Oakland voters next month will decide on Measure E, a parcel tax city leaders say would help fund public safety, homelessness response and cleaner streets.
Mayor Barbara Lee says the city is making progress but still faces major financial challenges. Critics argue Oakland has already approved millions in new taxes without seeing promised results.
If approved, the measure would create an annual parcel tax for nine years, raising an estimated $34 million a year.
Opponents of the measure rallied Thursday, calling the proposal another costly tax without enough accountability.
“This will be three years in a row that taxes will be coming to us requesting more money in order to solve the same problems,” Black Action Alliance CEO Loren Taylor said.
Opponents say the city should focus on economic growth and improving services before asking voters to pay more.
“This is not about anti-investment,” Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce President Stephanie Tran said. “Oakland residents want safer neighborhoods, stronger city services and thriving business corridors. This is about accountability.”
The opposition group, representing business owners, community members and the NAACP, point to language in the measure they say gives city leaders too much flexibility over how the money could be spent.
“The law here says such as but not limited to. The language does not make a covenant; the language breaks one,” Oakland NAACP Religious Affairs co-chair Roselynn Roy said. “I feel like that’s what was broken by the promises that were already made.”
Lee disagrees. She says Oakland has honored past tax commitments. However, Measure NN, which voters passed in 2024, promised to boost the police force to 700 officers, though Oakland has struggled to get there.
“The promises are being kept,” Lee said. “Measure NN required us to get to 700 police officers. We have a Measure NN committee that is in the process now of just putting that plan together. In fact, we have in Measure E the continuation of the funding strategy.”
Lee’s spending plan outlines the first year if the measure is passed. When asked about plans for the next eight years, Lee said, “It’s listed here 26/27 what the total cost will be. It doesn’t tell you exactly because we haven’t passed it yet and I’m not making any kind of line item budgetary type of explanations on time frame on how the money would be spent.”
Lee also pushed back against criticism over accountability.
“We have put forth a spending plan that has an accountability commission built in,” she said.