Oakland Public Safety Committee Meeting – June 9, 2026

The Oakland City Council Public Safety Committee convened at 6:02 PM and adjourned at 9:36 PM on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at City Hall. The meeting covered approval of minutes, a determination of schedule, a major resolution awarding $38.1 million in community violence intervention (CVI) grants for 2026‑2029, and an annual report on Measure MM wildfire prevention spending. Public comments were heard on all action items and during open forum.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 3 (Community Violence Intervention Grants): Over 60 speakers signed up; 41 spoke. Many community‑based organizations and credible messengers urged the committee to avoid service disruptions, support East and Deep East Oakland providers, and increase transparency in the RFP process. Speakers from Boss, Tribe, Family Violence Law Center, and the African Resource Center expressed concern that their organizations or populations were not funded. Others, such as Youth Alive and Safe Passages, honored the RFP process and urged stable funding. Several speakers noted that OPD overtime ($450,000 for one lieutenant) could be repurposed for violence prevention.
• Item S4 (Measure MM Annual Report): Three speakers testified, including commission member Elizabeth Stage and David Boatwright, who stressed the urgency of expediting the hiring of a Measure MM supervisor and improving wildfire preparedness.
• Open Forum: Five speakers addressed topics including the OPD budget, the 73rd Avenue transportation project, and continued wildfire safety needs.

Discussion Items

• Community Violence Intervention Grants 2026‑2029: The Department of Violence Prevention (DVP) proposed awarding $38.1 million over three years (annual $12.7 million) to 21 community‑based organizations for gun violence and gender‑based violence services. The presentation detailed a two‑round RFP process: the first round had a 34% failure rate due to technical submission issues, leading to cancellation and reissuance; the second round reduced failures to 9%. DVP emphasized that the grants focus on the highest‑risk individuals (approximately 350 in Oakland at any time) and that services are deployed based on relationships, not solely agency location. Committee members raised concerns about the shortened second‑round timeline, the exclusion of the LGBTQ Center (the only organization that qualified in the first round but failed in the second), and the lack of past performance scoring. Councilmembers debated the contract length—three years versus shortening to one or two years—and the need for a six‑month report on service impacts.
• Annual Report on Measure MM Spending: The Oakland Wildfire Prevention Commission Chair Tom Grossman presented the first annual report, noting that $2.7 million in parcel tax revenue is being used for vegetation management, goat grazing, and tree clearance. Key recommendations included expediting the hiring of a dedicated Measure MM supervisor and improving reporting on mitigation activities. The committee stressed the need for itemized spending data in future reports.

Key Outcomes

• Item 1 (Minutes): Approved unanimously (4‑0) as presented.
• Item 2 (Schedule): Approved as amended (4‑0), withdrawing the sideshow ordinance from the pending list.
• Item 3 (CVI Grants): Approved as amended (4‑0) and forwarded to the June 16, 2026 City Council on non‑consent. Amendments included: (1) reducing the contract length from three years to two years; (2) correcting the housing service funding for Bay Area Community Resources Inc. from $275,000/$825,000 to $300,000/$900,000 (annual/total); (3) requiring a supplemental report with full evaluation criteria; and (4) scheduling a six‑month report back on service impact levels for providers no longer funded and those receiving funding. Motion by Councilmember Fife, seconded by Councilmember Houston.
• Item S4 (Measure MM Report): Received and filed (4‑0). Motion by Councilmember Houston, seconded by Chair Wang. The committee also accepted an urgency finding (4‑0) to allow hearing the item, which was added to the agenda after the three‑day posting requirement.