Breaking Now News: Dive into the World of Political Action Committees in Oakland

There are strict rules about how much money candidates for City Council, mayor, and other elected offices can raise and spend during a campaign. However, the rules are looser for political action committees, some of which are set up to support ballot measures, while others are created to influence voters’ decisions around both candidates and measures. These committees can raise and spend virtually unlimited sums of money, so long as they aren’t controlled by a candidate or coordinating with a candidate’s official campaign. Here’s an early look at the PACs gearing up for Oakland’s Nov. 5 Election, and the people and organizations behind them.

Oaklanders Together - For A Safer Oakland

Ten years ago, Oakland voters passed Measure Z, a parcel and parking tax that raised millions every year to help the city pay for violence prevention services. The Oakland Police Department gets about 60% of the revenue to boost its staffing, with the remainder going toward community-based violence prevention programs and the fire department. Measure Z was authorized for a decade, meaning it expires in 2025. There’s lots to be said about Measure Z and we’ll delve into it before November.

The Oaklanders Together PAC was created in February by Selena Wilson, the executive director of the East Oakland Youth Development Center, and it's backed by city unions, the chamber of commerce, Oakland firefighters, violence prevention nonprofits that contract with the city, and other groups. The PAC is expected to lead the campaign seeking a renewal of Measure Z. So far, this committee has raised $638,000.

Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Issues PAC

The Local 1021 union represents the largest group of city employees, as well as public sector workers across the Bay Area. They’ve long been a force in Oakland politics, backing measures to increase the minimum wage, early childhood education, progressive business tax, rent control, and just cause eviction laws, and candidates like Nikki Fortunato Bas and Sheng Thao. This year, SEIU’s issues PAC has contributed $100,000 to the Oaklanders Together committee for the Measure Z renewal campaign.

East Bay Rental Housing Association PAC

This political action committee was set up by a group of Oakland landlords about 15 years ago to support and oppose candidates and ballot measures. The group hasn’t raised any money this year, but they used some of the $24,000 they had in their account to contribute to the March Primary Election campaigns of Nate Miley and Chris Moore. The East Bay Rental Housing Association PAC also backed Michael Johnson in his run for a spot as an Alameda County Superior Court judge.

Committee for an Affordable East Bay

Flush with a $100,000 contribution from the ride-hailing company Lyft, and thousands more from tech investor Ron Conway, landlord Riaz Taplin, the East Bay Rental Housing Association, and others, this PAC was very active in the 2020 election supporting Derreck Johnson and opposing Rebecca Kaplan in the City Council at-large race.

Coalition to Reclaim Oakland Committee to Repeal Ranked Choice Voting

Loren Taylor’s narrow loss to Sheng Thao in 2022 led some Oaklanders to conclude that ranked-choice voting was partly to blame. Now, there’s a group gearing up to ditch ranked-choice voting as the city’s election method. Pamela Ferran created the Coalition to Reclaim Oakland committee in February to support a ballot measure that would repeal ranked choice.

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Before you go...

• What impact do you think PACs have on local elections?
• Do you believe that PACs should have limitations on how much money they can raise and spend?
• Should there be stricter regulations on the influence of PACs in politics?