Oakland may change its campaign finance rules as election heads to stretch run

San Leandro Dems make curious endorsement; Oakland POA gives to Bauters IE; County approved sheriff's oversight, but expect more delays; Is Just Cause a lost cause in unincorporated ALCO?

CITY NEWS

OAKLAND

—LATE CASH FLOW—Oakland officials may be on the verge of an unprecedented late change in the amount of money campaigns in this fall’s election can receive.

—However, it’s unclear if the changes can be made quick enough with only six weeks until Election Day, along with uncertainty about whether the proposed urgency ordinance can achieve a supermajority of support.

—Oakland Councilmembers Janani Ramachandran and Kevin Jenkins are proposing to amend the city’s Campaign Reform Act to increase campaign contribution limits back their 2022 levels.

—Two years ago, Oakland voters overwhelmingly supported Measure W, a campaign contribution voucher system named “Democracy Dollars.” But the new program was placed on pause earlier this year due to the city’s budget ongoing issues.

—Individual donors in Oakland’s fall elections can only donate $600 to candidates. Committees are limited to $1,200 contributions. The caps are down from $900 and $1,800, respectively.

—The amendment proposed at Thursday’s Rules Committee seeks to bridge the gap in reduced contribution caps and the absence of Democracy Dollars this year, Ramachandran said.

—The amount may seem small, Ramachandran said, especially to neighboring cities and the county, which have much larger limits. “Every dollar counts in the final months before elections happen,” she said.

—Ramachandran and Jenkins agreed to spending limits of $750 for individuals and $1,500 for committees on Thursday, at the behest of Councilmember Dan Kalb.

—But the proposed urgency amendment faces some clear logistical hurdles.

—The Rules Committee placed the amendment for consideration at the Oakland City Council meeting on Oct. 1. If it cannot muster a supermajority of six of eight council votes, but reaches a simple majority, the amendment will only come into effect for the 2026 election.

—Nevertheless, it’s unclear how much an impact an extra few hundred dollars will have on Oakland’s menu this fall races.

—By mid-October, most competitive campaigns should have their expenditures already lined up for the final 2-3 weeks of the election season.

—411 ON THE 510—Become an East Bay Insiders subscriber today and get full access to the inside scoop every weekday morning at 6 a.m. It’s what the insiders read.

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• County approved sheriff’s oversight, but expect more delays

• CAMPAIGN FINANCE: Oakland police union contributes to Bauters IE

Correction: An earlier edition incorrectly described a contribution to District 5 supervisorial candidate John Bauters’ campaign. The contribution was made to an independent expenditure committee that supports Bauters for supervisor.