The city anticipates a $177 million shortfall for the end of this fiscal year in June. Officials are planning next steps, but service cuts are likely.
Author Archives: Eli Wolfe
Eli Wolfe reports on City Hall for The Oaklandside. He was previously a senior reporter for San José Spotlight, where he had a beat covering Santa Clara County’s government and transportation. He also worked as an investigative reporter for the Pasadena-based newsroom FairWarning, where he covered labor, consumer protection and transportation issues. He started his journalism career as a freelancer based out of Berkeley. Eli’s stories have appeared in The Atlantic, NBCNews.com, Salon, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. Eli graduated from UC Santa Cruz and grew up in San Francisco.
Posted inCity Hall
Oakland’s new Police Chief Floyd Mitchell promises to work with the community
At his first appearance in Oakland, Mitchell talked about his childhood, community policing priorities, and his plans for OPD.
Posted inPublic Safety
Oakland HOAs are quietly installing surveillance cameras to watch public roads
To fight crime, private neighborhoods are using license plate readers to track vehicles on city streets. One is already sharing data with cops.
Posted inCity Hall
Oakland’s new police chief is Floyd Mitchell
Mayor Sheng Thao announced today that she has selected the retired Lubbock police chief to lead OPD after a lengthy search process.
Posted inPublic Safety
MACRO, Oakland’s non-emergency crisis response team, now has a phone number
People can now call these civilian responders directly as an alternative to 911.
Posted inCity Hall
Why does the leader of the Pamela Price recall have armed bodyguards? We investigated
Payments to a security firm run by recall leader Brenda Grisham are under scrutiny—as are the guards’ licenses. We examined the videos and documents Grisham shared outlining her fears.
Posted inCity Hall
Manual count needed to verify Alameda County DA recall petition signatures
Election officials were unable to determine if recall supporters collected enough valid signatures to initiate a recall election. A manual count is underway and could take a month to finish.
Posted inCity Hall
Oakland political watchdog finds serious violations by leaders of 2018 Children’s Initiative
Ethics investigators want to fine an officer of a committee used to raise nearly $2M for Measure AA. Former Mayor Libby Schaaf isn’t named in a proposed settlement, but she appears to be implicated.
Posted inCity Hall
Tech billionaire Ron Conway is a ‘top funder’ of Oakland mayor recall campaign
The ‘godfather of Silicon Valley,’ Conway helped raise money for the San Francisco DA recall and backed a controversial measure that gives San Francisco police more power.
Posted inCity Hall
Who are Oakland’s police chief candidates?
Four officers from around the country answered questions from the Oakland Police Commission about why they want to lead OPD.
Posted inCity Hall
The financial meltdown of a major Oakland foundation has groups asking where the money went
Donations up in smoke and an internal investigation underway–what happened to the Marcus Foster Education Institute?
Posted inCity Hall
Oakland police chief candidates will be revealed this week
The public is invited to a forum on Thursday where applicants for Oakland’s top law enforcement job will answer questions from the Police Commission.
Posted inCity Hall
Oakland Police Department says it is drowning in requests for records
Staffing problems are making it harder for OPD to provide the public with important documents, data, and more.
Posted inCity Hall
Oakland group aims to get rid of ranked-choice voting
Councilmember Noel Gallo, former Councilmember Loren Taylor, and others want a ballot measure to change the city’s election system.
Posted inCity Hall
Meet the candidates running to represent Berkeley and Oakland in the state Senate
Where do the candidates stand on public safety, housing and other key local issues?
Posted inPublic Safety
CHP to control Oakland’s 300-camera vehicle surveillance network
The planned system, approved last year, would be a big expansion of surveillance technology in Oakland—and it would be operated by state police, not the city.
Posted inPublic Safety
Gov. Newsom, AG Bonta will send state attorneys to prosecute crimes in Alameda County
The deployment of state prosecutors comes just days after the governor said he would send 120 CHP officers in the East Bay.
Posted inCity Hall
Former Police Chief Armstrong sues Oakland, mayor, wants job back
LeRonne Armstrong claims he was wrongfully terminated, according to a new lawsuit.
Posted inCity Hall
Here’s who is running for Alameda County Supervisor District 5
Public safety and homelessness are top concerns for the eight candidates running for Keith Carson’s old seat, which has attracted ambitious politicians from Oakland, Berkeley, and Emeryville.
Posted inCity Hall
There’s one person running for Oakland City Auditor
Acting City Auditor Michael Houston wants to become the city’s top watchdog.
