Barbara Lee speaks to supporters after being sworn in as Mayor of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on May 20, 2025. The former congresswoman faces no shortage of challenges as Oakland’s mayor, including a budget crisis, stubbornly high rates of crime and homelessness, and insufficient housing. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)
New Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee, a progressive powerhouse and longtime former congresswoman, was sworn in Tuesday afternoon and once again promised to unify and revitalize the city after months of political and financial turmoil.
“Today marks a new era for Oakland,” Lee, 78, said during her inauguration speech in front of a crowd of residents gathered at City Hall to celebrate. “We are a city of doers, dreamers, entrepreneurs, artists and innovators. Together, we’re going to do the hard work to put Oakland back on the right track.”
Lee, who served in Congress for more than three decades, faces no shortage of challenges in her new role. In addition to addressing Oakland’s projected $265 million shortfall in its next two-year budget cycle, the newly elected mayor will also need to tackle the city’s public safety issues, including stubbornly high rates of crime and homelessness, and insufficient housing.
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Lee’s plan for her first 100 days in office, which she introduced during her campaign, includes bringing together business leaders to develop new initiatives for Oakland’s economic growth, securing county funds to address homelessness, implementing new public safety strategies and prosecuting illegal dumping.
Residents “were clear about the need to transform Oakland into a safer and cleaner city,” Lee said. “Over the next 100 days, we will bring Oaklanders from all walks of life to help inform how our government can better serve the people and usher in a new era of prosperity and progress.”
Barbara Lee is sworn in as mayor of Oakland as Bill Patterson holds a Bible that belonged to her grandfather at Oakland City Hall on May 20, 2025. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)
Handling Oakland’s finances will be no small feat, as city leaders attempt to piece together a budget that will bridge Oakland’s looming fiscal shortfall without jeopardizing essential city services.
Kevin Jenkins, who had served as interim mayor after Sheng Thao was ousted from office in a recall election, introduced a new budget proposal last week that includes several public safety service cuts, such as the continued closure of two fire stations and a cap on police overtime.
Lee said the city’s fiscal crisis will require both short-term and long-term solutions, and added that she is working with financial advisors to review areas of concern in the city’s spending. She said she’s also been meeting with county, state and federal officials, as well as working groups made up of Oakland residents and business partners to identify new funding streams.
“My job is to lead our city out of a budget crisis and into a period of financial stability,” Lee said.
The mayor, who received strong support from labor unions throughout Oakland during her campaign, said she’s also been in talks with labor leaders. Everyone will need to make concessions so that the city can balance its budget, and labor groups will be a part of that, Lee said.
In terms of public safety, Lee previously said she plans to increase the city’s police force to 700 sworn officers while also introducing new violence prevention and mental health programs. She also proposed several solutions for addressing homelessness, such as job training and financial assistance.
“Public safety is a big priority,” Lee told reporters after taking the oath of office. “The mayor’s job … is to keep the city safe and to help address crime rates and bring down crime rates so people are safe.”
It marks a new chapter for a city that’s been troubled by months of instability. In November, Oakland voted overwhelmingly to recall Thao after an FBI raid of her home and criticisms over her response to the city’s challenges cast a dark shadow over Thao’s administration.
Barbara Lee hugs Bill Patterson after being sworn in as Mayor of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on May 20, 2025. (Martin do Nascimento/KQED)
Lee, who will finish out the final year and a half of Thao’s term, announced her intent to run in January. Before representing Oakland in Congress, she also served in the California State Assembly for six years and the state Senate for two. She retired from Congress last year after an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. Senate.
Lee’s mayoral campaign garnered enthusiastic support from most of the City Council and Jenkins. She emphasized her track record of bringing federal funding to Oakland and promised to use her political connections and reputation to attract more investments into the city.
However, the special election became unexpectedly tight when former Councilmember Loren Taylor, a moderate politician who appealed to voters frustrated by Oakland’s progressive tilt, took an early lead in the ballot counting process. While Lee eventually secured the victory, Taylor garnered significant support from the city’s affluent hillside residents.
