Last year, the City of Oakland brought in an all-time high of $1.6 billion in total revenue — a figure that has nearly doubled since 2013. Despite this record-breaking wealth, our local government is once again reaching into the pockets of residents with Measure E, a Parcel Tax initiative on the June 2026 ballot. Although special taxes in Oakland have surged by a staggering 379% over the last 20 years (growing six times faster than the rate of inflation) the actual quality of basic public services remain inadequate.

While presented as a "citizen initiative," Measure E was coordinated by City Hall insiders and bankrolled by public employee unions who spent over $440,000 to qualify it for the ballot — so rather than the two-thirds approval usually required for new parcel taxes, this tax can pass with a simple majority (50% + 1). Nearly half of this new tax ($14.9 million in the first year) would go directly to staff payouts and raises.

Five-year budget forecasts project a structural deficit of up to $130 million, compounding every year — and it will never rebalance without fundamental changes to how Oakland administers its finances. New taxes will not fix a system where personnel costs and debt are allowed to grow every year regardless of the consequences. Until residents are able to demand reform to how our city manages costs and labor, the cycle of rising taxes and deteriorating services will remain a permanent feature of Oakland life.

A vote NO on Measure E sends a clear message to a complacent City Hall: Oakland voters will no longer accept a status quo of fiscal mismanagement built on broken promises, accounting tricks and ignored voter mandates; we demand common-sense reforms focused on transparency, fiscal discipline and a city government that works.