"There are no easy answers here and what's before us is really hard to swallow, but we are here because as a council we are committed to make sure the city is on solid financial ground," Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, who became interim mayor later in the night after Mayor Sheng Thao's recall was certified, said before requesting a vote.
Tuesday's 5-1 vote approves a robust budget-balancing plan that includes cuts across most city departments and the first public safety reductions so far. Councilmember Noel Gallo cast the sole dissenting vote, while Councilmembers Carol Fife and Janani Ramachandran were excused.
The move comes after Oakland had been delaying mass budget cuts for months. The original budget put forth by Thao and passed by the council in July used revenue from the Coliseum sale to patch the shortfall. When those funds were delayed, though, the city had to implement a contingency plan that's been compared to pulling the "emergency brake" on spending.
Since September, it's been implementing some of the budget reductions called for in the contingency, though they were far more limited.
The cuts from the plan approved Tuesday night will come in two phases.
In the immediate term, city officials have instructed the fire chief to initiate brownouts, or rotating closures, of two fire stations, in addition to a third currently closed for repairs. Despite consternation over the brownouts, the council voted to affirm these cuts, which city officials were already emboldened to initiate under the contingency budget.
The Police Department's foreseeable overtime -- one of the biggest drivers of overspending -- is also being slashed. It must now be approved by the mayor's office and city administrator in writing beforehand, according to Budget Administrator Jestin Johnson.
Two police academies planned for the remainder of the fiscal year have been canceled, and the agency will pause some specialized departments, like recruiting, and reallocate their resources to patrol and other necessities.
Together, these cuts will save an estimated $37.6 million.
The council also declared a state of "extreme fiscal necessity," which allowed it to transfer $22 million in restricted revenue sources, like the sugary beverage tax revenue and affordable housing trust, into the general fund, which pays for essential services like public safety, public works and administration.
The ordinance ensures that at least half of the $5.7 million pulled from the affordable housing trust continues to go toward affordable housing in future years, and the council earmarked $3 million of the first $10 million in Coliseum sale revenue to "reimburse" part of that money.