MakeOaklandBetterNow

Make Oakland Better Now! is a citizen advocacy group supporting public safety, accountability, transparency and budget reform in the City of Oakland. More information at www.makeoaklandbetternow.org and www.oaktalk.com. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/makeoakbetter or follow us on Twitter @makeoakbetter

City Council to Consider Adopting Budget and Amendments Tonight

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Tonight, beginning sometime after 6:30pm, the Oakland City Council is expected to adopt the fiscal year 2013-2015 budget (item #9).  The importance of the budget can hardly be understated: this document will control the City’s expenditures over the next two years.  The budget is where the Council is called upon to put its money where … Read more

Make Oakland Better Now! Mayor’s Budget: Two Proposed Amendments – Part 2

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Make Oakland Better Now! will be present at the next Oakland City Council Meeting on June 13th at 6:30pm to urge the City Council to adopt the Mayor’s proposed budget with Council President Kernighan’s proposed changes.  This post is the second in a series to look at the budget amendments proposed by Council President Kernighan and … Read more

Make Oakland Better Now! : The Mayor’s Budget And Two Proposed Amendments – Part 1

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On June 13, Make Oakland Better Now! will be present at the Oakland City Council Meeting at 6:30 p.m., urging the City Council to adopt the Mayor’s proposed budget with Council President Kernighan’s proposed changes.  This post is the first in a series to look at the budget amendments proposed by Council President Kernighan and … Read more

Will the Mayor’s Proposed Budget Rebuild Oakland’s Police Department?

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On Sunday, April 28, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 114 Montecito, Make Oakland Better Now! will sponsor a public forum, “Can Oakland Afford to Be Safe?,” featuring Chief of Police Howard Jordan, City Administrator Deanna Santana and key staff members to discuss the connection between Oakland’s budget challenges and the need to rebuild the … Read more

Can Oakland Afford to Be Safe? MOBN! to Host Forum

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Make Oakland Better Now! believes that the top priority for the new budget should be restoring, and growing, the Oakland Police Department in order to make Oaklanders safe.   In this light, we are proud to present an educational forum on Sunday, April 28, 2013 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, with a panel of speakers … Read more

Come to Tonight’s City Council Meeting – Make Oakland Better Now!

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Oaklanders who follow City Hall know that four public safety proposals are coming before the City Council tonight at its 5:30 meeting, as Council decides whether to: Authorize a temporary contract with the Alameda Sheriff’s Department to borrow ten deputies and a sergeant for two days per week; Add twenty police service technicians and one … Read more

Oakland’s City Council Must Adopt The Bratton – Wasserman OPD Proposal

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A Make Oakland Better Blog Entry Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, Oakland City Council’s Public Safety Committee will vote on whether to forward to Council a proposal to add $250,000 to the City’s public safety consulting contract with Strategic Policy Partnership.  This is the Robert Wasserman, Chief William Bratton proposal that we discussed here.  We strongly … Read more

Is Chief William Bratton The Answer For Oakland’s Police? MOBN

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Oakland is bringing in William Bratton as a public safety consultant.  Bratton made his name nationally as New York City police commissioner. During and after his tenure, New York significantly increased police staffing and experienced an unprecedented—and continuing—reduction in violent crime. After New York, Bratton came to Los Angeles, first as part of the federal monitoring team for … Read more