Thank you for an excellent article. Taking the Wayback Machine a bit further: in 2004 voters passed Measure Y which set a minimum police staffing level of 803. The city misspent those funds (estimate is $15M) and was sued. From Ballotpedia:
"In March, 2010, Ms. Sacks filed a second lawsuit, alleging that by failing to appropriate funding for police academies, the City had failed to comply with the requirements of Measure Y. Measure Y requires that the City, at a minimum, at least "appropriate" sufficient funding to "maintain" non-Measure Y police staffing at 739 officers. Ms. Sacks argued that because annual attrition is over 50 officers a year, the City's failure to budget for or schedule police academies since the fall of 2008 was inconsistent with the need to "maintain" the threshold staffing and appropriation requirements, and therefore, the City was prohibited from collecting Measure Y taxes for 2009/10 and 2010/11. Ms. Sacks' second lawsuit also alleged violations referred to in the City Auditor's report, and failure to comply with the California Public Records Act. Following the layoffs of 80 police officers in July, 2010, the City discontinued the collection of Measure Y taxes, but placed a new measure on the November ballot to eliminate the threshold requirements."
Oakland's government views us as revenue sources and has no qualms about blatantly lying in order to get additional taxes and fees. They have cooked the books with a fake surplus to justify doling out salary increases and bonuses to staff (not to mention the blatantly corrupt self-dealing of more than doubling city council pay). And at the same time, we have a Financial Crisis that they use to justify not staffing the police department up to grossly inadequate, minimal levels. Both things cannot be true: we have either a Financial Surplus (hence do not need a new parcel tax) or we have a Financial Crisis (and cannot justify any raises of bonuses).
The third option is that we do have a Financial Crisis and need to reduce city spending down to a breakeven level while funding the top priorities of Oakland residents: public safety (more police), remove homeless encampments (reducing the risk of medieval diseases and crime), and maintaining proper and functioning infrastructure (including getting rid of illegal dumping).
Oakland will never achieve its potential until it provides the proper basic services for which we pay. Business will not invest here. People will continue to move out. The apparent business model of replacing productive taxpayers with more and more government dependents in depressing hive-like high density buildings is a cynical agenda of padding the voter roles. It may win elections, but it is sending the city into a death spiral. Bankruptcy is an increasing likelihood. DC and CA are not going to bail us out. Doubling down on a structural deficit while failing in their duties to the public is malfeasance.
Thank you for your comment, and for bringing up Measure Y (2004) and providing a great summary of the issues around it. Our next installment will delve into this in more detail as we examine Measure NN and the city's ongoing failure to keep its promises about police staffing. Thank you again; the discussion is appreciated.
These are the vital, serious, non-ideological stories Oakland has been going without for years. Oaklandside ignores them out of ignorance, inability, or pure amateur doctrinal notions of "Journalism." The EB Times, run by a salary-slashing hedge fund, struggles to find its voice. The Chronicle doesn't even bother anymore to report real news stories (i.e. didn't even note the massive bike arrests on the Bay Bridge a week or two ago) and has become, at best, the new SF Bay Guardian. If you care at all about quality news, accountability, and the future of Oakland, please support Oakland Report – and spread the word.
Excellent article Sean. Thank you so much. It is so important for Oaklanders to hold our elected officials accountable. We need to stop passing new taxes to cover up for what is not being done. In addition we need to make Oakland productive again with revenue from manufacturing and business. Once again thank you for this much needed article. I am looking forward to the next installement. Mindy Pechenuk, candidate for Oakland Mayor 2026
Wow! Thank you! I would argue the wildfire prevention is a failure in many ways. Our backyard is next to a wildfire area on an EBRPD park. Plus many neighbors are violating the wildfire standards of no trees near chimney, over the roof and more. But Oakland inspectors walk down the street, and pass everyone, even if they can see problems. They do not go to the backyards and are no doubt reluctant to cite people because it pisses them off and yelled at.
But come on, that's nothing compared to what PG&E workers go through who try to trim trees. From Blunt K (2022) California Burning: the fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and what it means for Americas power grid.
[at a presentation]... We readily accept the proposition that something more needs to be done to address these issues. Orsini began walking through the many complexities of vegetation management: high-risk trees versus low-risk trees, growth between inspections, dead branches taking flight during windstorms. On top of all that, he said, many landowners were unwilling to part with trees on their properties. “I’ve gone out there with some of the crews,” he said. “It’s an inherently dangerous job not just because you’re climbing trees, but because of people armed with firearms—”
PG&E faced real opposition from homeowners in removing potentially dangerous trees, yet another reason why the risk of fire would never be zero.
On November 2nd the Mercury news ran a story about a resident with a gun scaring PG&E away from cutting 2 gray pine trees that later started the Zogg fire.that killed four people and destroyed over 200 buildings in Redding. I did a search and found that homeowners in Marin county, Nevada City, Mountain View and too many other places to list also made the news by protesting PG&E tree cutting. Especially because the homeowner is responsible to remove the wood
Would like to hear the reasons for the unavoidable circumstances, were they ever resolved (for example, taking 2 years to release KK money, and approve paving contracts)
Thank you for an excellent article. Taking the Wayback Machine a bit further: in 2004 voters passed Measure Y which set a minimum police staffing level of 803. The city misspent those funds (estimate is $15M) and was sued. From Ballotpedia:
"In March, 2010, Ms. Sacks filed a second lawsuit, alleging that by failing to appropriate funding for police academies, the City had failed to comply with the requirements of Measure Y. Measure Y requires that the City, at a minimum, at least "appropriate" sufficient funding to "maintain" non-Measure Y police staffing at 739 officers. Ms. Sacks argued that because annual attrition is over 50 officers a year, the City's failure to budget for or schedule police academies since the fall of 2008 was inconsistent with the need to "maintain" the threshold staffing and appropriation requirements, and therefore, the City was prohibited from collecting Measure Y taxes for 2009/10 and 2010/11. Ms. Sacks' second lawsuit also alleged violations referred to in the City Auditor's report, and failure to comply with the California Public Records Act. Following the layoffs of 80 police officers in July, 2010, the City discontinued the collection of Measure Y taxes, but placed a new measure on the November ballot to eliminate the threshold requirements."
https://ballotpedia.org/Oakland_Parking_Lot_and_Parcel_Tax,_Measure_Y_(November_2004)
Oakland's government views us as revenue sources and has no qualms about blatantly lying in order to get additional taxes and fees. They have cooked the books with a fake surplus to justify doling out salary increases and bonuses to staff (not to mention the blatantly corrupt self-dealing of more than doubling city council pay). And at the same time, we have a Financial Crisis that they use to justify not staffing the police department up to grossly inadequate, minimal levels. Both things cannot be true: we have either a Financial Surplus (hence do not need a new parcel tax) or we have a Financial Crisis (and cannot justify any raises of bonuses).
The third option is that we do have a Financial Crisis and need to reduce city spending down to a breakeven level while funding the top priorities of Oakland residents: public safety (more police), remove homeless encampments (reducing the risk of medieval diseases and crime), and maintaining proper and functioning infrastructure (including getting rid of illegal dumping).
Oakland will never achieve its potential until it provides the proper basic services for which we pay. Business will not invest here. People will continue to move out. The apparent business model of replacing productive taxpayers with more and more government dependents in depressing hive-like high density buildings is a cynical agenda of padding the voter roles. It may win elections, but it is sending the city into a death spiral. Bankruptcy is an increasing likelihood. DC and CA are not going to bail us out. Doubling down on a structural deficit while failing in their duties to the public is malfeasance.
Thank you for your comment, and for bringing up Measure Y (2004) and providing a great summary of the issues around it. Our next installment will delve into this in more detail as we examine Measure NN and the city's ongoing failure to keep its promises about police staffing. Thank you again; the discussion is appreciated.
These are the vital, serious, non-ideological stories Oakland has been going without for years. Oaklandside ignores them out of ignorance, inability, or pure amateur doctrinal notions of "Journalism." The EB Times, run by a salary-slashing hedge fund, struggles to find its voice. The Chronicle doesn't even bother anymore to report real news stories (i.e. didn't even note the massive bike arrests on the Bay Bridge a week or two ago) and has become, at best, the new SF Bay Guardian. If you care at all about quality news, accountability, and the future of Oakland, please support Oakland Report – and spread the word.
Excellent article Sean. Thank you so much. It is so important for Oaklanders to hold our elected officials accountable. We need to stop passing new taxes to cover up for what is not being done. In addition we need to make Oakland productive again with revenue from manufacturing and business. Once again thank you for this much needed article. I am looking forward to the next installement. Mindy Pechenuk, candidate for Oakland Mayor 2026
Wow! Thank you! I would argue the wildfire prevention is a failure in many ways. Our backyard is next to a wildfire area on an EBRPD park. Plus many neighbors are violating the wildfire standards of no trees near chimney, over the roof and more. But Oakland inspectors walk down the street, and pass everyone, even if they can see problems. They do not go to the backyards and are no doubt reluctant to cite people because it pisses them off and yelled at.
But come on, that's nothing compared to what PG&E workers go through who try to trim trees. From Blunt K (2022) California Burning: the fall of Pacific Gas and Electric—and what it means for Americas power grid.
[at a presentation]... We readily accept the proposition that something more needs to be done to address these issues. Orsini began walking through the many complexities of vegetation management: high-risk trees versus low-risk trees, growth between inspections, dead branches taking flight during windstorms. On top of all that, he said, many landowners were unwilling to part with trees on their properties. “I’ve gone out there with some of the crews,” he said. “It’s an inherently dangerous job not just because you’re climbing trees, but because of people armed with firearms—”
PG&E faced real opposition from homeowners in removing potentially dangerous trees, yet another reason why the risk of fire would never be zero.
On November 2nd the Mercury news ran a story about a resident with a gun scaring PG&E away from cutting 2 gray pine trees that later started the Zogg fire.that killed four people and destroyed over 200 buildings in Redding. I did a search and found that homeowners in Marin county, Nevada City, Mountain View and too many other places to list also made the news by protesting PG&E tree cutting. Especially because the homeowner is responsible to remove the wood
Thank you so much for publishing this.
Would like to hear the reasons for the unavoidable circumstances, were they ever resolved (for example, taking 2 years to release KK money, and approve paving contracts)