Officials Look to Reopen Oakland, CA, Fire Stations Closed in Budget Cuts

Feb. 13—Oakland officials announced a plan that they said would prevent the closure of additional fire stations as the city struggles to address its massive budget deficit, by shifting money from other city funds.

On Thursday, Council Members Janani Ramachandran, Rebecca Kaplan and Zac Unger introduced an ordinance that, if approved, would also reopen two fire stations that were temporarily closed earlier this year to save money.

"Oaklanders are united in wanting safer communities. Firehouses are our bread and butter for keeping our communities safe," Ramachandran said at a news conference Thursday.

Unger said more fire station closures would be catastrophic for the city and the fire department. Seth Olyer, the president of the firefighters association, said the closure of fire stations is "detrimental to public safety."

Their proposal would use about $8 million taken from the city's self-insurance liability and other funds. The city is already using a portion of those funds to address the deficit. Their proposal also uses $2.6 million from the Joint Powers Authority, the governing body that oversees operations at the Coliseum, to keep the stations open.

Though council members originally said some of the money would come from the city's affordable housing trust fund, and the proposed ordinance named the fund in its title, Ramachandran later said the fund would not be tapped. Unger said the council members are still finalizing the funding that they will use. City staff still need to analyze the proposal.

Damon Covington, the city's fire chief, said in a statement that he's encouraged by the city's consideration of "viable options" to reopen closed fire stations and prevent additional closures.

"Oakland residents understand the value of our department and its ability to respond 24 hours a day to over 80,000 calls per year, and they deserve to have the full complement of fire and medical service resources available when they call us," Covington said. "I will continue to work with the City Council and City Administration to reinforce this message."

The City Council will vote on their proposal on March 4. The move comes as the city grapples with a nearly $130 million budget deficit that is eviscerating basic services.

The budget deficit has already resulted in the layoffs of nearly 100 city staff members, the elimination of grants to arts and violence prevention organizations, slashing police overtime and closing two fire stations. The city planned to close four more fire stations this month.

Jestin Johnson, the city administrator, told city staff in an email last month that more harsh cuts remain to address the city's budget woes. Other proposed cuts have not been released.

"We will be guided by our systems and values, and by our strategic plan, and we will continue to work with our departments, our mayor and city council, and our community to chart the path forward," he said.

Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins will release a budget plan in the spring that will be amended and voted on by the City Council by June 30, per the city charter.

Reach Sarah Ravani: [email protected]; X: @SarRavani

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