Oakland police say protests hinder crime-fighting efforts

A line of police officers keep back protesters that were part of a blocking of access to Oakland police department headquarters on Broadway and 7th St., as anti-police brutality protests continue in Oakland, CA, on Monday, December 15, 2014. less A line of police officers keep back protesters that were part of a blocking of access to Oakland police department headquarters on Broadway and 7th St., as anti-police brutality protests continue in Oakland, ... more Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Oakland police say protests hinder crime-fighting efforts 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Oakland police who already lost Thanksgiving Day with their families so they could keep an eye on street protests could wind up spending Christmas Day on the job as well.

A group angered over the deaths of black men at the hands of police is circulating a flyer calling for a “No Time Off Christmas Day” march, starting at 5 p.m. at Broadway and 14th Street in downtown Oakland.

Assistant Police Chief Paul Figueroa, while declining to tip his hand on the department’s response, said, “We are prepared to make sure adequate staffing is on hand — and if that means extending shifts and calling in additional staff, we will do it.”

The demonstrations aren’t putting a strain just on family relations.

At one point, Oakland’s homicide rate was on track to fall 30 percent this year, according to Figueroa. But since Oct. 1 there have been 28 killings — bringing the total up to 85, just 8 percent below last year’s figure as of last week.

Sixteen people were wounded in shootings in the month before the protests began and 23 people in the month since — a 44 percent increase.

It may be a stretch to link the surge in violence to the protests, but Figueroa says redeploying officers is affecting the Police Department’s overall ability to fight crime.

“No question about it,” Figueroa said. “Anytime we are taken away from our regular work, it has a ripple effect in our ability to stay ahead of gun violence.”

The city’s community policing has been especially hard hit, as neighborhood cops have been routinely reassigned to protest duty.

Then there’s the cost. The department is on the hook for protest overtime expenses that, by year’s end, are expected to top $2.6 million.

Healthy warning: California spent almost as much last year on employee health care as it did on the state’s entire community college system.

According to the Department of Finance, the state paid more than $2.7 billion in health coverage for current workers and another $1.7 billion-plus for retired workers, for a total of $4.5 billion.

By comparison, the state spent about $4.7 billion on the community college system and $3 billion on the University of California.

In a report released last week on the skyrocketing costs, state Controller John Chiang said the health care bill for retired workers “has quietly grown to rival or even eclipse the funding gap associated with public pensions.”

He also said that while the state has recently taken steps to fund its pension obligations, “we remain dangerously complacent” about health care costs that have grown by “a stunning $24 billion in just the past eight years.”

“If we continue to do nothing, we will be sowing the seeds of a future crisis,” Chiang said.

State Deputy Finance Director H.D. Palmer said that if nothing changes, the state will be on track to spend nearly $72 billion over the life of the employees — $7 billion more than estimated just nine months ago.

The price tag will only keep growing unless changes are made.

“That’s why the governor will put forward a plan when he submits his budget to the Legislature next month,” Palmer said.

Given that there are 800,000 current and retired workers and family members whose health care is subsidized by the state, it should make the recent fights over pension reform look like a walk in the park.

Puzzle pick: One thing the residents of San Francisco’s District Three won’t be getting for Christmas is a new supervisor to replace David Chiu, who has moved on to the state Assembly.

Mayor Ed Lee has interviewed several candidates, but so far the talks have centered on their knowledge of the district. Now come the real conversations about where they stand — and might be expected to stand — on citywide issues.

Lee has good reason to ask. The current 10-member board is split 50-50 between progressives and moderates, so Chiu’s replacement will be the swing vote.

Upcoming big votes include the election of a new board president, a middle-class housing plan, South of Market rezonings and a stack of labor contracts.

Add in that Lee is up for re-election next year, and you have a mayor looking for a steady vote when things get hot.

What he doesn’t want is a replay of his first board appointee, Christina Olague, whom he appointed at the behest of core supporter Rose Pak — only to have her vote against him at just about every turn.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or e-mail matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross