The head of Oakland’s Finance Department is resigning, The Oaklandside has learned. The surprise announcement comes days before Oakland’s interim mayor is scheduled to unveil his proposed two-year budget.
“This afternoon, City Administrator (Jestin) Johnson informed the City Council that Finance Director Erin Roseman is transitioning from the City of Oakland effective June 15 to pursue other opportunities,” a city spokesperson told The Oaklandside.
“We thank Director Roseman for her services to the City over the past four years. Over the next few weeks, we will work to identify the most appropriate executive search firm to help source the strongest candidates for consideration to lead the Department,” the spokesperson added.
Roseman did not immediately respond to an interview request.
It’s unclear why Roseman is leaving just a few days before Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins unveils his proposed two-year budget for the city.
As head of the Finance Department, Roseman has played a critical role in guiding the city’s budget balancing actions to address an $89 million shortfall in the current fiscal year, and a $265 million projected structural deficit over the next two-year cycle. The city has already made significant cuts to city services to correct the current year’s imbalance, and it’s widely expected the budget Jenkins will publish on Monday will make significant reductions to many city services.
The City Council will have until the end of the fiscal year, June 30, to approve the budget. In previous budget cycles, the finance has played a significant role guiding the councilmembers through the budget process and answering questions.
Roseman was hired in 2021 by former City Administrator Ed Reiskin. She previously worked as the Chief Financial Officer for the Transbay Joint Powers Authority in San Francisco. Before this, Roseman worked 11 years for the city of Arlington, Texas as the assistant director of fiscal policy.
The Finance Department also handles an array of services, from collecting revenue to distributing payroll and issuing bonds for paving and other purposes.
In Oakland, Roseman has sometimes butted heads with city officials over budget decisions. Earlier this year, Roseman and Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan clashed over delays in the city finishing the purchase of 37 police vehicles that have been sitting at a local dealership. In emails obtained by the East Bay Times, Kaplan questioned Roseman’s decisions and complained that “sometimes she just doesn’t sign the checks.”
Roseman’s department was also in the crosshairs of a recent investigation by the city auditor that found Oakland has overpaid overtime to employees in the Public Works Department and Department of Transportation. The City Administrator and Roseman recently informed the council that they were hiring a consultant to review the auditor’s findings, and wouldn’t stop the excess payments.
