We display city budget data in a helpful and clear format, explain how the budget is put together and voted on, and give people resources to follow up on what they have learned.

Infographic displaying the budget process

Image: OpenSpending

What we do

Open Budget: Oakland helps people learn more about the city budget, so they can talk about it with each other, with city council members, and with city staff. We want people to know how their city works and how it could work better.

How we do it

  • We talk to local groups to learn what they want to know about the budget and how best to share that knowledge.
  • Every two years, at the beginning of each budget cycle, we get this data from Oakland’s Budget Office and present it in a simple, useful format.to access timely, accurate budget data and present it in a simple, useful format.
  • For those who wish to do their own analysis or make their own charts, we offer our API, which is a free, easy-to-use open-source tool.

Now that you know our goals, share your ideas here.