Endorsements
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2018
Endorsements
Vote November 6
Mayor
City Council District 2
City Council District 4
1 | Sheng Thao
2 | Nayeli Maxson
3 | Pamela Harris
City Council District 6
1 | Desley Brooks
2 | Mya Whitaker
School District 4
School District 6
Peralta Board of Trustees
Oakland Measures
V – Yes
Opportunities for local cannabis businesses to earn their fair share in the new industry
W – Yes
Reduce homelessness and illegal dumping by taxing vacant properties
X – Yes
Make luxury property owners pay their fair share
Y – Yes
Protect renters in duplexes and triplexes from unfair evictions
Z – Yes
Protect hotel workers from sexual assault and wage theft
AA – No position
Costly, unaccountable parcel tax to fund HeadStart, college readiness and savings
California Propositions
1 – Yes
More affordable homes and housing for veterans
2 – Yes
Provide housing and mental health services to people in need
3 – Yes
Safe drinking water and updated infrastructure
4 – Yes
Expand and renovate hospitals for children
8 – Yes
Affordable dialysis for kidney patients
10 – Yes
Restore the power of local communities to pass rent control and make housing more affordable
5 – No
Stop corporate attempt to take $2 billion per year away from schools and communities
6 – No
Attacks bridge and road safety, hurts public transit we rely on
11 – No
Reduce basic employee protections, like paid break time, for private ambulance workers
7 – No Position
Opens door to switch off daylight savings time
12 – No Position
Raise meat farming standards and require eggs to be cage-free
Who we are
Oakland Rising Action is a community-led political organization focused on supporting leaders who drive a progressive agenda dedicated to racial, economic and environmental justice that puts Oakland’s working-class, immigrant and communities of color living in the flatlands of Oakland at the center of our city’s government.
Our thorough endorsement process included a written questionnaire and panel interviews with select candidates. It engages activists, organizers and leaders of Oakland’s progressive left at each stage, with the goal of endorsing candidates who most align with our values, vision, and strategy for Oakland.
Above are our endorsements for Oakland races that voters will decide on Tuesday, November 6, 2018.
To ensure that we are building a thoughtful, progressive voting bloc that is accountable to our values, we offer some analysis as to how we landed our endorsements.
Values for Oakland Leadership
As we look to the political future of Oakland, a few values loom large before us. Fundamentally, we are working to shift power in Oakland to advance racial, economic and environmental justice. We believe that Oakland can and should be a city that champions equity, that puts the issues and agendas of our neighbors who have been most impacted by systemic racism, poverty, neglect, environmental hazards and incarceration at the center of our city’s agenda.
In order to make our vision come alive, we need progressive elected officials who will fight for strong protections to keep tenants, working-class homeowners, and long-time residents in their homes, and immediately shelter the homeless. We need community champions who will ensure that development happens without displacement and with benefits for long-time residents such as deeply affordable housing, high-quality jobs, and improvements to infrastructure. Public land should be used for the public good.
Oakland’s approach to community safety is a key priority for us. We believe that safety must be addressed holistically, from holding police highly accountable in cases of police violence and corruption, to deeply investing in restorative justice programs, community-based reentry programs and decriminalizing people of color and the poor. Our belief is that a safe community is one where we work together to repair injustice and inequity, and truly look out for each other – in contrast to prioritizing the protection of property and militarization of our streets. We must have a culture shift in the way policing is done, and re-invest in strong public services like libraries and recreation programs that ensure safe, positive activities for Oakland’s youth. This also goes hand in hand with supporting strong public schools and a responsible budget that prioritize the voices and needs of students, families and teachers over highly-paid administrative staff.
The current priorities of the Oakland City Council have contributed to a sharp increase in inequity in the face of booming development, notably the pushing out of our city’s Black population. We are supporting candidates who will shift those priorities to focus on ending homelessness and displacement, holding police accountable, investing in real solutions to crime prevention, and partnering with community members and progressive organizations to develop grassroots-led policy solutions to address community needs and ensure that the people of Oakland come first.
We are supporting candidates who bring strong community roots, accountability to their base and their values, and a deep understanding of systemic oppression and how to make change through addressing root causes. We also believe that Oakland should be leading the way in advancing the leadership of progressive women of color who are unapologetically standing for their values and the people with common sense solutions.