“Are you ready to fight for people over profits?”

That’s the question that Assemblymember Rob Bonta posed to a crowd of over 300 community members at the Make It Fair Town Hall. Thank you to those of you who showed up to learn more about how we can close the funding gaps for important services ranging from our public schools and libraries to healthcare and affordable housing. Every year, California is missing out on over $9 Billion in revenue due to old loopholes that allow corporations to pay unusually low taxes on their properties.

It’s time we Make It Fair. [Read more about the town hall in this East Bay Express article.]

For the past 7 years, Oakland Rising – in partnership with dozens of other California Calls groups around the state – has been educating and mobilizing voters in preparation for reform to California’s current corporate property tax law. This October our campaign team will head into the flatlands of East and West Oakland again to speak with more voters about the opportunity to fund the critical services that we need to thrive by saying “No!” to handouts to corporations like Chevron and Disneyland.

The 2018 elections are our opportunity to put our communities first and let corporations know that we demand that they pay their fair share in taxes. We can’t pass up the chance to reinvest in our schools, healthcare, affordable housing, services for youth and seniors, parks, and other programs from which we all – especially our most historically marginalized community members – benefit.

For too long, corporate interests have been prioritized above those of our communities. All we need to do is look around many of our neighborhoods at the nonstop development of luxury condos while our homeless population skyrockets. Enough is enough. We hope you will join us in volunteering on Saturday October 28 and/or November 4 to help us Make It Fair!