Budget cuts looming for Oakland, leaving some worried about public safety
With a $200 million deficit, big budget cuts could be looming for Oakland, and the cuts some are most afraid of are those to public safety.
The police and fire departments are bracing for the worst, but how much gets cut hinges on the sale of Oakland's share of the Coliseum property.
If the sale goes through and the city gets at least $15 million by Sept. 1, the cuts may not be too drastic. Even though some say any cut at all will have a significant impact.
Bishop Bob Jackson with the Acts Full Gospel Church sees the impacts of crime every day in his community. It really hit home when he received this terrifying news.
"One of the young men that go to the church I pastor, he went to the movies last night," Bishop Bob Jackson said. "Coming out of the movies he was shot and just by the grace of god he wasn't killed."
So when he hears about potential cuts to public safety, he worries about how much worse crime could get.
"Law and order has to be restored in the City of Oakland," said BIshop Jackson. "The lawlessness has just gone too far."
According to the Oakland Police Officers Association, there are two scenarios: one to cut the force down to 678 from 712 officers or all the way down to 628.
"I can't see a solution on how we can effectively handle crimes and respond to calls in the city," said Huy Nguyen, OPOA President.
Nguyen argues the department has lower staffing levels than it did 25 years ago, when there were 50,000 fewer residents.
"They're asking whether it's difficult for a police officer to work here," asked Nguyen. "It's difficult for citizens to live in this city and that's the question we have to ask our citizens. At what point is enough is enough."
That is a question that Bishop Jackson contemplates frequently. He's demanding that elected officials at city hall make the city safe.
"We have to have public safety," said Bishop Jackson. "It has to be priority number one. If your city is not safe, it's not safe to live in your home, it's not safe to go to the store, it's not safe to go to the movies, my God, why are you living in a city like that."
With Mayor Sheng Thao fighting for her own political career, Bishop Jackson doesn't have much faith in the current leadership to get the job done.
"Absolutely positively unequivocally not. Not at all," he said.
The deadline to get a budget done is on July 1. There is a possibility of extending the deadline if an agreement cannot be reached.