Demand a People-Centered 2025-2027 Budget for Oakland

City of Oakland & Oakland Councilmembers

The City of Oakland will adopt a balanced biennial 2025-2027 budget by the end of June and this adopted budget will significantly impact the lives of Oakland residents and workers. The Oakland People’s Budget Coalition is advocating for a people-centered budget that meets the needs of Oakland communities. The core mission of this coalition is to ensure public dollars serve the people of Oakland—especially our economically vulnerable, immigrant, and BIPOC communities—by investing in the services, revenue generation, programs, and staffing that allow our communities to thrive.

Oakland’s budget should prioritize safety and sustainability—not wasteful spending. This means holding the Oakland Police Department accountable for overspending. The Oakland Police Department’s overpolicing of Black, brown, Indigenous, immigrant, and unhoused communities harms residents and costs the city millions. Instead, Oakland must prioritize essential city services that take care of the people of Oakland and take steps towards real safety for all of us.

The Oakland People’s Budget Coalition fully understands the magnitude of the structural deficit facing our city. We do not take these challenges lightly, nor do we take lightly the challenges to live and thrive in the City of Oakland. We know that realistic, people-centered solutions exist—and that the budget is a moral document that reflects the City’s priorities. We are committed to fighting for a budget that serves the people of Oakland, holds corporate actors accountable, protects city workers, and ensures our most vulnerable residents are not left behind.

We will continue to work alongside our communities to advocate for a budget that meets the real needs of Oakland.

The Oakland People’s Budget Coalition was originally formed in late 2013 as ReFund & ReBuild Oakland by community, labor, and faith groups representing racially and economically diverse communities. 2025 Coalition members include EBASE, Street Level Health Project, Restore Oakland, Inc., REAL People’s Fund, Anti-Police Terror Project, Black Organizing Project, Oakland Rising, Black Arts Movement Business District Community Development Corporation of Oakland, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice, East Bay Housing Organizations, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Homeless Advocates Working Group, Centro Legal De La Raza, Parent Voices Oakland, Somos Familia, Showing Up for Racial Justice, and the Oakland Tenants Union

Sponsored by
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EBASE
Oakland, CA

To: City of Oakland & Oakland Councilmembers
From: [Your Name]

As an Oakland resident and/or worker, I am urging you to adopt a 2025-2027 fiscal budget that invests our city’s limited financial resources into key city programs and services, department staffing and infrastructure to meet the needs of Oakland’s diverse communities, especially economically vulnerable, immigrant, and BIPOC communities and neighborhoods.

Invest in Services & Revenue Generation: Oakland residents rely on their local government to invest in public services to maintain quality of life and the wellbeing of residents.
-Preserve revenue-generating positions
-Allow all laid off City workers to return to work.
-Fund programs such as Head Start that provide essential services for our most vulnerable, and directly address systemic inequities.
-Ensure that all fines, fees, taxes, and payments due to the City of Oakland are collected, especially those that are of the highest amounts and from corporations with the greatest wealth.
-Fund departments such as the Department of Violence Prevention and the Department of Workplace Employment Standards that provide critical services and generate revenue.

Invest in Homes: Housing is a Human Right!
-Fund tenant legal services.
-Replenish all funds withdrawn from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF).
-Complete the “Public Land 4 Public Good” legislation
-Cease encampment “sweeps” [evictions] without adherence to the city’s own encampment management policies.

Invest in Workers: Employment is essential for the economic health of this City and its residents.
-Fund early childhood education and Head Start.
-Allow laid off City workers to return to work and fund revenue-generating positions.
-Staff and Fund the Department of Workplace and Employment Standards
-Fund the Day Laborer Program.
-Fund Arts and Culture Programs.
-Fund MACRO

Invest in Community Engagement and Public Trust: Fund and staff boards and commissions as needed so that they are able to effectively carry out their charters.
-Explore opportunities for revenue generation within existing boards & commissions
-Fully fund the Oakland Police Commission as required by the City Charter
-Fund the public ethics commission.
-Fund Current Legislation

Invest in Community Safety: Oakland taxpayer dollars are being spent on OPD which fails to provide community safety, does not prevent crime or violence, and only “solves” 13% of violent crimes.
-Fund MACRO, DVP, Ceasefire, Head Start, DWES, OFD, Violence Interrupters, and countless other programs that prevent violence and crime.
-End OPD overspending. The amount of money budgeted to OPD should reflect only what is required by the MOU with the OPOA. Additional funds should not be allocated on top of initial budget allocations. OPD’s fiscal irresponsibility costs the people of Oakland. Do not renew the Shot Spotter contract again; cease excessive overtime overspending by OPD; halt the purchase of unnecessary police equipment; maintain the pursuit policy; civilianize OPD Internal Affairs as approved in the FY 2023-2025; civilianize other positions; review and update the Oakland Police Officers’ Association MOU; reaffirm and strengthen our Sanctuary City protections