Oakland laid off scores of city workers on Thursday, marking what city officials called a “challenging, but necessary” step to balance the municipal budget.
City Administrator Jestin Johnson announced the cuts in a city-wide email yesterday, saying that approximately 100 people will be “either bumped or laid off” with the effective date for these transitions Feb. 28.
The city sent out 76 notices yesterday, and it plans to send a small number of additional notifications next week. City officials have not yet announced what positions are affected. Public Works has the most cuts with 26 positions affected. The second most layoffs are among non-sworn police staff, who are losing 19 positions.
“Today’s steps are unfortunate, and difficult,” Johnson wrote in an email shared with staff. “I won’t surgarcoat that, but I do want you all to know we are moving toward a long-term financial stability this City has desperately needed for too long.”
Johnson added that the city will sponsor information workshops to help laid off employees learn about how to apply for unemployment insurance, healthcare coverage, employment counseling, searching for jobs, and other resources.
The layoffs are part of the city’s two-phase plan for balancing a roughly $130 million shortfall in Oakland’s general purpose fund for the current fiscal year, which ends in June. Most of the big cuts happened near the end of 2024, which included reducing OPD overtime spending, temporarily freezing two fire companies, and cutting funding for arts and culture organizations. The layoffs were to be part of a second phase that commenced in early 2025. That plan also called for closing four more fire stations. The city hasn’t released any further details about that potential step.
The Oaklandside reached out to representatives for IFPTE Local 21 and SEIU Local 1021 for a response. We’ll update this piece once we hear back.
