July 2015  |   Newsletter

Oaklanders,

What an incredible time this is for Oakland. On July 14, the San Francisco Foundation announced that it would be facilitating a $34 million investment into our community. This funding from an anonymous donor will help make Oakland a more vibrant and equitable city.

The investment focuses on closing the achievement gap, building affordable housing, creating cradle-to-career pathways of opportunity for our young people, growing middle wage jobs, and removing barriers to healthcare access for parents and children across Oakland. The Mayor's Office, the Oakland Unified School District, the Alameda County Public Health Department, and more than 15 community-based organizations with longstanding commitments to Oakland will work in concert to apply these resources in ways that lift up and protect Oakland's diverse communities and long-time residents.

To further this effort, I have created two new policy positions in my office -- one for Equity and Strategic Partnerships, held by Jose Corona and the other for Education, filled by David Silver. These positions are also being funded with philanthropic support.

These tremendous investments are an example of the amazing partnerships that we are building to move Oakland forward. From this incredible infusion of resources to the Warriors' championship parade, to the June 30th passage of our City's two-year budget, Oakland's leadership is showing just what can happen when we share a vision and work together to achieve it.

The opportunities for our City right now are tremendous, but so are the challenges. We have far too many shameful examples of how disparities in income, educational outcomes, health and safety are limiting life choices and diminishing hope for our friends and neighbors.

Working in partnership with supporters in the private sector and philanthropy, our City government and members of this community can make sure that the prosperity and investment coming to our city is shared in a way that lifts up all of Oakland. That's the task ahead. I know we're up for the challenge.

With Oakland-love,
Libby

MAKING OAKLAND SAFER

Oakland is making strides in holding perpetrators accountable for violent crime. In three of the most high profile homicides this year, suspects have been arrested and charged.

Community members who have come forward to assist police have played an important part in bringing these individuals to justice.
SUSPECTS ARRESTED & CHARGED IN PIERCE, ELLIS & RAMIREZ CASES
While this is an important step in the right direction, we still have a lot more work to do to make this a safer city.
BUDGET INVESTMENTS IN SAFETY
We took an important first step toward making Oakland safer with the passage of a two-year City budget that includes funding for an additional 40 sworn police officers. We've also made a critical investment to help reduce violent crime by increasing funding for case managers to support the Ceasefire program -- a holistic model proven to reduce gun violence.
A COMPREHENSIVE COMMUNITY SAFETY PLAN FOR OAKLAND
Beginning in May, I also brought a broad coalition of leaders from across all sectors of our city and the community together to develop a comprehensive community safety plan for the City of Oakland. The group will reconvene this month as we drive toward our goal of bringing an actionable blueprint for community safety forward this fall. 
In partnership with the Prevention Institute , and my co-chairs, Oakland City Council President Lynette Gibson-McElhaney, Oakland Police Chief Sean Whent and Oakland Unified School District Superintendent Antoine Wilson, over 40 leaders have committed to the important work of developing holistic outcome and data-driven solutions for Oakland that run the full range from crime prevention and intervention to enforcement and re-entry.
WHAT THE OAKLAND TRIBUNE HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE OAKLAND COMMUNITY SAFETY PLAN.
FIXING OUR RAGGEDY ROADS

If you've been riding or walking in Oakland lately, you may have noticed things are a bit smoother on some of our busiest roadways. 17th St. from Castro St. to Broadway has gotten a facelift, so has Foothill Blvd. from 60th Ave. to Havenscourt, and Webster St. from 22nd St. all the way to the Tube is now smooth as a baby's bottom! Look for 35th Ave. from Harper St. to Macarthur Freeway to be next. Long overdue improvements to our roads aren't the only things to be excited about when it comes to transportation.
The two-year budget just passed by the Oakland City Council includes support for the creation of a Department of Transportation. Plus, bikesharing is coming to Oakland in 2016!

STABILIZING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS

With Oakland rents the second fastest rising in the country, we can't afford to wait to do something to help stabilize our neighborhoods so existing residents aren't priced out or pushed out.
CHECK OUT HOW WE'RE THINKING REGIONALLY ABOUT HOUSING & AFFORDABILITY AT THE BAY AREA COUNCIL OUTLOOK CONFERENCE. 
Our City's two-year budget includes funding for a proactive safety inspection program to prevent unsafe living conditions that lead to de facto evictions. We're also moving forward with the creation of a housing acquisition fund to better protect current Oakland residents by helping to preserve the affordability of their existing homes and neighborhoods. We remain focused on identifying best practices and new approaches that will immediately improve housing stability for Oaklanders -- particularly those who are most vulnerable.
HELP HOUSE A VETERAN
If you're a landlord, one step you can take to help support this effort is to consider participation in the HUD-VASH program. The HUD-VASH Program is a partnership between the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and many local Public Housing Authorities (PHA's). Low-income Veterans who are eligible for HUD-VASH receive a specialized Housing Choice Voucher to be used at the rental of their choosing. In addition to the rental subsidy, eligible Veterans also receive ongoing supportive services from VA Northern California Health Care System (VA NCHCS). Find out more about this program by contacting Teela Carpenter at 510-874-1581 or by emailing her at [email protected] .

REAL TIME DATA
The Oakland Police Department is ensuring greater transparency with Calls for Service. This new web application was created by the City of Oakland's Information Technology Dept. It uses Esri (GSI mapping) technology to provide a 24-hour recap of police activity in the City.
WHAT'S UP AT CITY HALL
Check out our new permanent City Administrator Sabrina Landreth's Weekly Report and review other great content on the City's website.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR & JOIN MAYOR SCHAAF FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS
National Night Out is August 4.
Sign up by July 24 to host an event in your neighborhood.
  
Bay Area Women's Summit is October 6.
Save the date and look for your opportunity to register.  
16-YEAR-OLD TOVA RICARDO IS OAKLAND'S NEWEST POET LAUREATE

A high school junior became Oakland's 2015 Youth Poet Laureate this past Saturday as part of the annual Beast Crawl literary festival. Tova Ricardo was one of 53 people to compete for the local honor which is open to anyone between the ages of 13 and 18 who lives or attends school in Oakland.
CHECK OUT A DOG!
A new foster program allows you to shelter a dog for a month or longer. The shelter covers expenses for vet care as well as food if needed. Don't miss this chance to help a dog in need. You could end up with a friend for life!
KEEP ME POSTED. BE IN TOUCH. 
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