Oakland Passes Austerity Budget, Declares Fiscal Emergency for Fourth Straight Year

The Oakland City Council on June 12 adopted its FY 2026-27 midcycle budget on a 6-2 vote, approving roughly $72 million in amendments while once again suspending voter-approved mandates on police staffing, Democracy Dollars, and other programs. The marathon special meeting — stretching past three and a half hours — drew dozens of public speakers who clashed over police oversight funding, senior services, affordable housing, worker pay, and human trafficking enforcement, exposing the widening gap between what Oakland residents have demanded at the ballot box and what the city says it can afford.