Mid-Cycle Policy
Directives
_____________________________________________________________________________ DATE: June 8, 202 6
TO: Oakland City Councilmembers and Members of the Public FROM: Councilmembers Kevin Jenkins (District 6), Janani Ramachandran (District 4), Rowena Brown (At -Large), Zac Unger (District 1)
SUBJECT: Council Budget Team Policy Directives
These policy directives are intended to strengthen the City of Oakland's ability to deliver services, maintain fiscal stability, improve transparency, modernize government operations, and enhance accountability to residents.
The directives focus on strengthening long-term financial planning, improving hiring and employee retention, modernizing public communications and community engagement, and increasing oversight of public resources. They also seek to improve the City's response to homelessness by exploring Housing Resource Centers in partnership with Alameda County and evaluating opportunities to better coordinate homelessness-related services under the Office of Homelessness Solutions.
Together, these initiatives are designed to improve efficiency, reduce barriers to service delivery, increase public trust, and ensure City resources are aligned with Oakland's priorities. Regular reporting and implementation plans will help measure progress and reinforce the City's commitment to transparency, accountability, and effective governance.
City Administration to Develop a Coordinated Plan for Oakland Housing Resource Centers:
The City Council directs the City Administrator to work collaboratively with Alameda County to develop and return with a plan for the establishment of two Housing Resource Centers for unhoused individuals and families—one located in East Oakland and one located in the West Oakland/Downtown area. The centers should be located near major transit corridors and serve as centralized access points for housing navigation, medical and behavioral health services, case management, showers, food assistance, and other supportive services. The plan shall identify potential locations, estimated infrastructure costs, operating models, and funding sources, with the intent that the City of Oakland fund the development and infrastructure of the facilities while Alameda County funds or coordinates ongoing programming, service delivery, and supportive care. The City Administrator shall also identify partnership opportunities with community-based organizations, healthcare providers, and regional agencies to maximize the effectiveness of the centers and improve outcomes for individuals experiencing homelessness by January 2027.
Operational Review and Coordination of Homelessness Services:
To optimize the City of Oakland’s expanded capacity under the Office of Homelessness Solutions and maximize the impact of services to address homelessness, the City Council directs
the City Administrator to submit a report by January 2027 mapping the intersection of the Human Services Department (HSD) and the Office of Homelessness Solutions. This report shall identify all HSD programs and resources supporting unhoused and housing-insecure residents, and provide an actionable plan to align these operational functions directly under the administration of the Office of Homelessness Solutions to maximize efficiency and eliminate bureaucratic redundancies.
Finance Department: Structural Deficit Analysis in Budgeting:
The City Council directs the City Administrator to provide, as part of all future budget processes, a clear analysis of how the proposed budget addresses the City's structural budget deficit, including actions taken to reduce ongoing expenditures, increase sustainable revenues, and improve the City's long-term fiscal stability. The City Administrator shall also provide no fewer than two reports annually to the full City Council detailing the status of the structural budget deficit, progress made toward reducing the deficit, projected fiscal impacts of adopted policies, and recommendations for further action to achieve long-term fiscal sustainability. In order to improve public trust on measures passed by voters, the City Administrator shall also conduct an annual report containing operational and financial information about voter-approved ballot measures at the end of each fiscal year.
Human Resources: Hiring Modernization and Compensation Survey:
The City Council directs the City Administrator to prioritize hiring of funded vacant positions - specifically in critical frontline service-delivery roles across departments. The Administrator shall commit to improving efforts to market these positions to Oakland residents, including by partnering with community-based organizations that perform workforce development services and by strategic use of technology and media. The City Administrator shall also commit to improving inter-departmental coordination to troubleshoot bottlenecks in the hiring process, and reaffirm its commitment to conducting a holistic compensation survey of job classifications within the City of Oakland. The City Administrator shall provide no fewer than three reports annually to the full City Council detailing the status of hiring funded positions, progress made, and lessons learned.
Human Resources: Eligibility List Utilization and Retention:
The City Council directs the City Administrator—in coordination with the Civil Service Board— to implement a process by January 2027 to ensure that eligibility lists do not expire. This is because across City departments, many job classifications are analogous, and efforts must be made to ensure proactive hiring, improve the candidate experience, and expedite the hiring process. Recruitment pipelines shall remain permanently active, allowing qualified candidates to remain accessible to all departments with analogous vacancies.
Comprehensive Public Communications and Information Technology Modernization:
The City Council directs the City Administrator to return to Council no later than March 2027 with a comprehensive plan to modernize how the City of Oakland communicates and shares information with the public. The plan shall evaluate and provide recommendations to improve the promotion of City services, programs, public meetings, special events, cultural activities, and Oakland businesses through modern communication platforms and technologies. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, recommendations regarding the modernization of KTOP,
expansion of social media engagement, development of podcasts and digital content, utilization of video and streaming platforms, improved event marketing, multilingual outreach, and strategies to increase public awareness and participation in City initiatives. The report shall also identify staffing, technology, partnership, and funding needs necessary to create a more effective, accessible, and transparent public communications system that reflects the needs of Oakland residents, businesses, and visitors.
Public Information and Community Engagement:
Direct the City Administrator to establish a standardized public communication framework across all City of Oakland departments. This shall include ensuring every department has a dedicated Public Information Officer (PIO) representation—either through a department-specific role or a shared-agency liaison model—and an active, managed digital presence on relevant social media platforms to inform Oakland residents about services, updates, and avenues for community connection. A report shall be made to the City Council updating progress on these efforts by January 2027.
Public Oversight and Accountability for Funded Travel:
The City Council directs the City Administrator to establish a policy requiring that all overnight travel funded in whole or in part with City funds be approved by the City Council prior to travel.
To promote efficiency and transparency, all proposed overnight travel requests shall be compiled into a single consolidated agenda item for Council consideration and shall include the name and title of each traveler, the purpose of the travel, destination, dates of travel, estimated costs, and funding source. The intent of this policy is to provide public oversight of taxpayer-funded travel expenditures and ensure that travel serves a clear public purpose. In cases of emergency travel necessary to protect public health, safety, or critical City operations, the City Administrator may authorize travel without prior Council approval, provided that such travel is reported to the City Council at the next regular meeting. Additionally, departments shall provide a brief post-travel report summarizing the activities attended and the benefit received by the City, further promoting transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.
Office of the Inspector General Staffing Compliance
Direct the City Administrator to return to the City Council as part of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Midcycle Budget process with a plan to ensure compliance with Oakland Municipal Code Section 2.45.100 regarding Office of the Inspector General (OIG) staffing requirements. The plan shall identify the staffing levels required under OMC 2.45.100, evaluate current staffing and funding allocations, and provide recommendations for achieving compliance utilizing the budget resources available through the Midcycle Budget.