Oakland Budget Advances Shared Public Safety Priorities
In a move that surprised many, Oakland City Council adopted its FY 2025-2027 budget yesterday, June 11th, weeks ahead of the legal June 30th deadline.
Facing a daunting budget cycle with a $265 million structural deficit, city leaders thoughtfully navigated the budget process and proposed a strong, “back to basics” budget that is laser-focused on delivering core city services, primarily in the areas of public safety, cleanliness, and economic revitalization.
Months of advocacy on the part of the Bay Area Council are reflected in the adopted budget, particularly in advancing public safety priorities. The Bay Area Council launched an Oakland safety campaign in 2024 as part of the work of its broader Public Safety Committee and in recent months has been urging city leadership to make public safety their top funding priority in the FY25-27 budget.
Key highlights in public safety and cleanliness in the adopted budget include:
- New investments in sworn officer recruitment
- Restoration of civilian safety positions to free up officers for patrol and field work
- Increased capacity for five remaining police academy classes
- $1 million for technology and campaigns to prevent blight and illegal dumping
- Additional support for abandoned vehicle removal
- Sufficient funding to keep all 25 fire stations in operation
- $1+ million for sideshow prevention
- Increased funding for special operations to combat human trafficking
The Bay Area Council is also encouraged by the additional investments in the adopted budget in economic revitalization efforts, including millions for business incentive programs and economic opportunity zones.
A summary of the changes proposed by the City Council Budget Team can be found here, and additional budget information can be found here.
The Bay Area Council expresses its gratitude to the Oakland City Council for responding to the urgent calls from Oakland residents, employers, and visitors and adopting a budget that prioritizes safety and cleanliness.
But our work doesn’t stop here. The Bay Area Council will continue to advocate for more strategic deployment of officers and use of limited resources in the short term to maximize OPD efficiency and capacity, and for more sworn officers for the department in the long term. The Bay Area Council’s Oakland safety coalition will also continue pushing forward the broader policy recommendations laid out in a recent Economic Institute report, Making Oakland Safe and Its Economy Strong: A Vision for Lasting Change. The report outlines a detailed policy agenda and changes that are still needed in order to truly reverse the city’s economic and public safety challenges.
Bay Area Council members are invited to sign-on to a coalition letter that calls for continued leadership, investment, and prioritization of public safety in Oakland. You can sign the letter here.
