Thor Swift for The Bay Citizen

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan pictured Feb. 2, 2011

Oakland has reached tentative deals with five unions that could save the cash-strapped city $40 million, the East Bay Express reports. Oakland has been facing a $58 million budget deficit, and the concessions by the unions mean that the city won't have to go ahead with planned cuts to parks, libraries, tree maintenance and art projects, the Express reports.

The Oakland police union, which last year refused to give any concessions — forcing the city to lay off 80 police officers — agreed to pay 9 percent of its pension plan. This was the same deal the police union rejected last year. The firefighters' union agreed to 9 percent compensation cuts. The Professional & Technical Engineers Local 21 and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1245 also agreed to cuts. And SEIU Local 1021 struck a deal late in the day, the paper reported.

Oaklan Mayor Jean Quan told the Express: "We've been moving steadily with all of the unions for a while now, and all of them are in various stages of ratification and clean-up language. I'm very optimistic."