OAKLAND — Mayor Ron Dellums is running late. Dellums, who was expected to release a budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year last Friday, decided he needed more time to finalize the document before sending it on to the City Council. The delay surprised council members, said Jean Quan (Montclair-Laurel), head of the council's finance committee. Council members had expected to get to work on the budget Thursday.

"It is difficult," said Quan. "So I understand it might take more time (for the mayor). But now it makes it more difficult for us."

The council must approve the budget by June 30.

Oakland is looking to make multimillion dollar cuts in the two-year spending plan approved last year. The need for cuts is largely because real estate transfer tax revenues are way down. A report from City Administrator Deborah Edgerly's office in April projected the city will have $15.72 million less in general fund revenue for 2008-09 than expected. The city's annual general fund budget is about $475 million.

There are still a number of moving parts in the dollar figures, however, including whether the city will lose even more money from state and federal resources, whether a vote to increase the Landscaping and Lighting Assessment District rate passes, and whether officials decide to set money aside for future retirees' health care plans — and if so, how much.

Edgerly spokesman Karen Boyd said city staff gave Dellums a

draft budget early last week. Dellums spokesman Paul Rose did not offer details of whether any specific part of the draft budget concerned the mayor.

"He's going to submit his proposals next week," Rose said. "We're dealing with a possible $20 million deficit, and the mayor is closely analyzing the numbers to ensure the proposal he puts forward are in the best interests of Oakland residents."

Dellums is now expected to release his budget a week from today for initial consideration by the council at a meeting at 5 p.m. May 29.

Rose said it is "first time in a number of years" Oakland is facing a fiscal situation as serious as this year's. But the seriousness is exactly why some council members wanted to get working on it as soon as possible. Quan said it would be more difficult, for example, for her to hold a town hall-style meeting in her district about potential cuts — though she still planned to try.

Council President Ignacio De La Fuente (Glenview-Fruitvale) said: "It's going to be more difficult because it's going to be less time for us — and for the public to give their input."

Status report on OPD settlement

A report this week said the Oakland Police Department has made significant strides in complying with the 51 court-ordered reforms mandated by the Riders' settlement agreement and that the department's new geographic policing model represents progress in its community policing efforts.

The independent monitoring team assigned to oversee the department's reforms said the OPD has attained full or partial compliance with 38 of 51 tasks required by the agreement. That figure is up from 31 in September, when the monitors released their last report. Compliance with six of the 51 tasks is currently being reviewed.

Capt. Paul Figueroa, the department's inspector general, said it was the most positive report the monitors have written to date. The first report was penned in 2003.

"This shows a sustained commitment on the part of the department, on the part of the monitors and on the part of the plaintiffs' attorneys to work together and make the institutional change we're looking for," he said.

A chief point of concern for the monitors, however, is whether the quality of training will lapse as Oakland looks to fill Dellums' goal of bringing the department to its full staffing level of 803.

"We urge OPD to work to avoid reliving past pitfalls and to maintain high levels of integrity in police officer selection, training, and supervision," the report said. "The stakes are simply too high to cut corners in these areas for the sake of expediency."

Figueroa said the recruitment drive would not cut back on quality.

"What we've done in a nutshell is increase the applicant pool so we can continue to hire the highest quality of applicants," he said.

The full report is available at www.opdimt.net.

Reid small business day

Councilmember Larry Reid (Elmhurst-East Oakland) and the Community and Economic Development Agency are sponsoring the seventh annual Small Business Symposium Thursday at the Oakland Marriott City Center, 1001 Broadway.

Thirty-four workshops will be offered to small-business owners, organizers said, with topics ranging from hiring quality employees to greening business operations. The workshops will run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free, but advanced registration is mandatory. To register, visit www.oaklandsmallbusiness.org. or call 510-986-2855.

Last chance

Want to vote? Not registered? Paperwork must be filled out and mailed in by Monday to participate in June 3 elections.

Voter registration forms can be downloaded and printed from the California secretary of state's Web site, www.sos.ca.gov/elections/elections_vr.htm. They can also be picked up at Department of Motor Vehicles locations, city clerk's offices, public libraries, post offices or the Alameda County Registrar of Voters Office, 1225 Fallon Street, Room G-1, in Oakland.

The forms are self-addressed and can be mailed without a postage stamp. For more information, contact the registrar of voters at 510-267-8683 or the secretary of state at 800-345-VOTE.

Contact Kelly Rayburn at 510-208-6435 or krayburn@bayareanewsgroup.com.