What to know about Measure NN: Oakland votes to tax itself for more police
Oakland police investigate a fatal shooting that happened about 12:48 p.m. in the 1300 block of 99th Avenue near International Boulevard in East Oakland, Calif., on Friday, April 19, 2024. A man was pronounced dead at the scene and other one pronounc
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland is battling a crime wave, prodding residents to consider renewing a local tax to fund police, fire, and violence prevention services.
What is Measure NN?
The proposed Measure NN would allocate local tax dollars to reduce gun violence and property crimes by expanding police and fire services and improving 911 response times.
The measure, developed by a coalition of Oakland community leaders, small businesses, and residents known as Oaklanders Together, secured 37,800 signatures to place it on the November ballot as the Oakland Community Violence and Emergency Response Act of 2024.
If passed, Measure NN would hike the parking tax surcharge from 8.5% to 10% starting in January 2025 and increase the parcel tax for single-family residences to $198 annually over nine years from the current $133, Oaklandside reports. The tax for multi-family units would rise from $91 to $132 per unit, effective July 2025.
How much money would the proposed tax generate?
The tax is projected to generate approximately $47 million a year.
The funds would improve police and fire services by boosting staffing, with 60% allocated to the police department, 40% to the Department of Violence Prevention, and $3 million allocated to the fire department, according to the League of Women Voters Oakland, which supports the ballot measure.
This initiative follows the 2014 Oakland Public Safety and Services Violence Prevention Act, set to expire at the year's end, which brought in $30 million annually.
To pass, Measure NN needs a majority "yes" vote.