FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
All of Oakland’s Mayoral Candidates Agree
Wednesday, August 11 11:00 am
In front of Oakland City Hall
The Oakland Community Action Network (Oakland C.A.N.) will be holding a press conference in front of the Oakland City Hall that will be attended by Terrence Candell, Greg Harland*, Orlando Johnson, Rebecca Kaplan, Don Macleay, Don Perata*, Jean Quan, and Joe Tuman**. All of these mayoral candidates have stated some degree of support for the creation of a local currency. Each will speak briefly on their candidacies and their support for the Alternative Currency for Oakland Residents and Neighbors (ACORN). Most of the candidates will be filing their nomination papers with the City Clerk that Wednesday.
That these candidates can come together at the formal beginning of this campaign to recognize this area of agreement is a testament to the new ranked-choice voting system in Oakland. Oakland’s mayoral candidates can state clearly their agreements and disagreements without resorting to personal attacks and without “knee jerk” oppositional positions merely because of the position of another candidate.
Background: Twenty-nine Oakland organizations endorsed the City ID/Value Storage Card and the City has received three vendor responses to the late March RFQ. A coalition of Oakland organizations have been working on the ID/local currency card for two years (http://oaklandcityidcard.org/).
Oakland’s efforts built on the local identification card
implementations in New Haven, Conn., and San Francisco, Ca. The debit card platform and the local currency function work synergistically with the City identification card to solve City implementation cost issues and many more complications. Not only will the card enhance the success of local small businesses but it also has the potential to resolve the City’s current budget deficit. More than 60 communities in the US have had local currencies at one time or another.
The E. F. Schumacher Society (http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/)
is a national depository of information – including on the legality of local currencies.
During times of economic crisis, interest in local currencies increases
because of their proven ability to relieve economic distress in a
micro-economy.
Oakland’s micro-economy is currently being stressed. This is recognized
by all the mayoral candidates.
Oakland C.A.N. does not see the ACORN as the solution to all of Oakland’s
problems. The issues of poverty, institutional prejudice, and the damage of past injustices must be addressed. Oakland C.A.N. believes that Oakland’s future as a model city for the nation is forth coming. Oakland C.A.N. is happy to host this press conference and to stand with these mayoral candidates.
*These candidates had not confirmed their attendance at the time of the press release but they have stated their support for the ACORN.
**Have not confirmed attendance or support from this candidate at the time of the release.
Contact: Wilson Riles
510-530-2448
wriles@pacbell.net
Oakland C.A.N. (Community Action Network)
3746 39th Avenue
Oakland, CA 94619
510.530.2448
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