The Oakland Observer

Sign in Subscribe

Latest

A Note to Subscribers and Readers About Committees This Week

Hello subscribers and readers, Since the founding of this newsletter, its been practice and promise to give a broad analysis and preview of legislation hitting Council committees. The budget crunch and attendant fiascos of the months of June and July, however, combined with a seriously impacted and dense CED committee

Circuitous and Contested Budget Process Has Ramachandran and Reid Voting Against Their Own Budget Amendments

Circuitous and Contested Budget Process Has Ramachandran and Reid Voting Against Their Own Budget Amendments

What Happened? In a five hour budget meeting Tuesday, 8 council members struggled, often divisively, with concerns over the risk of budgeting an unconfirmed $63 MM worth of revenue from partial payment of the City’s Coliseum stake. The meeting had been continued from a budget deliberation on Friday. A

FY 24-25 Oakland Budget Amendment Deliberations Continue Amid Historic Deficit

FY 24-25 Oakland Budget Amendment Deliberations Continue Amid Historic Deficit

An unusual Friday afternoon budget meeting was at turns confusing and combative as Council members wrestled with options late into the night in the midst of a historic fiscal shortfall. What's Going on? The City is running late on passing mid-cycle budget amendments to the FY 24-25 budget.

Budget Contingency Added to City's FY 24-25 Budget Amendments: Updated, 6/27/2024

Budget Contingency Added to City's FY 24-25 Budget Amendments: Updated, 6/27/2024

The answer to the budget delay reported here days ago arrived yesterday: the City Administrator’s office has spent the last week or so since the amendments were pulled from the agenda preparing a back-up contingency plan. The contingency comes after requests by members of City Council and the public

Thao: "I Have Done Nothing Wrong"; Mid-Cycle Budget Item Removed from Agenda with Deadline to Pass Budget Amendments Approaching; Plus much more...

Thao: "I Have Done Nothing Wrong"; Mid-Cycle Budget Item Removed from Agenda with Deadline to Pass Budget Amendments Approaching; Plus much more...

Mayor Thao Strikes Defiant Tone on FBI Search In a Monday morning press conference, Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao made her first public appearance and comments about a Federal search of her residence last Thursday. Thao declared her innocence of any wrong-doing and clapped back at the recall group, which has

East Oakland Residents Celebrate Coliseum Sale to Black-Owned Developer, While Questions Remain About Fast-Tracked Sale over Lease, CBA and Affordable Housing; & More from the Meeting

East Oakland Residents Celebrate Coliseum Sale to Black-Owned Developer, While Questions Remain About Fast-Tracked Sale over Lease, CBA and Affordable Housing; & More from the Meeting

East Oakland Residents Celebrate Coliseum Sale to Black-Owned Development, While Questions Remain About Fast-Tracked Sale, CBA and Affordable Housing Oakland’s City Council took the first steps in approving the terms and negotiating the sale of the City’s 50% interest in the Coliseum property last Tuesday. Public comment and

Council Committee Preview, 6/11/2024

Council Committee Preview, 6/11/2024

Significant Items at Council Committees Tuesday. This is not an exhaustive list of the committee legislative items, just a roundup of those considered significant in the point of view of this publication. Finance Committee, 9am —Enterprise Electronic Cashiering System: The City Administrator proposes to enter into a contract with a