Adithya Sambamurthy/The Bay Citizen

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and police Chief Anthony Batts joke during a press conference at Oakland City Hall Jan. 31, 2011

Updated Feb. 1, 2011 at 8 a.m.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan announced plans Monday to rehire 10 of the 80 officers laid off in July, just days after police Chief Anthony Batts announced that he was unsure about his future in Oakland.

Batts' remarks had come after he received news of his rejection from the position of police chief in San Jose. He criticized the city for not allocating enough resources to the Oakland Police Department and said it was time for officials to prioritize public safety.

Despite their fresh tensions, Quan and Batts tried their best to present a united front at a news conference at City Hall. 

Flanked by Batts, two City Council members and City Administrator Dan Lindheim, Quan announced numerous changes at the department and asserted that the efforts proved her dedication to police. Batts, meanwhile, declined to make a full commitment to Oakland. He said he'd make a decision by the end of the week.

"I'm being perfectly honest — that's something we'll be sitting down and discussing this week," Batts said. “It’s really been a pleasure working with the mayor. She’s not just talking, she’s backing it up."

Quan said technicians and police worked over the weekend to identify and fix problems with the radio system that affected the department's response to a chase and officer-involved shooting last week.

In response to concerns over the broken equipment, she reassigned four city technicians to focus solely on the police department, and made Oakland police cars a priority for maintenance at the city garage.

As part of an effort to bring the department into further compliance with federal court-ordered reforms, Quan said the city recently promoted four officers to the rank of sergeant to enhance supervision. 

“I’m being pretty aggressive. So you may soon find an adopt-a-cop program to fund new cop cars,” she said, prompting a grin from Batts. “This is one step after being mayor for a month. Clearly we will be working on a lot of other issues.”

Quan said members of her staff are currently working on the city budget and are searching for more funding to purchase new police vehicles and technology.

Lindheim said officers who had been laid off would be offered the 10 new positions based on seniority. The city plans to pay for the new hires and repairs with the money saved from officer attrition. The hires will increase police staffing to 666, with about 275 officers currently on patrol. Ideally, Batts said, he would have liked to start the year with 325 officers on the streets. 

Quan also offered a longer-term strategy. She said she plans to reopen negotiations with the Oakland Police Officer’s Association and hopes to convince them to begin paying 9 percent of their salaries into their pensions. Then she said she’d ask the City Council to consider putting a parcel tax on the ballot, in the range of $80 to $100 each year, to raise more funds for police. She said she also plans to pursue federal grants to hire more officers.

Batts and City Council President Larry Reid called the efforts a "good start." The chief declined to give an assurance that he would stick around to complete his three-year contract, but he also apologized for blasting Oakland city officials last week. He said he would be visiting city and community leaders this week to repair those relationships.

“I want to thank the mayor for jumping on top of this,” he said, referring to the concerns he raised after announcing his application in San Jose. “I apologize if I stepped on anyone’s toes.”

As reporters peppered him with questions about his future in the city, Batts and Quan grew increasingly candid, offering jokes, but few details, about their negotiations.

“What will it take to keep you in Oakland?” one reporter asked Batts.

“A hug,” he replied.

Quan promptly extended her arm for an embrace.