This is a 2-minute summary of Oakland’s Measure U on the November 8, 2022 ballot.
This measure would greenlight an $850 million bond to invest in Oakland affordable housing and public infrastructure.
Specifically, Measure U looks at repaving streets and potholes, updating and maintaining public facilities like libraries, parks, and fire stations, and improving pedestrian safety by updating signs, crosswalks, and traffic signals. It also focuses on funding more affordable housing for low-income Oaklanders, and new housing for unhoused Oaklanders.
Affordable housing and pedestrian safety have been long-standing concerns for Oakland residents. To tackle these issues, Mayor Libby Schaaf and Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas wrote Measure KK in 2016, which provided $600 million for infrastructure projects. This year’s measure would increase that funding.
To be clear, this measure would create a general obligation bond. That means if Measure U passes, Oakland property owners would pay it back in their taxes, at about $71 for every hundred thousand they owe.
The City Council pledges the bond will show up as city improvements in the near future but some Oakland property owners aren’t so confident. In an editorial by the East Bay Times, Bay Area residents complained that many roads are still waiting on upgrades six years after Measure KK was passed. And they still don’t see a compelling timeline this time around.
To sum it up, a “yes” vote on Measure U means you want Oakland to invest in housing, roads, and public facilities by taking out an $850 million bond.
A vote “no” means you don’t want Oakland to borrow that money.
