Councilmember Kalb's Budget and Revenue Information Page

Every other year (odd-numbered years) from January to June, City staff, the Mayor and City Council work together to create a balanced two-year budget by June 30, as required by law.

The creation of a balanced budget plan generally happens in three phases:

Budget Development | February – May
Budget Deliberation | May – June
Budget Approval | by June 30

Midway through the two-year budgets (the even years), city staff, the Mayor and City Council work together to develop mid-cycle budget amendments.

Click here for the Oakland Budget Bureau.

Here is a summary of Councilmember Kalb’s published budget priorities for the current budget cycle (2019-21):

A. Helping Our Homeless Residents:

1. Enhance Prevention – Build on Keep Oakland Housed anti-displacement programs
2. Increase Services – Expand encampment clean-ups (include smaller encampments as well)
3. Increase Transitional, Interim and Permanent Housing
4. Expand Hunger Program for Homeless and Others in Need

B. Housing Affordability:

1. Capital investments for new affordable housing projects
2. Rent Adjustment Program enforcement to protect tenants
3. Additional funds for tenant counseling and education.
4. Additional funds for emergency housing assistance for lower income renters and homeowners

C. Public Safety and Violence Prevention:

1. Additional funding for Violence Prevention/Intervention/Reentry Programs & Services
2. Improved 911 response time

D. Wildfire Prevention and Disaster Preparedness/Response:

1. Adopt and begin implementation of Vegetation Management Plan
2. Align fire inspector and vegetation management inspector positions to ensure adequate coverage
3. Funding for preparing and running an election in 2020 for a new Wildfire Prevention District
4. Enhanced parking enforcement in the hills to enable and safeguard emergency vehicle access
5. Create City-wide Disaster Emergency Response Plan, including (but not limited to): evacuation procedures; emergency shelters and access to survival resources; public safety; restoration of essential services, and short and long-term recovery.

E. Environmental Services and Parks:

1. Energy & Climate Action Plan (ECAP) Implementation (pending adoption of new ECAP in 2020)
2. Illegal dumping enforcement: multi-departmental program to crack down on illegal dumping
3. Park Maintenance
4. Regular clean ups near City waterways and fulfill related Water Board requirements

F. Youth and Young Adults

1. Chronic Absenteeism: Continue partnership with OUSD to reduce
2. Vocational Training for Young Adults

G. Reduce City Staff Vacancy Rate and Address Employee Retention

1. Increase Compensation for City Job Classifications that are significantly below market
2. Additional Human Resources Analyst to address backlog of filling staff vacancies

Additional expenditure priorities:

1. Libraries – Libraries are the great equalizers of our society.
2. Pedestrian Safety – Additional dedicated Transportation dollars for pedestrian safety priorities
3. Police Commission – Sufficient funding to fully meet staffing needs.