I submit this comment as president of the League of Women Voters of Oakland. The League continues to support wholeheartedly the implementation of the Fair Elections Act of which this contract is a key component. Implementation has been projected for 2026. In order to keep that possibility viable, work on this contract must begin now. Thanks to the Mayor for sustaining in the mid-cycle proposal the majority of the funds for development of the software platform which she included in the June 2023 budget. While there has been agreement in 2023-2025 cycle implementation will be stepped back to 2026, we cannot emphasize strongly enough that there are preparatory steps that must be taken this budget cycle to set up the conditions for that implementation in 2026. That is what the allocation of $525,000 in the June 2023 budget acknowledged. We urge you to keep faith with that timeline and adopt today's resolution. We acknowledge that financial constraints make every budget decision difficult. However, we believe that just at the budget requires structural adjustment, so do the mechanisms of civic engagement in Oakland. Democracy Dollars implementation advances necessary structural changes to how we engage residents in local government and improve our local democracy.

Councilmembers, please support Democracy Dollars moving forward. The process to get this going is critical to being able to start using this great tool to ensure all Oaklanders get to donate to candidates and interest groups are not the louder voice. It was put on the Ballot with a unanimous vote, the voters also weighed in and it passed! Thank you for moving this forward.

Hello City Council Members, my name is Cynthia Morfin I am a District 4 Oakland resident, and I am here today with Oakland Rising.

I am here today to urge our council to continue supporting an equitable democracy in Oakland and secure timely funding for the first-ever Democracy Dollars program. Democracy Dollars passed with strong support, 73.9%, from Oakland voters who want a fair, transparent, and accountable government and we cannot afford to see this program funding cut. With Democracy Dollars, Oakland voters can have more influence over important issues like housing, safety, and education. This ensures our representatives truly represent us, not just big-money donors.
To implement this program in 2026, we need one half-time position funded in this mid-cycle budget- an ask of $100k.
We urge your support on this current item, in addition to securing this mid-cycle funding ask to implement Democracy Dollars and create an inclusive and equitable Democracy for ALL Oaklanders.
Thank you.