Olivia DiNucci, the D.C. Coordinator for CodePink, has publicly supported Initiative 86, a local ballot measure in Washington, D.C., that seeks to ban the sale of foie gras and other bird products. DiNucci, known for her involvement in anti-Israel demonstrations and foreign policy advocacy, posted a video on TikTok last month endorsing the measure, which will be decided by D.C. residents on Election Day. Early voting for the initiative has already commenced.
While the campaign is presented as a grassroots effort to improve animal welfare, financial filings reveal significant external funding. Pro-Animal Future, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit based in Portland, Oregon, is the primary backer of the initiative, having provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to support paid petition circulators, political consultants, staff salaries, and advertising. The campaign’s financial structure suggests a coordinated national strategy rather than a purely local mobilization.
What the Right Is Saying
Critics of the initiative point to the campaign’s funding sources and organizational ties to question whether the effort represents genuine local concern or an externally driven agenda. Fox News Digital reported that Pro-Animal Future’s leadership and affiliated groups have connections to broader activist networks, including those that have drawn scrutiny from congressional lawmakers for ties to foreign interests. For instance, CodePink co-founder Jodie Evans is married to Neville Roy Singham, a tech tycoon whose funding of activist groups is under federal investigation.
Opponents argue that the measure, which targets a luxury item, is being used as a "stepping stone" for a larger political campaign regarding food production. The financial records show that Pro-Animal DC, the local arm of the campaign, paid $126,780 in stipends to Cady Witt, a professional protest organizer listed as the campaign treasurer, and nearly $90,000 to 64 individuals described as consultant - circulators. Critics suggest this level of spending indicates a professionalized, well-resourced operation rather than a spontaneous citizen movement.
What the Left Is Saying
Supporters of Initiative 86, including Pro-Animal Future, frame the ban as a necessary step toward animal welfare and ethical consumption. The organization argues that birds used to produce foie gras are "force fed" to gain the weight necessary for production, a practice they seek to end. Pro-Animal Future describes its local ballot efforts as part of a broader movement to shift public attitudes toward common animal agricultural practices and establish what it calls a "pro-animal future."
The campaign’s financial filings indicate that approximately 60 out-of-town "volunteers" have been brought into Washington to support the effort. Pro-Animal Future states that CodePink’s involvement is limited to DiNucci’s public endorsement via social media, and the organization denies any formal role for CodePink in the campaign’s operational strategy.
What the Numbers Show
According to seven financial reports filed with the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance, Pro-Animal DC collected $474,190.62 between Sept. 23, 2025, and Oct. 26, 2026. Pro-Animal Future provided $386,435.77 of that total, accounting for a significant majority of the campaign’s funding.
The campaign’s largest expense was $126,780.36 in stipends for Cady Witt, representing about one-quarter of the campaign’s total expenses. Another $89,224.00 was paid to 64 consultant - circulators, averaging $1,394.13 per person. Additionally, the campaign spent $22,418.69 on Airbnb accommodations for volunteers on July 31, 2026, compared to $7,703.70 the previous year.
Pax Fauna, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit related to Pro-Animal Future, outlined a 10-year roadmap in 2024 to build local ballot campaigns with the goal of pursuing statewide bans on factory farming. The group aimed to launch as many as 10 local chapters during the 2025-2026 election cycle.
The Bottom Line
The outcome of Initiative 86 will determine whether Washington, D.C., becomes the latest city to ban the sale of foie gras, following Portland’s City Council in June 2026. The campaign’s reliance on out-of-state funding and professional organizers highlights the growing trend of national animal-rights groups using local ballot measures to test strategies for broader agricultural policy changes.
Voters in D.C. will decide the measure on Election Day. The result may serve as a benchmark for similar initiatives in other jurisdictions, particularly given the explicit roadmap by Pro-Animal Future and its affiliates to expand such campaigns across the country in the coming years.