Union-friendLee

Barbara Lee and Oakland's biggest unions obfuscate solutions for dealing with the budget; Alameda County Civil Grand Jury is interested in Oakland; Fremont's camping ban returns on Tuesday night

Barbara Lee with former President Joe Biden in 2023.

☕️MORNING BUZZ

With layoffs looming for Oakland’s city employees, several members of IFPTE Local 21, one of the city’s largest unions, last Tuesday compared the city administration’s potential cost-cutting to Elon Musk and DOGE.

A day later, Barbara Lee told the Alameda County Democratic Central Committee that, as mayor, she would hire an independent forensic auditor to pinpoint waste, and even fraud, in the city’s budget. “Stabilize the budget and stop the bleeding,” Lee said.

Forensic audits are costly and take time that Oakland likely does not have. A projected $129 million year-end budget deficit was balanced in December, and is likely to hemorrhage again before the end of the current fiscal year in June.

Lee’s avoidance of “drastic cuts” to the city budget, especially layoffs, tracks with the union’s response to extreme budget uncertainty in early December.

At the behest of unions, then-Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas pressed repeatedly for alternative options, in particular, tracking down unpaid business license fees. The solution not only took attention away from layoffs, but also attempted to shift responsibility to business owners.

Oakland’s biggest unions strongly backed Thao’s campaign for mayor in 2022. The same groups are backing Lee this time around.

At a candidate forum over the weekend, Lee again acquiesced to the unions, stating the call for city employees to return to in-person work is harshly swift. Lee said the policy affects low-wage earning city employees who struggle with paying for child care.

There is no short-term solution for Oakland’s budget. Layoffs are likely inevitable. Bankruptcy a possibility. How Lee plans to navigate these waters is unknown. Her campaign has not offered any specific policies.

The mainstream media is asking why Loren Taylor is running for mayor, when they should be asking why is Lee running?

—More inside:

• Alameda County Civil Grand Jury may be investigating the Coliseum-related issues

• St. Rose Hospital nurses rally against closure of hospital wing.

• Fremont’s camping ban ordinance returns this week for a final reading

• Hayward needs new revenue streams. How about a pollution tax?

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