.Friday Must Read: Oakland Adopts a Budget, and Will Hire 22 Cops; Plus, How Long Will it be Before Cal Becomes the University of Out-of-State Students?

Stories you shouldn’t miss:

1. The City of Oakland will immediately hire back 22 police officers that were laid off last year under a budget plan adopted at last night’s city council meeting. Mayor Jean Quan broke a 4-4 deadlock on the budget, casting the deciding vote after two groups of councilmembers couldn’t agree on a few issues. Among them was a plan by one group to immediately hire back a total of up to 44 laid off cops, which the second group questioned as to whether it was financially sustainable. Ultimately, Quan sided with the second group, saying she just wanted to get a budget passed before last night’s deadline. Both groups had already agreed on most aspects of a budget that would keep all city libraries open, and would stave off major cuts to parks, arts funding, and tree maintenance thanks to substantial union concessions. The council also agreed to sell the shuttered Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center to Oakland’s Redevelopment Agency for $28.3 million and use much of the money to pay down the city’s debt and increase its reserve funds.

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