Oakland budget crisis could mean cuts to police overtime and fire services
Oakland's proposed budget cuts include slashing police overtime, suspending fire engines, and cutting some 91 city positions
The City of Oakland is facing a budget deficit of more than $129-million dollars by the close of the fiscal year. On Friday, the city administrator released a report detailing proposed cuts and financial adjustments with recommendations to the City Council which has a special meeting scheduled for Monday December 9th to address the funding crisis.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland's city administrator released a report Friday, detailing how the city can address the dire $129 million deficit by the end of the fiscal year in June 2025.
The proposed budget cuts involve two phases.
The first phase reductions would include cutting police overtime by $25 million dollars, canceling two police academies, temporarily suspending or "browning out" two fire engine companies, pulling money from the city's emergency fund, and redirecting restricted money from areas such as affordable housing and sweetened beverage taxes to be used as unrestricted funding.
The second phase would include suspending an additional four fire engine companies and potentially cutting some 91 positions citywide, from the mayor's office to police and fire services, that are currently filled.
"We're already staffed way below where we should be. We should have about 1,200 cops and right now, we're operating at 675," Sgt. Tim Dolan, the vice president of the Oakland Police Officers Association, said.
Dolan says the proposed cuts will likely impact police response times.
"On a daily average, we have about 100 calls standing, some of them three, four days back," Dolan said.
Cuts to police overtime could also mean residents will see a reduction in special patrols and services.
"Unfortunately, this department survives on overtime. We have mandatory overtime, including sideshow enforcement on weekends, extension of shift if you're on an arrest," Dolan said.
The report says cuts are necessary because Oakland police and fire services comprise 70% of the city's general purpose fund.
The fallout from Oakland's budget crisis could also impact the city's public works department, arts programs, and the Oakland Department of Transportation.
Oakland resident Hydeh Ghaffari says her family was heartbroken to hear that the budget crisis could delay bicycle safety projects around Lake Merritt.
Ghaffari's granddaughter Maia Carreira was killed in a bicycle collision along Lake Merritt in 2023. The family has worked with city officials to add a safety barrier and a two-way bicycle lane along the Lakeshore Avenue corridor.
Ghaffari says Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas had planned to offer a resolution to name the bike lanes after Maia on Dec. 17.
Now, that resolution and the bicycle safety improvements where she died are on hold.
"The project that was supposed to be going on right now, isn't even going to start in the best-case scenario until the bonds are issued in March," Ghaffari said. "At this point in time, for all practical purposes, this project has been stopped indefinitely."
The city council meeting to discuss the budget is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 9 at 9:30 a.m.
Click here to see the report with proposed cuts.
Jana Katsuyama is a reporter for KTVU. Email Jana at jana.katsuyama@fox.com. Call her at 510-326-5529. Or follow her on Twitter @JanaKTVU and read her other reports on her bio page.