Oakland’s budget crisis is a complex issue, akin to managing personal finances without sufficient income. For the 2022-2023 fiscal year, the city anticipated $919 million in revenue but collected only $728 million. This shortfall resulted from lower-than-expected returns from the Real Estate Transfer Tax and the Transient Occupancy Tax, influenced by federal interest rate hikes and a surge in crime, respectively.
To address these challenges, Oakland proposed selling its stake in the Coliseum for $105 million as a financial bridge. However, this one-time solution has stalled. Other strategies include departmental restructuring and cost reductions in the Police and Fire Departments.
Miscalculations and overestimations of revenue have exacerbated the city’s financial woes, highlighting a disconnect between the city and the business landscape. Oakland collected only $1 million from fees for licenses and permits, far short of the $5 million expected. Increased crime and business shutdowns compound this issue, underscoring the need for better financial planning.
Consider a local business that thrived during the pandemic. In 2021, a bar, restaurant, or cafe opened, supported by a strong community. By the end of 2022, it achieved $1 million in revenue. However, by April 2023, sales had dropped significantly and never recovered, contributing to a $37M to $50M decrease in business tax revenue for the city and closures or relocations for many businesses. This reflects what the city could have done to mitigate revenue shrinkage post-pandemic.
Issues like the ransomware attack in February 2023 and the firing of the police chief in the same month, two years after the department was defunded by $17 million, marked a turning point. The city was left without a chief for over a year. The shortage of police officers and a breakdown in the 911 system exposed the city’s inability to handle the crime surge. The homeless encampments and unhoused citizens, costing the city an estimated $120M, compounded issues that triggered our current financial debacle. Instead of focusing on recovery plans like back-to-work campaigns for city workers and affiliate organizations to help revive small businesses and reignite the ecosystem, other issues took center stage.
In 2018, Oakland’s website reported a $1 billion retail sales leakage due to a lack of general goods merchandisers. There were also shortages of affordable healthy food and groceries, potentially costing the city $10 million in sales tax revenues and over 10,000 jobs. Six years later, the situation has worsened.
Money is oxygen for any business to survive, and this holds true for a city like Oakland. To weather future storms, we must focus on business development to generate revenue growth and create a surplus. That is what we can control internally. While the way forward is rife with uncertainty, I believe our community will overcome and heal.