What’s in Store for 2023?

This year Oakland Rising celebrates 15 years of political power building for and with BIPOC, immigrant, low-income, and formerly-incarcerated flatland residents! Because of your hard work and the political struggles of years past, 2023 promises new beginnings for a more just Oakland. As leaders who are more closely aligned with our values of racial, economic and environmental justice take office, we have hope for a centering of our most marginalized communities. Last year we also won groundbreaking local measures that reveal our communities’ readiness to throw down for their core priorities: housing, livable wages, education justice, reimagined public safety, and more.

And this year, we plan to continue to build our people power by working closely with partners, allied organizations, and our new elected officials on the following campaigns:

Budgets for Oakland and Alameda County

Oakland and Alameda County’s budgets are our opportunity to push for reinvestment in housing, jobs, schools, parks and rec, mental health services, and programming that help our city and county thrive. Under Mayor Schaaf, millions of dollars were reallocated to fund the Oakland Police Department instead of providing real solutions to address Oakland’s public safety and housing crises. Similarly, at the county level, the Board of Supervisors has given carte blanche to the sheriff’s department despite its well-documented track record of human rights abuses. This year we can work to downsize OPD and the sheriff’s bloated budgets and invest in community-first solutions to address underlying problems.

Democracy Dollars

Thanks to over 74% of voters, Fair Elections Oakland (Measure W) passed soundly – revealing Oaklanders’ desire for a participatory, transparent, and accountable democracy. Now we turn to ensuring smooth and timely implementation of Measure W’s new campaign financing system, Democracy Dollars, which equips Oaklanders to financially support local candidates who will focus on what our communities need, not what big-money donors and special interests want.

Public Safety

This is one of our coalition’s top priorities for this year. We want to ensure a town that is safe for ALL of us. In addition to our budget work, we hope to work closely with our newly elected Mayor Sheng Thao to hold her accountable to her base and commit to solutions for public safety. Alongside many progressive community organizations in Oakland, we are calling for a clear plan that addresses the root causes of violence and provides additional funding for mental health services and community crisis response programs.

Know Your Board of Supervisors

The Board of Supervisors (BOS) is responsible for providing policy direction, approving the County budget, and representing Alameda County in a number of areas including its special districts. We will work with artists and cultural makers to build awareness around the role of our BOS so that the community can take action to shift how our public money is distributed.

Know Your District Attorney

With the newly elected, progressive District Attorney Pamela Price in office, we have the opportunity to change the status quo and end the current legal system that keeps our Black and Brown loved ones trapped in the criminal justice system. This year we will be working closely with Price to follow through on her commitment to shifting to alternatives to incarceration and diversion programs, and working with the community to achieve new structural and policy changes.

Watch our Monday Meals segment with Voter Engagement Director, Jon Bean, to hear more about what’s in store for 2023!

and stay tuned as we continue on this journey to transform Oakland into the Town we all deserve – one where we can all thrive together.