Four members of Oakland’s City Council gathered in Frank Ogawa Plaza for a news conference on Thursday, introducing amendments to Mayor Barbara Lee’s budget in the wake of the loss of Measure E, a proposed parcel tax increase.

If passed, Measure E would have raised $34 million yearly tax revenue, slated to fund emergency services, crime prevention, and address illegal dumping, among other things. The measure was voted down in the June 2 primary election, with the latest results showing its 45.7% approval falling short of the majority vote needed.

“Measure [E’s loss] was a rebuke of the status quo at City Hall,” said Kevin Jenkins, City Council president and District 6 councilmember. “It was a telling sign that voters want us to do more with their precious tax dollars that we already have, and this budget represents that.”

According to District 4 Councilmember Janani Ramachandran, these proposed amendments represent “creative solutions” for $5 million in one-time capital improvements, originally proposed under Measure E funding, such as new fire engines, dump trucks, and restoring emergency shelter beds.

In addition to funding some Measure E proposals, the amendments will also provide one-time payments toward public safety services, affordable housing, a solar streetlight program, arts funding, and park investments, among other things.

The ‘Nobody’s Crazy Budget’

“Focusing on the essential services and this was regardless of the outcome of Measure E,” said Rowena Brown, Oakland’s at-large councilmember. “By listening closely to employees, residents, and my council colleagues, my focus was entirely on turning that direct community feedback into funded priorities.”

Funding for these amendments will come from drawdowns of multiple funds, including the city’s general fund, transit fund, Oakland’s state gas tax allocation, and other voter-approved tax measures such as the Measure BB sales tax fund and the Measure U bond fund, according to the text of the amendments.

District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger highlighted that the proposals will not add any additional full-time employees or provide current city employees with a raise. However, Unger said that he remains focused on figuring out a way to provide city employees with compensation in line with other local municipalities.

“I stood here a year ago and talked about the Nobody’s Happy Budget, I am happy to say today that the council budget team is presenting you with a Nobody’s Crazy Budget,” said Unger. “We’re going to pass this budget, but that does not mean we are done.”