Issues & Actions

Charter Reform

Mayor Barbara Lee has convened a working group to review and provide recommendations for reforming Oakland's Charter in three areas:

• Clarifying the roles and responsibilities of city officials

• Improving the management of city finances and 

• Strengthening accountability through transparency and oversight.

The Charter is the framework for how Oakland’s City government works. It lays out which leaders are responsible for what city operations by detailing:

• who holds power;

• how city officials operate;

• how they are held accountable;

• what rules govern city employees; and

• how the City’s essential functions (like budgeting, infrastructure, and elections) are carried out.  

The League of Women Voters of Oakland was chosen to serve as a co-facilitator of the working group process along with SPUR, a nonprofit public policy organization.  Part of our job as co-facilitators is to meet with and educate the community about the role of the Charter. We also aim to solicit input from the Oakland community for the working group to consider.

The working group will issue an advisory report in January 2026.  Any Charter changes must be approved by the voters through a ballot measure. presented by the Oakland City Council or one qualified by the gathering of the required number of signatures.

 

We encourage you to help  shape Oakland’s future by participating in this important conversation. 

1. Join Mayor Lee in one of the conversations about the charter.  Go HERE to find dates, times and locations and to register.

2. View a 2 minutes introduction to the Oakland Charter

3. Can’t attend a conversation session?  Listen to the Oct 27 recording.

4. Tell us what you think. Take the survey! 

 

Read more about Charter Reform Modernization

How to Make Public Comment to City Council & Council Committees

There are two ways to make comment live during the meetings.

1. Submit a speaker card in person at City Hall – approach the clerk for a speaker card and fill out before the item is heard.
2. Submit an electronic speaker card to comment on Zoom:

• Go to Legistar and find the meeting you would like to attend 
• Click the “e-comment” button to the far right 
• Complete the online registration to sign in to speak on a particular numbered item 
• Your name will be called when it is time for comments to be heard on that item 
• Raise your hand on Zoom and unmute yourself to give your comments

 

Live comments are the most impactful way to make your voice heard with city leadership. However, you can also send written comments to all Councilmembers at council@oaklandca.gov.

LWVO Observer Corps

The Observer Corps, the LWVO’s “watchdog” arm, has been following some of the 40+ Boards, Commissions, and Committees in Oakland city government for decades. Our presence at city meetings is a reminder to our leaders that we, the People, have a right to know what actions our government is taking. The League believes that this access is fundamental to our mission as well as to the health of our democracy.

Following the grave oversight compliance deficiencies of Oakland government detailed in the Alameda County Grand Jury report (2024-2025), the Corps will be paying special attention to the actions of oversight commissions of active ballot measures – such as Measures MM, KK, U and Q. In addition, the Corps will be keeping tabs on issues of continuing concern to the League and to the Oakland citizenry: good government, public finance, and the health and safety of our community.

Read more at our recent blog

Interested in Volunteer Opportunities with the Corps? 

Democracy Dollars

Oakland voters approved the Fair Elections Act (FEA) in November 2022 to introduce Democracy Dollars to Oakland - an innovative approach to campaign finance reform. We are the second city in the country, after Seattle, Washington, to adopt this method of financing political campaigns with public money. Oakland’s charter-mandated Public Ethics Commission, which administers the prior and more limited current system of campaign finance, is responsible for implementation.

 

However, success at the ballot box is just the first step toward implementation. Given Oakland’s budget deficits, neither the Mayor nor the City Council identified sufficient resources to fully launch the FEA in the 2024 elections. Nonetheless, the Mayor’s budget included an allocation to begin preparations for full implementation in 2026.

 

See our latest blog for updates