Campaign Communication Rules

The Oakland Campaign Reform Act (OCRA) says that all campaign, officeholder, or legal defense committees must include a disclaimer. A disclaimer is a short statement that tells people who paid for the message.

Here’s what must be included:

• The words "Paid for by" followed by the name, address, and city of the person or group (called a committee) that paid for the message.

• If the committee has an ID number from the California Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC), that must be included too.

• For audio messages (like radio ads), you don’t need to say the address and city.

• All messages must also say: “Funding details are available on the Oakland Public Ethics Commission’s website.”

These disclaimers must be clear and easy to read or hear.

See the Oakland Campaign Reform Act (O.M.C. 3.12.200) for specific disclaimer details.

If a candidate or campaign committee uses social media, the home page of the account must say:

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

If a City official talks about campaign activity or City business on a personal website or social media (not run by the City), they must include this message:

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

See the Oakland Campaign Reform Act (O.M.C. 3.12.200) for additional information about social media requirements.

The Oakland False Endorsement in Campaign Literature Act prohibits candidates and committees from misleading people in campaign materials, especially about endorsements (saying someone supports you when they don’t).

Campaign signs may not be posted on public property (PDF, 156KB). File a report to remove political signs from public property at OAK 311.