Passage of OO wreaks havoc with Oakland budget

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 11/7/8 | Chip Johnson

[SmithL]

Oakland voters may have shot their city in the foot by approving one ballot measure this week that boosts funding for children's programs while defeating another that would have beefed up the police force to fight crime.

The passage of Measure OO to increase mandatory funding of children's programs by $16 million a year, coupled with the failure of Measure NN to hire 105 more police officers by raising property taxes, could be a thorn in city finances for years.

Bottom line: Kids' after-school programs should be stellar - if the kids can get there without becoming victims of crime.

Cutting $16 million in annual discretionary spending from the city's general fund could spell financial disaster for the city, which last month amended its two-year budget to reflect a $42 million budget shortfall.

"It means we are in deep doo-doo," said City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente.

[SmithL]

Deep doo-doo?

Yeah, that sounds like Oakland.

[ScottinVA]

Cokeland strikes again. Nearby, my former hometown, Vallejo, CA went bankrupt. All bearing the fruits of liberal largesse. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

[Senator_Blutarski]

It will be interesting to see if Oakland voters are even dumber than "fools" - the above item sure seems to suggest they are.

Sort of like the folks who voted for Ray Nagin, William Jefferson and Barney Frank?

[DPMD]

They are.