Earlier this year, a citizen-sponsored parcel tax made it onto the June 2nd ballot in Oakland, California. The Bridge Association of REALTORS® found it problematic from several angles, and with help from the state association and a one-two-punch of Issues Mobilization Grants from the REALTOR® Party, they mounted an opposition campaign that prevailed on Election Day.
‘Measure E’ would have imposed a new nine-year tax on Oakland property owners, to the tune of $192 annually for single-family parcels and $131 per unit on multi-family properties; it was expected to generate $34M per year, and was presented as benefiting public safety and city services.
Government Affairs Director Kiran Shenoy notes: “We don’t say no to every single parcel tax; some are well-vetted, well-thought-out, and incorporate accountability. This wasn’t one of them.” As recently as 2024, he explains, a new tax measure had been adopted, raising $30M for the maintenance of 700 police officers – a significant public safety measure – but had yet to achieve even near that staffing level, so it wasn’t clear why the new tax for public safety was necessary. In addition, as drafted, Measure E would have allowed for broad flexibility in expenditures of the tax revenue, and lacked enforceable performance benchmarks and guaranteed outcomes. “This left us with serious concerns regarding both accountability and fiscal management,” says Shenoy. “When property tax increases are not producing demonstrable improvements in core services, it undermines consumer confidence and market stability, which is not good for property owners, our members, or the overall economy.”
Emboldened by polling that showed a path to victory, as well as a coalition that grew to include the local chapters of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and a number of ethnic chambers of commerce who also thought the tax was regressive and lacked accountability, the association secured an Issues Mobilization Grant to oppose the very well-funded ‘YES’ coalition. They also received support from the state association and a number of local developers and large building owners, and – as is required by this REALTOR® Party grant program – made their own ‘skin-in-the-game’ contribution to the campaign.
“Together, we were able to be competitive,” says Shenoy, “but everything’s expensive in California, and even with a tightly targeted campaign, we could only budget for a few mailers and limited digital and social media reach.” The coalition was especially grateful to receive a second grant from the REALTOR® Party, which allowed for more advertising on streaming services like Hulu and YouTube, closed-circuit TV, and additional mailers as Election Day approached.
The advertising and rigorous advocacy got the message across to Oakland voters. It took several anxious weeks for mail-in ballots to trickle in, but in the end, Measure E was not adopted. “By any other measure, the numbers would seem close, but for Oakland, the win was huge!” reports Shenoy. In the local paper, the headline proclaimed “Voters reject an Oakland tax measure for the first time in 15 years.”
“Our members are really happy that we were on the right side of this,” says Shenoy. “Everyone wants accountability in tax legislation,” he adds, “and the REALTOR® Party helped us adhere to that standard.”
To learn more about how the Bridge Association of REALTORS® is looking out for property owners and housing in Oakland and beyond, contact Government Affairs Director Kiran Shenoy at kiran@bridgeaor.org or 510.848.2659.
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