Date:December 21, 2021To: Members of City Council and Members of the PublicFrom: Vice Mayor KaplanRe: OrdinanceAmendingtheOaklandMunicipalCodetoAddChapter1.03toTitle1,GeneralProvisions,toEstablishProceduresDesignatingOfficialPublicationsforCity Advertising in Accordance with Charter Section 1205 Dear Colleagues on the City Council and Members of the Public, I amaskingmycolleaguesto adoptan ordinanceto amendOakland’s MunicipalCodetoestablishproceduresdesignatingofficialnewspaperpublicationsforCityadvertisingandpublicnotices.As theAmericanmedialandscapehaschangeddramaticallyin recentyearsandcontinuesto shift,it is necessarythatweadaptournoticingprovisionstoaccommodatehowOakland residents consume news.
TheAmericanmedialandscapehaschangeddramaticallyinrecentyearsandcontinuestoshiftintermsofprintanddigitaluse.Accordingtoa 2021PewResearchanalysis,theestimatedtotalU.S.dailynewspapercirculationdeclined6%inthepastyear. However, fromanalyzingdataprovidedby theAllianceforAuditedMedia,digitalcirculationin 2020increasedby27%.Ensuringthatofficialcitynoticesareavailableinfree,digitalformats,therefore,isessentialtoaccessibility. Additionally, theprocessoutlinedtodesignatemultiplenewspapersasourofficialCityoutletsoffersan opportunityto includemorelocalandculturallydiversenewspapers,further promoting inclusivity and accessibility.
PriortothepassageofMeasureRin2020,theOaklandCityCharterhadnotbeenamendedsincethelate1980sregardingtherequirementsforofficialnewspaperdesignation.Thisdesignationisusedforthepurposeofpublishingnoticeofpendingordinances,invitationstobidawardsofcontractsandleases,noticesofintentionto grantfranchises,electionproceedingsandothermattersthatrequirepublicnotice.Giventheimportanceofensuringaccessanddisseminatingthisinformation,onMarch3,2020,OaklandresidentsapprovedMeasureR,whichamendedtheChartertoeliminateobsoleterequirementsfordesignationasthecity’s officialnewspaperwith73.88% of the vote.
City CouncilDecember 21, 2021File # 21-08331
BuildingonMeasureR,thisordinanceproposesamendmentstotheOaklandMunicipalCodetoaddChapter1.03ofTitle1toestablishproceduresdesignatingofficialpublicationsfortheCityofOakland.TheordinancecallsforthecreationofaCitywebsitethatwillpublish,atnocost,anynoticesthatwouldbepublishedin anofficialnewspaper. Additionally, theCouncilwilldesignateviaResolutiononeormorenewspapersasthecity’s officialnewspaperbasedonthefollowingcriteria:1)anyofficialnewspapermusthaveaweeklycirculationwithintheCityofOaklandofatleast5,000;2)atleastoneoftheofficialnewspapersmustbeavailableindigitalandprintformats;and3)allofficialnewspapersmustpossessavalidCityofOaklandbusinesslicense.
Join me in supporting this important and necessary legislation.
Respectfully Submitted,
Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan
City CouncilDecember 21, 2021File # 21-08332