On June 18, 2019, City Council adopted amendments to the Oakland Campaign Reform Act (OCRA) requiring disclosure of contributions to ballot measure campaigns sought from people who have business before the City as a way to illuminate political contributions by those who may desire to influence City action.
MANDATORY REPORTING BY CITY OFFICIALS AND STAFF WHO SOLICIT POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS
Effective July 1, 2019, any Oakland public servant required to file a Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700) who successfully solicits a political contribution of $5,000 or more from any person or entity that contracts or proposes to contract with the official’s department must disclose the solicitation to the Public Ethics Commission within 30 days. The disclosure requirement applies to the Mayor, members of the Council, or senior staff members to either the Mayor or members of Council when the solicitation is made to a person contracting or proposing to contract with the City of Oakland.
How to Disclose Solicitations
To report a solicited contribution, use the online OCRA Form 303.
DISCLOSURE OF PRINCIPAL OFFICERS
All non-candidate controlled committees, including ballot measure and general purpose committees, required to file campaign statements in the City of Oakland must disclose the principal officers of the committee on their Statement of Organization (FPPC Form 410) and a copy must be filed with the Public Ethics Commission.
A principal officer is the individual primarily responsible for approving the political activity of the committee including, but not limited to, the following activities:
- Authorizing the content of the communications made by the committee.
- Authorizing expenditures, including contributions, on behalf of the committee.
- Determining the committee's campaign strategy.
A minimum of one principal officer must be disclosed including the officer’s full name, street address, and telephone number. If more than one person shares responsibility for approving the political activities of the committee, each person is a principal officer and must be disclosed up to a total of three, if applicable.
Violations of the Oakland Campaign Reform Act are subject to criminal, civil, administrative, and other penalties. Failure to comply with disclosure requirements will result in a referral for enforcement investigation and action.
Contact Jelani Killings at jkillings@oaklandca.gov if you have any questions regarding compliance with campaign finance disclosure requirements.