Community safety is Oakland’s top priority, and I am extremely disappointed we missed a grant opportunity to bring more resources to our City. The City Administrator is investigating what happened in order to prevent this from happening again.
As Council President, I gave input to the city staff responsible for writing and submitting the grant, and I stood ready to lead the Council process to accept and appropriate the grant if awarded.
I remain committed to securing more resources for Oakland. I am also very grateful to our city staff who worked collaboratively across departments and with our business community to craft strong a proposal to help deter and solve crimes, which we can share with other partners to get the resources our community needs.
During our budget process, I added directives, which the Council approved, to have the City Administrator develop a plan for increased revenue generation and hire a grant writer focused on community safety. The grant writer position is being expedited and a report on the position and hiring process should come to City Council in October.
We know our residents and businesses are experiencing fear and frustration, and we are all committed to a safer Oakland.
