Councilmember Campaigned for Tax with Public Money

City Hall insiders led by councilmember Jean Quan spent more than $11,000 of public funds campaigning for an increase in the Landscape and Lighting Assessment (LLAD). The City picked up the bill for producing brochures inserted in residents' January 2006 Waste Management bill.

The brochure praised the LLAD but lamented a "LLAD funding gap. ... Unfortunately, the LLAD did not include a cost of living increase, requiring the City Council to make up the difference." Automatic annual increases were part of the approaching LLAD vote, and the brochure was already campaigning for them.

Are we supposed to forget that there was no LLAD tax before 1989 – and hence no "LLAD funding gap" – yet Oakland still had parks and lighting? No law, no principle of city finance, requires that the regressive LLAD tax must pay for all parks and street lights in order to free up other revenue for councilmembers' subsidies and grants to political allies.

The City spent $11,019 paying the designer and printer for 95,000 copies of the January campaign brochure. A member of Oakland Residents for Peaceful Neighborhoods obtained the invoice data using public records law after the city council ignored several requests to release the information.

Councilmember Quan's "policy analyst" was deeply involved in approving the content of the brochure, according to an email of Nov. 28, 2005. She also kept councilmember Brunner informed.

I spent public money campaigning for a tax increase!

Quan's staff person coordinated with employees of the City's Public Works Agency who spent paid time getting the brochure designed and printed for her. The cost of City staff time is in addition to the $11,000 outlay. It appears that Quan commandeered these resources without ever putting the project on a city council agenda.

A few months later, Quan postured with disapproval of councilmember Brooks, who allegedly used office funds to help political allies. "What I worry about is that the public trust has been undermined," said Quan. (Oakland Tribune, May 7, 2006) What hypocrisy! Quan outdid Brooks, taking money directly from the City for her campaign to raise the LLAD tax.

No, in Oakland, City Hall insiders get a $20,000-plus advantage and special exemption from the basics of democracy.

In this case the raid on public funds did not work. Voters defeated the proposed 42 percent increase in the LLAD tax. Despite the verdict, councilmember Quan does not accept that voters want to ensure public safety and basic infrastructure services first. After the May-June balloting, she mailed a July 20, 2006 letter to selected persons she thinks will join her crusade for a tax hike. The letterhead bears the Oakland tree logo and "City of Oakland." It called a meeting to discuss how to revive the tax hike. Was the letter mailed at City expense? If the announced meeting was private, why was notice sent on official-looking letterhead? Or if it was a public meeting, why was the letter sent only to politically selected recipients?

Meeting announced on City letterhead – public or private?