Frequently Asked Questions

Empower Oakland is a community of Oaklanders who think the best city in the world deserves the best local government in the world. We believe that for all that makes Oakland great — the people, culture, food, weather, rich history and diversity — ineffective leadership and bad policy decisions create problems that never get solved, and hurt us all.

After many election cycles of the status quo and little to show for it, we decided in 2023 to get off the sidelines and give Oaklanders one of the most powerful tools for change: better information. We believe a well-functioning democracy needs a well-informed electorate. So we show up in our community, support like-minded leaders and organizations, and help our neighbors stay informed so they can make the decisions that best represent their interests come election day.

We all live in Oakland. Some of us were born and raised here. Some chose to make Oakland home as adults and have kids in OUSD schools. We’re entirely volunteer-led. Some of us give an hour or two a month, others give 10 hours a week.

We’re residents who want to love where we live. We’re parents who want all of Oakland’s kids to thrive. We’re the people at Lake Merritt for a picnic, at the zoo on a Saturday, at Ballers and Roots games, eating out at the restaurants and bars. We’re your neighbors, and we want Oakland to be the best version of itself for everyone.

We run the most open endorsement process in Oakland. Our voter guide is decided by more than a dozen Oaklanders who care deeply about this city and bring their own expertise. With such a big focus on the school board this year, we invited former teachers, principals, and PTA presidents to add their decades of experience.

We invite every candidate to participate. We publish all their interviews and questionnaires on our website. We explain every endorsement. You don’t have to agree with us on everything. We just want you to have the facts so you can decide for yourself.

If you’re skeptical of our motives, simply look at our process and our work. We put in hundreds of hours of research and deliberation, and you can see the results for yourself.

Our budget is about $300k this election cycle, including smaller donations from many individuals and a handful of larger-dollar contributors ($25k each) who share our mission and love for Oakland.

Most of it goes to getting our voter guide in front of as many voters as possible. We print and mail it to every Oakland voter and promote it on Instagram, Facebook, and other social channels. We also often directly support the campaigns of our endorsed candidates.

For context, the total amount of contributions to political campaigns this November 2026 election cycle will be about $2M across Oakland races.

Strong schools are the foundation of strong neighborhoods, and OUSD is in crisis.

• Fewer than 1 in 3 OUSD students read at grade level. For Black and brown students, 1 in 5.
• Leadership cut literacy specialists, counselors and recess supervisors, with no plan to sustainably fund them. Principals are now covering lunch duty.
• Labor contracts and layoffs were approved without calculating the cost of either.
• The board pushed out the superintendent and chief business officer mid-financial crisis, with no explanation.
• 60+ principals have publicly criticized board leadership.
• OUSD missed enrollment projections by 400 students, which means even less money for schools.
• “No new business” was on the agenda at the last meeting, even though midyear cuts are coming months after the election.

Bottom line: We need to replace the leaders who got us here and build a real strategy for thriving neighborhood schools.