Lee Headed for Victory in Oakland Mayor’s Race; ‘Strong Mayor’ Measure Leading
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is on her way to winning her first full term according to early ballot returns.
The longtime Democratic member of Congress, elected last year to replace recalled Mayor Sheng Thao, was leading a four-candidate field with 85% of first-choice votes in the ranked-choice contest.
Lee has appeared to enjoy widespread support among voters during her 18 months in office, as reflected in a recent Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll in which 46% of respondents saying the city is headed in the right direction. That’s a dramatic turnaround from two years ago, when just 12% said the city was on the right track.
Three other candidates on the ballot, including Brenda Grisham, a community organizer who was one of the chief organizers behind the recall of Mayor Thao, split the remaining 15% of the vote.
“Whether you voted for me or not, we are one Oakland,” Lee said to a room of cheering supporters at a party in downtown Oakland on Tuesday night. “You told me what you want and that’s safer streets, cleaner neighborhoods, affordable housing, good jobs, strong businesses, addressing homelessness and a City Hall that works for you. No excuses, you wanted results.”
Also a good sign for Lee: Oakland voters seem poised to give the city’s mayor more power through a “strong mayor” initiative, Measure EE. The proposal had racked up a 74% “yes” vote in early returns.
Measure EE would restructure Oakland’s city government, amending the City Charter to designate the mayor as the chief executive responsible for city departments and operations.
The mayor would have veto power over legislation and line items in the budget, with the eight-member City Council able to override vetoes with six votes. The mayor would also gain more control over hiring and firing department heads and other city personnel. Measure EE would make the City Council a full-time position with higher pay.
Oakland’s current government is a hybrid mayor-council system. It’s among the vast majority of California cities that rely on a professional manager, like a city manager or city administrator, for key city functions. But the city is caught between the council-manager and strong mayor systems of governance, said Gail Wallace of the League of Women Voters Oakland.
“Being caught between those two models, the allocation of responsibilities and therefore the ability to hold people accountable — the wires got crossed,” Wallace said. “That is one of the reasons that we need a change to the charter to clarify roles and responsibilities so that people can hold their officials and employees accountable.”
Most in Oakland agree the current system isn’t working — the city faces a major budget shortfall and public distrust in city spending has historically been high. But many disagree on which direction the city should move.
Measure EE proponents say the proposal could ease the delivery of key city services, especially if Oaklanders know who is ultimately on the hook in City Hall.
“Most residents have told me, and this was even when I was a member of Congress, that people don’t know who is responsible for what. People get the run around, city services are not delivered,” Lee told KQED in the days leading up to the election.
But the timing was tricky for strong mayor supporters.
Oakland voters were asked to give their mayor more power at the same time that former Mayor Sheng Thao and three co-defendants are on trial for federal corruption charges.
Measure EE opponents argued that this should be a warning to Oaklanders about further empowering the office of mayor, characterizing the initiative as a “power grab” that could enable future bad actors in City Hall.
“Oakland needs to make this decision based on any possible mayor that comes forward under this system and not just the current mayor that we have today, and that’s important for those making this decision to understand. It’s not just about Barbara Lee,” former Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor said.
Ben Gould, an Oakland resident who volunteers on the city’s Budget Advisory Commission, agrees Measure EE could help clarify who is responsible for what in city government. However, he said that doesn’t guarantee there will be a way to hold leaders accountable if they don’t deliver.
“I think it makes the mayor harder to hold accountable. They don’t have to go to city council meetings. I don’t have to answer questions in front of the public,” Gould said.
Still, the measure has broad support among Oakland leaders and community groups who say Oakland needs a change.
“I think most people either are supporting Barbara Lee, are supporting some kind of change, or just want to see something different happen in Oakland and aren’t necessarily thinking, ‘Yeah, strong mayor is the way we want to see our city run,’” Gould said. “They just want to have a better shot at something working better than it is right now.”
In other notable East Bay races:
Berkeley Rent Control
A measure aiming to give Berkeley renters more protections is ahead based on early results. First reports from county election officials showed the measure leading with a 66.5% “yes” vote.
Berkeley’s Measure X aims to amend the city’s current rent control ordinance to give tenants more protections. It would cap rent increases at 10% in a single year. It would also make it easier for renters to form tenant associations — the current ordinance allows renters to do this if there are 10 or more units on a single property, but Measure X would lower that threshold to five units. It also seeks to protect tenant association power if property management changes hands.
Berkeley Soda Tax Increase
Measure AA, a proposal to raise the soda tax in Berkeley, appears to be headed toward approval. Early returns showed the measure winning with a 77% “yes” vote.
The East Bay city was the first in the nation to establish a tax on sugary beverages in 2014. Distributors are currently required to pay a penny per fluid ounce of each soda drink that’s sold to retailers in the city.
Measure AA seeks to double the tax to two cents per ounce, with 42.5% of revenue going towards cooking and gardening programs at Berkeley schools.
Another 42.5% would be allocated for health, dental and water services. The remainder would fund administrative oversight and reporting.
Proponents argue the first-in-the-nation tax has been successful: Tax revenue has funded preventive health programs and helped grow a cooking program in Berkeley schools. A tax increase is necessary to adjust for inflation and preserve these programs, supporters say.
The American Beverage Association of California opposed the tax and has consistently fought similar local efforts across the state.