Fresh off our panel event “Changing the Initiative Process” with Alex Lee (state assembly members), Nicole Derse (50+1 Strategies), Shawn McDougal (CDP), and Chris Chew (Cooperative 4 the Community) we decided to send a letter of support for the Clean Money Act. The act aims to replace corporate contributions from elections with a publicly financed Read more about Letter of Support for AB 20: Clean Money Act[…]
Hella People Power Organizing Over a period of six months in 2019, we collected nearly 45,000 signatures across the city from Oaklanders who understand the transformative potential of putting the budget in the hands of the people. The campaign was an amazing example of the power of grassroots organizing. Together, we demonstrated the impact that Read more about 2020 Yearbook[…]
Early Monday morning KPFA hosted the Community Democracy Project and At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan on their UpFront segment with Cat Brooks for a discussion on the city administration’s proposed budget cuts. The cuts include reducing Fire Department services and layoffs to other departments. CDP member Blake Hihara woke up early to make the case for Read more about KPFA Interview with Cat Brooks and Rebecca Kaplan[…]
Flipping the Power Structure The People’s Budget is a form of participatory budgeting that puts residents in charge of how the city spends its money. The United Nations considers participatory budgeting a democratic “best practice” and the New York Times called it “revolutionary civics in action.” Our People’s Budget Initiative creates the largest model in Read more about What is a People’s Budget?[…]