Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft warned of fiscal challenges in the upcoming year during her Alameda 2025 State of the City address at the Penumbra Inc. headquarters on Thursday, March 20.
The mayor’s address was preceded by a welcome speech from California State Senator Jesse Arreguín, who affirmed his commitment to progressive values. “That means standing up for our immigrant and refugee community, standing up for our transgender and LGBTQ+ community, standing up for the things that make California great,” Arreguín said.
Ashcraft focused on “creating a resilient city” through ensuring safety, housing security, financial stability, and strong leadership. “I believe that Alameda is making great strides to be a resilient city, one where everyone can thrive, and a great place to live, work, and play,” the mayor said.
Financial stability
Alameda is projected to experience deficits in its annual general fund operating budget over the next two years, Ashcraft noted. She attributed this to the downturn in the real estate market and funding for various new programs. She expressed the potential risk of losing federal funding for transportation and public safety programs but assured that the City is prepared to navigate those challenges.
“When we’ve had surpluses, we haven’t just spent it. We have set it aside. We knew that a rainy day was coming,” Ashcraft said. “City staff are proactively developing and implementing measures to reduce costs and increase revenues, as well as plan for the long-term fiscal resiliency of the city.”
Road work
One-lane closures for an extended period in the Webster and Posey tubes will begin later this year during construction for the Oakland Alameda Access Project, the mayor said. The improvements from the project are set to make it easier to access the 880 freeway and improve air quality.
“It will improve the air quality and reduce the health impacts of island cars on the residents of West Oakland, including Oakland Chinatown, where children experience a higher rate of childhood asthma because of the quality of the air they’re breathing because of these idling cars,” Ashcraft said. “So, when you are inconvenienced—and we’re going to do our best to communicate and give you alternative routes—just keep in the back of your mind that this is such an important, necessary project.”
Safety improvements
Ashcraft announced that the increase in hiring at the Alameda Police Department and full staff at APD Patrol have helped to decrease all crime in the city. APD reported a 13% decrease in all crimes in 2024 from 2023. In addition, Business District Lieutenant Jeffrey Park has addressed business owners’ concerns by initiating a bicycle patrol.
Red light cameras are to be installed at the intersection of Park Street and Otis Drive and the intersection of Webster Street and Atlantic Avenue. Violators will be given a warning and then a fine upon repeat offenses.
Public Works is building new infrastructure to create improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians, which include railroad track removal, high visibility crosswalks, and daylighted intersections. In addition, sea level rise is being addressed through the 2025 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP).
Ashcraft said that safety also includes creating safe spaces and pointed to the new Teen Center which opened last year as an example. “Now, more than ever, our community needs this critical resource for LGBTQ+ teens to ensure everyone feels safe and supported here,” Ashcraft said.
Community
Ashcraft highlighted the success of Alameda’s Community Assessment Response & Engagement (CARE) team, which was named program of the year by the Alameda County Emergency Medical Services Agency. In 2024, the CARE team responded to 880 engagements, which included physical and mental health care, housing assistance, and family reconciliation.
Ashcraft pointed to public projects currently in progress, such as the new Estuary Park. and the Aquatic Center at Jean Sweeney Open Space Park. The Aquatic Center is currently six to eight weeks off schedule.
Housing
Alameda was designated a prohousing city by the State of California in 2024, which gives the city priority access to state funding, such as the Prohousing Incentive Program.
Ashcraft stressed the “3Ps” framework—production, preservation, and protection—to address homelessness.
Protection includes educating tenants and landlords about their rights and regulations and identifying rent increases that violated local laws. Ashcraft pointed to the successful enforcement action taken against Barnhill Marina last year by the Public Prosecution Unit and Alameda County District Attorney for rent hikes and tenant harassment.
Leadership
Following the mayor’s address, Fire Chief Nick Luby, Police Chief Nishant Joshi, Base Reuse and Economic Development Director Abby Thorne-Lyman, and Planning, Building, and Transportation Director Allen Tai briefly addressed their most important concerns.
“What keeps me up at night is earthquakes,” Luby said.
Luby stressed that earthquake preparedness is a main priority for the fire department. The Alameda Fire Department is updating its emergency operations plan to include the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) transition plan, and they are working on an emergency water supply plan. Luby encouraged Alamedans to train to become Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members.
“We only did 30 new CERT members this year. I’d like to do 30,000 next year,” the Fire Chief said.
This sentiment echoed comments made by Ashcraft in her State of the City address. “Our neighborhoods, our community is safer when more people have this training,” she stressed.
APD Chief Joshi addressed the decrease in overall crime, including theft, the most common crime in Alameda. Auto theft has decreased by 44% in the last two years.
“We put a laser focus on theft-related crimes,” Joshi said.
Joshi also recognized Lieutenant Park for reducing business crime by 11%. “He’s applying a lot of impressive strategies,” Joshi said.
Thorne-Lyman said the city is very excited about working with Pacific Fusion in creating the city’s “first catalytic development” at the enterprise district at Alameda Point. “As the rest of Alameda Point, it has the challenge that all of the infrastructure from the Navy era really needs to be replaced in order to incentivize development,” Thorne-Lyman said.
Tai announced that the permit processes for businesses are being streamlined and can now be completely done online.
“We are looking forward to continuing to improve our processes to be more transparent and have clear expectations on timeframes and permit review times,” Tai said.
Vicky Nguyen is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact her via [email protected]. Her writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Vicky-Nguyen.
