From time to time, I like to send you reports on how the Coalition is doing. You, our subscribers, are thoughtful, decent people. You believed in us enough to sign up through our website. You’ve stayed with us because you care about Oakland. You deserve to know what’s up.
Yesterday, I was at the bank again, working on getting our bank account established. This isn’t the easiest thing in the world, at least, for me. Endless bureaucracy and forms to fill out. Every time I think we’re close, the bank finds something else I have to do. We need a bank account, by the way, so we can raise funds through our website.
Before that could happen, we had to get incorporated as an official nonprofit corporation. Thanks to a generous donor, we were given the money to hire a lawyer. The process took most of the summer—longer than I had anticipated. What can you do? But it finally got done. Mazel tov to us!
Where will the funds we raise go? Anywhere and everywhere. We don’t have a huge need for money right now. We established the Coalition on nothing except what we could afford from our own pockets. But looking forward, we will have expenses. Those will include reprographics: printing materials in large quantities. There are also fees: everything costs something. We had to pay the California Secretary of State to register our nonprofit corporation, for example. We may need lawyers, accountants, tech experts. There will probably be other expenses I’m not even aware of. I hope that when the “DONATE” button goes up on the website (hopefully in the next few weeks), you’ll contribute what you can. Todd Soderberg, our Treasurer, and I promise to be open and transparent concerning how much we raise and where the money goes. You can ask me anything you want through our gmail account (coalitionforabetteroakland@gmail.com). I get a thrill from hearing from you, and I love responding.
Some of you volunteered to distribute brochures in in District 2, Nikki Fortunato Bas’s district. I think all of us are legitimately angry with Bas, who, along with Carroll Fife, has been the most consistently anti-cop member of the City Council. Bas is up for re-election next year. I have nothing personal against her, but her ongoing and insane (in my view) attempts to defund the Oakland Police Department make her unqualified to hold public office. The brochure project ran into unexpected problems: our graphic designer, who had volunteered her services for free, quit to take a paying job, which led to a scramble to find a replacement. I’m working on that. But the project hasn’t been cancelled, merely delayed. Anyway, the election is more than a year away. Stay tuned.
Something I can report with pleasure: Our Coalition has become a player in Oakland. The movers and shakers know who we are. They read this blog. They may not always agree with us, but they have to pay attention. We’re up to 240 passionate subscribers, a number that grows every day, which is pretty good for a grass roots organization with no budget. We haven’t done much yet in the way of direct action, but the politicians and civic leaders know we have the capability, and they also know we’re going to be active in next year’s elections. I get phone calls from them. I let them know that we’re nonpartisan, that we’re smart and fair, that we’re willing to work with anyone, and that we simply want them to support two things: to force Oakland to manage encampments, and to support our police.
We’re starting to endorse candidates. We’ve already formally endorsed Jimmie Wilson for Alameda County District Attorney. We’re looking at the Mayor’s race. We’re inclined to support City Council member Loren Taylor (and when I say “we,” I mean our Board of Directors, which in addition to Todd and me includes Jack Saunders). But until all or most of the candidates have emerged, we’ll wait. I did blog the other day that I, personally, cannot endorse Treva Reid, due to her refusal to accept campaign contributions from police or police-related groups, a position I find cowardly and unacceptable. Taylor, on the other hand, told me he will accept police contributions “on a case by case basis.” I like that; it puts him higher in my esteem.
That’s pretty much it. Please continue to stay with us. Recommend us to your friends. Ask your questions, challenge me, give me your ideas, tell me to go to hell. Let’s have those conversations. We can create a better Oakland if you want it.
Steve Heimoff