Oakland Rising Action Endorses Re-election of Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas for City Council District 2 Seat

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, APRIL 26 2022

Today, Oakland Rising Action, a community-led political organization focused on supporting candidates and issues that drive a progressive agenda for working-class, immigrant and communities of color living in the flatlands, endorses Oakland City Council President and Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas for re-election to the District 2 seat – Eastlake, Grand Lake, San Antonio, and Chinatown.

Nikki Fortunato Bas is a resident of District 2 for over 20 years now, making her a great advocate and representative for not only her district but for the whole city. She is Oakland’s first Filipina-American Councilmember, and as a child of immigrant parents from the Philippines, she has worked relentlessly to ensure the voice of the most marginalized are heard. Voters first elected Bas in 2018 to City Council where she has served Oakland for her current 4-year term as a leader on progressive issues, putting community first. Her many accomplishments during her first term include:

Tenant protections

• Authoring a strong COVID eviction moratorium to assist tenants struggling to pay rent 
• Creating a multi-million dollar fund to support tenants in purchasing their homes with land trusts 
• Co-sponsoring the Fair Chance Housing law that provides rights to the formerly-incarcerated
• Supporting the Moms4Housing movement

Services to the unhoused

• Serving our unhoused neighbors by opening a tiny home community on public land 
• Expanding sanitation services to over 100 encampments

Essential workers

• Authoring COVID-19 grocery worker hazard pay
• Co-sponsoring emergency paid sick leave
• Practicing a model of co-governance with community organizations and labor unions

Public safety

• Tripling investment from the FY21-23 Oakland budget towards violence prevention
• Establishing MACRO – a crisis response program in the Fire Department to answer non-violent calls
• Prioritizing recommendations from the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force and co-chairing the Task Force

Protect small businesses

• Supporting small businesses through the creation of COVID assistance programs and of a new Chinatown business improvement district
• Introducing the Fair Share Progressive Business Tax Proposal to City Council
• Advocating for cutting taxes for small businesses and making large corporations pay their fair share of taxes

City services and culture

• Funding numerous improvements to our parks recreation centers and libraries
• Using public lands for public goods
• Preserving Oakland’s art and culture heritage

Children and youth

• Reauthorizing the Oakland Fund for Children & Youth (Kids First!) which provides money for early childhood education and programming
• Improving safety around school intersections

“Her platform aligns with the values of Oakland Rising Action and continues to promise to drive a community-centered vision for Oakland that ensures housing as a human right, safe and healthy neighborhoods, and a responsible budget that meets the needs of our communities.” said liz suk, Executive Director of Oakland Rising Action. “Her first term accomplishments and proven track record speaks for themselves – she is the bold progressive leader that has shaped the Oakland landscape and our unconditional support for another term gives her the power to continue to tackle the tough challenges our town faces. We are excited to early endorse Nikki Fortunato Bas for re-election to Oakland City Council in District 2.”

Before being elected to public office, Bas served as the Executive Director of the Partnership for Working Families, making workers, families and children her number one priority when entering office. During her previous community organizing experience as the Executive Director of East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) she led coalitions that raised the minimum wage and won community benefits agreements. She also organized for immigrant worker rights in Chinatown and was victorious in winning back wages for sweatshop women garment workers. Bas’s dedication to her community and with more than 30 years of experience as a community organizer makes her the ideal candidate for re-election to continue to represent the needs of the District 2 community.