Campaign Communication Rules

The Oakland Campaign Reform Act (OCRA) includes new disclaimer requirements that must be incorporated into all campaign, officeholder, or legal defense communications. The disclaimer must include “Paid for by” immediately followed by the name, address, and city of that candidate or committee, and the committee identification number provided by the California Fair Political Practices Commission, if applicable. The address and city are not required in an audio communication. It must also state that “Funding details are available on the Oakland Public Ethics Commission’s website.” All disclaimers must be presented in a clear and conspicuous manner to give the reader, observer, or listener adequate notice. See the Oakland Campaign Reform Act (O.M.C. 3.12.200) for specific disclaimer details.

Any candidate or committee that uses social media accounts to disseminate political communications must include the following statement on each account’s home page:

This account is being used for campaign purposes by [name of candidate or committee].

If an elected City officeholder communicates about campaign activity or City business using a social media account or website that is not City sponsored, the home page for the account or site must include the following statement:

This [account or site] is not paid for, sponsored by, or hosted by the City of Oakland.

Please refer to the Oakland Campaign Reform Act (O.M.C. 3.12.220) for additional information about social media requirements.

The Oakland False Endorsement in Campaign Literature Act prohibits falsehoods that are knowingly or recklessly made in campaign literature during election cycles.

Campaign signs may not be posted on public property. File a report to remove political signs from public property at OAK 311

For a comprehensive explanation of requirements, see our Oakland Campaign Reform Act Guide and the FPPC website to learn more.