6 22-0382 Subject: Emerald New Deal Healing And Reparations Fund
From: Councilmember Taylor
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
Hi, my name is Monica Bien. I am a long time resident of Oakland D4. I urge this committee to move END HARM forward to a full council vote. END HARM is the first truly progressive measure to deal with the onslaught of racial injustice to black and brown communities. I am proud of Oakland role as a leader for innovation and thinking outside the box. This small step toward and equitable Oakland where everyone has a chance to thrive and Love Life is the least we can do. Please advance this measure to a full council vote so the people of Oakland can decide on this important initiative. Don’t stand in the way of a measure meant to support our most impacted communities. Thank you.
I’ve lived in Oakland for several years and I am asking this committee to move END HARM forward to a full City Council vote. Please put this on the November ballot so Oakland voters can secure and institutionalize addressing the harms of the War on Drugs. For years I worked on Restorative Justice programs, both pre- and post-charge, to interrupt and heal the impact of incarceration for individuals and families. I have not seen our City commit to the level of funding needed to fully support the recommendations from the Reimagining Public Safety Taskforce. END HARM can institutionalize a funding source and secure a policy on the books to support Restorative Justice, direct support for people coming home from incarceration, as well as cannabis equity businesses. It is an innovative approach to equity: working to repair past harms and ensuring the future does not continue to perpetuate them. Please allow voters the chance to break this cycle of harm, and center Black and Brown communities that have been targeted, harmed, and marginalized in a policy solution. Please move END HARM forward today!
I’ve lived in the lakeshore neighborhood of District 2 for the last ten years and as a supporter of Emerald New Deal I am
asking this committee to advance END HARM to a full city council vote without any more delay. I was moved to join protests for the first time in my live in the summer of 2020, and proudly marched in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. I have yet to see the City enact any meaningful policy to back up its promises to advance racial equity. If the intent of END could be reached within the current budget process, it would have been passed by now. How was an END-style policy not passed when cannabis was legalized?? Right this wrong now, and let the voters do the right thing and institutionalize addressing the harms caused by the war on drugs through END HARM.
I am a resident of the Allendale Neighborhood of District 4 and a proud supporter of Emerald New Deal. I am asking this committee to please move END HARM forward to a full City Council vote to place it on our November ballot. I have worked with families deeply impacted by the War on Drugs and have not seen my City get even close to addressing the lasting impact through their status quo approach. END HARM will make good on the promise of Measure Z. A promise that has remained unfulfilled for 18 years, through many different budget cycles. Any promises for future investment ring hollow without first approving END for the ballot. Please put this to the voters!
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 move it forward to a full City Council vote without further delay and place it on the ballot for voters to decide.
I’m a longtime resident of Golden Gate neighborhood of North Oakland. Please move END forward to a full city council vote without further delay! 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.
My name is Bella, and I am a resident of D2 and Nikki Bas’ constituent. I write today to urge CM Bas, along with all of the city council members, to allow the Emerald New Deal to move through the rules and legislation committee to be presented at the full council meeting on June 21.
I also hope to use this space to answer some oppositional comments, as well as offer clarification about the measure.
END requires an institutional commitment from the city of Oakland, supported by a sustained revenue source to end the War on Drugs and the pain it has inflicted on Black and Brown folks. We cannot rely on the whims of a budgetary process that has continued to fail the community. END provides a consistent baseline for funding. Furthermore, Marijuana revenue doesn't cover marijuana expenses… The money from the cannabis business tax revenue is untraceable, and we have no idea how the money is actually being spent. Finally, END is focused on the restitution of the war on drugs, which means allocating money to folks disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. 12,655 Oaklanders have been arrested between 1995-2015 for crimes related to cannabis use. 77% of them are Black, and 15% Latinx. This is a conversation about who is being targeted and arrested for drug use– and it’s definitely not white people.
Agenda Item No. 22-0382
I oppose the use of piecemeal legislation to raise money. (Prop C is another example. https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/21/editorial-reject-oaklands-library-tax-charade-vote-no-on-measure-c/amp/) The reconciliation of city revenues and expenses should be made during the budget process; no decrease in revenues should occur without a concurrent reduction in expenses.. Marijuana revenues are needed to cover marijuana expenses, like the extra security grants to marijuana dispensaries. The City Council’s legal authority to award reparations to illicit drug users is questionable. If legal, there is no reason to believe the amount of reparation funds is the amount needed to repair damage. The legislation discriminates against indigenous and white communities which also need help with severe drug problems, without any factual justification. There is a pattern here; compare END HARM with the Resilient Families legislation. Studies have shown, however, that "black, brown, indigenous AND white people have drug problems in about the same numbers." https://archives.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/minorities03_1.pdf at p.22;
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-DetTabs-2016/NSDUH-DetTabs-2016.pdf (Tables 1.29C-1.31P)
The legislation is ill-advised.
I am a resident of D2 and I urge my Councilmember Nikki Bas and her colleagues to move the Emerald New Deal forward to a full City Council vote. The cannabis business tax revenue is currently unlabeled and untraceable in the city's general fund - we have no idea how it's being used in the budget. It is time to dedicate this money towards repairing the harms of the War on Drugs, as voters intended with Measure Z and Prop 64. Please move END forward to a full City Council vote to place it on the ballot. The status quo policies have failed, Oakland needs strong policies to advance racial equity now! Please support Emerald New Deal.
I am a Glenview voter and a member of Neighbors for Racial Justice. I am proud of the work being done by Emerald New Deal to help our city show up with accountability and earnest desire for repair and growth after the damage we have done to Black and Brown communities through the war on drugs. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to support END on our November ballots.
My name is Francis Calpotura and a resident of District 2. I urge my council rep Nikki Bas to support placing the Emerald New Deal on the City Council agenda. Many organizations in her district have endorsed END: APEN, Oakland Rising, Eastlake United for Justice, SABA Grocers Initiative, EBAYC, AYPAL, and In-Advance to name those who have supported her in the past. This is a historic racial justice initiative for Oakland, a cause that I know Nikki (and the organizations that support her) care deeply about. Send it to the Council!
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.
Hi, my name is Monica Bien. I am a long time resident of Oakland D4. I urge this committee to move END HARM forward to a full council vote. END HARM is the first truly progressive measure to deal with the onslaught of racial injustice to black and brown communities. I am proud of Oakland role as a leader for innovation and thinking outside the box. This small step toward and equitable Oakland where everyone has a chance to thrive and Love Life is the least we can do. Please advance this measure to a full council vote so the people of Oakland can decide on this important initiative. Don’t stand in the way of a measure meant to support our most impacted communities. Thank you.
I’ve lived in Oakland for several years and I am asking this committee to move END HARM forward to a full City Council vote. Please put this on the November ballot so Oakland voters can secure and institutionalize addressing the harms of the War on Drugs. For years I worked on Restorative Justice programs, both pre- and post-charge, to interrupt and heal the impact of incarceration for individuals and families. I have not seen our City commit to the level of funding needed to fully support the recommendations from the Reimagining Public Safety Taskforce. END HARM can institutionalize a funding source and secure a policy on the books to support Restorative Justice, direct support for people coming home from incarceration, as well as cannabis equity businesses. It is an innovative approach to equity: working to repair past harms and ensuring the future does not continue to perpetuate them. Please allow voters the chance to break this cycle of harm, and center Black and Brown communities that have been targeted, harmed, and marginalized in a policy solution. Please move END HARM forward today!
I’ve lived in the lakeshore neighborhood of District 2 for the last ten years and as a supporter of Emerald New Deal I am
asking this committee to advance END HARM to a full city council vote without any more delay. I was moved to join protests for the first time in my live in the summer of 2020, and proudly marched in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. I have yet to see the City enact any meaningful policy to back up its promises to advance racial equity. If the intent of END could be reached within the current budget process, it would have been passed by now. How was an END-style policy not passed when cannabis was legalized?? Right this wrong now, and let the voters do the right thing and institutionalize addressing the harms caused by the war on drugs through END HARM.
I am a resident of the Allendale Neighborhood of District 4 and a proud supporter of Emerald New Deal. I am asking this committee to please move END HARM forward to a full City Council vote to place it on our November ballot. I have worked with families deeply impacted by the War on Drugs and have not seen my City get even close to addressing the lasting impact through their status quo approach. END HARM will make good on the promise of Measure Z. A promise that has remained unfulfilled for 18 years, through many different budget cycles. Any promises for future investment ring hollow without first approving END for the ballot. Please put this to the voters!
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 move it forward to a full City Council vote without further delay and place it on the ballot for voters to decide.
I’m a longtime resident of Golden Gate neighborhood of North Oakland. Please move END forward to a full city council vote without further delay! 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.
My name is Bella, and I am a resident of D2 and Nikki Bas’ constituent. I write today to urge CM Bas, along with all of the city council members, to allow the Emerald New Deal to move through the rules and legislation committee to be presented at the full council meeting on June 21.
I also hope to use this space to answer some oppositional comments, as well as offer clarification about the measure.
END requires an institutional commitment from the city of Oakland, supported by a sustained revenue source to end the War on Drugs and the pain it has inflicted on Black and Brown folks. We cannot rely on the whims of a budgetary process that has continued to fail the community. END provides a consistent baseline for funding. Furthermore, Marijuana revenue doesn't cover marijuana expenses… The money from the cannabis business tax revenue is untraceable, and we have no idea how the money is actually being spent. Finally, END is focused on the restitution of the war on drugs, which means allocating money to folks disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs. 12,655 Oaklanders have been arrested between 1995-2015 for crimes related to cannabis use. 77% of them are Black, and 15% Latinx. This is a conversation about who is being targeted and arrested for drug use– and it’s definitely not white people.
Agenda Item No. 22-0382
I oppose the use of piecemeal legislation to raise money. (Prop C is another example. https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/21/editorial-reject-oaklands-library-tax-charade-vote-no-on-measure-c/amp/) The reconciliation of city revenues and expenses should be made during the budget process; no decrease in revenues should occur without a concurrent reduction in expenses.. Marijuana revenues are needed to cover marijuana expenses, like the extra security grants to marijuana dispensaries. The City Council’s legal authority to award reparations to illicit drug users is questionable. If legal, there is no reason to believe the amount of reparation funds is the amount needed to repair damage. The legislation discriminates against indigenous and white communities which also need help with severe drug problems, without any factual justification. There is a pattern here; compare END HARM with the Resilient Families legislation. Studies have shown, however, that "black, brown, indigenous AND white people have drug problems in about the same numbers." https://archives.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/minorities03_1.pdf at p.22;
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-DetTabs-2016/NSDUH-DetTabs-2016.pdf (Tables 1.29C-1.31P)
The legislation is ill-advised.
I am a resident of D2 and I urge my Councilmember Nikki Bas and her colleagues to move the Emerald New Deal forward to a full City Council vote. The cannabis business tax revenue is currently unlabeled and untraceable in the city's general fund - we have no idea how it's being used in the budget. It is time to dedicate this money towards repairing the harms of the War on Drugs, as voters intended with Measure Z and Prop 64. Please move END forward to a full City Council vote to place it on the ballot. The status quo policies have failed, Oakland needs strong policies to advance racial equity now! Please support Emerald New Deal.
I am a Glenview voter and a member of Neighbors for Racial Justice. I am proud of the work being done by Emerald New Deal to help our city show up with accountability and earnest desire for repair and growth after the damage we have done to Black and Brown communities through the war on drugs. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to support END on our November ballots.
My name is Francis Calpotura and a resident of District 2. I urge my council rep Nikki Bas to support placing the Emerald New Deal on the City Council agenda. Many organizations in her district have endorsed END: APEN, Oakland Rising, Eastlake United for Justice, SABA Grocers Initiative, EBAYC, AYPAL, and In-Advance to name those who have supported her in the past. This is a historic racial justice initiative for Oakland, a cause that I know Nikki (and the organizations that support her) care deeply about. Send it to the Council!
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.