FY 2026-27 Proposed Midcycle Budget

CITY OF OAKLAND CITY HALL • 1 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA • OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94612 KEN HOUSTON Council member - District 7 e-mail: KHouston@oaklandca.gov (510) 238-7007 FAX (510) 238-6129 TDD (510) 238-2251 o The City Attorney's Office has the authority to refer criminal cases on graffiti vandalism and illegal dumping to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution. Our Public Works Department and Code Enforcement are designed to administer the enforcement of penalties. We need interdepart~ental collaboration and HEAVY prosecution. This is why these elements are crucial to holding perpetrators accountable. We have testimony that reflects a significant lack in the o prosecution of graffiti vandalism and illegal dumping cases. There is a great need to establish a process that is effective in bringing forth strong evidence through an established process to submit to the District Attorney's Office for prosecution to submit the District Attorney's Office for prosecution to the FULLEST extent of the law. • Outsourcing Legal Counsel - Policy Directive #6: Hire a law firm to review the Environmental Enforcement Officer's (EE Os) data that captures evidence that are classified as misdemeanors and felonies to prosecute both misdemeanors and felonies. o • Environmental Enforcement Officers are tasked with gathering data for prosecution. They need access to legal guidance in order to bring forth quality evidence to submit to the District Attorney's Office. • Expand EEOs program, Micro-cleaning and Sanitization Experts (MCSEs) - Policy Directive #7: The City Administrator shall ensure thatall Environmental Enforcement Officers (EE0s) receive appropriate contaminated/ hazardous materials (HazMat) training to enhance the City's ability to safely identify, document, and collect data related to illegal dumping activities, and to ensure the proper use of personal protective equipment (PPE) when responding to potential contaminated and hazardous materials incidents. The City Administrator shall identify available training opportunities and ensure that all required HazMat training is completed no later than the fourth quarter of 2026; o With edutation and enforcement, the EEOs will capture data to process pertaining to environmental crimes. In my non-profit life, I assembled a strong team of • MCSE's who had the advantage oftesting out processes to maintain areas that have been abated from graffiti vandalism and illegal dumping. This is not a one- and-doiie process, we need to perform "housekeeping" and "revisits" to maintain cleanliness. The adopted 2025-2027 budget allocated monies for the officers to Page 4of 6