- Home
- California Voter Guide
- Alameda County
Alameda County
Elections in Albany, Berkeley, Oakland and San Leandro use a ranked choice voting system. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, an instant runoff takes place. Here's how that works. Results on this page show first-place votes, with links to the latest instant runoff results.
Alameda County District Attorney
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Oakland Mayor
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Measure V
Oakland. Just cause evictions. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure D
Alameda County. Agricultural buildings. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure E
Alameda. Council pay. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure F
Alameda. Transient occupancy tax. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure G
Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.
Alameda County
Measure H
Oakland Unified School District. Parcel tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.
Alameda County
Measure I
Pleasanton Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.
Alameda County
Measure J
Sunol Glen Unified School District. School bond. Passes with 55% vote.
Alameda County
Measure K
Albany. Special tax. Passes with 2/3 vote.
Alameda County
Measure L
Berkeley. Infrastructure bond. Passes with 2/3 vote.
Alameda County
Measure M
Berkeley. Vacant property tax. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure N
Berkeley. Affordable housing. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure O
Emeryville. Property transfer tax. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure P
Livermore. Urban growth boundary. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure Q
Oakland. Affordable housing. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure R
Oakland. Gender neutral language. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure S
Oakland. Noncitizen voting. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure T
Oakland. Business taxes. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure U
Oakland. Infrastructure bond. Passes with 2/3 vote.
Alameda County
Measure W
Oakland. Resident public financing for election campaigns. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure X
Oakland. Council member term limits. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure Y
Oakland. Funding for Oakland Zoo. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Measure Z
Union City. Funding for city services. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Alameda County Supervisor, District 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Alameda Mayor
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Alameda City Council
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Albany City Council
Top two candidates win seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Albany Board of Education
Top two candidates win seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board Commissioners
Top five candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Berkeley Unified School District Board of Education
Top three candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Berkeley Auditor
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Berkeley City Council, District 1
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Berkeley City Council, District 4
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Berkeley City Council, District 7
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Berkeley City Council, District 8
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Dublin Mayor
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Dublin City Council
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Emeryville City Council
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Fremont City Council, District 2
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Fremont City Council, District 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Fremont City Council, District 4
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Hayward Mayor
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Hayward City Council
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Livermore Mayor
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Livermore City Council, District 1
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Livermore City Council, District 2
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Newark Mayor
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Newark City Council
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Oakland City Council, District 2
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Oakland City Council, District 4
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Oakland City Council, District 6
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Oakland Auditor
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Oakland Unified School District Director, District 2
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Oakland Unified School District Director, District 4
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Oakland Unified School District Director, District 6
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Piedmont City Council
Top three candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Piedmont Unified School District Board of Education
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Pleasanton Mayor
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Pleasanton City Council, District 1
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Pleasanton City Council, District 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Union City City Council, District 2
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Union City City Council, District 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Union City City Council, District 4
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
San Leandro Mayor
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
San Leandro City Council, District 1
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
San Leandro City Council, District 3
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
San Leandro City Council, District 5
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Peralta Community College District, Trustee Area 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Peralta Community College District, Trustee Area 5
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Peralta Community College District, Trustee Area 7
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Alameda Unified School District Governing Board
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Castro Valley Unified School District Governing Board
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Dublin Unified School District Governing Board, Area 3, Short Term
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Dublin Unified School District Governing Board, Area 5
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Emery Unified School District Governing Board
Top three candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Fremont Unified School District Governing Board, Area 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Hayward Unified School District Governing Board, Full Term
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Hayward Unified School District Governing Board, Short Term
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Lammersville Joint Unified School District Governing Board
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Lammersville Joint Unified School District Governing Board, Short Term
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District Governing Board
Top three candidates win seat.
Alameda County
New Haven Unified School District Governing Board, Area 4
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Newark Unified School District Governing Board
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Pleasanton Unified School District Governing Board, Area 2
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
San Leandro Unified School District Governing Board, Area 2
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Sunol Glen Unified School District Governing Board, Full Term
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Sunol Glen Unified School District Governing Board, Short Term
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
AC Transit District Director, At-Large
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
AC Transit District Director, Ward 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
AC Transit District Director, Ward 4
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
BART Director, District 6
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Dublin San Ramon Services District Director, Division 5, Short Term
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
East Bay Municipal Utility District Director, Ward 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
East Bay Municipal Utility District Director, Ward 7
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
East Bay Regional Park District Director, Ward 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Eden Township Healthcare District Director, Area 3
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Eden Township Healthcare District Director, Area 5
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Fairview Fire Protection District Directors
Top two candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Livermore Area Recreation & Park District Directors
Top three candidates win seat.
Alameda County
Oro Loma Sanitary District Directors
Top three candidates win seat.
Alameda County
District Attorney
Terry Wiley and Pamela Price are facing off in a tight race to be Alameda County’s next district attorney, replacing Nancy O’Malley who is retiring after serving for more than a decade as the county’s top prosecutor. The two candidates facing off present an insider vs. outsider choice for voters: Wiley, the county’s chief assistant district attorney, against Price, a progressive civil rights lawyer.
Top candidate wins seat.
Alameda County
Candidates

Civil Rights Attorney

Chief District Attorney
Positions on Key IssuesCandidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.
Priorities
What will be your top three priorities as DA, and how do you plan to tackle them?
Price says one of her top priorities is to “stop over-criminalizing youth.” “I am the only candidate to commit to not charge youth 18-and-under as adults,” she says. “There are no circumstances under which I believe a juvenile should be prosecuted as an adult.” Price also vows to reduce the flow of guns into the county and to stop sex trafficking. “We need to support these young people,” she says. “Housing is at the heart of the solution. … And this is a solution that has only received minimal attention from the current DA in the past 20 years.”
Wiley says his top priorities include ensuring the community is protected against violent crime. “In our new Crime Strategies Unit, experienced prosecutors will be part of a more proactive, data-driven approach to crime fighting, focusing on the 2,000 repeat offenders who commit the majority of violent crimes in Alameda County,” he says. Wiley is also promising to combat anti-Asian violence and domestic violence. He points to his work as a prosecutor in a 2005 trial against a group of Oakland police officers known as “the Riders,” and says he’ll increase training and oversight of police in an effort to root out bias.
Diversion
Alameda has more diversion courts than most counties in the state, yet a 2021 report from Urban Peace Movement and the ACLU found that only 5.4% of low-level misdemeanor cases were sent to diversion courts in 2017 and 2018. As DA, how will your office make use of the county’s diversion courts and what challenges, if any, do you anticipate?
Price says the current menu of options, as noted, is underutilized and unsupported, and that the criteria to access and benefit from our diversion courts is too restrictive. “The current DA’s office gives excuses for limiting access to these programs, while acting as gatekeepers to justice,” she says. “When elected, we will conduct an immediate assessment of the current criteria and resources available for each alternative court and set quantifiable goals to increase the effective use of these courts while also working to establish a network of neighborhood court systems.”
Wiley says the 5.4% statistic does not account for the many variables that make it difficult to grant diversion programs. “In many cases, the offenders have multiple (felony and misdemeanor) cases pending in Alameda County and surrounding jurisdictions,” he says. “It also does not include the numerous cases where the public defender recommended against taking the diversion program because misdemeanors now have only a one-year probation period (and) the diversion programs are typically 18 months.” Wiley says he still wants to increase referrals to drug treatment and mental health care programs.
Police Misconduct
What do you see as the greatest challenge DAs face when investigating and charging police misconduct? How do you plan to overcome that?
Price says the biggest challenge has two components: demonstrating independent analysis and judgment in investigations, and holding police agencies accountable to a standard of integrity. “A good working relationship with local law enforcement is where a DA uses her authority in a balanced, fair and measured way to make sure justice is served,” she says. “Given that police officers are entrusted with serving and protecting unlike any other citizen, they also deserve to be held to a higher standard — not a lower standard.” Price wants police-related lethal force investigations to be overseen by independent, trusted bodies.
Wiley says, in his 32 years of experience, he has seen few exceptions where decisions involving officer-involved shootings haven’t been difficult. He promises to bring “firm principles” to his work on this issue. “You must have clear policies that everyone understands where the line is and should not be crossed,” he says. “You must make principled decisions if the lines are crossed. You cannot allow your decisions to become political footballs where you move in whatever direction the wind is blowing.”
Santa Rita Jail
Santa Rita Jail is the largest provider of mental health services in Alameda County. It’s also one of the most dangerous jails in the country. What are your thoughts on that? How would you treat mentally ill people who are accused of committing crimes?
Price points to a 2021 U.S. Department of Justice report that found mental health care at the Santa Rita Jail violated the constitutional rights of mentally ill prisoners. “The role of the DA should not be to incarcerate people with serious mental illness because of their illness,” she says. “We need to expand the criteria for our behavioral health court and create a working group to rethink how mental health services are delivered in Alameda County.” Price vows to champion community-based mental health services to reduce crime without increasing incarceration.
Wiley believes law enforcement is ill-equipped to provide mental health services, and that this has resulted in unfortunate deaths at Santa Rita Jail. “We must rethink how we deal with individuals suffering from mental health challenges,” he says. Wiley points to his involvement with Alameda County’s Reimagine Adult Justice, which strives to reduce the county’s reliance on incarceration. He says the initiative includes exploring “the potential establishment of civilian oversight of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department.”
Anti-Asian Hate
What role do you think the DA’s office should play in combating crimes against Asian Americans?
Price says the DA’s job is to protect public safety “for all communities.” The DA, she adds, “cannot justify prioritizing one community based on its racial or ethnic identity while ignoring the needs of other racial, ethnic or religious minorities.” Price says her office will reflect the diversity of Alameda County, and prosecutors will be trained to deliver victim services in culturally responsive ways. “We must insist that Alameda County be a hate-free zone for all of us,” she says, “and amplify the message that ‘an injury to one is an injury to all.’”
Wiley points to a town hall he recently held in Oakland’s Little Saigon, where he heard stories of attacks against members of the community and the subsequent psychological damage these have inflicted in the form of depression, PTSD and a general fear of leaving the house. “The district attorney’s office will provide expanded trauma-informed victim services, including providing language interpreters to improve reporting of crimes,” Wiley says, adding that he also intends to expand the DA’s Special Prosecutions Team focused on anti-Asian hate crimes. “We will not tolerate Asians being victimized simply because they are Asian,” he says.
Your Questions, Answered
Ryia in Pleasanton asks:
What do you plan to do about the officers reinstated that were found ill equipped to serve?
Price says “Public safety requires public trust. As DA, our transition team will vet how these particular deputies affected any pending or past cases, and whether they were implicated in any injuries or deaths that took place at SRJ. We will work with the new Sheriff to ensure those who are supposed to protect public safety are fit for the task. My position is that not only is it a violation of state law to hire someone as a peace officer who fails a psychological exam, it is a threat to public safety that cannot be tolerated in our criminal justice system.”
Wiley says “Everyone who works in the criminal justice system should be qualified to do so. Lives are at stake. I will work to make sure that the people who do the hard, and sometimes dangerous work, of guaranteeing our public safety are supported – including supporting their mental health. If we find that people in the system are no longer able to do this work even after support and treatment, we need to find them appropriate jobs in other areas.”
Key SupportersThis list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.This list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.
Oakland Mayor
Whichever candidate replaces termed-out Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf will have their hands full. Many residents think the city isn’t adequately serving their needs. Critical issues, including homelessness, housing affordability, violence and public education are top of mind for voters. Of the 10 candidates on the ballot, three currently serve on the City Council — Loren Taylor, Sheng Thao and Treva Reid. Another well-known contender, Ignacio De La Fuente, served five terms on the council before stepping down in 2012. It’s unclear how city government experience will sway voters. And because of ranked-choice voting, the race could be unpredictable, and a winner possibly won’t be decided until well after Election Day. A last-minute addition to the ballot is civil rights attorney Allyssa Victory Villanueva, who was allowed back in the race after the city initially disqualified her for not having the required number of signatures, but later admitted it had misread her paperwork filing. See information on all candidates in this race.
Top candidate wins seat. If no candidate wins majority, instant runoff using ranked choice voting.
Alameda County
Candidates

Oakland Councilmember

Oakland Councilmember

Oakland Councilmember

Former Oakland Councilmember

Civil Rights Attorney
Positions on Key IssuesCandidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.
Homelessness
What is your plan to decrease homelessness in Oakland? If elected, where would you start?
Reid, a first-term council member who represents District 7 in East Oakland, calls homelessness in the city “a humanitarian crisis.” She notes that Black people account for 70% of Oakland’s unhoused population, despite making up only 24% of the general population. “The systemic disinvestment of affordable housing, subsidies and housing vouchers is egregious and does not uplift our value in Oakland for housing as a human right,” Reid says. As mayor, she promises to enforce and staff the city’s Encampment Management Policy; audit existing revenue streams designed to alleviate homelessness; and use public land — especially in transit corridors — to develop temporary and permanent housing solutions for transitional-age youth, veterans and seniors.
Thao, who has represented District 4 in the Oakland Hills since 2018, says the city’s solution to homelessness must include an expansion of housing initiatives, mental health and addiction services, and job training programs. “Having experienced homelessness myself as a young, single mother, I know firsthand how hard it is to access services and how urgent it is for Oakland to make it easier to get off the streets,” Thao says. She opposes spending money on temporary Tuff Shed shelters, and instead wants to build more transitional-housing projects. Thao is also pushing for money to pay for legal counsel for tenants facing evictions, and recently voted to cap rent increases at 3% for rent-controlled apartments.
Taylor, who has represented East Oakland’s District 6 since 2018, calls reducing homelessness a top priority. “I’ll close unsafe encampments, move unhoused neighbors into shelters and provide them with the full complement of services they need,” he says. He touts his role in creating the city’s Encampment Management Policy, and vows in his first 100 days as mayor to fund the teams responsible for enacting the plan. Taylor also promises to double funding for outreach and prevention services, such as rent relief programs and legal assistance — while also creating a public report card to gauge the performance of outreach providers in getting unsheltered residents into housing.
De La Fuente vows to “assemble the best team and implement my plan for a concerted and effective approach to address and decrease homelessness.” He is calling for stricter enforcement of an Oakland law that bans homeless encampments near schools, businesses, residences and parks. The policy is an attempt to balance the needs and rights of the unsheltered with those of their housed neighbors. “The Encampment Management Policy claims that it is necessary to address the emergency needs of our unhoused residents, but what about our residents who are at risk of experiencing homelessness and other tax-paying residents who need help?” De La Fuente says.
Victory Villanueva says the city’s current plans are failing and exacerbating the problem, and notes that she has opposed the Encampment Management Policy since it was adopted. “My plan is to stop managing tent encampments and instead focus on drastically expanding our shelter beds, transitional and permanent housing options,” she says. “We are using our entire city and all public (and even private) spaces as shelters because the city will not adequately house people or get us out of ‘crisis’ levels.” Villanueva has pledged to remove unhoused people from the streets and provide them with adequate housing options by making better use of public land and taking more advantage of emergency resources and existing fees and taxes already designated for housing. She also stresses the need to be more creative with planning and zoning rules.
Housing
Housing affordability has been a dire issue in Oakland for decades, one that particularly impacts Black and brown renters. In what ways would your administration address the housing crisis?
Reid says Oaklanders should not have to choose between paying for housing or food and health services, and should not be forced to work multiple jobs simply to afford to live in the city they love. “Too many of our neighbors are struggling with housing insecurity like I’ve faced,” she says, vowing to increase funding for more affordable housing and to streamline the approval process. She also pledges to leverage public and private partnerships to build enough housing to meet regional goals, and intends to build on a recent $5 million state investment to expand the city’s teacher and workforce housing programs.
Thao says there’s a huge opportunity to build new affordable housing units on city-owned property, and touts her experience working toward that goal. “The 12th Street parcel by Lake Merritt is a good example. It has sat vacant for years waiting for development. Now, through the work of just a few of us on the council, there will be two 100% affordable housing developments breaking ground this year and next,” she says. Although she notes that Oakland has been leading the Bay Area in housing construction, “we are building less than 50% of our required affordable housing, and it shows. We need new solutions that lead to new revenue streams.” Her proposals include creating an infrastructure-financing district and changing various zoning and bureaucratic restrictions to facilitate the development of more affordable housing. Thao has also pledged to expand the city’s first-time homeowner program and establish a public bank to create easier financing options.
Taylor says the housing affordability crisis is a supply problem that requires the construction of more homes. “That means prioritizing building both affordable and market-rate housing,” he says. “I applaud the state, including our local representatives, for leading the way in providing cities with more tools to build more housing units, and I embrace the fact that my job as mayor will be to bring residents, workers, and builders together to support projects that are economically viable and that respect the communities that are here and the people who want to be here.”
De La Fuente points to the affordable housing development that took place in District 5 during the two decades he represented the district. “I will work with the public and private sector to build more affordable housing and prioritize the improvement of basic city services that will allow the city and builders to make the progress that our community so desperately needs,” he says.
Victory Villanueva insists that housing must be affordable for everyone in the city, across all income levels. “I will preserve existing affordable housing units, effectively use all city fees and taxes designated for this purpose, including our vacant parcel tax, and expand financing mechanisms for developing more affordable housing,” she says. To that end, she has proposed creating a public banking system and expanding the city’s guaranteed basic income pilots and rental assistance programs. “Our workers must be able to own their communities,” she adds. “I also support pathways to homeownership which the city can help by alleviating procedural and financial barriers to first-time homeownership.”
Anti-Asian Hate
How is the Asian community going to be better protected under your leadership?
Reid says she will continue to meet with Asian community members to hear their concerns and respond “with solutions, not excuses.” She plans to expand the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland, or MACRO, a community response program for non-emergency 911 calls, to serve Chinatown and Little Saigon and ensure there is sufficient AAPI representation on her staff. She has also pledged to partner with the district attorney’s office to more effectively prevent and solve crimes against AAPI community members. “We have for too long been witnessing a severe uptick in the violent crimes afflicted upon our Asian American communities in Oakland,” she says.
Thao notes that her parents met in a refugee camp after fleeing the secret war in Laos in the 1970s. “I understand the fear and trauma so many Asian families hold,” she says, adding that she is also a survivor of domestic violence. “As mayor, I will be a voice for our Asian and refugee communities and will work to ensure they have the support and services they need,” she says. Thao touts her role in increasing public-safety funding and staffing in Chinatown and Little Saigon, and promises to continue aggressively combating hate crimes against not only Asian communities but all vulnerable groups in the city. “We need solidarity with all communities across Oakland, and a mayor who will fight for and uphold the values of our diverse city,” she says.
Taylor says he will not tolerate any kind of hate in the city. He plans to invest in more community-safety officers from the AAPI community to patrol in vulnerable communities. “I will also work to ensure staffing levels can meet the large demand we currently have to close off cases of violent hate crimes related to AAPI residents in Oakland,” he adds.
De La Fuente promises to create a special police unit to focus on public safety in high-crime areas where Asian Americans have been targeted. “All Oaklanders lose when people, groups are targeted and attacked, and city leadership needs to respond in kind with zero-tolerance measures that result in the efficient and effective enforcement of laws that will keep the Asian American community safe,” he says.
Victory Villanueva says she was raised in this community and has a long record of organizing with multi-racial coalitions. “Oakland is home to a historic Chinatown (that) must be protected and preserved, but I also will support expanding and investing in our cultural districts, including Little Saigon and Koreatown,” she says. “Chinatown also reminds us that Asian American communities were redlined and excluded from parts of our civic life and government, with Oakland as no exception.”
Public Safety
There’s a general feeling that crime is out of control, particularly in Oakland where homicides have risen significantly since 2019. How will your administration decrease crime? Do you believe more police officers are the solution?
Reid says much of the lawlessness and reckless behavior in Oakland has gone unchecked for too long. As a council member, Reid says she has championed public-safety priorities “from day one,” an issue she considers of immense personal importance, noting the death of her son to gun violence. Reid says that police need more support to do their jobs effectively, but has also called for a greater degree of accountability and oversight. She has pledged to significantly expand violence prevention and trauma-care programs during her first year as mayor, and to secure state and federal funding for four more police academies, as well as additional school safety and community mental health resources. She also vows to install public safety surveillance cameras in business corridors and partner with Caltrans to combat crime on local freeways.
Thao claims that over the last four years, she has worked to allocate more money than anyone else on the council for public safety — including both policing and prevention. “For policing, I’ve gotten funding for three additional academies, created incentives to retain officers and to recruit lateral officers from other jurisdictions,” she says, noting that both approaches cost significantly less than recruiting and training new officers. She says she worked closely with OPD Chief LeRonne Armstrong to create a more diverse and Oakland-grown police department and focus to a greater degree on local recruitment and more diversity outreach. “It’s working. The diversity of our cadets is really starting to reflect in our work,” she says. Thao also vows to “get to the root of crime,” and says she plans to double the city’s Department of Violence Prevention budget and sufficiently invest in public schools, child care and pre-K programs.
Taylor says he rejects “the framing that it’s either police and enforcement or violence prevention and root-causes intervention” that will be the key to reducing violent crime. “Yes, more police officers are needed, which is why I led the charge in the City Council to invest in additional police academies,” he says, noting that he has also fought to make sure officers are “better trained, better equipped and more responsive to calls for help.” But Taylor also insists that a larger police presence alone “without increased investment in prevention and increased focus on community trust-building is not a solution at all.”
De La Fuente says increasing the number of quality police officers is a key part of the solution, but “not the be-all and end-all.” He aims to ensure officers have the technology and political support they need to effectively solve crimes and increase public safety. He says he also intends to support community-based violence interruption and community policing programs, but thinks the first priority should be to “get a firm handle on violence in Oakland.”
Victory Villanueva says “public safety is determined by the public, not any magic number of officers. Police officers are often called when a crime is in progress or (has) already occurred.” She adds that crime prevention starts with ensuring that residents are getting their basic needs met in an equitable manner. “Housing, job access, education and health care are all part of crime prevention and keeping our public safe,” she says. “The safest communities are not those with the most police and the most weaponry, but those with the most resources and highest investment in residents.”
Schools
Recent school closures in Oakland have sparked intense ire among the disproportionately Black communities that have been most impacted. How do you plan to address this intensely controversial issue?
Reid calls the recent school closure decision “beyond troubling in the midst of the persisting pandemic.” She says the move, like many others, has disproportionately impacted Black students and families. As mayor, Reid says she will continue to work with OUSD to “reimagine” public schools by increasing investment and services to support students and families. She also pledges to push the school board to enact its resolution offering reparations to Black students and to secure $1 million in food cards for lower-income families to use at small grocery stores in their neighborhoods. Reid additionally has vowed to advocate for increased state and federal funds to provide mental health care at school sites, and offer social and wraparound services for students and parents.
Thao says she led the council’s efforts against school closures, and has worked with state lawmakers to secure additional support for Oakland schools. “These closures are primarily in Black and brown communities and were implemented without a community process or engagement,” she says.“(They) impact some of Oakland’s most vulnerable youth and send the wrong message about our priorities.” Thao says that while the school district is not the direct responsibility of the mayor, “I have already shown that I will not sit on the sidelines while our public schools are in jeopardy.”
Taylor says the closures are “a critical issue impacting our children, particularly Black children,” and has called for stronger collaborations between city and school leaders, as well as greater accountability for educational service providers the city contracts with. As mayor, he promises to pursue innovative strategies to enhance educational outcomes for underserved students, and points to his efforts on the council in helping to expand broadband access, and in pushing for increased investment in early literacy programs.
De La Fuente says this issue does not fall under his primary focus of reducing crime and homelessness and improving basic city services. “I will work within the structures of the mayor to hold our Oakland Unified School District leadership accountable for addressing issues like this that fall within their purview, and invite community leaders to do the same,” he says.
Victory Villanueva says she supports local campaigns against school closures, reparations for Black students and police-free schools. She also approves of community-run schools when “our district is failing to provide accessible and adequate education,” and has vowed to always advocate for equal opportunity, particularly for “Black Oaklanders harmed by decades of unjust policies.” She says that the city government, while separate from the school board, has a duty to be closely involved in school-based decisions, and vows to regularly communicate with the board, and report complaints from her constituents.
Your Questions, Answered
Kelley in West Oakland asks:
Pot holes are a seemingly endemic problem in Oakland streets in poorer neighborhoods, they cause frequent tire damage and multiple accidents in efforts to avoid jagged potholes how are you planning on addressing this issue?
De La Fuente says "I have lived in Oakland for over 51 years and know that the city has an over one-hundred year old infrastructure that has not been properly prioritized or maintenanced. To answer your question directly, I am determined to address potholes as part of my back to basics approach. We must acknowledge that programs like the city’s pothole blitz program, although encouraging, is a patchwork approach that does not address deteriorating road infrastructure across the city. We need a multifaceted, city-wide approach that equitably addresses road infrastructure for all of Oakland."
Key SupportersThis list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.This list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.
State Senate, District 10
Outgoing state Sen. Bob Wieckowski is termed out, leaving open a seat in a district that stretches from Hayward to Sunnyvale. Roughly 44% of the citizen voting-age population in the district is Asian, the largest share of any Senate district in the state. In the June primary, Mei came out on top with 33% of the vote, to Wahab’s 30%, with outside groups contributing heavily to both sides.
Candidates

Fremont Mayor
DEMOCRAT

Hayward Councilmember
DEMOCRAT
Positions on Key IssuesCandidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.Candidate summaries are based on interviews with the candidates, statements made at debates and public events and past news coverage.
Homelessness
Why are you the best candidate to address the state’s homelessness crisis?
Mei touts her experience as mayor of Fremont, where she led a push to open the city’s first navigation center in 2020, a shelter where unhoused people can connect with service providers. She notes how the project was controversial from the get-go, and faced intense local backlash, but says she is “really proud of the results.” A year after it opened, 31 of the center's 66 unhoused participants have found permanent housing. Mei says she would try to build on the navigation center model statewide, if elected to the Legislature.
Wahab also points to her strong support, as a City Council member, for a new navigation center in Hayward in 2019. “We worked with the community,” she says, adding, “We actually didn't, unlike a lot of other cities, have pushback.” In its first year, 45 of the center’s 91 residents found permanent housing. Wahab says she aspires to champion measures in the state Legislature that give local residents priority for spots in new housing developments.
Housing
What housing policies would you support if elected?
Mei says she supported a streamlined, online permitting process for creating accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in Fremont. As a state legislator, she pledges to advocate for more funding for workforce housing and to improve communication with residents and local officials about pending state housing proposals. “It’s easier to adopt something if people understand the impacts,” she says.
Wahab says she would push for a statewide inclusionary housing policy, requiring builders to earmark a certain number of units for affordable housing in every new development. “If the state is willing to say, ‘OK, every single development needs to have 10% affordable housing,’ I think that's the responsible approach,” she says.
Public Safety
What approaches do you support to bolster public safety?
Mei says she would “like to revisit” a provision in Proposition 47 that increased the monetary threshold — from $400 to $950 — at which theft could be prosecuted as a felony. “It has gotten very challenging for our police and our community,” she says. “We should not be rewarding people and giving them the idea that you can commit a crime.” As mayor of Fremont, Mei supported funding a controversial program to place police officers in Fremont schools, saying the decision reflected concerns raised by the local PTA.
Wahab says the punishment of thefts should be reformed to provide more restitution, with a focus on restorative justice. “That means hours of (community) service,” she says. “That means giving back to those individuals that were violated.” She points to her vote as a council member to create a mental health crisis team to handle some emergency calls. “This project actually allows for the police to focus on actual crime,” says Wahab.
Key SupportersThis list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.This list represents notable organizations and officials who have taken a position on the ballot measure, or who are funding the campaigns in support or in opposition. This list is not exhaustive, and may be updated.
Measure V
Should the city of Oakland amend its current just cause for eviction ordinance?
This measure would extend eviction protections to tenants in RVs and new units, except for accessory dwelling units (ADUs), during the 10-year period after construction. It would remove failure to execute a new lease as a just cause for eviction. It would also prohibit the eviction of educators and children during the academic school year. Passes with a majority vote. Read the full measure here.
Oakland. Just cause evictions. Passes with a majority vote.
Alameda County
Yes Argument
Measure V prevents teachers and students from being displaced during the school year, in an effort to minimize disruption within Oakland schools. Just cause for eviction requires that landlords provide a valid reason for evicting a tenant, and protects renters against discrimination, retaliation, harassment and displacement.
No Argument
Measure V could discourage developers from building in the city, which could harm renters by limiting new housing. The measure would needlessly add further regulations and red tape to the no-fault eviction process, which is already regulated by the California Tenant Protection Act of 2019.
Key Supporters
- William Chorneau, landlord and member, Property Owners For Fair and Affordable Housing
- Carroll Fife, City Council member, Oakland
- Dan Kalb, City Council member, Oakland
- James Vann, co-founder, Oakland Tenants Union
- Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment
Key Opponents
- California Apartment Association
- East Bay Rental Housing Association
Measure U
Should the city of Oakland issue up to $850 million in general obligation bonds to invest in housing for the homeless and in neighborhood infrastructure projects?
The bond would raise $350 million for the purchase, renovation or construction of affordable housing, and $290 million for street and sidewalk fixes. Additional funds could be used for parks and open spaces, libraries, police and fire stations, and other city facilities. Passes with a two-thirds vote. Read the full measure here
Oakland. Infrastructure bond. Passes with 2/3 vote.
Alameda County
Yes Argument
Measure U would create additional housing units for families and individuals experiencing homelessness, as well as for some child care providers, teachers and other essential workers. It would also invest in neighborhoods by repaving streets; eliminating potholes; and upgrading libraries, parks and recreation centers.
No Argument
Measure U promises to put money toward the same purposes as Measure KK, which voters passed in 2016. But we still don’t know how much affordable housing was built or how many streets were repaved with the $600 million bond that resulted from that. This new measure does not include accountability benchmarks, like the number of housing units to be built or the number of streets to be repaved, and at what cost. Furthermore, the repayment of the $850 million in bonds, accounting for interest, is expected to cost homeowners $1.7 billion in property taxes.
Key Supporters
- Terra Cole Brown, executive director, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation
- Gloria Bruce, executive director, East Bay Housing Organizations
- Chris Hwang, president, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland
- Kathryn Sterbenc, president, Friends of the Oakland Public Library
- James Vann, co-founder, Oakland Tenants Union
Key Opponents
- Jill Broadhurst, resident/community volunteer/small-business owner, Oakland
- Marcus Crawley, president, Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association
- Ignacio De La Fuente, resident/former City Council member, Oakland
- Thomas Rubin, vice president, Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association
- Marleen Sacks, resident/attorney, Oakland