‘I have people in line to give me money’: how Oakland councilmembers spent their officeholder funds

In June, the Oakland metropolis council authorized a serious change within the guidelines that decide how they will increase cash for his or her workplace characters.

Office holders His particular financial institution accounts that chosen officers can use to lift and spend cash for actions associated to their work as chosen officers. Consider accommodations, meals, journey, mailers and rather more. Civil servants chosen may give cash from these accounts to neighborhood teams, reminiscent of charities, faculties and non -profit organizations.

The invoice of town council tripled the fundraising restrict for district councilors from $ 25,000 to $ 75,000. The restrict for the massive chair was raised from $ 30,000 to $ 100,000. The council additionally agreed to extend the fundraising ceiling for the mayor, metropolis lawyer and metropolis auditor.

The trio of council members who proposal – Kevin Jenkins, Janani Ramachandran and Ken Houston – argued that the restrict had not been modified since 1999, and a rise was lengthy too late to cowl the prices of supporting their voters.

However Oakland’s Public Ethics CommissionIt’s supposed to guard towards corruption, refused to endorse the change. The Fee argued that chosen officers have not often reached the outdated contribution cap, and there has already been a mechanism known as spent funds with which council members could make funds of personal events funnel to organizations and charity establishments of their districts with out ever touching their financial institution accounts.

Final week we obtained our first view of how a lot cash the chosen officers of town up to now collected in 2025 via their workplace hovers accounts, and the place they spent the cash.

Because the Ethics Fee predicted, not one of the councilors are near reaching the outdated $ 25,000 restrict. Essentially the most hardly used their workplace horses accounts.

Two of the council members who led the proposal to extend contribution limits, nonetheless, reported vital expenditure.

For the primary half of 2025, Jenkins spent 1000’s of {dollars} on meals and conferences. Ramacandran spent virtually $ 18,000, all of whom went to an organization that was related to her romantic companion and her communication director. Jenkins was not accessible for an interview. Ramacandran instructed the Oaklandsside that the corporate made purchases on behalf of its committee and has not taken reimbursements.

Right here is the entire breakdown.

District 1: ZAC Unger

Unger, who took workplace in January, picked up $ 0 within the first half of 2025, however had already had some cash within the invoice he had collected final yr. Unger spent $ 448, in order that the account left a steadiness of $ 1,671. In accordance with marketing campaign funding information, he returned $ 248 to “Surplus Funds” to town and incurred some workplace -related prices.

Unger completed his 2024 marketing campaign with $ 57,288. In January 2025 he transferred his battle field to a separate committee that collects and spend cash in 2028 for his re -election marketing campaign.

On Tuesday, the Oaklandside Unger requested if he intends to lift officer holders.

“Possibly,” mentioned Unger. “To be trustworthy, I did not take note of it.”

District 2: Charlene Wang

Wang was chosen in April and her disclosure report displays cash that has been collected and spent on her marketing campaign. In accordance with marketing campaign funding information, Wang introduced in $ 101,600 in 2025 and spent $ 114,873, giving her a closing steadiness of $ 7,991.

Wang didn’t reply to an interview request.

District 3: Carroll Fife

Re -sold -in Final November, FIFE maintains an workplace gap account that she adopted in 2020. In accordance with her most up-to-date disclosure type, FIFE collected $ 860 in 2025 and spent $ 1,149, giving them a money steadiness of $ 73 and $ 268 in debt. FIFE primarily made funds to American Specific.

Fife instructed The Oaklandside that she normally used this account to pay for internet -related companies reminiscent of Mail Chimp.

District 4: Janani Ramaclandran

Ramacenran’s workplace holder account reported to gather $ 1,220 in money within the first half of 2025 and to spend $ 17,917, giving her $ 1,499 left. She additionally has an excellent mortgage of $ 5,000 that she did within the account.

Earlier this yr, when Ramacandran co-sponsored the laws to extend the fundraising caps within the workplace gap, she described the accounts as “a great tool for council members to help organizations and entities of their districts or within the metropolis that haven’t any different sources of revenue.”

In accordance with her disclosure, all expenditure for Ramacenran workplace holders went to a advertising and public relations firm known as Different Method Company. In accordance with marketing campaign funding information, this was for “Design and Multimedia Service”, social media ads, marketing campaign parafernalia and occasion materials.

In accordance with State Enterprise Data, Different Method Company was recorded final yr by Ramacenran’s romantic companion, Osagie Edebiri, and Ebhodaghe Esoimeme, Ramaclandran’s Director of Communications.

In accordance with metropolis officers, Esoimeme is a everlasting half -time worker and attracts a wage from town. Beneath Oakland LawAlternatives tohold accounts are used to pay the salaries of part-time or full-time staff for actions of workplace holders. Nonetheless, officers can not use their payments to supply “extra compensation” for duties that might be needed or from an worker within the regular course of his work.

We known as Ramachanran and despatched to an interview for this story. In an SMS message, Ramachandran instructed the Oaklandsside that Esoimeme just isn’t paid via the workplace gap account.

“They really do not get any prices,” mentioned Ramacandran. “These are all prices for the precise supplies of the merchandise and know-how to be delivered.”

For example, Ramachandran mentioned that she makes use of excessive -quality know-how to supply the movies she makes for social media. However she doesn’t have the cash in her council workplace to purchase the gear, so she makes use of the workplace holder account. The identical applies to her publication, through which its staff “the know-how that units up different approaches, makes use of it to truly work.”

Along with her publication, Ramaclandran mentioned that the workplace holder account has paid for a whole overhaul of its council web site, media gear to assist with communication, 1000’s of printed info and assets for useful resource divided over her district, canopies and banners throughout occasions, and meets with residents.

Esoimeme didn’t reply to an interview request.

District 5: Noel Gallo

Gallo, which was re -elected in 2024, has not reported any contributions and expenditure for workplace holders. Gallo instructed the Oaklandside that he by no means had an workplace gap account.

“I do not obtain cash or take cash from individuals” for an workplace gap account, he mentioned.

District 6: Kevin Jenkins

Within the first half of 2025, the workplace holder account of Jenkins collected $ 9,025, launched $ 5,744 and constructed $ 8,270 in unpaid prices. This left a money steadiness of $ 10,386.

Jenkins gave $ 500 to Oakland Tech Women Basketball as a civilian donation and $ 932 for Campagnarafernalia of the Olive Avenue Company in Oakland; He additionally spent $ 206 on Uber rides and $ 482 for “Flight tickets to attend the conference” on the finish of Could. Jenkins purchased $ 2,159 workplace provides at Costco.

Jenkins additionally spent some huge cash from his workplace characters on meals and conferences.

In accordance with marketing campaign funding information, Jenkins used the invoice to pay for meals in varied Washington DC eating places, together with the Capital Grille, Paraiso, Grazie Nonna, De Hamilton and Open Metropolis. He additionally paid for varied workers conferences in Bay Space eating places in 2025, together with $ 434 at Epic Steak in San Francisco and round $ 322 at Scott’s Seafood in Oakland.

Jenkins paid for different meals that doubled as conferences within the Bay Space and elsewhere, together with $ 233 throughout a “convention dialogue assembly” within the Hilton Combine Lounge in Anaheim; $ 699 for a farewell get together in District Oakland; $ 162 throughout an “academic packages” assembly within the Tides Restaurant in Bodega Bay; $ 161 throughout a “Ousd Black Women Program Assembly” within the 1515 restaurant in Walnut Creek; and $ 149 throughout a constitution reform assembly in Paradiso in San Leandro.

Jenkins was not accessible for an interview, in response to his workers chef, Patricia Brooks. However he offered an e -mail assertion that mentioned that each one prices of his workplace characters had been made in accordance with the Stadswet and that every fee was assessed to make sure that it was a “permitted or workplace handlebar, in accordance with the legislation and the relevant reporting necessities.”

“The workplace has always each the letter and the spirit of the foundations for the usage of workplace homes,” mentioned Jenkins.

District 7: Ken Houston

Houston, who took workplace in January, didn’t submit no disclosure report for his contributions and expenditure for workplace holders. Nonetheless, he performed a number one position in advocating for the rise in contribution limits.

Throughout a Public Ethics Fee in Could, Houston argued that councilors ought to be capable to set extra money to pay for neighborhood companies as a result of the finances of town is tight. He additionally instructed the committee that he had been in favor of accelerating the restrict for councilors to $ 150,000.

On Tuesday Houston instructed the Oaklandside that he didn’t arrange an workplace characters, however mentioned he desires to, in order that he will pay for neighborhood occasions and assets. Houston mentioned he spent just a few thousand {dollars} of his personal cash to voters, and he believes that councilors ought to have a wage of no less than $ 175,000 (he added that councilors presently earn round $ 119,000).

Houston mentioned that he has not but been put in funds for his workplace gap account as a result of he does not have to do this.

“I’ve individuals in line to provide me cash for the account of my workplace holder as a result of they know what I’m doing there,” Houston mentioned.

At-Giant: Rowena Brown

Brown, who took workplace in January, doesn’t appear to have formally transferred her marketing campaign account to an workplace gap account. She reported $ 2,800 in contributions for the primary half of 2025 and $ 2,759 in prices. She had $ 2,095 in her remaining money steadiness. The largest bills had been $ 1,400 for Alexandra Parvizshahi, who’s the treasurer of the Brown’s Officeholder Committee. Brown additionally spent smaller quantities on internet {and professional} companies from Google, Sq. House and Verizon.

In an e -mail assertion, Brown instructed The Oaklandside that “she is presently navigating within the workplace via my first 7 months and can concentrate on the assorted processes.” Brown added that she voted to lift the contribution limits for workplace cwishes’ accounts to “higher help Oaklanders and finance neighborhood conferences, neighborhood tasks and different initiatives that profit residents with out including strain to town finances.”

Brown additionally mentioned that she argues for including a place to the Ethics Fee to ‘strengthen the accountability of the federal government’.