New members of the Oakland City Council and school board were sworn in Monday, taking office amid a budget crisis brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
As city council members took the oath of office, Mayor Libby Schaaf did not mince words about the challenges they have before them.
"2021 will not be an easy year," she said.
The city is facing a $62 million budget shortfall, a gap that may continue to grow as local businesses close and employees are laid off due to ongoing shelter-in-place orders.
"It is where the cumulative effect of this global pandemic on our health our economy will come to rest," Schaaf said.
All city departments are being required to cut their budgets by 10% to 20%. But City Council Member Dan Kalb said he and his colleagues need to seek additional revenue to maintain vital city services.
"Even with that, we’ll have some difficult choices," Kalb said. "These are choices that have no good options. They’ll be all bad options and we’ll have to make a choice or two within them."
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