OAKLAND, CA — The Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP) and the Black Arts Movement Business District Community Development Corporation (BAMBD CDC) are calling on the Oakland City Council to restore funding for the city’s cultural affairs manager position, following a budget proposal that eliminates the role.
Their demand comes in response to Councilmember Janani Ramachandran’s advancement of a budget that includes funding for a five-year, $4 million contract with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to lease vehicles for the Oakland Police Department—an agreement that would cost the city $800,000 annually.
“Her decision not only reflects a misunderstanding of the importance of the arts,” the groups said in a joint statement, “it endangers Oakland residents by further defunding critical programs that serve to reduce crime.”
The proposed contract, discussed at the June 12 City Council meeting, allows OPD officers to take the leased vehicles home. “Even more alarming,” the groups said, “there is no tracking or oversight of how these rental vehicles are being used—raising serious red flags about potential personal use at taxpayer expense.”
To fund the OPD contract, the city would eliminate the cultural affairs manager role, which oversees the planning and coordination of arts and community programs. APTP and BAMBD CDC argue this move is not only fiscally irresponsible but harmful to the city’s public safety and youth engagement strategies.
The groups condemned the cut as “short-sighted and dangerous,” asserting that public investment in the arts helps prevent violence and supports healthy youth development. “Public spaces enriched with arts, gardens, and cultural programming consistently show lower levels of violence,” the letter stated.
APTP Co-Founder and Executive Director Cat Brooks emphasized the long-term consequences. “If we want to keep Oakland healthy and vibrant, we need to fund the arts,” she said. “We also know that the cultural affairs manager has traditionally brought much-needed grants and resources into the Town. We simply can’t afford to lose this position.”
Citing a 2017 University of Pennsylvania study, the organizations noted that cultural resources in low- and middle-income neighborhoods were linked to an 18% reduction in serious crime.
BAMBD CDC Executive Director and Oakland Poet Laureate Dr. Ayodele Nzinga added that the city’s arts infrastructure is central to its economic and cultural identity. “Access to culture saves lives by providing safe spaces to nurture the promise in our youth and by preserving the history and traditions of our elders,” she said. “Artists bring vitality, inspiration, and foot traffic to cities, which translates into increased commerce for businesses and tax revenue for the Town.”
APTP and BAMBD CDC are urging Councilmember Ramachandran and the broader council to reject the proposed cuts and instead redirect OPD car rental funds—and additional savings from the civilianization of police positions—toward restoring the Cultural Affairs Division. They emphasize this as a critical investment in public safety, community wellness, and economic development, especially for Black and Brown arts organizations.
“We cannot continue to let the Oakland Police Department run this city into bankruptcy while the cultural life of Oakland is left to starve,” the statement reads. “Oakland’s rich cultural legacy is globally recognized, and failing to preserve it betrays the city’s identity and the wellbeing of its residents.”
The City Council is scheduled to hold a second reading of the budget on June 17.
In anticipation, APTP and BAMBD CDC remind city leaders: “Culture is not a luxury. It is essential to safety, health, healing, and pride… Oakland deserves better.”
