42084 / 52.9% Yes votes ...... 37454 / 47.1% No votes

See Also: Index of all Measures

As set forth in the measure, violence prevention programs include:

• 100 new police officers to form new crime reduction teams and foot and bicycle patrols to work in neighborhoods impacted by the recent rise in crime, including officers to work with State and local authorities to ensure that released offenders strictly comply with the terms of their parole or probation;
• $300,000 annually for 5.8 years for additional staff to work with victims of domestic violence;
• $300,000 annually for 5.8 years for programs to assist ex-offenders upon their return into the community;
• $300,000 annually for 5.8 years to expand the successful youth offender program, Pathways to Change; and
• $300,000 annually for 5.8 years to expand after school programs in collaboration with the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Oakland Unified School District.

Montclarion

• October 11: Quan, Stein back measure to hire 100 additional officers
• October 11: A blueprint for Oakland? Long Beach is often cited as a model, but there's more to it than just the number of police

• October 31 - Mayor's pals admit secret fund raising; Group backing Brown's plan to hire 100 new cops violated law by keeping its contributors hidden

• October 29 - Brown seeks tax hike to pay for more cops; Residents split over 4 ballot measures

Under California law, general tax revenues may not be earmarked for special programs but the voters may state what they want done with the money. This is what Measure FF does. Although the funds will be put in the general fund, the mayor and the city council have pledged to use the money in the following ways:

1. Hire 100 new police officers. Compared to cities our size, Oakland has far fewer police officers and hundreds of thousands more calls for service. We simply need more community police officers visible on our streets. The funds raised by GG, HH and II will put foot and bike patrols in our most troubled neighborhoods, add new officers to monitor the 7,000 probationers and 3,000 parolees living in Oakland and increase the number of officers working to prevent violent crime.
2. Hire additional staff to work with victims of domestic violence. Over half of all domestic violence calls to the police department are repeat calls. We must provide more support for families in domestic crisis.
3. Support programs to assist parole and probations upon their return to Oakland. More counseling and job training are critical.
4. Expand Oakland's successful Pathways to Change. Young offenders will be matched with community-based leaders to help them turn their lives around, using counseling, drug abuse treatment and job training.
5. Expand after school programs. This element of our Violence Prevention Program will provide quality after-school programs that will combine academic enrichment, cultural and recreational activities. Success will be achieved through partnerships with the schools, local youth groups and the Department of Parks and Recreation.

For more information, see http://www.jerrybrown.org

VOTE YES ON FF

s/JERRY BROWN Mayor of Oakland
s/ROBERT L. JACKSON, Pastor Acts Full Gospel Church
s/HENRY L. GARDNER Former City Manager

That's why they list the police officers as just one of five features of the advisory. But the advisory itself tells a different story. It recommends that $67 million of the new tax money go to hiring police officers, while only $4 million go to other programs.

Is hiring new police really 17 times more important than EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE CITY?

We like the argument in favor of Measure FF! # we just hate Measure FF. We know the city needs new community policing officers. We want additional staff to work with victims of domestic violence, more counseling and job training for probationers, expansion of Pathways to Change, and after school programs. The City has cut $26 million from its general fund this year, and promises to put back $4 million to these programs. That's progress?

When everyone in Oakland has a good education, crime goes down!

When everyone in Oakland has a stable job at a decent wage, crime goes down!

When everyone in Oakland has adequate mental health care, crime goes down!

Oakland needs a police force improved by the reintroduction of the Community Policing program and a new emphasis on preventing crime BEFORE it happens.

Measure FF DOES NOT PROVIDE WHAT OAKLAND NEEDS.

s/SHANNON F. REEVES, President Oakland Branch NAACP
s/KENNETH MOSTERN, Organizer Green Party

Crime is up everywhere, not just in Oakland, because the economy is down. We know what reduces crime. Education, well-paying jobs and mental health care reduce crime. No increase in police will stop the recent increase in homicides. Police come after the fact. We need a more comprehensive strategy, if the motivation for the tax increase is really to stop the increasing homicides.

Do we need police? Of course. But in a year when basic services in the city were cut $26 million, can we honestly say that 100 new police officers is the only thing we should be spending money on? Then why is 96% of this so-called "crime reduction program" targeted at hiring police officers, with only 4% going to violence prevention and none going to jobs or education?

Not one of the newly hired police officers will be a community policing officer, a beat officer who walks a neighborhood # that excellent program has been cut, apparently for good.

Councilmember Nadel presented an alternative plan of 57 new community policing officers, funding for violence prevention programs, and the creation of a special employment program for 43 at-risk Oakland residents to be trained as gardening, street repair, illegal dumping pick-up and tree maintenance crews for two 2-year terms.

When crime is up, it's tempting to address violence with violence. Research shows that unemployment and lack of housing are the key obstacles to exoffender success. If you believe that we need more police but a better balance of funding for other jobs and services as well, vote against this advisory.

s/NANCY J. NADEL City Councilmember
s/WILSON RILES, President Oakland Community Action Network
s/JORDAN SU, Community Organizer People United for a Better Oakland (PUEBLO)
s/KIMBERLY MIYOSHI Chidren's Advocate
s/KENNETH MOSTERN, Organizer Green Party of Alameda County

The facts are absolutely clear: Oakland has far fewer police than cities its size and receives dramatically more calls for service.

I understand the feelings of the opponents to FF who would like to put money from the police department into education and mental health. But they miss one big fact: other local authorities have these responsibilities: the elected school board handles education; the elected Alameda supervisors take care of mental health.

Only the city government is charged with policing our streets and neighborhoods. And, as your mayor, I am telling you that the criminals far outnumber the police. Oakland simply needs more community police visible in our neighborhoods and street corners. Please, for a safer city, VOTE YES ON FF.

s/JERRY BROWN Mayor

• 100 new police officers to form new crime reduction teams and foot and bicycle patrols to work in neighborhoods impacted by the recent rise in crime. Additional officers will work with State and local authorities to ensure that released offenders strictly comply with the terms of their parole or probation.
• $300,000 annually for 5.8 years for additional staff to work with victims of domestic violence.
• $300,000 annually for 5.8 years for programs to assist ex-offenders upon their return into the community.
• $300,000 annually for 5.8 years to expand the successful youth offender program, Pathways to Change.
• $300,000 annually for 5.8 years to expand after school programs in collaboration with the Department of Parks and Recreation and Oakland Unified School District.