OAKLAND, Calif. — Members of the Oakland People’s Budget Coalition (OPBC) rallied outside City Hall on Monday to unveil their demands for the city’s 2025–27 budget, urging officials to prioritize investments in working-class, BIPOC, immigrant, and unhoused communities over police expansion.
Following the rally, coalition representatives met with available council members and staff to press for their platform’s adoption.
“Oakland’s community wants investments that prioritize dignity, stability, and real needs—not more funding for policing,” said Stasia Hansen of the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE). “Every dollar from the city budget is precious. We are bringing common-sense solutions to councilmembers that are rooted in the current needs of Oakland communities.”
The coalition’s “2025 People’s Budget Platform” was submitted to Mayor Barbara Lee and City Council members last week. According to OPBC’s preliminary analysis, the interim mayor’s proposal includes increased funding for the Oakland Police Department, significant cuts to housing and community safety programs, ongoing hiring freezes for revenue-generating positions, and weakened police accountability measures.
“Fifteen years ago, the Anti Police-Terror Project warned this city that pouring money into bloated police budgets while ignoring unfunded liabilities would drive Oakland toward economic collapse,” said Cat Brooks, co-founder and executive director of the Anti Police-Terror Project. “We were laughed at in council chambers. Ignored. Dismissed. And now, here we are—facing a massive budget deficit while our people are crying out for housing, mental health care, and basic stability.”
During Monday’s meetings, OPBC called for a budget that puts community well-being above policing. Their demands include funding vacant revenue-generating positions, increasing contributions to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and shifting resources away from the police department.
They also urged the city to renegotiate the Oakland Police Officers’ Association contract, civilianize 38 OPD positions, and invest in community-based safety programs such as MACRO, the Department of Violence Prevention (DVP), Ceasefire, Oakland Fire Department initiatives, and violence interrupter programs.
The city must finalize its budget by June 30, ahead of the July 1 start to the new fiscal year.
Frankie Ramos, director of campaigns and organizing for Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), criticized the city’s continued reliance on policing. “The Oakland Police Department solves only 13 percent of violent crimes,” Ramos said. “And yet, the interim mayor’s proposal increases police funding while cutting support for proven community safety alternatives. It’s a slap in the face to Black and Brown Oaklanders—especially youth—who have been saying for years that over-policing actually makes them feel less safe.”
The coalition maintains that true public safety arises from stable housing, accessible mental health care, youth development programs, and trusted community responders—not inflated law enforcement budgets.
As Oakland faces a historic budget shortfall, OPBC warns against repeating strategies that criminalize poverty and exacerbate inequality. They are calling for bold, community-rooted leadership.
“The Oakland People’s Budget Coalition urges the City Council and Mayor Barbara Lee to adopt a budget that reflects the values and survival needs of our communities,” the coalition stated. “We won’t stop until every public dollar is used to build a just, safe, and liberated Oakland for all.”
