Budget decision coming on Tuesday

by V Smoothe | June 28, 2009 | 25 comments

After like two months of discussion, the Oakland City Council will finally pass a budget on Tuesday. Last week, Councilmembers Brunner, De La Fuente, Kernighan, and Quan submitted a revised version of their proposed changes to the Mayor’s budget (PDF), which you can read in its entirety here (PDF). Here are the highlights, and I’ve noted the places where this proposal differs from what was discussed on the 16th:

Library: Do not accept proposed branch pairing. Instead, keep all libraries open 5 days per week, but reduce book budget by 10%.
- Previously, the General Fund contribution to the Second Start Adult Literacy program was proposed for elimination. That idea proved wildly unpopular at the last budget meeting (on the 16th), and this cut is no longer part of the proposal.
Public Works: Do not cut (as proposed by Mayor) 4 tree maintenance staff and 3 gardener crews. In exchange, 100 vehicles will be removed from the fleet, two vacant positions will be eliminated (vehicle maintenance positions), and we will not make $1.45 million in expected new vehicle purchases.

Police: Do not cut the rangers (who patrol the parks) as proposed. 10% reduction in personnel budget, eliminate take-home vehicles (except for certain positions), and ground helicopter.
- The big change from the last proposal we saw is, of course, the 10% personnel budget reduction ($13.35 million). You would have to have been living in a cave for the past two weeks to have missed the heated back and forth between City officials and the OPOA over the negotiations, which are not going well. This proposal basically says that whether or not the police agree to changes in their contract, they will take the same 10% cut as all other City employees. If a contract agreement is not reached, the cost reduction may be imposed through furloughs.
Do not accept debt refinancing or suspended payments to internal service funds as proposed in Mayor’s budget.
Parking: Do not raise parking fine for expired meter beyond $55 ($10 increase had been proposed. Extend meter hours to 8 PM. Increase rates in off-street parking lots so they’re the same as the meters. Raise meter fee $0.50, to $2/hour.
- Two weeks ago, the proposal was to raise the meter fee only $0.25, but also to begin a pilot program that would charge $3/hour during peak hours (10-2) downtown. The peak hour pricing pilot program was pretty unpopular at the meeting on the 16th, and that proposal is now gone.
Parking: Start charging parking tax on parking at the Coliseum (raises $1.5 million, will start September 1st) and on diesel truck parking.
Marketing: Increase Cultural Funding Program Coordinator position from 0.5 FTE to 1.0 FTE. Reduce arts grants by $55k to offset cost.
- This is new.
Fire Department: save $6.1 million through employee concessions.
- This was $6.4 million in the proposal two weeks ago.
Mayor: 20% reduction from exempt positions budget, plus elimination of Pay-Go.
City Attorney: 10% reduction of budget
City Auditor: will have to share a receptionist with the Public Ethics Commission
City Council: 20% budget reduction, including elimination of Pay-Go (for current year only).
Voluntary 10% pay cut for elected officials.
- This is an increase from the 5% proposed last time around.
Reduce supplies across all agencies by 20%, saving $1.3 million.
Renegotiate outstanding contracts for 5-10% reduction, saving $0.5 million.
Reduce subsidies to Zoo, Chabot Space & Science Center, Cypress Mandela Training Center, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, etc. by 10%. Reduce subsidy to Schools of the Arts by 50%.
Raise $4.5 million with 10% surcharge on tickets at the Coliseum and Arena.
- This was estimated at $9 million in the previous proposal, but since so many tickets have already been sold, it’s clear we wouldn’t be able to bring in that much this year. $9 million is expected for next year.
Save $2.1 million through Early Retirement Incentive program.

And again, that’s just a summary of the proposal. You can view the entire thing, along with the amount of money each step would cost or save this year and next year here (PDF).

Now on top of that, some other Councilmembers have submitted proposals of their own. District 7 Councilmember and Public Safety Committee Chair Larry Reid is asking that the police helicopter be restored to the budget (PDF), as well as take-home vehicles for senior-level and critical emergency staff. In exchange, he would like to reduce the police overtime budget by an equivalent cost ($378,000 for the helicopter, $80,000 for the take-home vehicles).

Reid is also proposing (PDF) that we reclassify the position of parking control technician to parking control officers. Parking Control Officers make like $1 more per hour than Parking Control Technicians (hourly rates are listed in the salary schedule (PDF)), but they also have more power. The idea is that if we did this, we would be able to use a combination of parking control officers and a small number of police officers for traffic enforcement at special events, which would cut the traffic enforcement cost for a typical event just about in half.

I don’t know how in tune everybody is with this special event issue – I’ve been meaning to write about it forever and just haven’t found the time. Basically, the City used to budget some money to cover the costs of having police provide security/traffic control for special events, parades, and festivals. Then that money got cut back in November, and now the festivals have to shoulder the full cost. But the festivals can’t afford it. This resulted in events like Cinco de Mayo getting cancelled. It’s a real problem. So this would be a way of reducing some of those costs.

District 3 Councilmember Nancy Nadel also submitted a list (PDF) of suggestions (PDF). Unlike the other proposals listed above, her memos do not include any estimates of the cost savings that would be achieved if they were adopted. A number of her suggestions are also included in the more detailed proposal outlined above. Additionally, she asks that we consider:

Eliminate city paid parking spaces for employees
Switch from auto allowance to a mileage reimbursement policy
Suspend professional development allowances for one year
Suspend merit increases for one year
Raise rental rates at Parks and Recreation facilities so that they are completely cost covering.
Reduce Zoo subsidy by 25%
Reduce Chabot Space and Science Center subsidy by 40%

She further requests that the City explore whether we could save money on police vehicles by assigning officers two to each car.

State law requires us to pass a budget by July 1st, so a decision will be made on Tuesday. The meeting starts at 5 PM, and the budget is basically the only thing on the agenda (PDF).

25 Responses to “Budget decision coming on Tuesday”

1
Patrick Says:
June 28th, 2009 at 10:49 am
It’s impressive how our Councilmembers are so willing to stand up to the Police. It’s especially impressive when you consider that they fall into little incapacitated heaps at the feet of the non-profits.

You’ve got to admire Nadel’s ideas for reducing subsidies for Chabot and the Zoo, anticipating passage of Measure C. And I mean “admire” in the sense that we “admire” Hitler for his ability to bamboozle an entire population. Weren’t we stroked into voting for this Measure on the premise that the funding would provide “stimulus” and help IMPROVE Chabot and the Zoo? I’m quite sure that we were…let’s see here…ah, yes! The Measure itself reads “To provide ADDITIONAL (my caps) funding to the Oakland Zoo, the Oakland Museum of California, the Chabot Space and Science Center, etc. (including OCVB)”. Is it possible that the OCVB, which is in her district, and the Museum, which is two blocks from her district, has nothing to do with their funding being untouched in her proposal?
2
dave o Says:
June 28th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Anybody else out there wondering why there is a zoo at all? Small children realize that they are a cruel way to treat wild animals. They should go the way of the freak show, into the dust bin of history.
3
len Says:
June 28th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Council members stood firm on making pay go cut only temporary. Dellums was dead right about killing pay go permanently. Letting that form of patronage resume when the economy recovers is one of the cornerstones of bad government here.

NN’s point about changing from flat monthly auto allowances to variable mileage reimbursements is good. Would increase admin time, but still worth doing.

But overall, no wholesale elimination of entire depts or management layers. That will have to wait till next year.

Is there an interaction between Measure Y and threatened opd furloughs?

Are police and fire forbidden by law or contract from striking?

-len raphael
4
Karen Smulevitz Says:
June 28th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
The Zoo and Chabot Science Center provide valuable educational opportunities. I’m more familiar with the Zoo, because it is accessible by public transportation, albeit with a good hike uphill to the entrance. Excellent source of environmental knowledge, including the outdoor creekside classrooms. As far as I can tell, the animals are well treated, many times better than in the 1970′s, when the Oakland Zoo was rated one of the WORST in the country. Zoos have the potentional for research and breeding of endangered species, and since most of us will never have true wilderness experiences, zoos provide a venue wherein parents can introduce their children to the wonders of nature, touching that spot within us that preserves our humanity.
Chabot! Marvelous, intelligent, mind-expanding awesomeness, totally inaccessible without a car.
My gripe with these “Public” assets is that they are underutilized by the majority of Oakland families, being too costly to fit in working class budgets. The difficulty of getting there contributes to the appearance of elitism.
The City should definitely cut its support of both, but not only East Oakland entities. The boards of all cultural institutions need to increase private funding to make up the loss of public money.
5
Mark D Says:
June 28th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I would also like to see cuts be more intelligent. Reid’s proposal about reclassifying parking control technicians seems smart. I also like the idea of less subsidized automobile use for city employees.

In response to Karen s. Last time I was at Chabot, there was an AC Transit bus to get there. Was that line cut recently?
6
V Smoothe Says:
June 28th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
The AC Transit line going to Chabot was cut a number of years ago.
7
Ralph Says:
June 28th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
I also like Reid’s proposal. I still think orgs need to carry more of the freight, but this should help.
8
dave o Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Karen,
There are plenty of opportunities here to experience animals in their natural contexts. There is no need to take them out of their natural homes, which are often far away, and confine them here is Oakland at great expense, where they undoubedly lead miserable and frustrating lives. There are plenty of local forests and beaches and tidepools and birds and insects and dogs and cats, to keep one in a state of awe.
9
Karen Smulevitz Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:25 am
dave o,
I’m sure you are attuned and sensitive to the needs of animals, and we probably agree on loving them. We have great open spaces to explore in the Bay Area, if one has transportation to get to them. A few trails in Marin I’ve known would take three hours on public transit just to get to. Closer to home, there are species of snakes and small mammals in the Oakland hills to discover. The plant varieties are amazing. But unless we are academics or have paid careers in the field, we gain most of our knowledge vicariously. We might see an animal or its scat on a trail, but we only know of its life cycle because someone was able to devote time to study it. If we hadn’t learned what Sudden Oak Death was, we might look up and think we see just another dead tree.
Again, I’m concerned about class divisions and its effects on the environment. We only work to save what we love, and we only love what we know. When city kids have no experience with nature, they cannot appreciate human impact on the earth, so it is our responsibility to support educational programs that give children new perspectives, and zoos can serve that purpose. Many species cannot possibly survive now in their natural habitats. Polar bears, gorillas, tigers. many others are disappearing. Yes, I would rather see them in the wild, but even a safari trek is a programmed adventure and not authentic.
Your opposition to zoos provides a needed balance to the concept of collecting specimens, and without criticism and oversight zoos would never have developed a visionary world effort to save species. So thank you for that. I feel that way about pets; dogs and cats, OK, exotics no. I won’t even have birds or fish, because keeping them means confinement without joy.
10
Robert Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 11:52 am
I am confused by Reid’s proposal. I thought that special events were now being charged for security provided by the police department. In that case, all the savings he talks about accrue to the event sponsors, not to the city. So the city would be on the hook for the increased pay and benefits by reclassifying the technicians to officers, but he savings would go to the event organizers? How does this help the city?
11
len Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
as long as we’re getting down to smaller cost savings, i would guess that that besides the targeted savings in supplies purchases, internal auditing of the purchase of all routine outside services would be worth doing. of course that involves gives Ruby’s office at least their own admin person again, if not the money for two full time auditors.
12
len Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Scrimping on resources for internal auditing is not so smart when the city is cutting pay, unpaid time off, reducing job security. that envoirnment where the employees feel their employee has broken its promises, could increase the frequency of supply shrinkage and worse.
13
Ralph Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
audit and i suspect others have both an executive assistant and a receptionist. that is just a waste of money. i seem to recall that years ago businesses and backwater cities such as baltimore went to a shared receptionist concept and depending on mgmt level you could use shared assts.
14
Patrick Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
I hear the word “receptionist” and I feel like I’m in an episode of ‘Bewitched’. Honestly, core means producing a tangible benefit to the citizenry. With computers, cellphones, scanners, e-filing and e-mail, there is no need for dictation, typing, filing, coffee-making etc. The only reason for a receptionist these days is to prevent the commoners from speaking to you. I think our electeds have that figured out pretty well. We should also consider laying off our gramophone repairpersons as well.
15
len Says:
June 29th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
ok, you want to call the receptionist in a small office “admin assistant” and pay an extra $5/hour that’s ok. Is there something special about city jobs where an employee can’t be told to do something not in the original job description? (hmm, maybe there is?)

internal auditors have to organize massive piles of documents. admin assist aka receptionist wb fine.

overall point is that morale for city workers is probably sinking by the minute. that has all sorts of effects from higher absenteeism, lower efforts, supply shrinkage.

the 10 pct effective pay cut instead of layoffs. that’s gonna cost us for years.
16
Ralph Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 6:58 am
len, do you really think that city employees would steal and there will be lower morale? Maybe survivor guilt, but lower morale?

I think that there are some who are more inept than others but those people are either on council or serve in appointed positions. And no matter what work force you are referring to you will have a mix of A, B, and C employees. I’d like to think that at the end of the day we are dealing with people who will do their job regardless of the circumstances.

I am not sure I buy your argument for a receptionist. Every IA department I have come in contact with in the past few years has done quite well without a receptionist. There is an exec asst and that is it. With significant amounts of work online what is the point of the receptionist.
17
len Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 8:27 am
ralph, i don’t know the staffing in the auditor’s office, but worth finding out to see if the cc and dellums are staffing it adequately. i don’t get the impression that it is the favorite dept of the mayor, the city attorney, or the cc.

to find out about morale, ask a random group of city workers over the last several months what it was like waiting to find out at the very last minute about furloughs, and rumors about layoffs etc. for sure, with pay cuts and layoffs, and a council/mayor who delayed till the last second to face fiscal reality (no rainy day reserves etc), employee morale will sink.

yes i think a higher but fairly small percentage of employees will be more inclined to supply shrinkage, timecard tinkering, expense report jiggering and similar activities? (the first hand account i heard about 10 years ago was about the ousd janitors who ran a janitorial supply biz on the side stocked w ousd stuff).

10 percent pay reductions across the board instead of selectively, might be better for morale than selective pay reductions, but will result in the better younger employees leaving.
18
V Smoothe Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Despite the fact that the current auditor has had the same staff budgeted as the previous auditor, she has neglected in two and a half years to perform the charter-mandated duties of the office, such as review of all city large city expenditures. She has also not been delivering regular internal audits, as her predecessor did. Given what previous office holders have managed to accomplish with the same resources, I don’t think it’s reasonable to assume that staffing has anything to do with the current auditor’s failure in this regard – the culprit is more likely her preference for headline grabbing press releases over doing her job.
19
Naomi Schiff Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 8:45 am
OUSD is separate from the City of Oakland. But careful supervision of employees and supplies is necessary to run a tight ship, and highly advisable at this point, yes.

Between mayor’s office and city council, they have done a responsible and difficult job in a terrible situation. I think we can be grateful that the apparently final choices made were more or less reasonable, although of course I disagree with some of them.

I am no expert on animal rights, but as an urban parent of two, I remember being happy to find local attractions for kids, including the zoo, and also my relief when the facilities there were radically improved over a period of a few years and with much independent fundraising. Jane Goodall blessed the current chimpanzee habitat: you should have seen it before! It is certainly more accessible than the high Sierra or even Point Reyes, places that many Oakland children have never seen, and gives them some idea of ecology and the world of living things. To save the planet, one has to get an idea of what is out there!

I support keeping the auditor’s office strong, and staffing the key positions as fully as possible. The auditor is an important watchdog. As to the newly-consolidated receptionists–if they cut down on misdirected phone calls and send visitors to the correct offices, then they are saving us money on more expensive employees. A lot of business gets transacted in person or on the phone, still.
20
Ralph Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 11:15 am
len, thank you. there are times when i think that i am too cynical. i realize now that i barely scratch the surface.
21
Robert Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Having been through several layoffs in the past, I wouldn’t be so much concerned about time card tinkering or pilfering, but the highly reduced efficiency caused by employees standing around bitching to each other both before and after the layoff, and looking for another job. It will probably take a year of more to get back to normal productivity for the remaining employees.

If everyone gets a 10% cut, morale will probably be somewhat better, but there will still be complaining. In the short run, I suspect there will not be a rapid loss of the better employees, because there just aren’t a lot of jobs out there right now. In the long run it could be a problem. But the only solution to that is a performance based pay system, which I don’t think we will ever see.
22
len Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Ralph, read my lips: i am not cynical. it’s just that some percentage of disgruntled workers who suddenly can’t make ends meet will find ways to justify getting “what’s theirs”.

V, you might be the only person other me who has publicly said anything good about our former auditor’s official work. He had major problems but also some very good work.

How about a post on current auditor’s performance. After that one on the city attorney office?

just kidding.

-len
23
Robert Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Sorry len, believing the worst in people is cynicism, but I am pretty sure I have you both beat.
24
Ralph Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
len, some years ago i was at company that was going thru downsizing. coincidentally, a laptop turned up missing and an email went out to all to help find it. someone sent a reply to all essentially questioning what type of employee would take a laptop on their way out the door. this was met with a swift email from senior mgmt. did we work together in the past, are you that emailer, do you know that person?

downsizing stinks and the weeks leading to the cuts can be tense but i think the survivor’s guilt that robert refers to is worse.
25
livegreen Says:
June 30th, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Old Oakland Zoo vs. New: The Elephants used to be where the Parrots are now…

len raphael: Unconfirmed that MJQ laid off 100 employees today, blaming RDA court case. How much did she and the CC waste in legal fees betting against Jerry’s lawyers?

ralph: No, Livegreen, Occupy Oakland is doing plenty good. They are the poster children for the new, “This is Your Brain on Dope” Campaign.

Livegreen: They seem to b determined to shut down Oakland and little else. They’ve forgotten Wall St. I can’t help but think the Officers who were preventing them from breaking in to City Hall could have spent...

gregory mcconnell: The Occupest disrupted City Hall today. They managed to make it difficult, but not impossible, to go into City Hall. They demanded that people who accosted cops on Wednesday should be released. I was out...

livegreen: I watched the M-Y mtg last night, & it was painful. Jose is a nice guy, but he has difficulty running a meeting that gets anything done. They debated for about 1 hour whether they should discuss recommendations...

len raphael: The murder of 5 year old Gabriel Martinez. Got a call from an acquaintance who lives in East O and often gets supper at his family’s taco stand. She asked where she can sign up to help on the recall.

Ravi: I’m sure that all of those Quan diehards (“a recall would be a waste of time and too expensive”) are very gratified that this lovely and deserving woman is having such a good time. No doubt they prefer...

len raphael: JQ “”I’m actually having a lot of fun,” she said after rehashing many of the lower moments from her first year in office.” “http://www.insidebayare a.com/news/ci_19651889R...

Ravi: And regarding police reform and the crime thing, Judge Henderson could decide to put OPD under Federal jurisdiction because the terms of the NSA haven’t been fulfilled by the City Administration. Those folks in City...

len raphael: Harbinger of things to come to the City Council when they eventually have to make similar decisions. But they won’t. The Fed bankruptcy judge will do it for them.

livegreen: Yeah, but OUSD has to do something. There are way too many schools for the school population. There’s simply no choice. At least they’re willing to make the tough decisions. Unlike the City of...

len raphael: Are those school board recalls entirely over the school closing decisions? Different groups or one umbrella?

Ravi: Two recall petitions for Quan; five recall petitions for five school board members.

len raphael: City says there are now 7 concurrent recall petitions. Not clear how many are for Quan and how many for Council Members. Direct democracy at work.

Ravi: Can the Oakland City Council lead? Nope, nor can the Mayor. It’s up to the citizens, who are deeply divided and have been for a very long time.

len raphael: Oakland Local is the only on or offline general circulation media that shows understanding of the depths of our fiscal situation and understands that it’s causes precede the real estate crash. One of these...

Mkilian: Related to the Cal Supremes haircut to Oakland with respect to RDA and the immediate need for a “fiscal operations plan” is another issue put forth in Oakland’s internet newspaper, Oakland Local, is...