Take action now to stop the breeding and slaughtering of animals in Oakland. All are encouraged to participate, you don’t have to live in Oakland to lend a hand. Click on a numbered link to find out how you can help:
1. Sign the petition
2. Write to the Planning Commission
3. Write to the City Council
4. Talk to your neighbors
5. Mail a Letter
Write to the Planning Commission
The Oakland Planning Commission is the government body responsible for guiding the process of creating a food policy and oversees the Planning Department. Share your thoughts in an email to all of the Planning Commission members. Neighbors Opposed to Backyard Slaughter (NoBS) and the Planner responsible for writing the code are cc’ed.
Copy and paste the following into the “TO” field of an email:
vienv.truong@gmail.com, sgalvez@phi.org, Blake.Huntsman@seiu1021.org, michael.colbruno@gmail.com, mzmdesignworks@gmail.com, jaw1123@aol.com, Pattillo@PGAdesign.com, hklein@oaklandnet.com, contact@noslaughter.org
Be polite but to the point. If you are an Oakland resident, be sure to mention it. Tell them you do not support animals being a part of the food policy, and you are opposed to backyard slaughter. Tell them your personal reason why. Everyone’s voice is important, so let your city officials know! See below for a sample letter.
Write to the City Council
The City Council is the ultimate decision making body and may end up needing to approve or reject certain parts of the food policy. Share your thoughts briefly with them as well, in a separate email:
jbrunner@oaklandnet.com, pkernighan@oaklandnet.com, nnadel@oaklandnet.com, lschaaf@oaklandnet.com, idelafuente@oaklandnet.com, dbrooks@oaklandnet.com, lreid@oaklandnet.com, rkaplan@oaklandnet.com, contact@noslaughter.org
Again, brief and polite is best. Tell them you do not support animals being a part of the food policy, and you are opposed to backyard slaughter. Tell them your personal reason why. Everyone’s voice is important, so let your city officials know! A sample letter is below.
Mail a Letter
If you live in Oakland, please write letters and mail them to your City Council person. You can find out who this is by visiting the Council District Locator.
Address your letter to:
City Council
CITY COUNCIL PERSON NAME HERE
1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Oakland, CA 94612
If you don’t live in Oakland, please write a letter to the Planning Commission Chair, Vien Truong:
Planning Commissioner Truong
250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Suite 3315
Oakland, CA 94612
Need help crafting your letter?
Oakland is considering making a new food policy that would help people in food deserts gain access to healthful foods. One part of the food policy would allow people to raise and slaughter chickens, rabbits, goats and other animals for food, effectively without any oversight.
NoBS is opposed to this because it does nothing to increase access to healthful foods (fruits & veggies), is harmful to animals, and will have negative impacts on wildlife, city agencies and subject more people to the violence inherent in animal slaughter.
Sample points for your letter are below. While we have provided talking points for you to craft your letter, please try to personalize your letter as much as possible—a personalized letter is always more likely to be read and taken seriously than a form letter.
Please politely and respectfully urge Oakland officials to keep animals out of the food policy, and keep urban farming animal-free. The main points below are an outline, please write your letter in your own words.
Dear _____
1 – I support urban farming.
2 – Fruits, vegetables, whole-grains are inaccessible to many people in our communities.
3 – I am opposed to backyard slaughter in Oakland because it doesn’t help Oaklanders gain access to fruits & vegetables.
4 – Including animals in the food policy unnecessarily harms animals.
5 – Keep urban farming animal-free.Signed,
YOUR NAME HERE
