Tom Butt
 
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  More on Oakland's Bad Experience with Kids First
July 26, 2016
 

http://www.eastbaytimes.com/oaklandtribune/ci_11306565:

"Mayor Ron Dellums released a budget report this week projecting a general fund deficit of $50 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009, and $58 million the year after that. The bleak projections are due to an economy in recession and expected increases in spending on children's programs and employee benefits and pension obligations, among other things, Dellums' report said."

https://ballotpedia.org/City_of_Oakland_...)

"Some Oakland City Council members want to put a new ballot measure before Oakland's voters to repeal or amend Measure OO, in the face of the $50 million deficit facing the city. March 17 was set as the date when the city council would decide what measure they want to refer to the ballot, but deadlock among members prevented a compromise. The matter was raised again at the March 31 meeting.

One group on the City Council wants Measure OO to be completely repealed.

Another group wants to amend it.

In the end, the City Council decided to put the measure before voters once again, and on July 21, 2009, voters will be asked whether or not to reduce the amount of money the city sets aside for youth programs."

This 2009 initiative was Measure D (see below):

https://ballotpedia.org/City_of_Oakland_...)

Measure D's supporters included the group "Yes 4 Oakland," which also supported the other three measures on the July 21 ballot. Listed supporters included: Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, California State Senator Loni Hancock, Assemblymember Sandre Swanson (D-Oakland), California Nurses Association, The Central Labor Council of Alameda County. According to Sharon Cornu, executive secretary-treasurer of the union, "City employees have taken really tough hits — layoffs and salary and benefit cuts. We're working really hard to make sure these measures pass."

Writer V Smoothe from the website "A Better Oakland" urged a "yes" vote on Measure D, saying;

Oakland simply cannot afford the costs of Measure OO. We can also not afford another special election. I would have preferred that Measure OO didn’t pass in the first place, but it did. I would have also preferred that the Council placed a full repeal on the ballot, but they didn’t. Sometimes you lose, and as much as it sucks, you have to learn to live with it. Measure D is the choice we have before us, it isn’t great, but it’s not insane and awful either, and really, sometimes you just have to suck it up and vote yes, even on things you don’t like that much because they’re better than the alternative. And that’s the case here. Please vote yes on Measure D.”

 
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