Dear Timothy,

Budget season has arrived! The City has a lot of work to do in order to capture revenues that we have fallen short on, including by collecting business licenses taxes, improving our tourism industry, and pro-actively applying for state and federal grants. With a looming $177 million budget deficit, there will likely be cuts to many core city services across the board. The Mayor’s proposal to balance this deficit will be released here on May 17th – this will be the starting point for Councilmembers to propose amendments of budget expenditures and reductions. City Council will be holding Special Budget meetings in late May and June. We highly encourage you to make your voice heard throughout this process and communicate to City Council what your priorities are - see below for meeting details and instructions on how to submit public comment.  

Read on for opportunities to get involved with neighborhood volunteer efforts, arts and cultural celebrations, and public safety initiatives!  

As described in our last email, the City of Oakland has missed out on approximately $50 million of revenue in uncollected business license taxes from approximately 15,000 businesses – due to policy failures in our Finance Department. To be clear – the overwhelming majority of businesses in Oakland pay their business license taxes. And the majority of those who don’t - both large corporations and small businesses alike – do pay once receiving an official delinquency notice from the city, as many businesses simply need a reminder or guidance on how to do so. However, the key issue lies with our Finance Department’s failure to send these notices in a timely manner. My team and I have heard reports of numerous businesses not receiving notices for years on end! 

At last week’s Council Meeting, I asked staff a series of questions (you can see my presentation here and a recording of this segment of the council meeting) - many of which were straightforward questions that I had previously been informed would be relatively quick responses. This past Tuesday, I re-stated my questions to Finance Committee staff, but did not get any clear responses about why exactly we failed to collect this $50 million and what steps are being taken to improve the situation. In the meantime, I have filed a public records request seeking some of the answers to my questions. Council has been informed that we will be hearing the issue of revenue collection at the May 28th Finance Committee meeting – and I hope to be able to get a clearer picture of the situation in the coming weeks. Thanks to your efforts, Councilmembers has received numerous emails from D4 constituents about their interest in this uncollected $50 million– we encourage you to continue to make your voice heard via live comment at upcoming Council meetings!  

Learn more about Oakland’s Budget Process in my Oakland Budget 101 video series here. 

I am honored to represent Oakland in the newly-formed East Bay Regional Wildfire Prevention Coordinating Group! We held our first meeting this month - where I was elected to serve as Vice Chair. This MOU/Coordinating Group effort launched thanks to dedicated efforts of numerous wildfire prevention advocates over the past few years, including the Oakland Firesafe Council. This is the first time that leaders of multiple East Bay cities have come together to address wildfire prevention in a comprehensive and nuanced way. Wildfire knows no boundaries and it’s imperative now more than ever to address the dangers given the urgency of climate change and vegetation overgrowth. We will be meeting publicly as a regional body regularly so follow along for updates on how you can get involved in the efforts.  

Council Committee meetings are held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month – the next Committee meetings will be on Tuesday, May 14th. Here are some items of interest coming to our upcoming Committee meetings: 

Finance and Management Committee – March 14th at 9:30am 

Public Works & Transportation Committee – March 14th at 11:30am 

Community and Economic Development Committee – March 14th at 1:30pm 

Life Enrichment Committee – March 14th at 4:00pm 

Public Safety Committee – March 14th at 6:00pm 

Council will also be holding Special Budget meetings in May and June. Please tune in and participate either in person or on Zoom for these important conversations as we balance Oakland’s budget: 

Other Upcoming Items of Interest: 

Resolution in Support of CA Senate Bill 1144 (Skinner) to Shut Down Market for Stolen Goods: Our office is introducing legislation to support Senator Nancy Skinner’s bill that would require online marketplaces to verify that products were acquired lawfully, and increases enforcement capabilities for local jurisdictions. 

Resolution in Support of the Fire Insurance Risk Evaluation Act: We have co-authored legislation with Councilmember Dan Kalb to support SB 1060 (Becker), which would require property insurers who use risk models to take actions to reduce wildfire risk.  

Snapshot of Homelessness Interventions in Oakland: At the Life Enrichment Committee meeting on April 23rd, two reports on the City’s Encampment Management Policy and Managed Homeless Interventions were presented. City Staff shared information on the city’s policies around encampment operations, and homelessness interventions, which include 1) health and safety, including garbage pick-up, handwashing stations, etc. 2) deep cleaning including removal of trash and debris; 3) partial closure; and 4) closure of encampments. Read more in the reports here.  

There are two ways to make comment live during the meetings (you can also check out our one-page guide here)  

1) Submit a speaker card in person at City Hall – approach the clerk for a speaker card and fill out before the item is heard.  

2) Submit an electronic speaker card to comment on Zoom:   

Go to Legistar and find the meeting you would like to attend  

Click the “e-comment” button to the far right   

Complete the online registration to sign in to speak on a particular item  

Your name will be acknowledged when it is time for comments to be heard on that item  

Raise your hand on Zoom and unmute yourself to give your comments 

If you need help signing up to make public comment, contact D4 Legislative Aide Rebecca Dean rdean@oaklandca.gov for assistance  

Live comments are the most impactful way to make your voice heard with city leadership. However, if you can’t attend tomorrow’s meetings, you can also send written comments to all Councilmembers at council@oaklandca.gov 

Neighborhood Councils  

Oakland’s Neighborhood Councils have regular meetings that are run by neighbors and attended by OPD Community Resource Officers. Participants discuss public safety and other local issues. 

Other Neighborhood Associations

Although not organized by the city, these groups serve similar functions. If you are part of any that you would like us to share, please let us know!

Feet on the Street Laurel Community Walk

Join in a weekly walk of MacArthur between 35th and High Street to create a shared sense of community safety and support local businesses, every Tuesday at 6:00pm at the Laurel Ace Hardware parking lot. For more information, email feetonthestreet@gmail.com.  

Next Thursday, May 16th, is the Bay Area Region's national celebration of Bike To Wherever Day. Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (WOBO) is leading group rides from a variety of locations throughout the city, including at the New Wheel in Oakmore starting at 7:45am.

Wrap up Bike To Wherever Day with a street party in Old Oakland from 4:00 - 8:00pm to enjoy music, art, bike resources and e-bike demos. 

Small Business Week 2024 

Last week Oakland celebrated Small Business Week by hosting various workshops and events for business owners, entrepreneurs and residents. To culminate the week, Oakland’s Dept of Economic & Workforce Development hosted a Small Business Celebration, where we honored RBA Creative for their cultivation of fine art and innovative support for local artists. RBA Creative, located in the Laurel, offers photography and art studio space as well as opportunities for gallery display and events to promote artist entrepreneurs. 

Councilmember Ramachandran with RBA Creative owner Randolph Belle - see our video here 

Other City Announcements 

Get Involved in Advisory Boards and Commissions! 

Councilmember Ramachandran was honored to receive the James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the NorCal Society of Professional Journalists for her work exposing the City of Oakland’s 911 dispatcher hiring failures.

Councilmember Ramachandran's Office Hours

Office Hours are held on Zoom on alternate Saturdays from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. Sign-up for a time slot during office hours with Councilmember Ramachandran by clicking this link.

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