Learn about the 2025-2027 Budget

ANSWER: The budget includes the following key public safety elements--

• Police and Fire Academies: In order to employ sworn public safety officers the City must hold sworn academies. The budget includes one sworn fire academy in each fiscal year. The budget includes three sworn police academies in each fiscal year. The police academies are a component of a multi-year strategy to achieve the sworn officer count required under Measure NN.
• Police Staffing: This budget funds a total of 678 sworn police in both fiscal years. This is larger than the average number of officers that the City expects to have working over the course of those two fiscal years. FY 2025-26 is the first year of a multi-year plan to hire and fund the minimum number of officers under Measure NN, which is 700.
• Police Overtime: The budget provides for overtime in the amounts of $33.6 million in year one and $38.2 million in year two.  Overtime will be used for backfilling 911 response, investigations of violent crime, special operations such as supporting City fairs and festivals, and responding to sideshows.
• Fire Companies: This budget provides for the Operation of 23 Fire Engine companies throughout the City. The three engine companies browned out in FY 2024-25 will all be reopened, and two ongoing engine company brownouts will be rotated throughout the City as determined by the Fire Chief based upon estimated fire hazards and medical response needs. The budget funds operation of all Fire truck companies.
• Violence Prevention: This budget maintains and expands investments in the Department of Violence Prevention with resources from the General Purpose Fund and Measure NN to enhance capacity for dealing with those most likely to commit violent crimes. The budget right sizes DVP contracts and grants within the amounts required under Measure NN and focuses them on the strategies which drive reductions in violence.

ANSWER: The budget includes one sworn fire academy in each fiscal year. The budget includes three sworn police academies in each fiscal year.

ANSWER: This budget does unfortunately reduce more than 400 positions that would otherwise provide needed services to Oaklanders. Of these, roughly 240 are vacant in part thanks to the hiring freeze that has been in place most of the current fiscal year. An additional approximately 85 were frozen in the current year but funded in prior years. Eighty of these positions are currently filled, and while we expect most reductions of filled positions to be offset by funded vacancies in other parts of the City, there may be reductions in force to City staff. We expect actual reductions of force to be fewer than a dozen.

ANSWER: Current required payments to CalPERS for retiree pension benefits will continue to drive the City’s budget out of structural balance each year. While the proposed budget addresses these cost increases for the coming two fiscal years, these costs will increase by an additional $68 million between now and 2031, driving new significant shortfalls each fiscal year. There are a number of options to better manage these costs, including working with CalPERS on possible alternative amortization of past pension liabilities, using one-time revenue sources and debt to level the payments over time, or restructuring pension benefits for new employees.

ANSWER: The budget continues to assume the status quo allocation of federal resources to the City; however we are aware that many of these programs are under threat. The City does not have the resources to maintain certain programs absent federal funding, and thus we are preparing to rapidly adjust in case any funding is reduced.

ANSWER: This budget maintains current key investments in illegal dumping crews, encampment clean-up crews, abandoned auto enforcement, and environmental enforcement officers to address the problems of dirty streets and public spaces.

This budget projects collaborating with Alameda County to determine clear roles and responsibilities for health and support services for homelessness. As the County is able to pick up investments in these services the City can transition resources to encampment clean up and broader clean City functions.

ANSWER: The City of Oakland operates on a two-year budget cycle, with the next budget will covering July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. The current Interim Mayor is leading the budget development process with the City Administrator, Finance staff, and the Departments’ leadership. A draft budget proposal will be released on May 1. After that, the City Council takes over – reviewing, negotiating, and making changes before adopting a final budget.  

The special election for Oakland voters to choose a new permanent mayor is on April 15. Results could take up to 30 days to be certified by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters. Once certified, the City Council formally recognizes the results, and the new Mayor is sworn in.  

Traditionally, the Mayor continues to play a key role working with City Council throughout the process, regardless of who is in office. Therefore, the new Mayor will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the budget as well and the transition will not disrupt the process.  

ANSWER: Police overtime is complex because public safety needs can be unpredictable. Cutting overtime can mean reducing officers available for key priorities, but the City is working to manage those costs.

Efforts include:   

• A 25% reduction target for police overtime spending;
• Increased oversight--OPD now submits planned overtime requests to the Mayor’s Office and City Administrator’s Office for review;
• Approval of specific overtime requests, such as additional security for NBA All Star weekend, and public safety support for upcoming federal holidays, such as Juneteenth and Memorial Day; and
• Quarterly reports to track spending, with an update planned for the April City Council meeting.  

ANSWER: There are multiple opportunities for community input:  

• January 2025 survey: About 7,000 residents participated in a survey led by the Budget Advisory Commission (BAC), a volunteer group focused on the details of City budgeting best practices and budget education. Those results are also available online via the BAC web page. (You can find out more about how to become a part of the BAC itself.)
• Town halls in May and June: After the draft budget is released in May, City Councilmembers will host district-specific town halls where residents can submit their feedback.
  • Visit this page to find out who your Councilmember is based on where in Oakland you live.
  •  Sign up with each Council Office for their newsletters and updates to learn when they are scheduling town halls and other events.
• City Council meetings: Public meetings will be held in May and June, where residents can speak directly to elected leaders. Meetings are held at City Hall and streamed online.
• Join local organizations: Groups that actively work on budget issues participate in the budget process. Groups like the BAC, League of Women Voters and SPUR collaborated with the City in this budget cycle. Residents can explore, join or collaborate with these or any organizations whose work matters to you. 

ANSWER: Oakland is pursuing several strategies to increase revenue, including:   

• Collecting of unpaid business taxes;
• Encouraging economic development by streamlining and improving permitting and other services that support new investments; 
• Promoting cultural arts and local businesses through initiatives like Oakland Restaurant Week (March 20-30) and Oakland Small Business Week (May 4-10); 
• Expanding partnerships with labor groups and the City Council to identify additional revenue opportunities. 

ANSWER: A structural deficit happens when the City’s ongoing expenses exceed ongoing revenues. Addressing this requires long term solutions, not just one-time fixes.  

• Structural changes could include: 
• Reducing or eliminating certain services to cut costs 
• Investing in revenue-generating programs to increase income 
• Evaluating City priorities to determine where funds should be allocated 

The budget process will include discussions about which services to prioritize and sustain versus which may need adjustments.