News

Early Sunday morning, an OPD Sergeant and Officer responded to a call about a person in distress in the water near the Lake Merritt Channel, located in the 300 block of East 8th Street. 

Delivering Equitable ServicesPartnered with councilmembers and Oakland Youth Vote to put Measure QQ on the ballot, which was passed by voters in November 2022 and allowed Oakland 16 and 17 year-olds t …

Re-Imagining & Expanding Public SafetyLed City Council budget amendments to preserve and expand critical community safety measures such as funding 678 police officer positions, Crime Reduction Tea …

Housing Is A Human RightLed record investment in affordable housing with $224M, $8.8M for the Rapid Response Homeless Housing Acquisition Fund, and $1M for tenant legal services due to the sunset of t …

Join us at the Oakland Museum this Friday Night! Take Our Survey: Share Your Vision for Oakland's Future.

Congratulations to Trybe, Inc and community organizations in support of the on-going re-opening of Clinton Community Center and Park! The September 26th City of Oakland Clean and Safe City Townhall was another testament to Trybe and the community’s transformation of the center from a rundown, derelict building, to a warm, inviting, welcoming community gathering space. 

My office has been proud to partner with the City of Oakland, @OaklandTrybe Inc and 7 other community organizations to reactivate Clinton Park and Community Center. But we can’t do it alone. The City has managed the restoration of the building after over ten years of deferred maintenance, a fire on one side of the building during the pandemic, and replaced the roof to prevent leaks. Trybe is re-opening the building, painted, outreached to the unhoused, and beautified the center and park. Community partners have painted the mural and hosted regular cleanups, festivals, and events in the park. And– there’s still a ton of work and funds needed to re-open the center and park as a community gathering and programming space. Please join me by donating to this Gofundme to support @OaklandTrybe and #ClintonCommunityCenter. #Oaklandtrybe #LittleSaigon

Last Friday, we celebrated Dream youth clinic’s first ever Open House in the newly expanded Dream Youth Clinic space!

My office has had the pleasure of working with Dr. Mays through our Council on Human Trafficking, looking specifically at interventions that truly meet the needs of survivors for housing and safety as well as job opportunities, counseling and mental health support.

I have been committed to addressing human trafficking and exploitation. Working with our neighbors in San Antonio district, one of the areas in Oakland most impacted by trafficking, we have implemented solutions that immediately address traffic and community safety while engaging in looking at long term solutions to this hundreds of years old problem.

Dream Youth Clinic has served the most vulnerable minors in Oakland since 2017. That is our Black girls, Black boys, youth of color and gender expansive youth; specifically sex trafficked, unsheltered, and in foster care youth are the focus of their work.
Dr. Mays and the entire team have dedicated themselves to ensuring that this clinic remains open and you better believe moved mountains to make it possible in this time of transition to ensure services are uninterrupted.

The health services they provide at no cost to young people are so critical and just as as critical are the opportunities for leadership development and civic engagement created through the youth groups, ensuring our reproductive and health justice movements are led by those most impacted, and their brilliance.

It was such an honor to be there celebrating this incredible and safe space for youth, I am committed to do everything in my power as an elected and a community leader to support and help grow this incredible institution✨

#openhouse #dreamyouthclinic #youthclinic #teenclinic #teenhealth #nocostclinic #oaklandyouth #oaklandteens #healthiseverything #reproductivejustice #localimpact #nationalreach #thefutureisnow #dreamyouthfutures

For Immediate Release: July 2, 2024

Council President Bas and Her Budget Team Avert Drastic Cuts to Public Safety while Facing a Decades-Long Structural Deficit Head-on 

Oakland, CA —This afternoon, the Oakland City Council passed the Council President Budget Team’s Public Safety Budget Motion and adopted a responsible, balanced midcycle budget for FY 24-25. This budget supports the greatest investment in public safety from police, fire and violence prevention among the options Council considered. 

“It’s only by investing in community safety and our most vulnerable residents that we will achieve a safer, healthier, thriving Oakland. Despite grappling with a structural deficit decades in the making, this budget ensures we continue to make significant strides in reducing crime, cleaning up our streets, and fostering economic development to boost local revenue and job creation,” said Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas. “I am grateful to everyone in our City government who participated in developing the solutions reflected in this budget and to the City Council for voting in the best interest of the city and people we serve.”   

While closing a $177M deficit, this balanced midcycle budget focuses on delivering effective, equitable services to Oaklanders rooted in our city’s values of racial equity, fiscal responsibility, transparency and results.  

The adopted Midcycle Budget includes the following highlights:

Fiscal Responsibility: This budget includes a September 1 trigger date for a Contingency Budget if revenue from the sale of the Oakland Coliseum does not arrive by then; directs the City Administrator to work with the Council President & Finance Chair on a voluntary Disclosure Statement to our investors, and directs the City Administrator to come back to Council at a special meeting in late July/early August to review the Contingency Budget, including safety operations with Police, Fire and Violence Prevention Chiefs, and provide an update on the citywide Strategic Planning Process to address the structural deficit. 

Police Department: Budgets for 678 police officer positions, three police academies, $39.1 million overtime budget, maintains Ceasefire Unit and Crime Reduction Teams, includes full staffing of 9-1-1, and restores 3 OPD civilian investigators.

Fire Department: All fire engines remain operational, and restores 1 Fire Captain; Freezes instead of deletes 9 Fire Inspectors.

Violence Prevention Dept: Adds 5 new Ceasefire positions, maintaining  capacity to add new clients.

Community Safety Ambassadors: Invests $1.5 million in critical business corridors across the City. 

Sideshow prevention in East Oakland & citywide: Adds $200,000 for traffic and environmental design prevention efforts.  

Homelessness: Continues Oakland’s investments in affordable housing, tenant protections and homeless services, restores 1 Program Analyst II in Community Homelessness Services Division.

Community services: Maintains funding for all senior centers, animal shelters, and recreation programs. Supports illegal dumping removal, abandoned auto removal, fixing street signs, and repainting curbs and crosswalks.

Economic development: Funds new Film Initiative and investment in the downtown Convention Center. 

Revenue-generation: Adds revenue generating positions including two Parking Control Technicians, Independent Audit to improve revenue collection, and exploration of a sales tax increase that could generate up to $20 million annually.

Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas led the City Council’s midcycle budget amendments with her Budget Team, consisting of Council President Pro Tempore Dan Kalb (District 1, North Oakland), Councilmember Carroll Fife (District 3, West Oakland) and Councilmember Kevin Jenkins (District 6, East Oakland). 

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#FilipinoAmericanHistoryMonth! With Filipino Americans being one of the largest Asian American groups in the country and the East Bay, it's important to recognize our pursuits, triumphs, and legacies; listen to stories of our lived experiences; and get to know the culture that we brought with us to America, which forms part of the diverse landscape of the U.S.

I’m thankful for Fil-Am leaders like author/activist Carlos Bulosan, historian/activist Dawn Mabalon, and Manong #LarryItliong's historic role fighting for farmworker rights.

As a daughter of immigrants from the Philippines, I'm honored to be Oakland's first Pinay Councilmember and hopeful to become Alameda County's first Pinay Supervisor. Let's continue our collective work to make justice real for all our communities.

Mayor Thao Issues Executive Order Supporting Encampment Management PolicyOAKLAND - Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao issued an Executive Order today directing all City of Oakland departments to fully execute t …