Oakland’s lobbying law, which was supposed to shine a light on backdoor dealing, has been a disappointment from the start. The law, for example, has never required private entities, including big corporations and organized labor, to declare how much they’ve spent trying to influence politicians and/or legislation. And unlike other cities, Oakland has no lobbyist registration fee, even though taxpayers spend thousands of dollars each year in city staff time keeping track of lobbying in Oakland. And now, several political leaders in the city want to further water-down the already weak law by exempting many lobbyists from disclosing any of their activities.
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