Hello Neighbor,
Governor Gavin Newsom approved the Budget Act of 2021. The Budget includes $10 Million for Oakland's Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (“MACRO”) program — funding I requested - to allow Oakland to provide a strong program of civilian crisis responders. I thank Governor Newsom, the State Legislature, and specifically Senator Nancy Skinner, for her amendments to the Budget Act of 2021.
I have continuously championed creating a trained civilian emergency response program in the City of Oakland. I successfully included the funding for the study of MACRO in my FY 2019-20 Budget Amendments. In March, I called on the city to launch MACRO as an in- house program through the Oakland Fire Department (“OFD”). Now, through the OFD, civilian responders will answer nonviolent 9-1-1 calls, providing access to mental health, conflict mediation, and social resources. Thus, allowing police to focus on responding and investigating violent crime.
On May 4, 2021, I wrote a letter to the Senate and Assembly Budget Committee Chairs advocating for funding MACRO. It states:
“In Oakland, we understand the urgent need to improve access to mental health services for nonviolent crisis calls, rather than criminalizing community members who already find themselves in a vulnerable state…
...We respectfully ask that you continue your support of our city by funding our unarmed crisis intervention team -- Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (“MACRO”). In coordination with several grassroots communities and with an outpouring of community support, the City of Oakland is launching MACRO to respond to non-violent crisis calls…
We are working towards ensuring that this program is set up to uplift lives in our city. MACRO is being launched as an internal program within the Oakland Fire Department, the personnel would be non-sworn and preferably from our city’s most impacted communities.”
Full Letter to the State: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:38b8e016-7147-4baa-9078-0df221b2079e
On behalf of the City of Oakland, I expresses my gratitude to Governor Newsom for approving the $10 Million funding for MACRO, Senator Skinner for supporting Oakland through her amendments to the state’s budget, and the State for prioritizing the needs of our communities. I have scheduled a budget resolution to allocate this new state funding to the July 26, 2021, Oakland Special City Council meeting.
Screenshots of excerpts from budget:
.jpg)
SB-129 Budget Act of 2021:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB129
Governor Gavin Newsom approved the Budget Act of 2021. The Budget includes $10 Million for Oakland's Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (“MACRO”) program — funding Vice-Mayor Rebecca Kaplan requested - to allow Oakland to provide a strong program of civilian crisis responders. Kaplan thanks Governor Newsom, the State Legislature, and specifically Senator Nancy Skinner, for her amendments to the Budget Act of 2021.
Kaplan has continuously championed creating a trained civilian emergency response program in the City of Oakland. She successfully included the funding for the study of MACRO in her FY 2019-20 Budget Amendments. In March, she called on the city to launch MACRO as an in- house program through the Oakland Fire Department (“OFD”). Now, through the OFD, civilian responders will answer nonviolent 9-1-1 calls, providing access to mental health, conflict mediation, and social resources. Thus, allowing police to focus on responding and investigating violent crime.
On May 4, 2021, Vice-Mayor Kaplan wrote a letter to the Senate and Assembly Budget Committee Chairs advocating for funding MACRO. It states:
“In Oakland, we understand the urgent need to improve access to mental health services for nonviolent crisis calls, rather than criminalizing community members who already find themselves in a vulnerable state…
...We respectfully ask that you continue your support of our city by funding our unarmed crisis intervention team -- Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland (“MACRO”). In coordination with several grassroots communities and with an outpouring of community support, the City of Oakland is launching MACRO to respond to non-violent crisis calls…
We are working towards ensuring that this program is set up to uplift lives in our city. MACRO is being launched as an internal program within the Oakland Fire Department, the personnel would be non-sworn and preferably from our city’s most impacted communities.”
Vice Mayor Kaplan’s 5/4/21 Letter: https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:38b8e016-7147-4baa-9078-0df221b2079e
On behalf of the City of Oakland, Kaplan expresses her gratitude to Governor Newsom for approving the $10 Million funding for MACRO, Senator Skinner for supporting Oakland through her amendments to the state’s budget, and the State for prioritizing the needs of our communities, Kaplan has scheduled a budget resolution to allocate this new state funding to the July 26, 2021, Oakland Special City Council meeting.
Screenshots of excerpts from budget:
SB-129 Budget Act of 2021:
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220SB129
Links for more information about MACRO:
