Oakland Finance & Management Committee Meeting – March 24, 2026
Oakland Finance & Management Committee Meeting – March 24, 2026
The Finance and Management Committee of the Oakland City Council met on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 9:31 AM in the City Council Chamber. The agenda was reordered to hear items in the sequence: 7 (Q2 Revenue & Expenditure Report), 4 (Citywide Staffing), 5 (Salary Survey Results), 3 (Salary Ordinance Amendments), and 6 (PFRS Investment Portfolio). The meeting adjourned at 11:22 AM. All four committee members (Brown, Unger, Wang, Ramachandran) were present.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Draft Minutes (March 10, 2026): Accepted unanimously (4-0).
- Determination of Schedule of Outstanding Committee Items: Accepted unanimously (4-0).
Public Comments & Testimony
- On Item 7 (Q2 Report): David Boatwright (District 4) questioned a reference to an operating deficit in the report. Kevin Daly (District 4) noted parking fines were above budget and praised recent street paving funded by bond sales.
- On Item 4 (Staffing): Seth Olier (President, Oakland Firefighters) reported critically low firefighter staffing (418 members against an authorized 500) and called for immediate lateral hiring. David Boatwright argued the city should not budget for new positions without proven need. Kevin Daly repeated hiring challenges within the Department of Transportation.
- On Item 3 (Salary Ordinance): Seven speakers all opposed creation of the Parking Administrator position. Sarah Fine (Local 21) presented a letter from nearly 1,000 city employees denouncing the position as a wasteful, politically motivated increase in top-heavy management. Keith Scherholz questioned paying more for less work. Kirby Olson urged the committee to reject the position until the full council reviews the parking division reorganization. Michael Ford, the current parking division manager, pointed out he has been performing two roles for 3.5 years and that the new position would pay $45,000 more for only 60% of his current duties. Shurnel Smith (37-year employee) and Nikos Cross stressed that the division needs restaffing, not re-organization.
- Open Forum: David Boatright read a 2019 article predicting rising expenses outpacing revenues.
Discussion Items
Item 7: Fiscal Year 2025-26 Second Quarter Revenue & Expenditure Report
- Staff Presentation: Finance Director Brad Johnson and Principal Budget Analyst Jose Segura reported that the General Purpose Fund (GPF) budget is holding steady. FY2025-26 GPF revenues are projected to be 0.94% ($7.4 million) below budget, driven by slower property tax growth (Prop 8 reductions on commercial properties), stabilized utility consumption tax, and sales tax shortfalls. Expenditures are projected to be $4.91 million over budget largely due to unbudgeted one-time employee bonuses, but all departments except those affected by the bonuses are trending under budget. The GPF ending fund balance is expected to grow from ~$17 million to ~$20 million. Police and fire departments are both under budget for the first time in recent years.
- Key Pressures Identified: Rising CalPERS/healthcare/insurance costs, federal funding uncertainty, Measure O (ballot item) compliance, and deferred costs for equipment and facilities.
- Outcome: Motion to receive and file passed 4-0.
Item 4: Informational Report on City-Wide Staffing – February 2026
- Staff Presentation: Elaine Reyes (Supervising Personnel Analyst) reported a citywide vacancy rate of 19.69% (839.75 vacant FTEs), up from 17.94% the prior year. Departments with the highest vacancy percentages include West (55%), HRM (45%), and Police Commission (39%). The largest absolute number of vacancies is in Fire, DOT, Police, Public Works, and Human Services. Of the 851 vacancies, 426 (50%) had no requisition submitted. HRM highlighted efforts to reduce time-to-hire, including a new applicant tracking system and monthly reports to departments to encourage use of eligible lists.
- Committee Discussion: Chair Ramachandran called the vacancy rate “shameful” and noted that only 40 jobs were listed on the city website, undermining public perception of hiring efforts. Councilmember Wang questioned why HRM itself has a 45% vacancy rate. Councilmember Unger pressed for clear identification of bottlenecks (departments vs. HR). Directors from HRM explained that many positions are not being filled because departments do not submit requisitions or act on eligible lists. The City Administrator committed to working with department heads to clarify the process.
- Outcome: Motion to forward the report to the April 14, 2026 Special City Council meeting as a public hearing passed 4-0.
Item 5: Informational Report on Salary Survey Results (Jobs Under $25/hour)
- Chair Ramachandran requested a continuation to the April 21, 2026 Finance & Management Committee meeting. No public comment was taken (the only speaker had left the chamber).
- Outcome: Motion to continue carried 4-0.
Item 3: Amendments to Ordinance No. 12187 C.M.S. (Salary Ordinance) for Various Classifications
- Staff presented four legislative pieces covering exemptions and salary additions. At the outset, the administration withdrew Part 1 (Parking Administrator exemption) from all related resolutions and ordinances. The remaining items advanced: (1) exemption of Constitutional Policing Administrator, (2) exemption of Assistant Director of Human Services, and (3) salary schedule amendments adding Constitutional Policing Administrator and Assistant Director of Human Services, and adjusting the salary of Neighborhood Law Corps Attorney. All references to Parking Administrator were struck from the title, body, and attachments.
- Committee Comments: Councilmember Unger noted the salary increase for Neighborhood Law Corps Attorneys was well deserved. No other debate.
- Outcome: Motion to approve as amended and forward to the April 14 Special City Council (on consent) passed 4-0.
Item 6: Oakland Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) Investment Portfolio and Actuarial Valuation
- Staff Presentation: Taylor Jenkins (Investment Operations Manager) noted PFRS is a closed system with 577 members. Portfolio assets exceeded $500 million as of December 2025 and reached $512 million by February 2026. The plan achieved full funding one year ahead of schedule; no employer contributions are required for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026. Investment returns (10% fiscal year-to-date) more than doubled the assumed rate of return of 5%.
- Outcome: Motion to receive and file passed 4-0.
Key Outcomes
- Approved Consent Items: March 10, 2026 minutes and outstanding committee schedule (both 4-0).
- Received and Filed Reports: Q2 Revenue & Expenditure Report (Item 7) and PFRS Investment Report (Item 6) (both 4-0).
- Forwarded to Full Council: Citywide Staffing Report (Item 4) to April 14 Special Council as public hearing (4-0). Salary Ordinance Amendments (Item 3) to April 14 Special Council on consent, with Parking Administrator component removed (4-0).
- Continued: Salary Survey Results (Item 5) to April 21, 2026 Finance & Management Committee (4-0).
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to the Finance and Management Committee meeting of Tuesday, March twenty-fourth, two thousand twenty-five. Or sorry, two thousand twenty-six. The time is now nine thirty-one AM and this meeting may come to order. Before taking roll, I will provide instructions on how to submit speaker cards for items on this agenda. If you're here with us in chamber, would like to submit a speaker card, please fill one out and turn one into myself or a clerk representative no later than ten minutes after the start of this meeting. This meeting came to order at nine thirty-one AM and this and speaker cards will no longer be accepted. Um after nine forty-one AM. We'll now proceed with taking roll. Sorry, one moment. Here long present. And Chair Ramachandran. Present. Thank you. We have four members present. Before we begin, Chair, do you have any announcements at this time? Um yes, we are changing the order of the items that will be heard. We will be starting with item number seven, the Q2 report, moving to item four, the uh citywide staffing report, then item five, the informational report on the salary survey for job classes under twenty-five an hour, then item three, which is amendment to the salary ordinance, and then finally item six, which is six, which is the P first portfolio. And I believe there is a change to um item three, and I will pass it to um staff to explain it. Thank you, Chair Armad and Brad Johnson, Director of Finance. For item three, we will be uh removing the listed item one of parking administrator and delaying that to a future uh discussion of the civil service and salary ordinance. So staff expect during that item to pull that particular element of it, um, but wanting to continue to move forward with the policing administrator, the assistant director of human services uh positions. Thank you. So just to reiterate, we will be hearing the other two salary classifications, not um that part one that's listed here. Of course, folks can still make public comment if they choose, but um that's not going to be voted on today. And that's all. Okay, thank you. Just noting the changes made to the order of the agenda to hear items seven, four, five, three, and then six. Uh now proceeding with item number one, approval of the draft minutes from the committee meeting held on March 10th, 2026, and there are no speakers on this item. We'll entertain a motion. Move approval. Second. Thank you. We have a motion made by Councilmember Brown, seconded by Councilmember Unger to accept the draft minutes from the committee meeting held on March 10, 2020. On roll, Council members Brown. Aye. Unger? Aye. Wong. And Chair Ramachandron. Aye. Thank you. Item number four passes with four eyes to accept the draft minutes from March 10, 2026. Reading in item two, determination of scheduled outstanding committee items, and we have no speakers on this item. Thank you. Is there anything from staff? Okay. I will move the item. Thank you. We have a motion made by Chair Ramachandran, seconded by Councilmember Brown to accept the determination of scheduled outstanding committee items as is. On rule, Council members Brown.
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