With the passage of one, but not all, of the tax increases for the benefit of Oakland’s public safety, the city has an interesting challenge ahead. Implementing as much of Measure BB as possible will put more Problem-Solving-Officers on the street.

However, with other measures on the ballot failing to pass, it remains unclear how many of the recently laid off employees would be able to be rehired.

From the Oakland Tribune:

Supporters of Oakland’s Measure BB were celebrating its passage Wednesday, eager for the city to resume collecting $20 million a year for public safety through established parking and property taxes and reassign 63 police officers to problem-solving-officer positions, or PSOs, in various neighborhoods.

Yet the police department’s staffing woes are far from over in light of the fact that Measure X — the proposed $360 annual property tax, also slated to fund police services — failed soundly Tuesday night. And it remains unclear exactly how BB will be implemented.




“I’m so happy BB passed because of restoring the violence-prevention programs, and I hope they can bring back some of the PSOs too,” said Barbara Lafitte-Oluwole, a community activist from West Oakland who supported BB. “We will be trying to get a meeting with the chief as soon as possible, and with some of the city council members, to see how this will all work out.”

Read the full article here.