The following is an open letter published by Oakland’s NAACP and other Community leaders on July 27, 2023. End Oakland’s Public Safety Crisis by Cynthia Adams, President of the Oakland Branch of the NAACP Bishop Bob Jackson, Senior Pastor, Acts Full Gospel Church Oakland residents are sick and tired of our intolerable public safety crisis...

Like San Francisco, the Bay Area City of Oakland is facing major budget woes. Mayor Sheng Thao’s proposed budget for 2023-25 released last month reveals the city is facing  a $360 million shortfall, the largest budget deficit in Oakland’s history.  The proposed budget for FY 2023-24 and 2024-25 plans for total expenditures of over $2.1...