodial services from the Public Works Department due to that department’s unfilled vacancies and small maintenance budget.
• Staff at Oakland Public Library, and at public libraries nationwide, are increasingly called upon to manage and respond to patrons who may be experiencing mental health crises and/or exhibiting threatening behavior. • Slow hiring process for funded positions. The Library Department needs approximately eight recruitments now. We currently average about two recruitments a year. This puts us on a 4 year timeline to fill some existing funded positions.

Thank you
5 Oakland Animal Services
FY2025-27 Budget
Joe DeVries, Oakland Animal Services
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization: OAS
2 • The OAS priority is to maintain the ability to meet State and City mandated services including:
• Sheltering and providing medical care to animals in OAS’s care • Dog licensing, rabies vaccination and isolation of biting animals • Emergency veterinary care to sick and injured animals • Managing the disposition of potentially dangerous and vicious dogs • Accepting owner surrendered animals, and identifying people to adopt animals, and redeeming stray animals reclaimed by owners
• The primary cost reduction approach: Freeze all vacant positions and reduce leadership staffing by eliminating the Director position to maintain frontline staff that care for animals. Freezingthe Director position will reduce the annual budget by $455,000 • Secondary approach: Increase reliance on outside funding and staffing by Friends of Oakland Animal Services (FOAS) to meet non-mandated services and to cover certain O&M costs such as food for sheltered animals
• Additional strategy: OAS is bringing forward a revision to the Animal Control Ordinance that will create operational efficiencies that will reduce costs over time (by an unknown amount) Service Impacts: OAS
3 • Recent reductions due to budget and staffing shortfalls that will remain in effect include:
• Reducing the hours the shelter is open to drop-in customers to 5 days per week. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays visits are by appointment only
• Animal Control Officer availability for standby emergency calls reduced from 24/7 to only being available from 9am to 7pm
• The Director position is filled by a Deputy City Administrator which slows the pace of certain management and policy functions including rewriting the municipal code, implementing new contracts that could increase revenue, and addressing internal protocols to improve operations • Anticipated service reductions due to administrative changes or as part of the rewrite of the municipal code include:
• Reduction in hold times for stray dogs to allow their disposition to be determined after 72 hours instead of one week
• New limits on the acceptance of stray cats in the shelter that present as healthy but have no identified owner
• New discretion regarding the acceptance of owner-surrendered animals • The services on the following page are being performed by a staff that has been reduced by approximately 40% since the last budget cycle, these positions will remain frozen Mandated Services: OAS
4 • These services are mandated under state law or local ordinance and cannot be reduced Animal Care for State Mandated
Animals
Clean and care for over 3,800 animals housed annually in the shelter, including vaccination and disease observation for stray dogs and sick or injured cats.

Animal Care for OMC Mandated
Animals
Clean and care for over 3,400 animals housed annually in the shelter, including vaccination and disease observation for owner surrendered dogs, cats and other species
Veterinary Care for State
Mandated Animals
Provide triage medical care for animals in distress, spay/neuter services for over 3,800 shelter animals, oversee use of controlled substances and protocols for individual animal care and public health. Provide after hours emergency care for sick and injured stray dogs and cats.

Veterinary Care for OMC
Mandated Animals
Provide triage medical care for animals in distress, spay/neuter services for over 3,400 animals, oversee use of controlled substances and protocols for individual animal care and public health.

Animal Placement Provide live outcomes for animals, through adoption, transfer, and return-to-home/field.

Customer Services
Respond to phone calls and in-person requests for entry to provision of services, such as intake, adoptions, returns to owner, license sales.

Field Services, Public Safety
Respond to exigent needs in the community regarding sick, injured, and potentially dangerous animals. Including police backup when animals are present. Transportation of animals, patrol, and dispatch across City 24/7.

Field Services, Public Health
Quarantine rabies vector animals for bites to humans. Report State and Federally monitored diseases to appropriate Public Health Department. Coordinate with Public Health Departments regarding response to disease detections and outbreaks.

Field Services
Respond to public requests to assist approximately 1,100 injured wildlife, pick up stray or deceased animals and respond to barking dog complaints.

Field Services, Legal Cases
Respond to potential violations of State and Oakland animal welfare laws, including animal cruelty. Investigate and prepare proper legal documentation, including court appearances, coordinating with City Attorney and District Attorney offices.

Euthanasia Services
Provide humane euthanasia for sheltered animals when elected as the most humane and safest outcome and properly dispose of deceased animals.

Volunteer Services Oversight of approximately 250 shelter volunteers, development of policies and procedures for volunteer programming Thank you
5 Race & Equity
FY2025-27 Budget
Darlene Flynn, Department of Race & Equity
May 29, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 Proposal #1 - Cut Department Executive Assistant
Justification:
• Addressing the structural deficit with a staff reduction and associated salary and benefit savings • Required to meet 2023/25 FY balancing target that carries over to 2025/27 FY Prioritization:
• No flexibility due to department size; only way to reduce budget and still have ability to cover necessary administrative functions.
• Remaining technical staff can perform administrative duties without violating MOU limitations on working above their class
• EA would not have been able to perform technical/Program Analyst functions without violating MOU limitations
Service Impacts
3 Cutting the DRE Executive Assistant results in the need for the remaining three technical staff to absorb the following administrative activities that are essential to Department operations:
• Equity training and meeting coordination and scheduling • Communication/program promotion material preparation and distribution • Project related administrative activity
• Maintenance of DRE internet page and intranet site
• P-card reconciliation, bill processing
• Purchasing requisitions
• Department Director’s schedule coordination
• SPOC responsibilities
Transfer of these duties to remaining staff results in a 25% reduction in total technical support capacity for; equity skill building and training services, racial equity impact analysis support, equity network building activities, equity project work, strategic and action planning and equity problem solving support across City departments. This will have a meaningful impact on the support for and the pace at which the City can advance its equity mission.

Other
4 MISSION STATEMENT: (Municipal Code) 2.29.170.1. Through adoption of the ordinance from which this Section derives, the City of Oakland and the establishment of the Department of Race and Equity, the City of Oakland will intentionally integrate, on a Citywide basis, the principle of "fair and just" in all the City does in order to achieve equitable opportunities for all people and communities.

For questions, please contact Darlene Flynn, Director - [email protected], (510) 238-2904 Thank you
5 City Administrator’s
Office
FY2025-27 Budget
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
May 29, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 •Maintain decisions from December 17 , 2024 Balancing Actions •Shift costs away from General Purpose Fund / 1010 where appropriate •Further reduce O&M where possible
•Keep external consultant contracts to minimum
Service Impacts
3 • ADA: Deletes 1.00 FTE Program Analyst III in the ADA Programs Division; position is proposed to be added (transferred) in the Department of Transportation. Also freezes 1.00 FTE Architectural Associate (Field) position until grant funding is secured. • Impacted performance measure: ADA programs and compliance. • Communications: Eliminates 1.00 FTE City Administrator Analyst position in the Communications & Engagement Division which managed multiple Citywide software subscriptions and contracts and provided technical support to departments utilizing these tools to develop and issue public communications, media campaigns, and engage with residents. • Impacted performance measures: Strategic communications, digital services, inclusive community engagement.
• Neighborhood Services: Elimination of Neighborhood Services program – discontinues ongoing support for Neighborhood Councils, community outreach and events such as National Night Out.

Deletes 1.00 FTE Assistant to the City Administrator position responsible for convening and/or managing multiple interdepartmental and inter-agency working groups. • Impacted performance measure: Neighborhood services, inclusive community outreach; capacity for managing and convening internal & external working groups • Homelessness: Deletes 1.00 FTE Assistant City Administrator position responsible for Encampment Management; Adds a Project Manager III in Homelessness Division to support this work.
• Impacted performance measure: Executive level coordination on encampment management.

Thank you
4 Finance Department
FY2025-27 Budget
Erin Roseman, Director of Finance
May 29, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 • Strengthen Fiscal Oversight to Support Bond Market Access Preserve critical financial oversight functions to maintain creditworthiness, ensure debt compliance, and uphold the City’s fiscal integrity—foundational for successful bond market participation. • Enhance Revenue Generation and Tax Compliance
Prioritize reliable, cost-effective revenue collection through optimized tax compliance strategies and expanded revenue enhancement efforts.
• Centralize Core Financial Functions for Efficiency
Improve operational effectiveness by centralizing core financial processes, reducing redundancy, and reinforcing internal controls.
• Modernize Purchasing and Align with Strategic Goals
Streamline procurement, eliminate labor-intensive processes, and address audit findings to drive efficiency, transparency, and long-term sustainability.

Service Impacts
3 • More Efficient and Strategic Revenue Collection – By aligning tax compliance functions within each revenue-generating unit, we are strengthening enforcement, improving efficiency, and ensuring a more seamless revenue collection process that better serves the city’s financial health. Integrating the Tax Compliance Team into the Business Tax Division, Citywide Liens Division, and Citywide Collections Division allows each unit to oversee the entire compliance-to-collection process, ensuring a more direct, accountable, and efficient workflow including adherence to lien enforcement and small claims court procedures. Additionally, transitioning Fire Vegetation Inspections and Sidewalk Repair from an invoicing-based methodology to property liens ensures that fire service fees and sidewalk repair are collected through a more dependable and enforceable mechanism, reducing outstanding balances and maximizing overall revenue recovery.
• Streamlined and More Transparent Procurement Processes – The Procurement & Contracts Bureau’s implementation of the Purchasing and Contracting Review Study (March 2024) recommendations, accompanied with investments in procurement automation software, will continue to reduce inefficiencies, enhance contract oversight, and accelerate the contracting process, ensuring that vendors and departments experience a fair, competitive, responsive and accountable procurement system.

Positions Eliminated or Frozen O&M Eliminated

15.0 FTE $2 Million
Required Future Considerations
4 Oracle Enhancements and Possible ERP Reconfiguration
• As the city's financial and revenue systems continue to evolve, there will be a need to enhance and upgrade the current Oracle system or implement new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to support more efficient operations and data management. This is a required process anticipated in an estimated 3-4 years. Preparing for this upgrade will require comprehensive planning, including a thorough assessment of current workflows and system requirements, and a dedicated project manager essential to oversee the implementation, ensuring coordination between departments, managing timelines, and addressing any challenges that arise. Proper preparation and leadership will be critical to ensuring a smooth transition and maximizing the benefits of the upgraded ERP system mitigating any service disruptions to the entire city.

Thank you
5 Human Resources
Management
FY2025-27 Budget
Mary Hao, Director of Human Resources
May 29, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 •Assume relative reduction in citywide
recruitments due to ongoing hiring freeze.
•Eliminate use of temporary staff and redistribute
work to existing staff.
•Reduce training contracts by 50%.
•Eliminate unutilized O&M funds.

Service Impacts
3 Recruitment and Classification Services
• All of the position deletions and freezes will impact the Recruitment and Classification Team. Deleting and/or freezing positions will impact the volume of recruitments that can be performed by the remaining staff and supervision and oversight of the recruitment team’s work. • Delete 1.0 FTE Principal Human Resources Analyst – Shift supervision to other staff, which may impact the remaining staff’s bandwidth to perform recruitments. • Delete 1.0 FTE Human Resources Manager – Lose a Human Resources manager to oversee the recruitment and classification staff and functions, including data analysis, support for the Civil Service Board, and process improvement.
• Delete 1.0 FTE Human Resources Technician – Deleting this position will reduce the support provided for recruitment activities, including, but not limited to, the timely processing of new hire paperwork and the maintenance of position control work. • Delete 1.0 FTE Administrative Assistant II – Deleting this position will either eliminate or shift duties to other staff in the areas of supporting the Civil Service Board, especially for appeals, administrative support for the recruitment division, and overseeing the subpoena response process. • Freeze 1.0 FTE Senior Human Resources Analyst – Freezing this position will prevent the department form hiring additional staff to support advanced journey level recruitment and classification activities.

Thank you
4 Information Technology
Department
FY2025-27 Budget
Department Head Name, Department
May 28, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 • The proposal reduces nearly $6 million from the overall ITD budget through the termination of existing contracts, planned projects, ALL vacant positions, and some filled/planned separations.
• The approach included a comprehensive review of all contracts and services and prioritized only core, mission critical Citywide and multidepartment services that are in full operational capacity. • This approach reflects a “keep the lights on budget”
Vacancy Position Impacts
3 Filled Positions (including separations) 3 $-651,602
VACANCIES TOTAL –1,343,757

Service Impacts (Vacancies)
4 • Elimination of Business Analyst II positions: less staffing for Accela Permitting team, less resources to assign to permitting improvements, enhancements, and projects, slower completion times
• Elimination of Administrative Analyst position : More limited resources for IT contracting, procurements, invoicing, internal reviews, project management, etc.
• Major O&M Reductions across operating funds
Service Impacts (O&M)
5 • $2M increase for critical public safety upgrades and enhancements • O&M Reductions will limit ability to respond and resolve network outages/maintenance; database support, and maintain and upgrade Citywide IT systems
• Reduces $458,158 in year 1 and $521,845 in year 2 in Radio Shop. • Reduces approximately $75,000 over both years in
Telecommunications.
• Reduces $127,252 in year 1 and $182,160 in year 2 in
Reprographics. Unable to acquire the necessary supplies required to meet City Department printing needs.
• OakWifi (outdoor network) maintenance and support
eliminated.
Thank you
6 Public Ethics Commission
FY 2025-2027 Budget
Nicolas Heidorn, Executive Director
Public Ethics Commission
May 29, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
2 The Proposed Budget prioritizes the following for the PEC:
• Maintains core services
• Minimizes workforce impacts
• Strengthens critically understaffed Enforcement Unit
• Postpones launch of Democracy Dollars Program for
2026, while preserving necessary resources to prepare
for 2028 implementation
Service Impacts - Reductions
3 Eliminates all campaign public financing in Oakland for the 2026 election, including:
 Not Reinstating the Limited Public Financing (LPF) Program  Postponing launch of the Democracy Dollars (DD) Program for 2026 Impacts:

1. Increases the risk or appearance of corruption

2. Eliminates financial support to participating Council District candidates by $20,000- $35,000 (LPF; more for DD), increasing candidate reliance on large donors

3. Removes restrictions on campaign spending and candidate self-financing limits

4. Disadvantages candidates who are not wealthy or connected to networks of wealth, likely impacting candidates whose support is from low-income communities of color the most The Commission opposes this reduction, as it eliminates a 20-year+ core service and is contrary to Measure W (2022)’s goal of strengthening public financing Service Impacts - Enhancements
4 Strengthens the Enforcement Unit by adding +1 FTE Investigator, consistent with Measure OO (2024), and +0.1 FTE Law Clerk to assist with enforcement of Oakland’s anti-corruption laws.

Impacts:

1. Increases Commission’s capacity to investigate and resolve complaints by increasing investigative staff from 1 FTE to 2 FTEs

2. Improves Commission’s ability to deter violations of ethics laws and impose fines

3. Decreases the time it takes to resolve complaints
The PEC’s Enforcement Unit remains critically
understaffed for its caseload, which will require
the Commission to close a significant number of
complaints without investigation.

PEC Staff estimates a min. of 3 FTE Investigators
and 1 Staff Attorney are required to meet ongoing
caseload and make progress on its backlog.

Thank you
5 Office of the City Auditor
FY2025-27 Budget
Michael C. Houston, City Auditor
May 29, 2025
Budget Hearing Presentation
1 Approach and Prioritization
Legal Opinions & Charter Mandates
2 Legal Opinions
A 2006 formal legal opinion by the City Attorney’s Office concluded “The City Council must provide minimum funding so that the City Auditor may perform, without material impairment, his Charter mandated duties.”
A 2010 formal legal opinion commissioned by the City Attorney’s Office concluded that at that time (15 years ago), estimated a minimum staffing threshold of 8.0 auditor FTEs.

City Charter Mandates
The 2023 amendments to Section 403 of the City Charter (Measure X) overwhelmingly supported by Oakland voters, updated the Office's minimum staffing needs to fulfill its Charter mandates to 14 FTE and states: “the minimum staffing budget set-aside may be suspended, for a fiscal year or a two-year budget cycle, upon a finding in the budget resolution that the City is facing an extreme fiscal necessity...” Approach and Prioritization
Identify Cost Savings
3 • Freeze 3.0 FTEs
• 1.0 FTE Performance Audit Manager for FY25-27
• 2.0 FTE Performance Auditor for FY25-26.
• Identify restricted funds that support the services and contain the revenues that are the subject of mandated recurring audits. These restricted funds could support contract work and/or personnel costs. Possible $561,317 in ongoing GPF savings.

Approach and Prioritization
Meet Our Charter Mandated Responsibilities
4 • Contract with an outside agency to complete mandated recurring audits. Cost approximately $337,261K to conduct the following audits

1. Measure M – Emergency Medical Services

2. Measure N – Paramedic Services

3. Measure Y – Oakland Zoo, Animal Care, Education, and Improvement Fund

4. Measure D – Kids First! Fund (OFCY)

5. Measure Q – Parks Preservation, Litter Reduction and Homelessness Support

6. Measure Z – Oakland Public Safety and Services Violence Prevention Act

7. Measure D – Library Parcel Tax
• Hire Graduate Fellows to assist with conducting our audits timely. $25K in O&M per fiscal year.

Approach and Prioritization
Address the City’s Highest Risks
5 Projects Currently in Progress

1. Kids First! Oakland Fund for Children and Youth Act (Measure D)

2. The Oakland Police Commission, Community Police Review Agency, Office of Inspector General

3. Vacant Property Tax (Measure W)

4. Emergency Response Times – Police

5. Illegal Dumping

6. Financial Management of Capital Improvement Projects

7. Finance Department’s Revenue Bureau (Contract)

8. Information Technology Cybersecurity (Contract)

9. Budget Sustainability (Contract)
Priority Projects to Launch in 2025
• Citywide Personnel Investigations (pending staffing resources) • Emergency Response Times – Fire
• Requests from the City Council and/or Mayor
Service Impacts
6 1. Performance Audits (recurring) – Some will not be conducted and all will be delayed • Goal 100% completed, only 43% were completed in FY24-25

2. Performance Audits (one-time) – Some will not be conducted and all will be delayed • Goal: Complete 11-12 audits - 5 audits were completed in FY24-25

3. Semi-Annual Recommendation Follow-up Report – Will be delayed

4. Special Council Requests – Will be delayed

5. Whistleblower Hotline – Response times will suffer
• 131 complaints filed in FY 2023-24, 104 were closed

6. Whistleblower Investigations – Some will be delayed
• Goal: 100% of the cost of the program is covered by fiscal impact of the whistleblower investigations

7. Ballot Measure Analyses – Will be delayed and endangered

8. Annual Reports (Audit Work Plan, Annual Report, Whistleblower Annual Report) – None Historical Trends: Growing Mandates
7 0
2 4
6 8
10 12
14 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2026-27 Charter Required Reports Number of Mandated/Recurring Audits Historical Trends: Staff
8 0
2 4
6 8
10 12
14 16
2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26* 2026-27* Filled Positions Frozen Authorized
City Auditor
Assistant City
Auditor
FREEZE FYs25-27
Performance Audit
Manager
FROZEN FYs23-25
Senior Performance
Auditor
FROZEN FYs23-25
Performance
Auditor
Performance Audit
Manager
Senior Performance
Auditor
FREEZE FY25-26
Performance
Auditor
Performance Audit
Manager
Senior Performance
Auditor
Senior Performance
Auditor
*NEW
Senior Performance
Auditor
FREEZE FY25-26
Performance
Auditor
Assistant to the
Director
Executive Assistant
to the City Auditor
FY25 -27 Position Impacts: Freeze 2
additional positions
*The “Oakland Community Violence Reduction and Emergency Response Act of 2024, ” passed by voters in November 2024 as Measure NN, requires the establishment of a new “Budget Auditor” position within the City Auditor’s Office in FY26-27. We have determined the appropriate position to be Senior Performance Auditor.

Proposed Budget Freezes this position in
FY25-26 – but it is in recruitment
Outstanding Needs for FY25- 26
10 1. Unfreeze 1.0 FTE Performance Auditor position: +$170K

2. Additional $108K in O&M to cover contracting expenses Cutting the Office of the City Auditor
to balance the budget is futile
11 Citywide Adopted FY 2023-25 Biennial Budget
Office of the City Auditor's Adopted FY 2023-25 Biennial Budget FY25-26: $3,253,755
FY26-27: $3,448,335
Thank you
12

Rules & Legislation CommitteeMay 15, 2025

Rules & Legislation Committee
May 15, 2025