A $43 million police headquarters for a small city that took in $50 million in revenue last year.

San Pablo is a city with a significant foreign-born population, where incomes and homeownership rates lag far behind the statewide average. Almost 80% of residents are people of color and most residents are renters.

Last month, dozens of people gathered outside the square, stucco building that houses City Hall to advocate for better tenant protections. Efforts to do so have so far been unsuccessful, said Anya Svanoe, communications director for the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, which organized the Sept. 30 rally.

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Spending on a police headquarters isn’t in violation of the intentionally broad act, Auxier said, though it might not be the expected use of COVID relief funds. Alabama used almost 20% of its COVID aid to build prisons.

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City officials have pointed to a July 2021 survey to contend there is broad public support for the project. The city-conducted survey found almost four in five residents in favor of it. The city received 302 responses to that survey, less than 1% of the population, which leading public opinion pollsters don’t consider representative.

“They don’t want us to do any type of defunding programs that’s been done in surrounding cities like Richmond, Berkeley and Oakland,” said Rodriguez, the city manager.

Richmond, Berkeley and Oakland have all increased police spending in recent years.

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“[Opposition] is from outside extremist groups from Oakland and Berkeley,” Rodriguez said without offering evidence. “Unfortunately, they’re coming to San Pablo to discredit our project and spread some misinformation.”

Those damn outside agitators, always interfering with civil rights violations . . .