7 22-0382 Subject: Emerald New Deal Healing And Reparations Fund
From: Councilmembers Taylor, Reid And Gallo
Recommendation: Adopt A Resolution On The City Council's Own Motion Submitting To The Voters At The November 8, 2022 General Municipal Election An Amendment To The Oakland City Charter To Add Article XVII To: (1) Establish The "Emerald New Deal Fund" For Cannabis Business Tax Revenue To Be Used For Services And Programs To Address Racially Inequitable Impacts Of The War On Drugs On Individuals, Families, And Communities In The City Of Oakland; And (2) Re-Establish The Cannabis Regulatory Commission, As The "End-Harm Cannabis Regulatory Commission," With Revised Membership And Responsibilities, Including To Advise The Council On Expenditure Of The Emerald New Deal Fund; And Directing The City Clerk To Take All Actions Necessary Under Law To Submit This Item To The Voters At The November 8, 2022 General Election
I urge the city council to vote, and put END on the ballot. This initiative will help the most vulnerable communities in Oakland, and those most impacted by the war on drugs. It is time to repair the damage.
I am from East Oakland, and I support the END as a first step towards EMPOWERING the COMMUNITY to DICTATE their own DESTINY! Equity should be shaped and seen through the eyes of the poverty stricken! We have been out in the streets of OAKLAND asking The People what they need since 2017! In 2020 we launched the END Campaign by surveying West Oaklanders about where they think the weed tax $ could be invested in their communities. Since 2020 I've personally reached out to some of our new and sitting CM's to sponsor or support the END. Now the politicians want to impede the progress and will of The People based on their own personal ambitions. The offer to support and work with us was made to every CM, now they want to push their own agenda(the progressive tax)over The Communities needs to, END HARM. The power to rebuild Communities of color have been neglected, NOW is that moment in time that we can EMPOWER The People by enabling them to DICTATE their own DESTINY. It is a wonder to me how minority CM's who decry being hated against, refuse to vote in favor of helping to define Equity in a way that proves that Black and Brown lives really do matter to them. Our END Campaign was born from the pain and injustice of the Racist War on Drugs and Oaklands' complicity in it, NOW here we are with the first steps toward a plan of atonement and sustained economic portal to address the WoD's and its lingering symptoms. Place END on the ballot July 5th and let The People decide!
I urge the city council to vote, and put END on the ballot. This initiative will help the most vulnerable communities in Oakland, and those most impacted by the war on drugs. It is time to repair the damage.
I urge my council members to vote Yes move End forward to the November ballot. Oakland voters deserve to vote to address the harms caused by the War on Drugs
I'm urging my Councilmembers to please vote YES to move END forward to the November ballot. We need to come together as a community to emphasize the harm inflicted on marginalized people of Oakland. I entrust my political leaders to make a difference and put The Emerald New Deal on the ballot!
"I urge my Councilmembers to vote
YES to move END forward to the
November ballot. Oakland voters
deserve to vote to address the harms
caused by the War on Drugs
I strongly urge the city council members to seize this moment and make history and bring about a Measure that will address the harm inflicted on our black communities because of the city of Oakland's failed war on drugs. VOTE today to put the Emerald New Deal on the ballot so the people can decide and vote on it. Oakland City has one of the most progressive governments and I do not understand why they did not jump on this and make equity in oakland. VOTE to place END on the ballot.
I am an Oakland resident living in the Adam's Point neighborhood. I am concerned about the damage done to Black and Brown communities in Oakland by criminalizing its residents during the War on Drugs. The Emerald New Deal could repair some of the harm done during the drug war by reinvesting in these communities with Cannabis Business Tax Revenue. This revenue could be used to invest in reentry programs for the formerly incarcerated, community-based mental health services, affordable housing, and employment developent and training. I urge you to make reparations by supporting the Emerald New Deal fund. Thank you.
I urge all city council members to support the END measure and to place it on the ballot as I support it. We need an institutional commitment from the City of Oakland, backed by a dedicated revenue source, to finally end Oakland's War on Drugs and attend to the generational harm it has caused families and communities.
I am a resident of district 2, Oakland and I urge all city council members to support the END measure, this initiative is the first step to reparations. Black and brown communities have been disenfranchised for too long, this measure plans to give back to the communities that have been impacted by the war on drugs. Please vote yes at the upcoming City Council meeting on July 5 and ensure that it makes it to the ballot in November.
As a resident of Oakland, I am urging all city council members to please fully support Emerald New Deal and vote to place it on the ballot. Please vote yes at the upcoming City Council meeting on July 5 and ensure that it makes it to the ballot in November.We cannot wait any longer-- we need bold, progressive policy to right the wrongs of the War on Drugs in Oakland. We need our City Council to follow through on their progressive promises. Please be a model for strong leadership on racial equity for the Nation.
I urge my Councilmember Sheng Thao and her colleagues to vote YES to move END forward to the November ballot. Oakland voters deserve to vote to address the harms caused by the War on Drugs.
I am the co-founder and Executive Director of Saba Grocers Initiative. Saba is proud to be an early endorser of END HARM. I want to lift up lessons from the Soda Tax as a caution to City Councilmembers who would prefer to support the communities most impacted by the War on Drugs through the budget process instead of a dedicated ballot initiative. Even though Measure HH is explicit about the intent of reducing diabetes and obesity, the revenues from the Soda Tax belong to the General Fund and not a dedicated fund. Since its implementation in 2017, it’s been shown that community-based initiatives addressing the intent receive less than 20% of the Soda Tax revenue -- most of the revenues have been spent to supplant Departmental budgets that have not meaningfully expanded programming to address healthy equity in impacted communities. We must learn from our current practice. Don’t let END HARM be at the whims of the budget process. We need an institutional commitment from the City of Oakland, backed by a dedicated revenue source, to finally end Oakland's War on Drugs and attend to the generational harm it has caused families and communities. This is the very definition of EQUITY. Please vote YES to place it on the November ballot for voters to decide.
I incorporate previous comments herein. In addition, the council’s staff report of May 16 offers many reasons to reject the Emerald New Deal. The Council can already do what END will do without a $1.2M ballot initiative. Taking $8M in revenue from the General Fund diminishes the expected revenue gains from the new business tax measure. Capping administrative spending at 15 percent (15%) eviscerates the City Council’s flexibility with respect to cannabis tax rates authorized by the 2018 Measure V. The 15% allowance for administrative does not cover all expected accounting costs when combined with the cost of the cannabis equity assistance programs. The deficit will increase as cannabis revenues decrease, and the Council would have to use the General Fund to cover these costs. This is not an economically sound measure.
The Emerald New Deal is an innovate racial justice initiative that would provide critical reparations for the War on Drugs. Black and Brown communities in the city have suffered for far too long, and it’s time to take direct action to eliminate this undue burden by placing END on the November 2022 ballot. To take the first steps towards this aforementioned improvement, vote YES to putting END on the ballot on July 5th. Thank you.
Hi Neil Caldwell here. I’m a longtime resident of Golden Gate neighborhood of North Oakland. Please vote yes to place END HARM on the ballot at this meeting! From 1995-2015 77% of the people arrested for cannabis crimes were Black and 15% Latino. A majority of homeless folks are formerly incarcerated. Since cannabis has been legalized most of the businesses are white owned and corporate. The cannabis tax collected by the city goes into the general fund without a trace. Only state funds support equity cannabis owners, the city just administers it. Emerald New Deal is a chance to have a policy institutionalized for directly addressing the war on drugs by targeting investments to those who were most impacted. Put END on the ballot for voters to secure this as a policy — then by all means double, triple, quadruple match the funds in the budget process to ensure our city makes good on its promises for racial equity. As of now they ring hollow. Vote YES to place it on the ballot!
I urge the city council to vote, and put END on the ballot. This initiative will help the most vulnerable communities in Oakland, and those most impacted by the war on drugs. It is time to repair the damage.
Please support this measure!
I am from East Oakland, and I support the END as a first step towards EMPOWERING the COMMUNITY to DICTATE their own DESTINY! Equity should be shaped and seen through the eyes of the poverty stricken! We have been out in the streets of OAKLAND asking The People what they need since 2017! In 2020 we launched the END Campaign by surveying West Oaklanders about where they think the weed tax $ could be invested in their communities. Since 2020 I've personally reached out to some of our new and sitting CM's to sponsor or support the END. Now the politicians want to impede the progress and will of The People based on their own personal ambitions. The offer to support and work with us was made to every CM, now they want to push their own agenda(the progressive tax)over The Communities needs to, END HARM. The power to rebuild Communities of color have been neglected, NOW is that moment in time that we can EMPOWER The People by enabling them to DICTATE their own DESTINY. It is a wonder to me how minority CM's who decry being hated against, refuse to vote in favor of helping to define Equity in a way that proves that Black and Brown lives really do matter to them. Our END Campaign was born from the pain and injustice of the Racist War on Drugs and Oaklands' complicity in it, NOW here we are with the first steps toward a plan of atonement and sustained economic portal to address the WoD's and its lingering symptoms. Place END on the ballot July 5th and let The People decide!
I support the emerald new deal !! End the war on drugs and support families
"I urge my Councilmembers to vote
YES to move END forward to the
November ballot. Oakland voters
deserve this right by all means.
I urge the city council to vote, and put END on the ballot. This initiative will help the most vulnerable communities in Oakland, and those most impacted by the war on drugs. It is time to repair the damage.
I urge my council members to vote Yes move End forward to the November ballot. Oakland voters deserve to vote to address the harms caused by the War on Drugs
I'm urging my Councilmembers to please vote YES to move END forward to the November ballot. We need to come together as a community to emphasize the harm inflicted on marginalized people of Oakland. I entrust my political leaders to make a difference and put The Emerald New Deal on the ballot!
"I urge my Councilmembers to vote
YES to move END forward to the
November ballot. Oakland voters
deserve to vote to address the harms
caused by the War on Drugs
I strongly urge the city council members to seize this moment and make history and bring about a Measure that will address the harm inflicted on our black communities because of the city of Oakland's failed war on drugs. VOTE today to put the Emerald New Deal on the ballot so the people can decide and vote on it. Oakland City has one of the most progressive governments and I do not understand why they did not jump on this and make equity in oakland. VOTE to place END on the ballot.
I am an Oakland resident living in the Adam's Point neighborhood. I am concerned about the damage done to Black and Brown communities in Oakland by criminalizing its residents during the War on Drugs. The Emerald New Deal could repair some of the harm done during the drug war by reinvesting in these communities with Cannabis Business Tax Revenue. This revenue could be used to invest in reentry programs for the formerly incarcerated, community-based mental health services, affordable housing, and employment developent and training. I urge you to make reparations by supporting the Emerald New Deal fund. Thank you.
I urge all city council members to support the END measure and to place it on the ballot as I support it. We need an institutional commitment from the City of Oakland, backed by a dedicated revenue source, to finally end Oakland's War on Drugs and attend to the generational harm it has caused families and communities.
I am a resident of district 2, Oakland and I urge all city council members to support the END measure, this initiative is the first step to reparations. Black and brown communities have been disenfranchised for too long, this measure plans to give back to the communities that have been impacted by the war on drugs. Please vote yes at the upcoming City Council meeting on July 5 and ensure that it makes it to the ballot in November.
As a resident of Oakland, I am urging all city council members to please fully support Emerald New Deal and vote to place it on the ballot. Please vote yes at the upcoming City Council meeting on July 5 and ensure that it makes it to the ballot in November.We cannot wait any longer-- we need bold, progressive policy to right the wrongs of the War on Drugs in Oakland. We need our City Council to follow through on their progressive promises. Please be a model for strong leadership on racial equity for the Nation.
I support Emerald New Deal.
I urge my Councilmember Sheng Thao and her colleagues to vote YES to move END forward to the November ballot. Oakland voters deserve to vote to address the harms caused by the War on Drugs.
I am the co-founder and Executive Director of Saba Grocers Initiative. Saba is proud to be an early endorser of END HARM. I want to lift up lessons from the Soda Tax as a caution to City Councilmembers who would prefer to support the communities most impacted by the War on Drugs through the budget process instead of a dedicated ballot initiative. Even though Measure HH is explicit about the intent of reducing diabetes and obesity, the revenues from the Soda Tax belong to the General Fund and not a dedicated fund. Since its implementation in 2017, it’s been shown that community-based initiatives addressing the intent receive less than 20% of the Soda Tax revenue -- most of the revenues have been spent to supplant Departmental budgets that have not meaningfully expanded programming to address healthy equity in impacted communities. We must learn from our current practice. Don’t let END HARM be at the whims of the budget process. We need an institutional commitment from the City of Oakland, backed by a dedicated revenue source, to finally end Oakland's War on Drugs and attend to the generational harm it has caused families and communities. This is the very definition of EQUITY. Please vote YES to place it on the November ballot for voters to decide.
I incorporate previous comments herein. In addition, the council’s staff report of May 16 offers many reasons to reject the Emerald New Deal. The Council can already do what END will do without a $1.2M ballot initiative. Taking $8M in revenue from the General Fund diminishes the expected revenue gains from the new business tax measure. Capping administrative spending at 15 percent (15%) eviscerates the City Council’s flexibility with respect to cannabis tax rates authorized by the 2018 Measure V. The 15% allowance for administrative does not cover all expected accounting costs when combined with the cost of the cannabis equity assistance programs. The deficit will increase as cannabis revenues decrease, and the Council would have to use the General Fund to cover these costs. This is not an economically sound measure.
The Emerald New Deal is an innovate racial justice initiative that would provide critical reparations for the War on Drugs. Black and Brown communities in the city have suffered for far too long, and it’s time to take direct action to eliminate this undue burden by placing END on the November 2022 ballot. To take the first steps towards this aforementioned improvement, vote YES to putting END on the ballot on July 5th. Thank you.
Hi Neil Caldwell here. I’m a longtime resident of Golden Gate neighborhood of North Oakland. Please vote yes to place END HARM on the ballot at this meeting! From 1995-2015 77% of the people arrested for cannabis crimes were Black and 15% Latino. A majority of homeless folks are formerly incarcerated. Since cannabis has been legalized most of the businesses are white owned and corporate. The cannabis tax collected by the city goes into the general fund without a trace. Only state funds support equity cannabis owners, the city just administers it. Emerald New Deal is a chance to have a policy institutionalized for directly addressing the war on drugs by targeting investments to those who were most impacted. Put END on the ballot for voters to secure this as a policy — then by all means double, triple, quadruple match the funds in the budget process to ensure our city makes good on its promises for racial equity. As of now they ring hollow. Vote YES to place it on the ballot!