[PeterisP]

IMHO the core issue is a lack of resources - they can't afford an outsourced vendor that will do stuff properly just as much as they can't afford to do the same thing in-house. There's barely a budget to get hardware, and definitely not to deploy it properly; there's barely a budget to replace what dies of old age, and definitely not to do proper maintenance and updates.

[nradov]

Then the Oakland city council should make hard choices and reduce discretionary expenditures in other areas. That's a shame and it will hurt underprivileged city residents who are already struggling, but they need to face reality. I hate that we essentially all have to pay a "tax" to protect against IT security threats but what is the alternative? There doesn't seem to be a cheaper option that actually works.