Oakland Needs a Public Safety Tax

The City of Oakland is considering a much-needed parcel tax that would both help pay for police and fire services and lower a projected $43 million budget deficit next year, the Trib and Chron report. The tax, if the council puts it on the November ballot, would generate about $18 million annually for the city. The money would not be used to hire new police officers and firefighters. Instead, instead it would pay for existing services and help solve an ongoing debt problem caused by declining revenues due to the recession.