For Immediate Release

March 27, 2021

SAN DIEGO, CA -- March 27, 2021- Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf recently announced that the city will give 600 low-income families of color $500 a month for the next year and half to help those with young children and close the racial wealth gap. Californians for Equal Rights Foundation (CFER) denounces the City of Oakland for blatantly violating the state constitution and the principle of equal treatment regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.

"We are deeply alarmed that the largest East Bay city is openly disregarding our state constitution and rewarding racial favoritism," commented Frank Xu, President of CFER, "It is also immoral for the City of Oakland to treat its residents differently on the basis of race or skin color. We urge the City to promptly rescind the plan and ensure that it does not institute illegal racial preferences."

Under the pretense of racial equity, Oakland's "Guaranteed Income" pilot plan will limit participation to families from Black, Indigenous and people of color communities. Based on crude statistical estimations of median income by race in the Oakland Equity Index report, the City arbitrarily determines that all white families are well-to-do and don't need extra assistance. But the Index also finds that 8.4% of the city's white residents live at or below the poverty line. While not a majority of the city's socioeconomically disadvantaged population, these residents are being unfairly denied equal access to public support.

CFER implores Mayor Schaaf to reevaluate this income plan and reverse course. All socioeconomically disadvantaged families and individuals regardless of race or color deserve reasonable assistance.