I am Oakland’s Violence Prevention Coalition and Executive Director of Love Never Fails anti-trafficking organization that provides housing, workforce development, outreach, and clinical care to survivors of human trafficking actively sold in Oakland. Thank you for starting the process of dedicating funding resources to eradicating human trafficking. Love Never Fails believes this issue can be solved with the right commitment to education, advocacy, outreach, housing, workforce development, and counseling and hope you will use the pain that we are experiencing today to push back on future legislation such as SB357 which has provided impunity to sex buyers. As VPC Chair I want to thank the council for working diligently to close the budgetary gap for the DVP funded nonprofits and urge you to continue to look for ways to make us whole. Please give consideration to equity when making your decision. For example, An Oakland city outreach worker makes $75-90k a year whereas the outreach workers that work at our VPC nonprofits typically make half that. When we cut a DVP funded nonprofits we are cutting those who not equally paid, who have personally experienced violence and are often sacrificing their own comfort to do this work. Please make sure that the cuts are equitable and that the people in the field are honored for their sacrifice. Lastly, please closely measured and reported publicly grant writing efforts. We should never be in this situation again.

Hello, I'm an Oakland renter in District 2, and a volunteer with Care 4 Community Action.

I support Councilmember Carroll Fife’s budget amendments, particularly for traffic calming and safety improvements to keep families safe from the dangers of speeding cars in their neighborhoods, as well as increased funding for survivors of gender-based violence through the Department of Violence Prevention.

I strongly oppose the mayor’s proposal to increase the police budget by $40 million over two years, from $683m to $723m, while cutting important services our communities depend on, like transitional housing, violence prevention services, job development, youth programming, arts and culture, and more. Police do not prevent violence, they respond after it occurs. We need to invest in violence prevention. Community programs and social services are what prevent violence, not more cops, more admin support for cops, or military gear. By simply not increasing the police budget, the mayor and city council could avoid these painful cuts to social services several times over.

I support the mayor’s proposed alternatives to policing, including civilianizing internal affairs out of OPD, MACRO, traffic calming measures.

Along with a group of downtown stakeholders including large employers, small businesses, Business Improvement Districts, and beloved arts and cultural institutions we have been meeting to coordinate shared public safety and economic recovery goals. Oakland BIDs represent an investment of over 8 million dollars into Oakland’s Commercial Districts to provide public services and ambassadors that keep our streets cleaner and safer, BIDS also mobilize stakeholders as volunteers for the coordination and improvement of the commercial Districts, a significant contribution. Public safety is a critical priority – when people don’t feel safe, they don’t come out to shop, gather, engage in cultural and social activities, and business and the revenue they generate for all of us in the City are at risk. Therefore we ask for the City’s partnership in prioritizing public safety: Ensure walking officers are staffed – 15 total, and expand community safety ambassadors throughout all commercial neighborhoods city wide – so that Oakland’s commercial neighborhoods continue to be its economic, civic, cultural and social lifeblood. We are committed to working with our City partners to keep our commercial neighborhoods welcoming to all and resilient in these extraordinarily challenging times.

Hello, I'm an Oakland renter in District 2, and also a volunteer with Care 4 Community Action. I want to thank Councilmember Carroll Fife for her leadership and want to support in particular three of her budget amendments:
- More funding for survivors of gender-based violence through the Department of Violence Prevention: These are exactly the kinds of public safety services we need more of, not less.
- More funding for enhanced traffic safety infrastructure: More than 35 people died from traffic collisions in this last year, needless deaths that could have been prevented through investments in traffic safety, such as traffic calming measures. Oakland residents deserve safe, well-maintained streets, and these funds should be prioritized.
- Opposing cuts to Lake Merritt Lodge: These cuts are the opposite direction we need from city leadership, of taking away housing from 100 vulnerable elders. Housing and homelessness are a top priority for Oakland residents, while we have 5,000 residents currently living on the street. I strongly support Councilmember Fife's amendments to ensure that the current residents can retain their housing.

Thank you for your consideration to ensure that vital community investments are protected.

Dear Oakland City Council,

I am writing to oppose the current increase to the budget for the Oakland Police Department while the budgets for the Department of Violence Prevention, Cultural Affairs, and other departments see decreases. The increase to OPD’s budget for the next two years could pay for all these vital city programs more than three times over. Without the community healing program I wouldn’t have been able to learn healthy ways to take care of myself and continue to grow as a leader. Contrary to your beliefs increasing the Oakland Police Department’s budget won’t keep us safe. I am speaking from personal experience, I have benefited from the DVP’s community healing initiative through working with Urban Peace Movement. And making cuts to necessary community programs will do much harm,youth programs are vital to violence prevention.

I oppose current increases to the budget for Oakland Police Dept while the budgets for Dept of Violence Prevention, Cultural Affairs, & other departments are being decreased. The increase to OPD's budget for the next 2 years could pay for all these vital city programs more then 3 times over. I speak from personal experience, having benefitted from DVP's community healing initiative via Urban Peace Movement. On 9-28-2022, my partner was shot in a school shooting at King Estates while at work for OUSD. He spent 7 weeks in the ICU at Highland and died on 11-17-2022. This was a devastating experience for so many in our community. Urban Peace Movement played the lead role in collaboration with OUSD Superintendent's Ofc, OUSD Buildings & Grounds Dept, Rudsdale HS, and our family to plan and host a community healing vigil @ King Estates in May. Thanks to Urban Peace Movement, hundreds of people, including Rudsdale students and staff, OUSD Buildings & Grounds employees, and David's friends and family, had the opportunity to process our grief and loss together and leverage the power of community for our healing. It was a beautiful and well organized event with a diversity of culturally relevant practices. It helped us all who have been so deeply traumatized by this school shooting. I've also found their Heal-R-Town healing circle to be beneficial to my healing journey. I urge you to make cuts to wasteful OPD spending (identified by the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force.)

I am a resident of Oakland for over a decade, and I have worked as an educator in schools and in juvenile detention. I am strongly opposed to raising the budget for Oakland police. Community violence is a complex problem that requires proven and layered solutions which include youth development programming, arts, housing, mental health and violence prevention programs. Putting more police in our communities does not solve the problem and in many cases increases violence against youth and families of color. There are many ways to cut OPD spending that would be beneficial to our communities, including civilianizing internal affairs and other positions. Please put Oaklanders first and DO NOT increase OPD's funding.

Please support a budget that commits to funding for arts, housing, and violence prevention and does not increase funding to OPD in any form or fashion. Support the Pepples Budget in support of the people of Oakland.

I am writing to STRONGLY support the Council President's Team Amendments (Bas, Fife, Jenkins, Kaplan). I am a D3 resident and D3 small business owner and I believe these amendments are an essential step in making the City of Oakland a thriving, safe and equitable city. All of these proposed amendments are important, but I would like to emphasize the investment in Community Ambassadors/Safety Improvements for Business Corridors, expanding MACRO, focusing on violence prevention, providing more resources for homelessness prevention and increasing funding for the Dept.of Traffic and Parking.

We need non-police solutions to the rampant, post-pandemic problems that are affecting our city and the Bas amendments are a good starting point. But we can do all of this and more if we reduce the percentage of the budget going to OPD. It has to be a more holistic, multifaceted approach to community safety and community problem solving.

Lastly, I would also like to emphasize the importance of arts and culture funding. Oakland can be one of the premiere cultural destinations in the world, but we have to invest in programs that support the artists of today and nurture the artists of tomorrow. People come to Oakland from everywhere to experience the vibrancy of our cultural offerings, from music and dance to food, cocktails, art and everything in between. If those things go away, we lose a huge part of why people come here, whey people want to live here and why people spend their money here.

I am 10+ year Oakland resident, and I ask that the city budget reduce spending on Oakland Police department's ineffective and costly efforts, including the purchase of military hardware, vehicles & crafts, their recruitment videos and costs associated with advertising them on latforms like Hulu, and OPD mounted patrol (horses). I assert that civilianizing many of OPD's duties such as service technicians, evidence technicians, investigators, administrative positions, IT, and OPD’s office of internal accountability would further reduce costs. These funds should be invested in Council President Bas' amendments with the budget team supporting the Department of Violence Prevention and Cultural Affairs, and the Office of Inspector General to administer internal accountability for OPD.

All the data tells us that the Oakland Police Department fails at meeting the urgent needs of our community. That's why we reject Mayor Sheng Thao's proposed two-year budget that grows the police budget by $40 million while defunding important services our communities depend on like transitional housing, violence prevention, youth programming, and more.

Please, please, please vote NO to more funding for the ineffective OPD at the expense of our communities! We demand that the Mayor and City Council invest in Oaklanders, NOT more policing, to ensure that our communities can thrive!

I am writing to urge city council to adopt the Bas budget to ensure supports for Arts and Cultural programming and for violence prevention programming that actually supports the community and does not further criminalize Oakland residents. We know that increased policing does not make our community safer and and that community-based programming and investments in culture have a major impact on our neighborhoods and on our residents.

SUPPORT- Kaplan, Fife, and Jenkins’ proposed amendment to the FY24-25 budget to add $1 million per year to fund tenant legal services through the Oakland Housing Secure collaborative (OHS). This is essential to keeping tenants stably housed and prioritizing public safety efforts. Housing stability is foundational in keeping our communities safe and resourced.

The OHS collaborative implements a coordinated anti-displacement strategy, including legal services for tenants, social and stability services, and emergency financial assistance to keep Oakland residents in their homes, including critical eviction defense representation. It is alarming that even though their budget is fully intact, HCD was cutting all funding for tenant legal services in their proposed budget. The OHS Collaborative has kept thousands of tenants housed – and therefore has prevented worsening the houselessness crisis we see in our city. Reducing funding for this crucial resource as the eviction moratorium lifts seems inhumane and ill-informed.

Already, we have seen eviction numbers skyrocket in many cities in Alameda County since May 2023 when the County moratorium lifted. In Oakland, we are seeing eviction lawsuits rise dramatically despite the mitigating effects of extending the moratorium through July 15, 2023. We learned that 578 eviction lawsuits were filed in May 2023 in the county, which is 500% higher than the number of evictions filed in April – prior to the moratorium lifting.

Hello my name is Stanley hunt , I reside in district 3 and I stand in support of the people’s budget

I urge you to consider standing with the PEOPLE'S BUDGET, with no amendments to cutting the city staff. To redirect monies from the police department into prevention programs, To not consolidate the homeless and the Violence Prevention departments together. No overtime to the police department. For more transparency from all departments of the city of Oakland especially the police department.

It’s important to find the funds needed to support arts/culture, affordable housing and violence prevention. Giving more money to the police is not the answer.

I support the BAS Budget proposal, with emphasis on Violence Prevention and support for the DVP.

But I also support a grant writer, provided that such person spend equal time on grants for the Dept of Violence Prevention and emphasize community led policing.

My name is J. Noven, I represent over 10 Oakland worker-owned businesses as part of the Network of Bay Area Worker Cooperatives. On behalf of the REAL People’s Fund and Oakland’s BIPOC businesses and co-ops, I support the Council President’s amendments for Good Jobs & Vibrant Economy.

However, the inclusion of last minute funding for surveillance cameras in business districts is a betrayal to the businesses who've worked tirelessly to pass the Progressive Business Tax and elect the current city leadership. We know that surveillance cameras criminalize the same entrepreneurs and artists who make up our small business community, and distract from the real imperative of investing in the deep holistic safety of our local business districts. Please direct those monies to the FTIP and other business grant programs our co-ops need.

Please also consider the following:
1. Prioritize funding for community and grassroots-led safety ambassadors in areas that are not already represented by BIDs or associations
2. Please consider earmarking and reinvesting 5-10% of revenue generated from the Progressive Business Tax into funding for BIPOC businesses and co-ops.

Lastly, we ask council members to support a People’s Budget that works for ALL of Oakland, and invests violence prevention programs, support for unhoused, essential city services, democracy dollars and protecting arts and culture in Oakland. Thank you.

I urge the council to adopt the Bas budget and reject any further amendments that would grow the OPD budget or redirect resources from community serving programs and departments. If additional revenue sources are identified, the council should restore more funding to community led violence prevention and interruption programs. The safest communities don’t have the most cops, they have the most resources.

Hello Councilmembers, my name is Caitlin McKenna and I'm a District 3 resident. I support CP Bas’ Budget Team’s amendments. The budget must reject cuts to programs critical to our public safety. We will not be safe until every tenant is protected from abusive landlords, every resident is housed, and the arts and other proven violence prevention initiatives are supported. Oakland's Reimagining Public Safety Task Force and the Budget Advisory Commission have already identified areas of the OPD budget that can be cut like: curbing runaway overtime spending, cutting ineffective police academies, civilianizing positions, eliminating non-essential programming, and more. For this reason, I oppose CM Ramachandran’s proposal to fund an OPD Grant Writer position, CM Reid's proposal on traffic enforcement and commercial surveillance, and CM Kalb’s proposal for a lateral academy and ten unfrozen OPD positions.

We also need a budget that empowers regular Oaklanders by investing in our democracy. Without funding for Democracy Dollars, public funding for fair elections in Oakland will be completely erased. With Democracy Dollars, working Oaklanders will have more power over decisions that impact our communities—such as affordable housing, community safety, and quality schools. Lastly, I ask that you center the needs of the people by earmarking and reinvesting 5-10% of revenue generated from the Progressive Business Tax into programming and funding for BIPOC businesses.

Thank you, Caitlin