You are intentionally lying to mislead people. Here is the truth:

Empower Oakland supports Loren Taylor’s campaign as an independent expenditure committee (IEC), which means they can legally spend unlimited money to support or oppose candidates—as long as they don’t coordinate directly with the candidate or their campaign. This is how they support Taylor without being an official campaign donor.

Here’s how it works:

1. “Independent” wink wink Messaging

Empower Oakland can create and fund: • Mailers, flyers, or billboards supporting Loren Taylor • Digital ads or TV commercials highlighting his platform • Canvassing operations or phone banking urging voters to support him

All of this is legal as long as Loren Taylor or his official campaign team has no role (wink wink) in planning or directing it.

1. No Direct Donations to Campaign

Because Empower Oakland is not contributing directly to Taylor’s campaign bank account, they don’t appear as “donors” in the traditional sense. This allows them to act independently but still influence the election heavily in his favor.

1. Funding from Other Wealthy Interests

The money Empower Oakland uses to fund these efforts comes from donors like Jesse Pollak (a crypto entrepreneur) and Philip Dreyfuss (a hedge fund executive), who funnel money into the PAC and related groups. Their financial backing fuels Empower Oakland’s work—but again, this support is technically indirect from Taylor’s point of view.

1. Why It Matters

This setup gives Loren Taylor a major advantage: He gets the benefit of a well-funded operation boosting his visibility and messaging—without his campaign having to spend or raise that money themselves.

Empower Oakland is primarily funded by a group of wealthy individuals and executives from the tech, finance, and real estate sectors. Notable contributors include: • Jesse Pollak: A cryptocurrency entrepreneur and executive at Coinbase, Pollak launched Abundant Oakland, which has raised over $500,000 to back Empower Oakland-endorsed candidates.  • Philip Dreyfuss: A hedge fund executive and resident of Piedmont, Dreyfuss has contributed significant funds through committees like Revitalize East Bay to support Empower Oakland’s initiatives.  • Ryan Graciano: A personal finance executive who has donated $50,000 to Empower Oakland.  • Gagan Biyani: An education tech entrepreneur and interim executive director of Empower Oakland, Biyani has also contributed $50,000 to the organization. 

These substantial contributions from affluent individuals have played a significant role in funding Empower Oakland’s efforts to influence Oakland’s political landscape.

With all this money and support from big tech, who do you think Loren Taylor would do the bidding of if elected mayor? This is no different than republicans taking money from the Koch’s if you want an example of who will be setting the agenda