April 22, 2021
Dear Friend,

Great news: More than 200,000 Oaklanders are now vaccinated. More than 60% of our population 16 years and older has received at least one dose. Lots of appointments are available at the Coliseum and neighborhood clinics, so please continue to visit myturn.ca.gov for appointments.

Welcome to the Mayor’s Weekly Briefing, your weekly Oakland news roundup. Please forward this to a friend. They may subscribe here.

Oakland Love,
—Libby
MAYOR LIBBY SCHAAF
Accountability, Sorrow, and the Work Ahead
On Tuesday, a jury in Minnesota delivered a just verdict. Although the guilty-on-all-counts result brought us relief, it also came with immense sorrow for George Floyd, his family, and all those who have experienced the unfathomable loss of a loved one at the hands of injustice. The structural racism that pervades our country -- and leads to the state-sponsored murder of Black men like George Floyd and too many others -- must end. True justice is not yet here, so the real work to get there continues.

Oakland, I am proud to say, continues the work. Our new Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong, in close partnership with Stanford's racial bias expert Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt, leads a national model that dramatically reduces traffic stops of African-American residents (in Oakland by 63% since 2016); our City Council recently voted to fund MACRO, the first non-police unit to respond to 911 calls; and voters helped us strengthen our Citizen Police Commission to increase transparency and hold officers accountable.
New Affordable Housing Opens on the Waterfront
On Monday, we opened 211 brand new units of deeply affordable housing on our waterfront at Brooklyn Basin. The beautiful homes in Oakland's newest neighborhood are for seniors and low-income families and, per Oakland law, will prioritize applicants first who already live in the neighborhood and second who live, work or have been displaced from Oakland. The project builds on our success from last year, when Oakland created the most affordable units in a decade.

A New Beauty in Our Skyline
On Friday we had the honor to unveil Oakland's tallest mural at Broadway and 9th Street, a call to action to end world hunger. The gorgeous artwork by Victor Ash is part of a series of murals around the U.S. dedicated to the United Nation's goal of zero hunger with an objective of ending hunger and all forms of malnutrition globally by 2030. 

Save the Date: April 28 Town Hall
We want safer streets in every neighborhood. Join us at a Town Hall on April 28 at 6 p.m. to get an overview on our Safe Oakland Streets effort to improve safety on Oakland roadways, as well as new strategies to prevent and address sideshows. You can pre-submit questions here.
CA Must Dedicate Ongoing Funds to End Homelessness
On Sunday, the Sacramento Bee published an OpEd I co-wrote with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to support a new bill that would end a Trump tax break on off-shore earnings (called the GILTI tax) to create a permanent, ongoing, fund to help us end homelessness in California.
 
AB 71 would create an annual $2 billion revenue source that will help cities end homelessness by stabilizing and housing those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Congratulations AB 71 author Assm Luz Rivas for passing the first committee hearing! Get involved at Bring CA Home.

Upgrade Your Job Skills!
Looking to enhance or upgrade job skills? Oakland residents have access to 5,000 FREE online courses in multiple languages to help you prepare to get back to work or advance your career. Register and learn at your own pace with 24/7 access.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"As of today, every American is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. For yourself, your neighbors, and your family — please, get your vaccine.”

PHOTO OF THE WEEK
The first USS Oakland in 70 years was commissioned at its namesake port Saturday. “She’s a marvel of engineering that will extend our capability for any mission across the blue water, from shoreline to shoreline." | East Bay Times