No on AA: Congress of Neighborhoods, East Bay Times Oppose Schaaf’s Education Initiative

“It’s not clear where the money is going, for there is no plan,” says the newspaper

By Ken Epstein

The East Oakland Congress of Neighborhoods is opposing Measure AA,  a city charter amendment back by Mayor Libby Schaaf to establish a parcel tax at the rate of $198 per parcel for 30 years to fund education services for pre-K through college students and career readiness.

“While we agree that deeper investments need to be made in education, we are concerned that the mayor is prioritizing this issue over immediate needs like the housing crisis,” said the Congress of Neighborhoods in its voters’ guide.

Others raise concerns about the lack of public oversight and accountability of the money that the measure would raise.

“There are too many problems with AA, which is why many public education advocates, myself included, will be voting no,” said Mona Traviño,  an education activist in Oakland.

In a recent editorial, the East Bay Times wrote, “Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s 30-year, billion-dollar Measure AA “Oakland Children’s Initiative” is a poorly conceived attempt to throw taxpayer money at the problem with no clear budget or plan for achieving the goal.”

According to the newspaper, “It’s not clear where the money is going, for there is no plan. Only guidelines for establishing one. There is no budget. There is no explanation provided of how the amount was determined.”

In addition, the measure does not provide public oversight. It does not “give voters a chance to periodically weigh in on whether they think the money is being spent wisely,” the newspaper said.