APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY
________________________
CITY ATTORNEY’S OFFICE
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
RESOLUTION NO. ______________ C.M.S.
INTRODUCED BY COUNCILMEMBER DAN KALB AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT
NIKKI FORTUNATO BAS
RESOLUTION OPPOSING THE TAXPAYER PROTECTION AND
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY ACT WHICH WOULD (1)
JEOPARDIZE FUNDING FOR LOCAL SERVICES, (2) ENCOURAGE
FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS, (3) UNDERMINE VOTING RIGHTS, AND (4)
ALLOW WEALTHY CORPORATIONS TO AVOID PAYING THEIR FAIR
SHARE IN TAXES
WHEREAS, an association representing California’s wealthiest corporations is spending tens of millions of dollars to promote a d eceptive ballot measure currently eligible for the November 2024 statewide ballot; and
WHEREAS, the measure is deceptively titled the Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability Act; and
WHEREAS, the measure creates constitutional loophol es that allow corporations to pay far less than their fair share for the impacts they have on our communities, which could force residents and taxpayers to pay more to maintain services; and
WHEREAS, the measure threatens billions of dollars every year in local government funding for services like fire and emergency response, law enforcement, affordable housing, services to support homeless residents, mental health services, and more; and
WHEREAS, the City of Oakland has faced signifi cant budget cuts in the last year, balancing out a 360-million-dollar deficit; and
WHEREAS, the City of Oakland needs as much flexibility as possible to raise revenue to fund crucial services that addr ess the issues of public safe ty, housing affordability and homelessness, economic development for small businesses and much more; and
WHEREAS, the measure is an attack on voters’ rights, containing undemocratic provisions that would make it more difficult for local voters to pass measures to fund services, provisions that retroactively cancel measures recently passed by voters, and provisions that 2 3340033/LL
prevent voters from passing advisory measures that provide direction on how they want their local tax dollars spent; and
WHEREAS, Measures T and Y, passed by voters in 2022, would be vitiated by this measure and would needlessly need to be taken back to voters once again; and
WHEREAS, the measure contains intentionally restrictive language that will encourage hundreds of frivolous lawsuits against cities and local governments – costing taxpayers many millions and stopping investments in vital local services; and
WHEREAS, the measure would make it much more difficult for state and local regulators to issue fines and levies on cor porations that violate laws inte nded to protect our environment, public health and safety, and our neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, the measure is opposed by hundreds of local governments, teachers, firefighters, working families and local elected officials; now, therefore let it be
RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland opposes the deceptively titled Taxpayer Protection and Government Accountability; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City of Oakland will join the “Stop the Taxpayer Deception Act” coalition, a growing coalition of public safety, education, labor, local government, and infrastructure groups throughout the state; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED: That the City Council directs the City Administrator or his designee to immediately distribute this Resolution upon its adoption to Governor Gavin Newsom and to the League of California Cities at [email protected].
IN COUNCIL, OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA,
PASSED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES - FIFE, GALLO, JENKINS, KALB, KAPLAN, RAMACHANDRAN, REID, AND
PRESIDENT FORTUNATO BAS
NOES –
ABSENT –
ABSTENTION –
ATTEST:
ASHA REED
City Clerk and Clerk of the Council of the
City of Oakland, California