Since the Supreme Court’s disastrous ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, wealthy special interests and donors are spending increasing amounts of money to influence elections. It’s happening right here in Oakland – during the 2020 school board election, billionaires spent more than $1 million in independent expenditure donations.

Democracy Dollars will:
-Expand disclosure requirements and increase transparency to shine a light on who are the top contributors on all mass mailings and campaign advertisements.
-Require campaign ads to list the top three contributors to the campaign so that Oakland voters know who’s funding candidates and ballot measures.
-Require all independent expenditures to file with the Public Ethics Commission and increase public access to information.

City Hall should work for regular Oaklanders, not lobbyists. Known as the “revolving door,” local officials often become lobbyists for private industries and wealthy special interests after leaving office, using their personal contacts, influence, and clout to benefit wealthy special interests instead of the public good.

Democracy Dollars will:
-Double the length of the ban on lobbying by former city officials from one year to two years, helping prevent revolving door corruption. City officials should not be allowed to leave public office and immediately leverage their personal connections with their former colleagues to influence policy on behalf of wealthy special interests.

In our current political system, candidates are more responsive to wealthy donors than everyday voters and marginalized communities. Oakland is no exception. A recent report found that the 2020 city and school races were overcome by a wave of influential donations from wealthy individuals and corporate groups. Even more concerning, more than half of campaign contributions during the 2014, 2016, and 2018 city elections came from people or groups outside of Oakland.

Democracy Dollars will:
-Strengthen the voice of Oaklanders in local government by providing all eligible Oakland residents with four $25 Democracy Dollars vouchers to donate to qualifying local candidates of their choice.
-Encourage candidates to prioritize and engage ordinary Oaklanders for support, rather than just wealthy special interests and donors. Candidates are required to participate in public debates or forums. By requiring candidates to participate in public debates, Oaklanders will have an opportunity to hear candidates speak publicly about the issues and have a better understanding of each candidate's stance on the issues at hand.
-Reduces candidates’ reliance on wealthy special interests and donors to fund their campaigns. ​​With campaigns funded by everyday Oaklanders, our local leaders will be more likely to listen to our concerns and prioritize our values.

Right now, running for office in Oakland is only easy for the wealthy or well-connected. A recent report revealed that past campaign contributions came disproportionately from Oakland's richest and whitest neighborhoods, and less affluent and more diverse neighborhoods were underrepresented in campaign contributions.

Democracy Dollars will:
-Lower the maximum campaign contribution amount in a city race to $600. Stricter limits means more assurance that our local leaders are fighting for all of us and reduces the risk of corruption. These limits are adjusted annually per the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
-Reduces candidates’ reliance on wealthy special interests and donors to fund their campaigns.

As Oakland’s independent campaign finance watchdog, the Public Ethics Commission must be empowered and adequately funded to ensure that all candidates in Oakland’s elections are complying with federal, state, and local laws.

Democracy Dollars will:
-Expand the duties and responsibilities of Oakland’s Public Ethics Commission, ensuring that they can properly enforce the city’s campaign laws.
-Require transparency for every single dollar spent in local elections by publishing all candidate spending.
-Empower the independent Public Ethics Commission to oversee and administer the Democracy Dollars program and make certain that each eligible Oakland resident and qualified candidate has access to the program and funds are used in accordance with the law.