Oakland to issue municipal IDs that double as debit cards

Day laborers can be easy targets for thieves who know they carry cash, instead of depositing wages in the bank.

“Day laborers most of the time are seen as walking ATMs because they get robbed on the street,” Gabriela Galicia says who works with day laborers at Street Level Health Project, a non-profit that serves the undocumented and uninsured.

Galicia’s group is part of a coalition that’s trying to get the word out on the city ID card. The project has been in the works for more than two years.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan says the card can help people anytime they deal with a city agency, be it the police or the public library. And the debit feature is important for people who have no place to put their money.