Alameda County

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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.” 

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.”  

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.”

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. 

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.

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.