Related
The Oakland Police Department will not have to face another budget cut after the City Council voted against a budget reduction this week.
Mayor Libby Schaaf cast the deciding vote against the proposal to cut the budget by $11 million.
"I think that the budget that the council had already adopted was responsible and responsive," she told KCBS Radio, referring to an earlier cut of $14 million that passed in June. "We need to co-create this reimagined public safety with the public. We need to do it in a transparent way. The proposals to further cut the department refused to identify which services Oaklanders would go without, and that really needs to be part of the conversation."
The police department has an annual budget of about $300 million, which makes up 44% of the city’s total budget.
But while many Oakland residents support defunding the police, Mayor Schaaf said the OPD is already a small department. "Oakland does have the lowest officer per crime staffing of any city in America."
She said more changes are coming, such as a non-police emergency response team for when citizens need help, but not a gun and a badge.
"Stay tuned, because I think that is going to be transformational," said Mayor Schaaf.
The vote comes less than a week after the mayor's house was vandalized by a group that left spray painted messages saying 'Defund OPD' and Cancel Rent.'