The City of Oakland will temporarily close fire stations 25 and 28 until June to address a $130 million budget deficit. The closures, targeting stations in less populated areas with fewer emergency calls, are expected to save $5 million. Four additional stations face possible closure next month, though locations are yet to be determined. City officials are negotiating with the firefighters' union to explore salary concessions that could prevent these further cuts.
Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington announces the temporary closure of two fire stations , 25 and 28, during a news conference at the Oakland Fire Station 21 on Skyline Boulevard in Oakland , Calif., on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The closure aims to reduce the City of Oakland ’s deficit.
The cuts announced Friday signaled yet more consequences from the city’s $130 million budget deficit, which is expected to result next month in somewhere around 91 layoffs to the city’s workforce. Combined, the two brownouts will save roughly $5 million. Several other fire stations — including one on Skyline Boulevard in the Oakland Hills — will carry the load for the city’s emergency response while the two stations are closed.
Union leaders have consistently pushed back on station closures and talks of layoffs. Seth Olyer, the soon-to-be new president of IAFF Local 55, said Friday that renegotiating the union’s labor contract isn’t off the table. Last month, the City Council approved new budget changes, including controls on the Oakland Police Department’s overtime spending and a potential merger of the Department of Transportation with the Public Works Department, to save extra cash.
Oakland Fire Stations Budget Deficit Layoffs Emergency Response
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