KQED: Organizers Ask City Council to Fund Democracy Dollars

Organizers who campaigned for an Oakland measure that gives voters $100 to donate to candidates say that Mayor Sheng Thao’s budget proposal eliminates funding for the program. The democracy dollars measure is meant to enable a broader range of Oaklanders to support their preferred candidates. liz suk is the executive director of Oakland Rising: “If we don’t have programs that really look at good governance in our city, we’ll be continually faced with the same prioritization that moves us away from community services that build safer communities for our people.” Organizers are asking the city council to fund democracy dollars in 2024 through a scaled-back program.