Mission Statement

The Community Democracy Project (CDP) promotes active citizenship, community learning, and direct democracy by putting the people in charge of the budget. Our voter initiative will change the Oakland City Charter so that we the people decide how our tax money is spent. There will be empowered neighborhood assemblies throughout the city where people can come together to discuss community issues and determine public priorities by directly voting on the city budget. The time has come for public decision-making to include the voices of all.

History

CDP was founded in the fall of 2011, and has grown to include a diverse cross-section of Oakland residents, community leaders, and activists. Over the years we’ve done extensive street outreach, heard from Oaklanders about the issues they care about, and what they would do if they were in charge of the city budget. It's clear: Oakland residents are ready for real involvement in crucial decisions, and have enough creative solutions to fuel the city for generations.