Oakland Police Officers Association Blasts Oakland Coliseum Sale by Mayor, Council:

Failed LeadershipPhoto byReal Media News

Oakland Police Officers Association Blasts Oakland Coliseum Sale by Mayor, Council: “Oakland, the safety of the public, police and the financial future of the city is in peril.” OPOA Statement “We believe the sale of the Oakland Coliseum property is a shortsighted attempt to address the serious structural deficit facing the City of Oakland. In the short term, the proceeds from the sale will be a welcome band-aid, but Mayor Sheng Thao and the council majority, Nikki Fortunato Bas, Carroll Fife, Kevin Jenkins, Dan Kalb, and Rebecca Kaplan are using the Coliseum deal as cover for their unwillingness to face the reality of a city in fiscal peril amidst raging crime. City leaders should have met at the start of the year to create a legitimate short and long term sustainable financial plan for our future. Instead, they waited until the last moment and desperately sold the Coliseum property to avoid facing the reality of their failed fiscal policies. “The Coliseum deal buys the City a few months reprieve and the one-time revenues will soon dissipate. Whoever is in control of City government in the new year will face the daunting task of keeping the City solvent when the bill comes due for the ongoing fiscal mismanagement. The OPOA continues to demand that the City retain experienced fiscal consultants to seriously address the ongoing budget crisis. “We have no issue with AASEG or Loop Capital, but we believe the city is essentially selling its house to pay for its credit card bills through the sale of the Coliseum. “The Oakland Police Department has already been cut to the bone by current city elected leaders. City residents cannot afford any further cuts to OPD. Oakland, the safety of the public, police and the financial future of the city is in peril.” Huy Nguyen, President OPOA