§ 3.14.010. Findings and Purpose.

The Oakland City Council finds and declares:

(A)

Campaign literature that falsely represented the position of persons was distributed in a recent municipal election.

(B)

Such false representations confuse voters and do not materially advance the public's interest in an uninhibited, robust and wide-open debate on public issues or election of candidates for public office.

(C)

False representations made and distributed during a period near the election unduly burden persons whose positions are misrepresented by precluding them from effectively addressing the falsehood through the production of more speech in order to bring forth a more truthful campaign.

(D)

Prohibiting falsehoods that are knowingly or recklessly made in campaign literature during the period set forth in this chapter will serve the city of Oakland's compelling interest in ensuring the integrity of the electoral process.

(Ord. 12536 § 1, 2003)