2020 VOTER GUIDE TO OAKLAND CANDIDATES AND BALLOT MEASURES

Important Community Information

The Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is providing the following information and links as our communities continue to respond ongoing challenges.

REOPENING SOCIAL DISTANCE SIGNS 

In partnership with Oaklandish, the Metro Chamber is making reopening signs available to any Oakland business or nonprofit free of charge. The 11x17 signs are available for download and printing in English, Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. You can also receive a professionally printed poster from any Oakland Chamber, Business Improvement District, or City Council office. 

OAKLAND'S OPEN 

The Chamber has launched “Oakland’s Open,” a crowdsourced list of organizations providing modified services during COVID-19. Support these #OAKPROUD organizations where and when you can. Help us build the list by letting us know how you’re adapting and/or which spots you know are operational. The list is open to businesses whether or not they are a Chamber member. Email the Chamber to be included. 

EMERGENCY RESOURCES 

The Oakland Chamber is updating our resource list on a daily basis. It includes funding opportunities, announcements, financial information and much more. You can also check with the City of Oakland for business and employee resources. 

REOPENING GUIDLELINES

The Chamber has hosted a series of reopening conversations and briefings in support of the City of Oakland Economic Recovery Advisory Council. Conversation have focused on office, retail, and restaurants. Check back here for future gatherings. Also check out the State of California's phased reopening guidelines. It's important to note that Alameda County's Shelter-in-Place remains in effect indefinitely until updated. Check the County's website for updates and guidelines.

FUNDRAISING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES 

Several opportunities are underway to help small businesses impacted by the demonstrations in response to the tragic police killing of George Floyd. Oaklandish is selling this shirt and donating 100% of profits to rebuilding Black-owned businesses in Oakland through the GoFundMe set up by SoOakland. The Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce is raising funds for small Black owned businesses in Oakland and you can donate or apply by clicking here. The Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce Foundation is raising funds for businesses in Chinatown to help with repairs. Please mail checks/donations to Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce Foundation at 388 9th Street, Suite 290, Oakland, CA 94607. Small Biz + Community Cleanup is raising funds specifically for Oakland POC-owned small businesses and is coordinating morning community cleanups. The Oakland Indie Alliance's Oakland Repair Fund is fundraising for donations to help small independent businesses recover from property damage and started accepting applications on June 4. 

 OAKLAND COMMUNITY KITCHENS INITIATIVE

The Chamber Foundation is excited to partner with Community Kitchens, a free meal program created to serve Oakland communities suffering from food insecurity during the Covid-19 crisis, as their fiscal sponsor. Originated by the team at Luka's Oakland Taproom & Lounge, the program raises funds to purchase low-cost meals from local restaurants for community distribution to unsheltered residents by non-profit partners including The East Oakland Collective, Berkeley Free Clinic, and People’s Breakfast Oakland. By engaging local restaurants in this effort, Community Kitchens not only feeds Oakland's most vulnerable but also brings much-needed revenue to our deeply impacted small restaurants. DONATE TODAY and follow @ckoakland on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Read the Chamber's statement on systemic racism and commitments to equity and inclusion. 

WELCOME TO THE OAKLAND METROPOLITAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

PARTIAL LIST OF HELPFUL WEBINAR RECORDINGS

115th Annual Meeting and Awards Brunch

Video of the Metro Chamber's 115th Annual Meeting - conducted this year via Zoom - can be seen here, with the program starting at minute 20:55.

Economic Resiliency Roundtable: Business License Tax - Fact or Fiction?

September's Economic Resiliency Roundtable featured a presentation and discussion about proposals to restructure Oakland's Business License Tax by ballot measure. 

Inside Oakland - Councilmember Taylor and Reimagining Public Safety  

September's Inside Oakland featured a presentation and Q&A with Councilmember Loren Taylor on the Reimagining Public Safety Task Force, which is tasked with recommending ways to redirect 50% of OPD's budget. 

Community Impact Committee - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion 

The Community Impact Committee - chaired by Blase Bova, Executive Director, St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County - hosted a workshop on how small businesses and nonprofits can operationalize commitments to DEI. 

Stimulus for Small Business 

On April 9 the Chamber hosted a webinar with Julie Clowes, Director of the Small Business Administration District Office, to help small businesses and nonprofits navigate the federal stimulus package and other options. Both Chamber members and nonmembers can view the recorded webinar here and access the slides here. 

Briefing: State of the Economy I

The Chamber's economist Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics gave a presentation on April 14 about what the COVID crisis is likely to do to our economy and how and when it might recover. The session is available here. 

Metro Chamber Town Hall

Mayor Libby Schaaf and incoming City Administrator Ed Reiskin spoke to a members-only gathering of businesses and nonprofits on April 22. The video is available here. 

Briefing: State of the Economy II

The Chamber's economist Chris Thornberg of Beacon Economics gave a second presentation on May 13 about what the future recovery might look like. The session is available here.