Oakland Budget Includes Funding for Measure W
Oakland takes the first step toward a more equitable and inclusive democracy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, June 29, 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: David Shor, Money in Politics program manager at California Common Cause
dshor@commoncause.org, (510) 847-7625
[OAKLAND, CA] — Monday night, in the vote to approve the Oakland city budget, the City Council approved increased funding to hire a Democracy Dollars staff position to implement Democracy Dollars for the 2026 election and add discretionary funds for the Oakland Public Ethics Commission. In November 2022, 74% of Oakland voters supported Measure W, also known as the Oakland Fair Elections Act, which established, among a number of other reforms, the nation’s second-ever Democracy Dollars program.
Oakland’s historic budget deficit raised questions as to whether funding to implement Measure W would be forthcoming. While the Council did not earmark sufficient money in the budget for a successful pilot program in 2024, these investments, together with those in the Mayor’s budget proposal, will allow the Public Ethics Commission to proceed toward its goal of introducing Democracy Dollars in the 2026 election cycle. Additionally, the PEC will be able to implement other Measure W reforms immediately including lowering contribution limits to reduce candidates’ reliance on wealthy special interests, closing the revolving door between elected officials and lobbyists, and enforcing stronger rules on disclaimers for political ads from candidates and independent expenditures.
“Real, transformative democracy takes time. Years of grassroots organizing and coalition building made the passage of Measure W last November possible. Thanks to these same community organizers, volunteers, and champions on the City Council, including Council President Bas and Council Member Fife, we were able to get funding for Measure W during one of the toughest budget sessions in Oakland’s history. We will continue to advocate for a fully funded Democracy Dollars program so that every Oaklander gets results on the issues that matter most to our communities,” said liz suk, Executive Director of Oakland Rising.
The Bay Area Political Equality Collaborative will continue to advance implementation of Measure W by working with the Public Ethics Commission to hire the program manager, monitor the implementation of Measure W and advocate for full funding of the Democracy Dollars program to ensure fair elections in Oakland. When fully implemented, the Democracy Dollars program will provide all eligible Oaklanders with four $25 Democracy Dollars vouchers that they can donate to the qualifying local candidates of their choice— incentivizing candidates to spend more time talking to members of their community, instead of just wealthy donors and special interests, and giving Oaklanders more accountability from local elected officials.
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The Bay Area Political Equality Collaborative includes the ACLU of Northern California, California Common Cause, League of Women Voters Oakland, Oakland Rising, Bay Rising, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus, Maplight, and more. Learn more at democracydollarsoakland.org.