Empower Oakland's voter guide is here!
Also: DA recall drama, 911 system upgrades, Howard Terminal plans
📢 Calling all volunteers! 📢
We’re looking for folks who can help with field operations, digital partnerships, and social media & content creators. If you can help, please reply to this email! More info below.
We’re excited to share the first part of our 2024 voter guide!
Our initial round of endorsements focus on individual races, ranging from Alameda County Supervisor to Oakland City Council to OUSD School Board. We’re confident these individuals will work tirelessly to serve our community and drive Oakland forward.
In the coming weeks, we’ll publish recommendations on specific ballot measures and statewide propositions.
Our endorsement process
The voter guide recommendations were decided by our endorsement committee, who represent diverse perspectives and are deeply knowledgeable about Oakland.
They dedicated 250+ hours evaluating candidates’ knowledge, experience, and importantly, their readiness to deliver measurable outcomes and positive impact today.
As part of the process, they invited all candidates who qualified for the ballot to complete a detailed candidate questionnaire. For most races, the committee also conducted in-person interviews.
All completed questionnaires and videos of the in-person interviews are available in the voter guide. You can read more about the committee, our mission and top issues that guided the committee, as well as the endorsement process on our website.
These endorsements are more than just recommendations — they are a reflection of Empower Oakland’s vision for a more inclusive, vibrant, and forward-thinking Oakland.
Story of the week
The Alameda County Democratic Central Committee – the group that decides who gets the official ‘Democratic Party’ endorsement each election cycle – had a heated meeting last week over DA Pamela Price’s recall. East Bay Insiders posted a summary of video footage from the meeting.
For context: Back in August 2023, the committee initially voted to oppose the DA recall – but this was before the recall was officially on the ballot.
At Wednesday’s meeting, committee chair Igor Tregub called another vote now that more than a year has passed and the November election is upon us.
What’s interesting: Mid-way through the committee’s vote, Price and her supporters used some procedural gymnastics to successfully block the vote.
Recognizing the risk of not being able to secure 60% support for opposing the recall, Price’s supporters chose instead to reaffirm last year’s decision, which only required more than 50% approval.
Tide shifting? What was near-unanimous consensus for opposing the DA recall a year ago has become much more divided today. While the AC Dems are officially opposing the recall, the underlying support is certainly fading, even among the progressive committee.
In other news…
Oakland completed the first update to its 911 dispatch system in 20 years, which will hopefully help improve pickup times. As of last week, Oakland only pickled up half of its 911 calls within 15 seconds (the state says this needs to be 90% of calls). Previous reports showed Oakland has the worst response time out of 440 call centers across the country. (NBC)
Former Mayor Libby Schaaf agreed to pay $21K to settle claims that didn’t fully disclose her involvement in prior campaigns for a city ballot measure and two city council races while she was mayor. (SF Chronicle)
Election laws place different disclosure requirements on campaign committees that are controlled by elected officials (where they exert “significant influence”) versus those that are not. Oakland’s Public Ethics Commission (PEC) claimed Schaaf’s involvement in fundraising and strategic discussions should have been treated as “candidate-controlled.”
Separate from the Schaaf case, some believe that the definition of significant influence is too broad, potentially discouraging officials from backing important ballot measures in the future. Clearer, more transparent rules could help avoid confusion and ensure greater compliance.
The Port of Oakland said it will seek new proposals to develop the Howard Terminal site after the Oakland A’s officially abandoned any plans to build a multibillion dollar waterfront stadium and surrounding development. (SF Chronicle)
Burdell was named Food & Wine’s 2024 Restaurant of the Year, one of the industry’s highest honors. Chef/owner Geoff Davis started doing pop-ups in 2022 and opened the modern soul food restaurant on Telegraph Ave in 2023. (Food & Wine)
🌈 Oakland Proud
Today Oakland will be host to the 14th Annual Oakland Pride Parade and Festival. More than 50K people are expected to march through downtown Oakland. George Smith, board president of Oakland Pride, said “This is one of the most diverse cities in America and we want to represent that in our events.” Visit oaklandpride.org for the parade map and more details.
✅ Are you ready to vote?
Update your voter registration and mailing address
Check your Oakland council district number
Check your County supervisor district number
📢 Help us get out the vote
Empower Oakland needs your help! We're looking for a few volunteers to help with:
Field Operations: Identify local events and coordinate Empower volunteers to market our voter guide and fundraise
Digital Partnerships: Build digital partnerships to promote Empower Oakland
Content Creator: Help us create content for our social channels
Our goal is for the voter guide to reach as many Oaklanders as possible. The majority of our donations will go to targeted digital advertising for the voter guide. We’ll also put money towards other advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts.
You can support us by donating to Empower Oakland Committee.
Could you tell us who the endorsement committee consists of and their relationships to Loren Taylor?