Oakland mayor says more painful cuts ahead in new year as city faces $62M budget shortfall

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- The City of Oakland begins the new year still having to cut more than $30 million from its budget to head off a projected $62 million shortfall.

"If we don't make hard decisions now, we will face heart-breaking decisions later," said Mayor Libby Schaaf.

RELATED: Oakland divided over $62M budget cuts, likely to impact police, public safety
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Oakland City Administrator Ed Reiskin has already imposed $29 million dollars in reductions, including to police and fire services.
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"When you close firehouses, it means response times get extended," said Zac Unger, President of Local 55 Oakland Firefighters. "So closing firehouses in the middle of both a pandemic and in the middle of epic wildfires is just terrible public policy."

VIDEO: OPD chief responds to criticism on release of violent crime data amid budget cut debate