OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) – Three council members are stepping in to keep fire stations open in Oakland as the city navigates a major budget shortfall.
Some Oakland city leaders are calling this “lifesaving legislation.” It would reallocate funds to ensure no more fire stations close.
“When the news broke that there were six slated closures of fire stations in Oakland due to our budget crisis, the community rallied. We heard from thousands of Oakland residents that they are not willing to compromise on public safety, specifically fire stations,” said Councilmember Janani Ramachandran.
The movement has consisted of petitions, rallies, and now a new proposal from three Oakland council members to keep fire stations afloat. If approved, the newly proposed ordinance would reopen two shuttered fire stations and prevent the closure of four others.
Fire stations 25 and 28 are currently closed at least through June as part of the city’s effort to close a budget deficit that has swelled past $200 million.
“In this budget situation where we really have to take a step back and ask ourselves ‘What can the city do?’ And I think we all understand public safety is at the top of the pyramid,” Councilmember Zac Unger said.
“We looked for every penny. This has been truly, truly an enormous task of finding every last penny possible that could go towards reopening our fire stations,” Ramachandran said.
Councilmembers Ramachandran, Unger, and Rebecca Kaplan are proposing the city reallocate millions of dollars from three city funds to pay for the stations.
“One of the biggest sources of funding for this is $2.6 million, which comes from the JPA. The Coliseum arena has experienced an uptick of sales and revenue, so that positive flow of money is being flowed back to the city,” Ramachandran said.
Oakland fire captain and union president Seth Olyer described how crucial it is for the rest of city council to approve this ordinance.
“I mean, within the first eight hours of closures on January 6… 25 and 28 closing, there was a CPR call within a stone’s throw of Engine 25. I personally went to a house fire on Engine 21, which is in between the two closed fire stations. It took us 20 minutes to get there. So these fire closures have real world impacts,” he said.
The Oakland city council will discuss the ordinance at their meeting on March 4. Council members encourage residents to attend if they want to support it.
If it is approved, the two closed fire stations would be able to reopen by the end of this fiscal year.
