Measure Y: What, When and Who

Published on Thursday, May 27, 2010
Last updated on 12:01AM, Friday, May 28, 2010
Photo by Rena Ragimova.

Photo by Rena Ragimova.

On Tuesday night, Oakland City Council held a progress report session, an emotional public forum, and a discussion about the future of Measure Y.  It was a chance for the public to hear and speak about what Measure Y has accomplished and what it has meant to the community . Last month we reported on a special budget meeting concerning the limited choices the council has for covering the $43 million budget gap in the general fund. Although Measure Y is not technically part of the general fund, its language inadvertently ties it to the general fund by way of the police department.

Wait, backtrack...  what's this Measure Y again? 
Measure Y was voted into law in 2004 and is meant to address the overwhelming violence on Oakland streets. The measure asked residents to take on a parcel tax that cost an average of $89 for a single family household. The tax would collect $20 million each year and be distributed in the following way:

  • $4 million to keep all fire stations open 24 hours, 7 days a week
  • $6 million for violence prevention programs such as domestic violence intervention, neighborhood crime watch groups and coordination services, restorative justice programs, as well as youth and adult reentry programs.
  • $10 million to add 63 new Problem Solving Officers to the Oakland Police force with a guarantee that the original 739 would remain on the force. 

This plan aimed to balance the desires of progressive voters who are focused on violence prevention programs, and others who are concerned with Oakland's shrinking police force. 

All that sounds great! So what's the problem?
Both camps were distrustful of the council and unhappy with the way similar tax measures have been handled in the past. They were unlikely to vote for another one if it didn't include certain guarantees. Measure Y tied these different programs together and budgeted 3% for evaluation.
 
Alright, but what does this have to do with the budget gap?
The police and fire departments are now 75% of the city's general fund, the one with the $43 million budget gap. As we reported last month, even eliminating all other programs (oh, you know, silly things like libraries and centers for the elderly), would not save enough to close the gap. The fire department jobs are safe due to minimum staffing provision, so the city is looking to the police department for the necessary cuts. Because Measure Y's language requires the original 739 officers to remain on the force, if even one police officer is laid off, it would trigger the elimination of the entire measure - all 63 new police officers, along with the rest of the programs.

Hmm, not so great after all... NOW what do we do?
Without an additional parcel tax on property, the council will have to eliminate all Measure Y officer positions and programs, as well as lay off additional generally funded police officers in order to cover the budget gap. At the moment the council is faced with several challenges.
  • Find a way to adjust Measure Y so that the different components of the measure aren't completely tied to each other and laying off some police officers doesn't have to mean the collapse of the all the other efforts.
  • Find public support for a new parcel tax on the November ballot to keep Measure Y in place.
  • Even if a new parcel tax is put on the ballot, the funding for the violence prevention programs is still uncertain through the summer and early fall. The coordinators of the programs will need to collaborate with the council and may have to cut back some of the programs to keep them afloat until the new parcel tax kicks in.

The council will need to come up with ways to address these problems by June 8th, two weeks before the final budget meeting on June 24th when the possible November ballot measure has to be finalized. Stay tuned!
 
More details please!
For more on Measure Y, progress report documents and success stories visit the official website.
And for local opinions read 

 

About Rena Ragimova
Rena Ragimova is a writer and photographer living in Oakland. See her personal blog at http://renaragimova.wordpress.com.