December 2, 2021
Dear Friend,

The City of Oakland is extending our free downtown COVID community clinic through the end of the year. 7 days a week at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, from 9am-5pm, you can walk in and get all three vaccines, booster shots, and COVID testing with no appointment. Please take advantage of this resource, and protect ourselves and our community this holiday season.

Welcome to the Mayor’s Weekly Briefing, your weekly Oakland news roundup. Please forward this to a friend. They may subscribe here. If you have a second, please fill out this survey to help us reach all Oaklanders.

Oakland Love,
—Libby
MAYOR LIBBY SCHAAF
Increasing Police Staffing and Public Safety
I know that I join all Oaklanders in decrying the recent violence in our city, particularly the unacceptable tragic loss of life. Every act of violence has harmed our entire community, whether well-publicized or not.
 
On Monday, I announced my commitment to immediately increase police staffing, as well as keep our promise to voters who passed Measure Z that requires a minimum of 678 officers at all times. We must immediately add two more recruit training academies and maintain more officers next year than currently budgeted. This Friday we’ll publish the detailed hiring and budget amendment plan that will come to the City Council on December 7th for a vote. 
 
This plan to fund more police will not affect the historic investments we recently made in increased violence prevention as well as our new MACRO non-police response program. We need a comprehensive and holistic approach to public safety, but adequate police staffing must be part of it.
 
To put it plainly — there is nothing progressive about unbridled gun violence. I was grateful to be joined by East Oakland Councilmembers Treva Reid and Loren Taylor to announce our commitment to increase safety in our city.
Let's Pave 350 Miles of New Roads in 5 Years
On Tuesday, we announced a plan to pave more than 350 miles of Oakland streets over the next 5 years — with the majority of those new roads in your neighborhoods and straight to your driveway.

This announcement comes near the end of a record-setting three-year paving plan that delivered 100 miles of newly-paved streets with major investments into underserved communities. For decades our streets went underfunded, and the results have been intolerable for every neighborhood in our town. But Oakland proves time and time again that when we all play our part and invest in our communities, we make incredible progress together.
SPUR Proposes Changes To Oakland's Government
On Tuesday, I took part in a panel hosted by the nonprofit SPUR on creating good government in Oakland. We discussed SPUR's recent report Making Government Work: 10 Ways City Government Can Adapt to Meet the Needs of Oaklanders. SPUR's excellent recommendations reflect thoughtful research and community engagement, and seek to make Oakland government more transparent, accountable, effective, and representative of our community. Thank you to Councilmembers Treva Reid, Loren Taylor, and Sheng Thao as well as our hosts at SPUR for an excellent conversation.
Make Wishes Come True And Support the Holiday Toy Drive
The 42nd Annual Community Toy Drive makes the holidays joyful for Oakland children whose families can’t afford gifts. Despite the challenges of 2020, and thanks to your generosity, last year we helped provide nearly 10,000 Oakland children with gift cards to local businesses. Your time, effort, and financial support helped families in need, businesses survive, and kept Oakland workers employed.

Each year, demand exceeds what we have. To help bring joy this holiday season, please make a tax-deductible monetary donation.

Hella Town, An Important Book On A Special Place
Hella Town: Oakland's History of Development and Disruption by Mitchell Schwarzer provides an engaging and comprehensive history of Oakland's built environment. Hella Town was meticulously researched, examines the forces that shaped the city's landscape, and exposes the structural racism that created and maintained the social inequities that persist today. This book would make an excellent gift for a loved one, and is a must-read for anyone seeking to better understand our fascinating city.
#BuyLocal
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Fog on the Oakland estuary. Shot by KTVU's Allie Rasmus.
COMMUNITY LINKS TO USE AND SHARE
  • Check out "This Week in Oakland," a weekly roundup of local arts and cultural events from the Oaklandside's Azucena Rasilla.

  • Looking for holiday gifts? Use Think Oakland First to shop local, find unique gifts, and support small businesses.

  • There are a few temporary positions available at Oakland Ed Fund supporting #OaklandUndivided and assisting with the launch of a phone banking campaign to get more families to complete our tech-check survey. Bilingual (Spanish/English) candidates are strongly preferred. Job description can be found here.

  • Homies Empowerment is redistributing $100,000 to help people pay for much needed bills this holiday season. More information and the application can be found here. 

  • Oakland Unified School District is hiring for a variety of roles! Find out more at the OUSD Jobs Portal.

  • AC Transit is hiring bus operators. Jobs start at $22.11/hour after paid training. Learn more about further opportunities here.


  • REMINDER: Despite the federal moratorium ending on 9/30, Oakland's eviction moratorium remains in place. Find rental resources here.

  • Oakland entrepreneurs and business owners can now meet with City business support staff at 5 local libraries. Learn more here.

  • Learn about red flag warnings and and why they matter in Oakland, and visit the City's red flag warning website for updates on fire danger.

  • Access a digital copy of your COVID-19 vaccine record here.