OAKLAND, Calif. (KCBS RADIO) – Oakland may be on track for a couple of grim budgetary years as Mayor Sheng Thao stares down a record shortfall.
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The $4.2 billion spending plan is set to go before the Oakland City Council on Wednesday. The good news is the plan does not include layoffs, the bad news — it doesn't add a lot of jobs either.
The budget is set to freeze many jobs in the police department, which is already struggling with a shortage of 100 cops.
Oakland Police Officers' Association President Barry Donelan said he's not surprised. "The resident who's going to call 911 and how long it's going to take for a police officer to get there," he said. "They don't care or are interested in the details of the budget, they just need a police officer and unfortunately I just don't see this budget as a recipe to speed up that wait that the residents are already experiencing."
Councilmember Noel Gallo said they have until July 30 to figure out what the city’s priorities are. From what he’s hearing from residents, the top of the list should be public safety.
"Everyone's driving their kids to school and picking them up at the end of the day because they feel that it’s not safe," he explained. "Those are realities that we as a community have to be able to solve together and not just rely on federal dollars to take care of it."
Thao blames the shortfall on federal COVID-19 money ending and a drop in tax revenue from home sales.
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