Oakland voters asked to support a property tax increase to keep millions of dollars in public safety funding

Oakland voters are being asked to consider a measure on the ballot that would increase property taxes as a way to fund public safety and crime prevention programs. But to understand Measure NN, you need to know about Measure Z, the voter-approved action that has been doing this since 2015.

Measure Z is set to expire on Dec 31, which is why Measure NN is being put to the voters. It would extend the support Measure Z has provided, while increasing the taxes used to fund that measure. For single-family homes, Measure NN would cost the owners of single-family homes an additional $65 a year. It also would increase the tax surcharge on all commercial parking spaces by 10% to a rate of 8.5%. Over its nine-year life, the measure would generate about $47 million a year for city services. 

Oakland’s Public Safety and Services Violence Prevention Oversight Commission presented a report to the City Council on Tuesday outlining the long-term impact of Measure Z. 

Businesses and residents alike have expressed frustration about public safety and crime in Oakland, and it’s one of the reasons Mayor Sheng Thao is facing a recall on the same ballot, as well as Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. Statistics show that violent crime is trending down but property crime is not. 

Measure Z, passed in 2014, raised an average of $29.8 million every year, according to Tuesday’s report. It is meant to reduce police and fire 911 response times, robberies, homicides, burglaries, and calls related to gun violence by investing in violence prevention.

Measure Z imposed a parcel and parking tax that collected $30.3 million a year, 60% of which went to the Police Department and 40% of which went to the Department of Violence Prevention, after taking $2 million for the Fire Department in fiscal year 2023. An annual amount of 3% also went to evaluations and audits of the measure itself. 

Safeguard ‘non-existent’

In an anti-Measure NN argument in the Alameda County voter guide, a group identifying themselves mostly as taxpayers and tax preparers called Measure Z a failure and the $198 tax for Measure NN “outrageous.”  

“Measure NN was a secret backroom deal involving these non-profits, union bosses, big corporations, and unknown City officials,” they said, adding that “any ‘safeguards’ to ensure that funds are spent ‘responsibly’ are non-existent.”

The commission also has raised concerns about whether some Measure Z funds have been used properly, pointing to an incident in the 2023-2024 fiscal year where the Police Department used Measure Z to send officers to the California National Police Officers Memorial Service in Sacramento. 

“In the misappropriation of funds. It is our demand that the dollars be refunded,” Samuel Dawit, a member of the commission, said at the council meeting. “We also have a number of missing spending plans and reports.”

Staffing has been a constant issue for the police and fire departments, hindering 911 response times, now the worst in California, according to the report. OPD took an average of 62 seconds to answer 911 calls as of June 2023. San Francisco had an average of 12.8 seconds. Yoana Tchoukleva, the commission’s vice chair, underlined that the response times have not gotten better or have stayed the same throughout Measure Z’s lifetime.

In response to questions by Councilmember Treva Reid, the Police Department said it meets monthly with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services about call answer speeds. And that the department also is working to fill dispatcher positions, though not all who apply get through the training successfully. 

Measure NN would continue funding the Fire Department’s Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland, a community program to address non-violent and non-emergency 911 calls. The commission also is working on implementing a verified response system to ensure false alarms are not overwhelming the system.

One of the commission’s recommendations was to continue to invest in Ceasefire, a program that works with communities to prevent and reduce violence. It went largely dormant during the pandemic, which, the commission suggested contributed to the spike in violence since then. Citing 2018 data, Tchoukleva said Ceasefire led to a 32% reduction in citywide shootings. 

Thao reinstated Ceasefire in January. Measure NN would extend funding for Ceasefire and other similar programs.

“Measure NN must pass,” wrote a group of community organizations and the Oakland Firefighters vice president, in an argument in the voter guide. “If not, we will lose funding for community police officers, proven youth programs, and critical emergency response.”

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