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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> doesn’t need any reminders; she’s got a tough job ahead of her.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’ve been working very hard,” she told KQED on Tuesday, a week before she is set to be sworn in as Oakland’s next mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hometown progressive hero, who represented the region for nearly three decades in Congress, takes the helm at a particularly fraught moment for this perennially underdog city, where crime has remained stubbornly high, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12039972/oakland-schools-hostility-spirals-between-teachers-union-principals\">the school district is in disarray\u003c/a>, and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029645/oakland-clears-homeless-encampment-installs-shipping-container-barrier\">homelessness and encampments\u003c/a> have reached crisis levels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We need to reset,” she said. “Right now, I’m looking at what needs to be added, what needs to be deleted, what needs to be restructured.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, 78, said her transition team has been busy assembling working groups to help address the bevy of formidable challenges the city faces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The groups will consist of “community members, nonprofit leaders, people who have the pulse of Oakland and what needs to be done in terms of our \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036919/barbara-lee-pledges-to-unite-oakland-in-first-remarks-as-mayor-elect\">100-day plan,\u003c/a>” said Lee, who will replace interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins to finish out the final year and a half of recalled Mayor Sheng Thao’s term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These working groups are going to be essential to how we govern in a new way,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked about her top priorities, Lee recited a laundry list of critical issues, including public safety, affordable housing, homelessness and encampments, and economic development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big agenda,” she acknowledged. “But it’s an agenda that everybody in the city can embrace.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee said she intends to restore the city’s depleted police force to 700 sworn officers and double down on violence prevention initiatives and mental health interventions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have many public safety issues that people are very aware of,” she said. “They’re not safe in many respects in many parts of the city, and we have to get this under control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the city’s growing unhoused population, which \u003ca href=\"https://homelessness.acgov.org/homelessness-assets/docs/infographic/Oakland%20PIT%202024%20Infographic.pdf\">numbered some 5,500 people\u003c/a> in last year’s point-in-time count, Lee offered a compassionate approach centered on prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking at how we can try to help people find jobs, training. Because the best predictor of people becoming sheltered is financial assistance,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986458\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986458\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Tents line a city street.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A large tent encampment in West Oakland in 2023. \u003ccite>(Tayfun CoÅkun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The homelessness situation in the city is “an issue of safety. It’s a humanitarian issue. It’s a moral disgrace,” she added. “And we have to do something, and we must do it quickly, at least begin to turn this around quickly. It’s going to take a while.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee also spoke of reducing evictions and “preventing people from ending up on the street.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking at how we can establish a revolving fund for first and last month’s rent for people who are living on the edge who may need to have their city help them,” she said. “They would pay it back when they got on their feet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear, though, where that money will come from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee will soon be engulfed in tough budget decisions, as the city’s leaders scramble to close the current shortfall while simultaneously \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038739/oakland-budget-keeps-fire-stations-closed-police-cuts-in-place-despite-new-sales-tax\">trying to piece together\u003c/a> a new budget that aims to eliminate a projected $265 million deficit over the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It depends on the members of the City Council,” Lee said of that process. “I’m working with all of them, and we have to have consensus on what we would want to do. And so, at this point, we’re analyzing the full budget to make those determinations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During her campaign, which focused on a message of unity at a time of bitter political division in the city, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031370/oakland-voters-want-to-know-how-next-mayor-would-fix-citys-finances\">Lee emphasized her congressional track record\u003c/a> of bringing federal funding to Oakland, while also pledging to use her political connections to generate more investment for the city through public-private partnerships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following a failed 2024 U.S. Senate bid, Lee\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020556/barbara-lee-launches-campaign-for-oakland-mayor-after-contentious-recall\"> threw her hat in the ring\u003c/a> for mayor in January, just weeks after ending her storied stint as one of the most consistently progressive voices in Congress.[aside postID=news_12038739 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00008_qed.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backed by most of the City Council, the interim mayor and labor unions, Lee was considered the heavy favorite. But the race turned into an unexpectedly tight contest between her and former Councilmember Loren Taylor, who challenged Lee’s progressive approach to governance and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036611/oakland-mayoral-election-live-results\">gained support\u003c/a> from voters in the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036921/lee-takes-the-flats-taylor-wins-the-hills-but-labor-unions-deliver-the-city\">whiter and more affluent hillside communities\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, stepping into her partial first term as mayor, Lee has less than two years to tackle the prodigious set of goals she campaigned on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Well, she knew what she signed up for. And so far, it looks like she is putting in place a transition team and a staff that is going to be able to address those big, complex, thorny problems that have plagued Oakland for quite some time,” said Justin Berton, who was former Mayor Libby Schaaf’s communications director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly every mayor in the city’s modern history has formed a transition team, Berton added, with the notable exception of Thao.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of her incoming staff worked with the [previous] administration to create that transition. So when her administration started, she literally just showed up on day one and started hiring the staff and started learning on the fly what the job entailed,” he said. “I think that followed her throughout her two years in office. People didn’t feel confident that her and her team were prepared.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, 78, said her transition team has been busy assembling working groups to help address the bevy of formidable challenges the city faces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The groups will consist of “community members, nonprofit leaders, people who have the pulse of Oakland and what needs to be done in terms of our \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036919/barbara-lee-pledges-to-unite-oakland-in-first-remarks-as-mayor-elect\">100-day plan,\u003c/a>” said Lee, who will replace interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins to finish out the final year and a half of recalled Mayor Sheng Thao’s term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“These working groups are going to be essential to how we govern in a new way,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked about her top priorities, Lee recited a laundry list of critical issues, including public safety, affordable housing, homelessness and encampments, and economic development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a big agenda,” she acknowledged. “But it’s an agenda that everybody in the city can embrace.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee said she intends to restore the city’s depleted police force to 700 sworn officers and double down on violence prevention initiatives and mental health interventions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have many public safety issues that people are very aware of,” she said. “They’re not safe in many respects in many parts of the city, and we have to get this under control.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the city’s growing unhoused population, which \u003ca href=\"https://homelessness.acgov.org/homelessness-assets/docs/infographic/Oakland%20PIT%202024%20Infographic.pdf\">numbered some 5,500 people\u003c/a> in last year’s point-in-time count, Lee offered a compassionate approach centered on prevention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking at how we can try to help people find jobs, training. Because the best predictor of people becoming sheltered is financial assistance,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_11986458\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2560px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11986458\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Tents line a city street.\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/05/GettyImages-1247572601-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A large tent encampment in West Oakland in 2023. \u003ccite>(Tayfun CoÅkun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The homelessness situation in the city is “an issue of safety. It’s a humanitarian issue. It’s a moral disgrace,” she added. “And we have to do something, and we must do it quickly, at least begin to turn this around quickly. It’s going to take a while.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee also spoke of reducing evictions and “preventing people from ending up on the street.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m looking at how we can establish a revolving fund for first and last month’s rent for people who are living on the edge who may need to have their city help them,” she said. “They would pay it back when they got on their feet.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s unclear, though, where that money will come from.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee will soon be engulfed in tough budget decisions, as the city’s leaders scramble to close the current shortfall while simultaneously \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12038739/oakland-budget-keeps-fire-stations-closed-police-cuts-in-place-despite-new-sales-tax\">trying to piece together\u003c/a> a new budget that aims to eliminate a projected $265 million deficit over the next two years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It depends on the members of the City Council,” Lee said of that process. “I’m working with all of them, and we have to have consensus on what we would want to do. And so, at this point, we’re analyzing the full budget to make those determinations.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>During her campaign, which focused on a message of unity at a time of bitter political division in the city, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031370/oakland-voters-want-to-know-how-next-mayor-would-fix-citys-finances\">Lee emphasized her congressional track record\u003c/a> of bringing federal funding to Oakland, while also pledging to use her political connections to generate more investment for the city through public-private partnerships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Following a failed 2024 U.S. Senate bid, Lee\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020556/barbara-lee-launches-campaign-for-oakland-mayor-after-contentious-recall\"> threw her hat in the ring\u003c/a> for mayor in January, just weeks after ending her storied stint as one of the most consistently progressive voices in Congress.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backed by most of the City Council, the interim mayor and labor unions, Lee was considered the heavy favorite. But the race turned into an unexpectedly tight contest between her and former Councilmember Loren Taylor, who challenged Lee’s progressive approach to governance and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036611/oakland-mayoral-election-live-results\">gained support\u003c/a> from voters in the city’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036921/lee-takes-the-flats-taylor-wins-the-hills-but-labor-unions-deliver-the-city\">whiter and more affluent hillside communities\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, stepping into her partial first term as mayor, Lee has less than two years to tackle the prodigious set of goals she campaigned on.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Well, she knew what she signed up for. And so far, it looks like she is putting in place a transition team and a staff that is going to be able to address those big, complex, thorny problems that have plagued Oakland for quite some time,” said Justin Berton, who was former Mayor Libby Schaaf’s communications director.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nearly every mayor in the city’s modern history has formed a transition team, Berton added, with the notable exception of Thao.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“None of her incoming staff worked with the [previous] administration to create that transition. So when her administration started, she literally just showed up on day one and started hiring the staff and started learning on the fly what the job entailed,” he said. “I think that followed her throughout her two years in office. People didn’t feel confident that her and her team were prepared.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Oakland Settles Suit Alleging ‘Staggering Government Dysfunction’ in 2022 Mayor’s Race",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> will pay more than $200,000 and implement a series of election reforms to settle a lawsuit alleging that former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and several other candidates missed the filing deadline to be eligible to run in the 2022 mayoral election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to approve the settlement, more than two years after the Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association filed its lawsuit accusing the city of a litany of election-related blunders, violations and coverups stemming from the Oakland City Clerk’s office inadvertently giving mayoral candidates the wrong deadline to submit their candidacy applications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon realizing the mistake, on the afternoon of the actual deadline, the office “frantically” called Thao and other candidates who had yet to submit their paperwork, instructing them to come to City Hall to file before the 5 p.m. cutoff, the suit alleges, leaving candidates “scrambling to gather signatures and organize their paperwork at the last minute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the four candidates — Thao, Monesha Carter, Seneca Scott and Allyssa Victory — who showed up to the clerk’s office on the afternoon of Aug. 12, 2022, only Scott turned in his paperwork by the 5 p.m. deadline, the suit alleges, arguing that Thao and the two others should have been disqualified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, also claims that the clerk’s office had to manually operate its malfunctioning timestamp machine and incorrectly timestamped all of the paperwork to make it appear that it had been filed prior to 5 p.m., “when in fact, it had not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An overall lack of election integrity, lack of public accountability, and staggering government dysfunction are at the heart of this lawsuit,” the suit states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao went on to win the election by just 677 votes, narrowly defeating then-Councilmember Loren Taylor. Just two years later, voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12014429/what-mayor-sheng-thaos-recall-means-for-oakland\">removed her from office\u003c/a> in an unprecedented recall. She now faces federal bribery charges after a grand jury in January \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022517/fbi-raids-home-san-leandro-council-member-joined-vietnam-trip-sheng-thao\">indicted her\u003c/a> — as well as her romantic partner and the father-son team overseeing the city’s recycling contractor — on several charges related to an alleged corruption scandal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Attorney Marleen Sacks, who led the suit for the tax foundation, initially demanded that the city redo the mayoral election, alleging that it had also flubbed the ranked choice voting process by only allowing voters to rank five candidates, despite having 10 names on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009506\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Opposing campaigns for and against the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao rally at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sacks also claimed city officials didn’t respond to her California Public Records Act requests in a timely manner, and accused them of violating state law by deleting surveillance footage that she said would have shown candidates entering and leaving City Hall on the day of the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alameda County Taxpayers Association, no stranger to legal challenges against Oakland and Alameda County, also \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandcityattorney.org/recent-legal-highlights-spring-2024/\">filed suit against the city\u003c/a> in 2022, challenging the validity of Measure Y, a parcel tax to help fund the city’s zoo, which voters approved that November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a separate suit, Sacks and the group sued the city over alleged illegal public contracting and violations of the state’s Public Records Act. The city settled in February, paying the group roughly $250,000 to cover legal fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ironically, the City Council on Tuesday, during the same meeting, also approved a resolution to recognize “Municipal Clerks Week,” praising employees at Oakland City Clerk’s office.[aside postID=news_12038739 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250105_OakFireClose_DMB_00119.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council initially authorized the settlement during a closed-door session last month, in which it agreed to pay nearly $208,000 to reimburse attorney’s fees, “without admitting fault or wrongdoing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement, however, is silent on whether Thao or any other particular candidate should have been listed on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of the settlement, city leaders agreed to a spate of election reforms, including no longer accepting late paperwork from candidates seeking office, providing accurate information about filing deadlines, retaining camera footage at the City Clerk’s office for at least a year and “making best efforts” to ensure timestamp machines at the clerk’s office are functioning accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city also agreed “under certain circumstances” to request that the county registrar offer more than five ranked-choice options for city elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a satisfactory result. But there are still fundamental issues of accountability and transparency that continue to exist [in Oakland],” Sacks said after the vote. “It shouldn’t require a lawsuit for the city to investigate what led to these problems. But it did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The lawsuit alleged that former Mayor Sheng Thao and others were ineligible to run because of a botched filing deadline. The City Council agreed to pay over $200,000 and roll out changes. \r\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> will pay more than $200,000 and implement a series of election reforms to settle a lawsuit alleging that former \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Mayor Sheng Thao\u003c/a> and several other candidates missed the filing deadline to be eligible to run in the 2022 mayoral election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council voted Tuesday afternoon to approve the settlement, more than two years after the Alameda County Taxpayers’ Association filed its lawsuit accusing the city of a litany of election-related blunders, violations and coverups stemming from the Oakland City Clerk’s office inadvertently giving mayoral candidates the wrong deadline to submit their candidacy applications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Upon realizing the mistake, on the afternoon of the actual deadline, the office “frantically” called Thao and other candidates who had yet to submit their paperwork, instructing them to come to City Hall to file before the 5 p.m. cutoff, the suit alleges, leaving candidates “scrambling to gather signatures and organize their paperwork at the last minute.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of the four candidates — Thao, Monesha Carter, Seneca Scott and Allyssa Victory — who showed up to the clerk’s office on the afternoon of Aug. 12, 2022, only Scott turned in his paperwork by the 5 p.m. deadline, the suit alleges, arguing that Thao and the two others should have been disqualified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The suit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, also claims that the clerk’s office had to manually operate its malfunctioning timestamp machine and incorrectly timestamped all of the paperwork to make it appear that it had been filed prior to 5 p.m., “when in fact, it had not.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“An overall lack of election integrity, lack of public accountability, and staggering government dysfunction are at the heart of this lawsuit,” the suit states.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao went on to win the election by just 677 votes, narrowly defeating then-Councilmember Loren Taylor. Just two years later, voters \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12014429/what-mayor-sheng-thaos-recall-means-for-oakland\">removed her from office\u003c/a> in an unprecedented recall. She now faces federal bribery charges after a grand jury in January \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022517/fbi-raids-home-san-leandro-council-member-joined-vietnam-trip-sheng-thao\">indicted her\u003c/a> — as well as her romantic partner and the father-son team overseeing the city’s recycling contractor — on several charges related to an alleged corruption scandal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland Attorney Marleen Sacks, who led the suit for the tax foundation, initially demanded that the city redo the mayoral election, alleging that it had also flubbed the ranked choice voting process by only allowing voters to rank five candidates, despite having 10 names on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12009506\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12009506\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/10/241015-OAKLANDCHINATOWNTHAORECALL-24-BL-KQED-1-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Opposing campaigns for and against the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao rally at Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland on Oct. 15, 2024. \u003ccite>(Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Sacks also claimed city officials didn’t respond to her California Public Records Act requests in a timely manner, and accused them of violating state law by deleting surveillance footage that she said would have shown candidates entering and leaving City Hall on the day of the deadline.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alameda County Taxpayers Association, no stranger to legal challenges against Oakland and Alameda County, also \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandcityattorney.org/recent-legal-highlights-spring-2024/\">filed suit against the city\u003c/a> in 2022, challenging the validity of Measure Y, a parcel tax to help fund the city’s zoo, which voters approved that November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a separate suit, Sacks and the group sued the city over alleged illegal public contracting and violations of the state’s Public Records Act. The city settled in February, paying the group roughly $250,000 to cover legal fees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ironically, the City Council on Tuesday, during the same meeting, also approved a resolution to recognize “Municipal Clerks Week,” praising employees at Oakland City Clerk’s office.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Council initially authorized the settlement during a closed-door session last month, in which it agreed to pay nearly $208,000 to reimburse attorney’s fees, “without admitting fault or wrongdoing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The agreement, however, is silent on whether Thao or any other particular candidate should have been listed on the ballot.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The City Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the settlement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As part of the settlement, city leaders agreed to a spate of election reforms, including no longer accepting late paperwork from candidates seeking office, providing accurate information about filing deadlines, retaining camera footage at the City Clerk’s office for at least a year and “making best efforts” to ensure timestamp machines at the clerk’s office are functioning accurately.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city also agreed “under certain circumstances” to request that the county registrar offer more than five ranked-choice options for city elections.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s a satisfactory result. But there are still fundamental issues of accountability and transparency that continue to exist [in Oakland],” Sacks said after the vote. “It shouldn’t require a lawsuit for the city to investigate what led to these problems. But it did.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Lee Takes the Flats, Taylor Wins the Hills — but Labor Unions Deliver the City",
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"content": "\u003cp>The geographic divide was stark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> took Oakland’s flatlands while her opponent, former Oakland City Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>, conquered the wealthier hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much like he had in his failed bid for mayor two years ago, Taylor dominated in nearly all precincts located on even the slightest hint of a physical slope, in many of the whitest and less dense areas of Oakland, like the Upper Rockridge and Montclair neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that couldn’t compete with Lee’s steadfast backing in the flatlands — including lower-income neighborhoods in West Oakland and East Oakland — that helped the progressive stalwart eke out a win over her moderate opponent in the race to finish out the term of ousted former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, whose term is set to begin in mid-May, will be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036919/barbara-lee-pledges-to-unite-oakland-in-first-remarks-as-mayor-elect\">Oakland’s first Black woman mayor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036276\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036276\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbara Lee takes the stage at her election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I saw an opportunity to unite our community,” she said Monday in her first press conference since winning the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The race became an \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/06/barbara-lee-tight-oakland-mayors-race-00270119\">unexpectedly tight contest\u003c/a> between Lee and Taylor, who offered disparate visions of how to tackle the myriad financial and public safety challenges the city faces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, 78, is a hometown hero who represented Oakland for nearly three decades, gaining national recognition as one of Congress’ most progressive voices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backed by most of the City Council, the interim mayor and labor unions, Lee pledged during her campaign to rescue City Hall from its morass of bitterness and dysfunction, offering an array of progressive policies to address public safety, homelessness and Oakland’s budget crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although considered the heavy favorite when she \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020556/barbara-lee-launches-campaign-for-oakland-mayor-after-contentious-recall\">entered the race in January\u003c/a>, just weeks after leaving Congress, Lee trailed Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">in early returns\u003c/a>. But she pulled ahead by some 5,000 votes in the latest ranked choice tally released Friday, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036555/barbara-lee-takes-decisive-lead-over-loren-taylor-in-oakland-mayoral-election\">gaining a 53% to 47% lead\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12036919 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-05-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will govern with the same leadership I’ve engaged in my entire career: with transparency, integrity and accountability; with unwavering focus on the results you expect and deserve; with an ability to bring together people who do not always agree but believe in a better Oakland,” Lee said Monday in her first remarks as mayor-elect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor was largely backed by business and tech interests and had strong support from proponents of Thao’s recall campaign (which he supported and Lee opposed). He gained unexpected traction by casting himself as a tough-on-crime moderate from outside the political establishment who had the acumen to “fix” a “broken” city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Taylor was unable to win over Oakland’s vast flatlands, where progressive politics still dominate and unions continue to wield influence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The flats really did align more with her ideological view of the world,” said John Whitehurst, a longtime political consultant in Oakland. “The flats of Oakland are some of the most progressive areas in America. And so, Barbara Lee spoke for them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whitehurst said Lee, \u003ca href=\"https://rollcall.com/2024/03/06/rep-barbara-lee-defeated-in-california-senate-primary/\">who ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat\u003c/a> last year, might have fallen short in Oakland as well if not for the strong backing of \u003ca href=\"https://barbaralee4oakland.com/endorsements\">powerful labor groups in the city\u003c/a> — including SEIU Local 1021, the Alameda Labor Council and the Oakland firefighters union — and their aggressive canvassing operations in working class communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Justin Berton, who served as an aide to former Mayor Libby Schaaf, said Lee was disadvantaged by Thao’s failure to broaden Oakland’s progressive tent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This election showed that Loren Taylor had incredibly strong support in the hills, where people voted for him over Sheng Thao in 2022,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Taylor was unable to parlay that support in the liberal strongholds that soured on Thao last year, Berton added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One thing that comes with support from unions that Barbara Lee had was an aggressive ground campaign,” he said. “So that’s knocking on doors, doing get-out-the-vote drives over weekends. That’s a very powerful organizing mechanism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berton said Lee has a tough job ahead of her, but one that could be “a golden opportunity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you have the support she showed in the flats and across the city, and you have this opportunity to win more support in the hills, it can become a unified city as she has promised,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Barbara Lee’s backing in flatland neighborhoods, including West Oakland, Uptown and Fruitvale, helped her become Oakland’s next mayor.",
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"title": "Lee Takes the Flats, Taylor Wins the Hills — but Labor Unions Deliver the City | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The geographic divide was stark.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> took Oakland’s flatlands while her opponent, former Oakland City Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>, conquered the wealthier hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Much like he had in his failed bid for mayor two years ago, Taylor dominated in nearly all precincts located on even the slightest hint of a physical slope, in many of the whitest and less dense areas of Oakland, like the Upper Rockridge and Montclair neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But that couldn’t compete with Lee’s steadfast backing in the flatlands — including lower-income neighborhoods in West Oakland and East Oakland — that helped the progressive stalwart eke out a win over her moderate opponent in the race to finish out the term of ousted former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, whose term is set to begin in mid-May, will be \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036919/barbara-lee-pledges-to-unite-oakland-in-first-remarks-as-mayor-elect\">Oakland’s first Black woman mayor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036276\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036276\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbara Lee takes the stage at her election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“I saw an opportunity to unite our community,” she said Monday in her first press conference since winning the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The race became an \u003ca href=\"https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/06/barbara-lee-tight-oakland-mayors-race-00270119\">unexpectedly tight contest\u003c/a> between Lee and Taylor, who offered disparate visions of how to tackle the myriad financial and public safety challenges the city faces.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, 78, is a hometown hero who represented Oakland for nearly three decades, gaining national recognition as one of Congress’ most progressive voices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Backed by most of the City Council, the interim mayor and labor unions, Lee pledged during her campaign to rescue City Hall from its morass of bitterness and dysfunction, offering an array of progressive policies to address public safety, homelessness and Oakland’s budget crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although considered the heavy favorite when she \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020556/barbara-lee-launches-campaign-for-oakland-mayor-after-contentious-recall\">entered the race in January\u003c/a>, just weeks after leaving Congress, Lee trailed Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">in early returns\u003c/a>. But she pulled ahead by some 5,000 votes in the latest ranked choice tally released Friday, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036555/barbara-lee-takes-decisive-lead-over-loren-taylor-in-oakland-mayoral-election\">gaining a 53% to 47% lead\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will govern with the same leadership I’ve engaged in my entire career: with transparency, integrity and accountability; with unwavering focus on the results you expect and deserve; with an ability to bring together people who do not always agree but believe in a better Oakland,” Lee said Monday in her first remarks as mayor-elect.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor was largely backed by business and tech interests and had strong support from proponents of Thao’s recall campaign (which he supported and Lee opposed). He gained unexpected traction by casting himself as a tough-on-crime moderate from outside the political establishment who had the acumen to “fix” a “broken” city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Taylor was unable to win over Oakland’s vast flatlands, where progressive politics still dominate and unions continue to wield influence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The flats really did align more with her ideological view of the world,” said John Whitehurst, a longtime political consultant in Oakland. “The flats of Oakland are some of the most progressive areas in America. And so, Barbara Lee spoke for them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Whitehurst said Lee, \u003ca href=\"https://rollcall.com/2024/03/06/rep-barbara-lee-defeated-in-california-senate-primary/\">who ran unsuccessfully for a U.S. Senate seat\u003c/a> last year, might have fallen short in Oakland as well if not for the strong backing of \u003ca href=\"https://barbaralee4oakland.com/endorsements\">powerful labor groups in the city\u003c/a> — including SEIU Local 1021, the Alameda Labor Council and the Oakland firefighters union — and their aggressive canvassing operations in working class communities.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Justin Berton, who served as an aide to former Mayor Libby Schaaf, said Lee was disadvantaged by Thao’s failure to broaden Oakland’s progressive tent.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This election showed that Loren Taylor had incredibly strong support in the hills, where people voted for him over Sheng Thao in 2022,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Taylor was unable to parlay that support in the liberal strongholds that soured on Thao last year, Berton added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One thing that comes with support from unions that Barbara Lee had was an aggressive ground campaign,” he said. “So that’s knocking on doors, doing get-out-the-vote drives over weekends. That’s a very powerful organizing mechanism.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Berton said Lee has a tough job ahead of her, but one that could be “a golden opportunity.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“When you have the support she showed in the flats and across the city, and you have this opportunity to win more support in the hills, it can become a unified city as she has promised,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "barbara-lee-pledges-to-unite-oakland-in-first-remarks-as-mayor-elect",
"title": "Barbara Lee Pledges to Unite Oakland as She Lays Out Plan for First 100 Days",
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"headTitle": "Barbara Lee Pledges to Unite Oakland as She Lays Out Plan for First 100 Days | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Former East Bay Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a>, who Oakland voters chose as the city’s next mayor, promised to continue to represent “all of Oakland” on Monday in her first press conference since winning the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will govern with the same leadership I’ve engaged in my entire career: with transparency, integrity and accountability; with unwavering focus on the results you expect and deserve; with an ability to bring together people who do not always agree but believe in a better Oakland,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, whose term is set to begin in mid-May, will be Oakland’s first Black woman mayor. She inherits a city in financial and political turmoil, and marked by sharp economic and geographic divides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I saw an opportunity to unite our community,” Lee told the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Lee’s website, her plan for her \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/677831d7ee817b16ccf67e54/t/67f45f71ea17a13614fd83b2/1744068466138/100Days.Plan.Final.pdf\">first 100 days in office\u003c/a> includes gathering the CEOs of the 10 largest Oakland employers to develop public-private initiatives to encourage economic growth, prosecuting illegal dumping — an issue that has confounded politicians and roiled residents for years — as well as auditing city contracts and addressing the city’s homelessness crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee spoke at the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, which represents the city’s businesses and endorsed her in the race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036982\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036982\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee arrives at a press conference on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kevin Jenkins, Oakland’s interim mayor, said Lee was aggressive about taking action on the 10-point plan. Jenkins called illegal dumping and the high number of unsheltered residents “a moral crisis” facing the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee convened a transition team co-chaired by Oakland residents, including Alameda County labor leader Keith Brown and Barbara Leslie, president and CEO of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, who stood beside her at the conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Voters of Oakland, regardless of who they voted for, have spoken loudly and they want our government to work better,” Leslie said. “Oaklanders have chosen Congresswoman Lee, Mayor-elect Lee, as a leader who can steady our city, one who can collaborate with business and labor and community on behalf of all of Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown emphasized Lee’s commitment to workers and acknowledged widespread public dissatisfaction with the city’s status quo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The people of Oakland have placed their trust in Mayor-elect Lee to stabilize the city,” Brown said. “This is a new beginning — let’s get to work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12036555 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without using names, Lee thanked the other candidates in the race, including her main contender, former Oakland Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>. Despite Lee’s strong name recognition, Taylor’s campaign gained steady momentum, driven in part by voter frustration over public safety in the historically progressive city and financial backing from outside groups that favored his more moderate approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a contentious competition, with supporters of Lee and Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033381/fake-news-oakland-election-ads-raise-concerns-over-misleading-headlines\">using mailers and websites to launch attacks\u003c/a>. Taylor conceded Saturday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor and Lee topped the field of 10 candidates running to complete the term of former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was recalled in November. In 2022, Taylor led the race for mayor for more than a week after Election Day before Thao emerged as the winner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee has captured 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Taylor. The totals include voters who picked Lee or Taylor as an alternate preference on their ranked-choice ballot. Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">held a narrow advantage\u003c/a> after the initial results were released Tuesday. Against Lee, however, Taylor struggled to gain traction in neighborhoods below Interstate 580.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alameda County’s Registrar of Voters has until May 15 to certify the results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Lee, 78, becoming mayor is the latest chapter in a decades-long political career, including roles as a legislator in California and a member of Congress. In 2001, Lee made national headlines as the lone vote against a Congressional bill authorizing the Iraq War.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city faces a looming $129 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12015103/oakland-is-at-risk-of-financial-insolvency-is-bankruptcy-on-the-table\">budget shortfall\u003c/a>, and by June 30 must eliminate an additional $280 million deficit projected over the next two years. The long-awaited \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036060/oakland-pushes-coliseum-sale-next-year-delaying-funds-again\">Oakland Coliseum\u003c/a> sale, announced as a budget remedy by Thao, has been delayed until 2026, leaving questions about local leaders’ commitments to East Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12036985 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee greets supporters following a press conference in Oakland on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And the city is still \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">reeling from a political scandal\u003c/a> that ensnared Thao and others, and a crisis of confidence over public safety, which led to the recalls of Thao and former Alameda County District Attorney \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/pamela-price\">Pamela Price\u003c/a> last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her speech, Lee also positioned the city as a liberal bastion against policies by President Donald Trump that threaten immigrants and the city’s LGBT+ community, while noting she would work with the administration when necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope that we stay unified in pushing back and resisting what’s going to be devastating for Oakland,” Lee said. “That’s going to be up to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/vrancano\">\u003cem>Vanessa Rancaño\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this story\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Lee, whose term is set to begin in mid-May, will be Oakland’s first Black woman mayor. \r\n",
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"title": "Barbara Lee Pledges to Unite Oakland as She Lays Out Plan for First 100 Days | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Former East Bay Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a>, who Oakland voters chose as the city’s next mayor, promised to continue to represent “all of Oakland” on Monday in her first press conference since winning the election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I will govern with the same leadership I’ve engaged in my entire career: with transparency, integrity and accountability; with unwavering focus on the results you expect and deserve; with an ability to bring together people who do not always agree but believe in a better Oakland,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, whose term is set to begin in mid-May, will be Oakland’s first Black woman mayor. She inherits a city in financial and political turmoil, and marked by sharp economic and geographic divides.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I saw an opportunity to unite our community,” Lee told the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Lee’s website, her plan for her \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/677831d7ee817b16ccf67e54/t/67f45f71ea17a13614fd83b2/1744068466138/100Days.Plan.Final.pdf\">first 100 days in office\u003c/a> includes gathering the CEOs of the 10 largest Oakland employers to develop public-private initiatives to encourage economic growth, prosecuting illegal dumping — an issue that has confounded politicians and roiled residents for years — as well as auditing city contracts and addressing the city’s homelessness crisis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee spoke at the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, which represents the city’s businesses and endorsed her in the race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036982\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036982\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-01-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee arrives at a press conference on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Kevin Jenkins, Oakland’s interim mayor, said Lee was aggressive about taking action on the 10-point plan. Jenkins called illegal dumping and the high number of unsheltered residents “a moral crisis” facing the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee convened a transition team co-chaired by Oakland residents, including Alameda County labor leader Keith Brown and Barbara Leslie, president and CEO of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, who stood beside her at the conference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Voters of Oakland, regardless of who they voted for, have spoken loudly and they want our government to work better,” Leslie said. “Oaklanders have chosen Congresswoman Lee, Mayor-elect Lee, as a leader who can steady our city, one who can collaborate with business and labor and community on behalf of all of Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brown emphasized Lee’s commitment to workers and acknowledged widespread public dissatisfaction with the city’s status quo.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The people of Oakland have placed their trust in Mayor-elect Lee to stabilize the city,” Brown said. “This is a new beginning — let’s get to work.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Without using names, Lee thanked the other candidates in the race, including her main contender, former Oakland Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>. Despite Lee’s strong name recognition, Taylor’s campaign gained steady momentum, driven in part by voter frustration over public safety in the historically progressive city and financial backing from outside groups that favored his more moderate approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It was a contentious competition, with supporters of Lee and Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033381/fake-news-oakland-election-ads-raise-concerns-over-misleading-headlines\">using mailers and websites to launch attacks\u003c/a>. Taylor conceded Saturday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor and Lee topped the field of 10 candidates running to complete the term of former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was recalled in November. In 2022, Taylor led the race for mayor for more than a week after Election Day before Thao emerged as the winner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee has captured 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Taylor. The totals include voters who picked Lee or Taylor as an alternate preference on their ranked-choice ballot. Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">held a narrow advantage\u003c/a> after the initial results were released Tuesday. Against Lee, however, Taylor struggled to gain traction in neighborhoods below Interstate 580.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alameda County’s Registrar of Voters has until May 15 to certify the results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For Lee, 78, becoming mayor is the latest chapter in a decades-long political career, including roles as a legislator in California and a member of Congress. In 2001, Lee made national headlines as the lone vote against a Congressional bill authorizing the Iraq War.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city faces a looming $129 million \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12015103/oakland-is-at-risk-of-financial-insolvency-is-bankruptcy-on-the-table\">budget shortfall\u003c/a>, and by June 30 must eliminate an additional $280 million deficit projected over the next two years. The long-awaited \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12036060/oakland-pushes-coliseum-sale-next-year-delaying-funds-again\">Oakland Coliseum\u003c/a> sale, announced as a budget remedy by Thao, has been delayed until 2026, leaving questions about local leaders’ commitments to East Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036985\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12036985 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250421-BARBARA-LEE-PRESSER-MD-03-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayor-Elect Barbara Lee greets supporters following a press conference in Oakland on April 21, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>And the city is still \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">reeling from a political scandal\u003c/a> that ensnared Thao and others, and a crisis of confidence over public safety, which led to the recalls of Thao and former Alameda County District Attorney \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/pamela-price\">Pamela Price\u003c/a> last year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In her speech, Lee also positioned the city as a liberal bastion against policies by President Donald Trump that threaten immigrants and the city’s LGBT+ community, while noting she would work with the administration when necessary.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I hope that we stay unified in pushing back and resisting what’s going to be devastating for Oakland,” Lee said. “That’s going to be up to us.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/vrancano\">\u003cem>Vanessa Rancaño\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this story\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Barbara Lee Set to Become Oakland Mayor as Loren Taylor Concedes ",
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"headTitle": "Barbara Lee Set to Become Oakland Mayor as Loren Taylor Concedes | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Updated at 4 p.m. Saturday\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The special election for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> mayor saw a dramatic swing on Friday, as new results released by Alameda County election officials propelled former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> into an insurmountable lead over former Oakland Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>, who conceded Saturday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, who served in Congress for almost three decades, will be Oakland’s next mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making a brief appearance at an Easter carnival at the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center on the city’s east side, Lee thanked Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins for his leadership, saying the transition would be “a moment of hope,” and praised what she called a high turnout for a special election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that’s what I call democracy working. That’s the voice of the people,” said Lee, who was joined by Jenkins, Councilmembers Rowena Brown and Ken Houston, and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett from Texas. “We have to bring people here who understand the beauty and opportunities in Oakland and who will work with us to help us move this beautiful city forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036865\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036865\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbara Lee, Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Councilmembers Rowena Brown and Ken Houston, and supporters at the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center in Oakland on Saturday, April 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In his concession statement, Loren Taylor congratulated Lee and emphasized the need for unity going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This morning I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor wrote. “I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic results-driven leadership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee has captured 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Taylor. The totals include voters who picked Lee or Taylor as an alternate preference on their ranked choice ballot. Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">held a narrow advantage\u003c/a> after the initial results were released Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins said at the Easter event Saturday that he was “thrilled to have Barbara Lee come in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems like voters have decided that Congresswoman Barbara Lee will be the mayor elect,” said Jenkins. “I believe she’s going to be a unifier. She’s going to be the person that gets us our desperately needed charter changes that we need in our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Rowena Brown said Saturday that Lee was a “unifying factor” and that it was a “big victory” for Oakland. Councilmember Ken Houston said, “The flat land spoke, and we going to keep speaking. We going to keep voting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oakland said we going to make for a \u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">real \u003c/i>good Friday, and we are going to send a message that we are going to rise up in this time of darkness,” said U.S. Rep Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) on Saturday. “So as you go into Easter Sunday, just remember that you have a lot to celebrate because you got a real one that’s going to be running this city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s update of 45,851 votes leaves only around 300 ballots which the registrar has flagged for issues with voter signatures. Those ballots can still be resolved and counted up to two days before the registrar certifies the election. And ballots postmarked by Election Day can still be counted if they are received by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office by April 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new results reflect ballots mailed or dropped off on or before Election Day and leave turnout at nearly 38%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though the race tightened and suggested an upset was possible, Barbara Lee’s name recognition and popularity were simply too much to overcome,” said Justin Berton, an Oakland media strategist and former director of communications for Mayor Libby Schaaf. “It’s still a city divided electorally — and quite literally on a map — but now she’s won the opportunity to govern and galvanize residents, and unify Oakland as promised.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor and Lee topped the field of 10 candidates running to complete the term of former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was recalled in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12031370 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the city’s ranked choice voting system, voters were able to rank up to five candidates for mayor. In the instant runoff, candidates receiving the fewest votes are eliminated, and voters who ranked those candidates first have their vote moved to their second choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alameda County’s Registrar of Voters has until May 15 to certify the results. In 2022, Taylor led the race for mayor for more than a week after Election Day before Thao emerged as the winner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Against Lee, Taylor struggled to gain traction in neighborhoods below Interstate 580. Most of the precincts where Taylor is leading are in the Oakland hills, from Montclair to Chabot Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other races on the ballot appear easier to decipher. Measure A, a 0.5% increase in Oakland’s sales tax, appears headed to victory with 65% of the vote. Charlene Wang holds a wide lead in a special election for the District 2 seat on the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Brian Krans contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Former East Bay Rep. Barbara Lee will be the next mayor of Oakland after former City Councilmember Loren Taylor conceded the race on Saturday.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003cstrong>Updated at 4 p.m. Saturday\u003c/strong>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The special election for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> mayor saw a dramatic swing on Friday, as new results released by Alameda County election officials propelled former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> into an insurmountable lead over former Oakland Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>, who conceded Saturday morning.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee, who served in Congress for almost three decades, will be Oakland’s next mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Making a brief appearance at an Easter carnival at the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center on the city’s east side, Lee thanked Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins for his leadership, saying the transition would be “a moment of hope,” and praised what she called a high turnout for a special election.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Now that’s what I call democracy working. That’s the voice of the people,” said Lee, who was joined by Jenkins, Councilmembers Rowena Brown and Ken Houston, and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett from Texas. “We have to bring people here who understand the beauty and opportunities in Oakland and who will work with us to help us move this beautiful city forward.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036865\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036865\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2500\" height=\"833\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image.jpg 2500w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-800x267.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1020x340.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-160x53.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1536x512.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-2048x682.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/3333/04/Copy-of-KQED-side-by-side-downpage-image-1920x640.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbara Lee, Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins, U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Councilmembers Rowena Brown and Ken Houston, and supporters at the Arroyo Viejo Recreation Center in Oakland on Saturday, April 19, 2025. \u003ccite>(Brian Krans/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In his concession statement, Loren Taylor congratulated Lee and emphasized the need for unity going forward.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This morning I called Congresswoman Barbara Lee to congratulate her on becoming the next Mayor of Oakland,” Taylor wrote. “I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unify Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic results-driven leadership.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee has captured 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Taylor. The totals include voters who picked Lee or Taylor as an alternate preference on their ranked choice ballot. Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">held a narrow advantage\u003c/a> after the initial results were released Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins said at the Easter event Saturday that he was “thrilled to have Barbara Lee come in.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It seems like voters have decided that Congresswoman Barbara Lee will be the mayor elect,” said Jenkins. “I believe she’s going to be a unifier. She’s going to be the person that gets us our desperately needed charter changes that we need in our city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Councilmember Rowena Brown said Saturday that Lee was a “unifying factor” and that it was a “big victory” for Oakland. Councilmember Ken Houston said, “The flat land spoke, and we going to keep speaking. We going to keep voting.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Oakland said we going to make for a \u003ci data-stringify-type=\"italic\">real \u003c/i>good Friday, and we are going to send a message that we are going to rise up in this time of darkness,” said U.S. Rep Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) on Saturday. “So as you go into Easter Sunday, just remember that you have a lot to celebrate because you got a real one that’s going to be running this city.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Friday’s update of 45,851 votes leaves only around 300 ballots which the registrar has flagged for issues with voter signatures. Those ballots can still be resolved and counted up to two days before the registrar certifies the election. And ballots postmarked by Election Day can still be counted if they are received by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office by April 22.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The new results reflect ballots mailed or dropped off on or before Election Day and leave turnout at nearly 38%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Even though the race tightened and suggested an upset was possible, Barbara Lee’s name recognition and popularity were simply too much to overcome,” said Justin Berton, an Oakland media strategist and former director of communications for Mayor Libby Schaaf. “It’s still a city divided electorally — and quite literally on a map — but now she’s won the opportunity to govern and galvanize residents, and unify Oakland as promised.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor and Lee topped the field of 10 candidates running to complete the term of former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was recalled in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the city’s ranked choice voting system, voters were able to rank up to five candidates for mayor. In the instant runoff, candidates receiving the fewest votes are eliminated, and voters who ranked those candidates first have their vote moved to their second choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alameda County’s Registrar of Voters has until May 15 to certify the results. In 2022, Taylor led the race for mayor for more than a week after Election Day before Thao emerged as the winner.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Against Lee, Taylor struggled to gain traction in neighborhoods below Interstate 580. Most of the precincts where Taylor is leading are in the Oakland hills, from Montclair to Chabot Park.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other races on the ballot appear easier to decipher. Measure A, a 0.5% increase in Oakland’s sales tax, appears headed to victory with 65% of the vote. Charlene Wang holds a wide lead in a special election for the District 2 seat on the City Council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s Brian Krans contributed to this story.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Oakland Mayoral Election: Live Results",
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"content": "\u003cp>The special election for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> mayor saw a dramatic swing on Friday, as new results released by Alameda County election officials propelled former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> into the lead over former Oakland Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee has captured 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Taylor. The totals include voters who picked Lee or Taylor as an alternate preference on their ranked choice ballot. Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">held a narrow advantage\u003c/a> after the initial results were released Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With only a minimal number of absentee ballots left to count and certify, Lee’s path to victory is all but assured.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This evening’s results are encouraging,” Lee said in a statement. “We are exceeding expected turnout for this special election, because the people of Oakland care deeply about our future. This is democracy at work, and I look forward to further election updates.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland mayor's race results\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-T7t39\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/T7t39/12/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"710\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results come as a cruel twist of fate for Taylor, who in 2022 narrowly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931400/sheng-thao-oaklands-next-mayor\">lost the mayoral race to Sheng Thao\u003c/a> — by about 700 votes — after taking an initial lead in the first round of vote counts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao was subsequently \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">ousted in a recall\u003c/a> in November, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016605/oakland-special-election-mess-after-mayoral-recall-heres-why\">prompting Tuesday’s special election\u003c/a> to complete her four-year term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Friday, the register had tallied nearly 95,000 ballots, representing about 38% of the electorate. The election also included a City Council race and a ballot measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Any ballot postmarked by Tuesday and received by the registrar’s office before April 22 can still be counted. Election officials will also spend the next few weeks confirming the eligibility of voters who registered on Election Day, and others whose ballot signature did not match their registration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the city’s ranked choice system, voters were allowed to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. Candidates with the fewest votes were eliminated in an instant runoff. Votes are redistributed over multiple rounds until one candidate reaches a conclusive majority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Former Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor held a slim lead over former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee in early results. An update is expected by Friday evening.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The special election for \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland\">Oakland\u003c/a> mayor saw a dramatic swing on Friday, as new results released by Alameda County election officials propelled former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> into the lead over former Oakland Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee has captured 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Taylor. The totals include voters who picked Lee or Taylor as an alternate preference on their ranked choice ballot. Taylor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">held a narrow advantage\u003c/a> after the initial results were released Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With only a minimal number of absentee ballots left to count and certify, Lee’s path to victory is all but assured.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This evening’s results are encouraging,” Lee said in a statement. “We are exceeding expected turnout for this special election, because the people of Oakland care deeply about our future. This is democracy at work, and I look forward to further election updates.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland mayor's race results\" aria-label=\"Table\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-T7t39\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/T7t39/12/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"710\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The results come as a cruel twist of fate for Taylor, who in 2022 narrowly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11931400/sheng-thao-oaklands-next-mayor\">lost the mayoral race to Sheng Thao\u003c/a> — by about 700 votes — after taking an initial lead in the first round of vote counts.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao was subsequently \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">ousted in a recall\u003c/a> in November, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016605/oakland-special-election-mess-after-mayoral-recall-heres-why\">prompting Tuesday’s special election\u003c/a> to complete her four-year term.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c!-- iframe plugin v.4.3 wordpress.org/plugins/iframe/ -->\u003cbr>\n\u003ciframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Oakland's mayor's race results by precinct \" aria-label=\"Map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-3yZRg\" src=\"https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3yZRg/1/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"border: none;\" width=\"800\" height=\"870\" data-external=\"1\" class=\"iframe-class\">\u003c/iframe>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of Friday, the register had tallied nearly 95,000 ballots, representing about 38% of the electorate. The election also included a City Council race and a ballot measure.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Any ballot postmarked by Tuesday and received by the registrar’s office before April 22 can still be counted. Election officials will also spend the next few weeks confirming the eligibility of voters who registered on Election Day, and others whose ballot signature did not match their registration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the city’s ranked choice system, voters were allowed to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. Candidates with the fewest votes were eliminated in an instant runoff. Votes are redistributed over multiple rounds until one candidate reaches a conclusive majority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Oakland residents woke up Wednesday morning to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">razor-thin margin\u003c/a> in the city’s race for mayor, with a resolution days or even weeks away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former City Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034326/mayoral-candidate-loren-taylor-on-why-hes-the-best-choice-to-lead-oakland\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a> narrowly leads longtime U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035444/barbara-lee-says-shell-set-oakland-on-a-path-to-success\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a>, both in first-choice votes and in the instant runoff that factors in voters’ alternate choices under the city’s ranked-choice system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The runoff margin between Taylor and Lee is just 1,118 votes, with slightly more than 49,000 ballots counted. However, an estimated 42,000 additional ballots still need to be processed, according to Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The frenetic three-month campaign now decelerates to a glacial routine of vote-counting and results-watching. The next update from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office is expected on Friday. After that, it could be another week before additional totals are released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing was clear from Tuesday’s results: Taylor had turned what had seemed just months ago like a coronation of Lee into a true contest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036488\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12036488 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayoral Candidate Loren Taylor greets attendees at his campaign’s election results party in Oakland on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020556/barbara-lee-launches-campaign-for-oakland-mayor-after-contentious-recall\">Lee entered the race\u003c/a> with decades of electoral success in the East Bay and a phalanx of notable endorsements. But Taylor was able to draw on voter frustration with crime, homelessness and city management, and turn out the Oakland voters and donors who have traditionally supported more centrist candidates and causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was just honestly surprised at how close the race has become,” state Sen. Jesse Arreguin, who represents Oakland and supported Lee, told KQED. “In reality, it shouldn’t be that close, but I think Mr. Taylor has run a really strong campaign, and it’s a testament to his dedication.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For all his efforts, Taylor may still come up short. Both campaigns went into election day expecting later-arriving ballots to break for Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday’s results largely reflected mail ballots cast before Election Day. Alameda County election officials will continue to process mail ballots as they arrive, while they work to confirm the eligibility of voters who registered as they cast a ballot in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12035636 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/GettyImages-2209401664-1020x718.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, voters whose ballot envelope signature did not match their voter file will be contacted by election officials and given time to confirm their vote, a process known as “ballot curing.” Taylor’s campaign hinted late Tuesday that they would pursue a campaign to contact likely supporters whose ballots require curing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This won’t be Taylor’s first rodeo with the torturous vote-watching process. In 2022, he led the race for mayor for more than a week after Election Day, until late-arriving ballots lifted Sheng Thao to victory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not sure how it’s going to end up,” Taylor told supporters on Tuesday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because things look good now, but we have been here before.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the campaign trail, Taylor warned voters that a “broken” city could not be fixed by a candidate supported by the political establishment. And he aligned himself with Matt Mahan and Daniel Lurie, the neighboring mayors of San José and San Francisco, who won on pledges to bring outside perspectives and steely focus to City Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Political strategist Dan Newman said the initial results in Oakland fit with this “broader Bay Area dynamic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036276\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036276\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbara Lee takes the stage at her election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It is somewhat shocking that someone as revered as Barbara Lee could struggle to win,” Newman said. “She’s truly a beloved icon and universally respected, titanic leader.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But right now, these cities run by Democrats are acknowledging that they are facing big challenges,” Newman added. “And they are looking for people who are almost post-partisan in their single-minded focus on outcomes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor also aimed to tap into the wide popularity of the recall campaigns that ousted Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price from office last November — efforts Lee opposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029096/barbara-lee-loren-taylor-square-off-in-oakland-mayoral-forum\">early weeks of the campaign\u003c/a>, it was unclear whether the big money that supported the recall would coalesce behind Taylor. As the election neared, the cavalry arrived. Outside groups spent more than half a million dollars to boost Taylor, with some of the largest spending coming from pro-recall groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Taylor’s financial edge could not turn this race into a clear referendum on the recall. Instead, the early returns reflect some of Oakland’s traditional geographic divides, with the moderate candidate, in this case Taylor, drawing the bulk of his support from voters in the hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12023847 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/20250117_Thao-Recall_BL_00001-1020x681.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The recall vote and the Taylor vote did not align perfectly,” said Shawn Lee, a board member for the East Bay Young Democrats. “You have lots of precincts voting for Lee in Deep East Oakland and in the north. The north voted against the recall and the east didn’t, but both are going for Lee now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drawing upon decades of goodwill and voter support in the East Bay, Lee pledged to unify the city after the divisive recall campaigns. And she remains the region’s strongest connection to its proud activist past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to supporters on Tuesday night, Lee recalled her first Oakland race, in 1973, when she helped raise money for the campaigns of Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale for mayor and Elaine Brown for city council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During that campaign, it was all about the power of the people, right?” Lee said. “In this campaign, what you all have done is you’ve reminded our great city that it’s a people’s movement, that it is the voice of the people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just then, Lee spotted Elaine Brown in the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Good to see you, my sister,” Lee said. “We’re gonna have a street named after Elaine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036211\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters clap for Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee during an election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Outside of a West Oakland voting location, Renee Hayes told KQED that she supported the Thao recall, but backed Lee in this race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know more about her than anybody,” Hayes said. “I think she’d be good for helping us get some things we need in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Lee and Taylor made the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031370/oakland-voters-want-to-know-how-next-mayor-would-fix-citys-finances\">teetering city budget\u003c/a> a priority in their campaigns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a drawn-out vote count could reduce the impact either candidate has on next year’s spending plan — which the mayor is expected to submit to the council by May 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I voted because the city is facing a major budget shortfall and it’s kind of in chaos — it’s hard to get any services,” said Eugene Hecht, a voter in West Oakland. “I voted for Loren Taylor, but that said, I don’t know that he could do a better job than Barbara Lee could or any of these other people. I just don’t know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Oakland residents woke up Wednesday morning to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035332/polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor\">razor-thin margin\u003c/a> in the city’s race for mayor, with a resolution days or even weeks away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former City Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12034326/mayoral-candidate-loren-taylor-on-why-hes-the-best-choice-to-lead-oakland\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a> narrowly leads longtime U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12035444/barbara-lee-says-shell-set-oakland-on-a-path-to-success\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a>, both in first-choice votes and in the instant runoff that factors in voters’ alternate choices under the city’s ranked-choice system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The runoff margin between Taylor and Lee is just 1,118 votes, with slightly more than 49,000 ballots counted. However, an estimated 42,000 additional ballots still need to be processed, according to Alameda County Registrar of Voters Tim Dupuis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The frenetic three-month campaign now decelerates to a glacial routine of vote-counting and results-watching. The next update from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office is expected on Friday. After that, it could be another week before additional totals are released.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One thing was clear from Tuesday’s results: Taylor had turned what had seemed just months ago like a coronation of Lee into a true contest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036488\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12036488 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-03-KQED-4-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayoral Candidate Loren Taylor greets attendees at his campaign’s election results party in Oakland on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020556/barbara-lee-launches-campaign-for-oakland-mayor-after-contentious-recall\">Lee entered the race\u003c/a> with decades of electoral success in the East Bay and a phalanx of notable endorsements. But Taylor was able to draw on voter frustration with crime, homelessness and city management, and turn out the Oakland voters and donors who have traditionally supported more centrist candidates and causes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I was just honestly surprised at how close the race has become,” state Sen. Jesse Arreguin, who represents Oakland and supported Lee, told KQED. “In reality, it shouldn’t be that close, but I think Mr. Taylor has run a really strong campaign, and it’s a testament to his dedication.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For all his efforts, Taylor may still come up short. Both campaigns went into election day expecting later-arriving ballots to break for Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tuesday’s results largely reflected mail ballots cast before Election Day. Alameda County election officials will continue to process mail ballots as they arrive, while they work to confirm the eligibility of voters who registered as they cast a ballot in person.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Additionally, voters whose ballot envelope signature did not match their voter file will be contacted by election officials and given time to confirm their vote, a process known as “ballot curing.” Taylor’s campaign hinted late Tuesday that they would pursue a campaign to contact likely supporters whose ballots require curing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This won’t be Taylor’s first rodeo with the torturous vote-watching process. In 2022, he led the race for mayor for more than a week after Election Day, until late-arriving ballots lifted Sheng Thao to victory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not sure how it’s going to end up,” Taylor told supporters on Tuesday night.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Because things look good now, but we have been here before.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On the campaign trail, Taylor warned voters that a “broken” city could not be fixed by a candidate supported by the political establishment. And he aligned himself with Matt Mahan and Daniel Lurie, the neighboring mayors of San José and San Francisco, who won on pledges to bring outside perspectives and steely focus to City Hall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Political strategist Dan Newman said the initial results in Oakland fit with this “broader Bay Area dynamic.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036276\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036276\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-06-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Barbara Lee takes the stage at her election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“It is somewhat shocking that someone as revered as Barbara Lee could struggle to win,” Newman said. “She’s truly a beloved icon and universally respected, titanic leader.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“But right now, these cities run by Democrats are acknowledging that they are facing big challenges,” Newman added. “And they are looking for people who are almost post-partisan in their single-minded focus on outcomes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor also aimed to tap into the wide popularity of the recall campaigns that ousted Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price from office last November — efforts Lee opposed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029096/barbara-lee-loren-taylor-square-off-in-oakland-mayoral-forum\">early weeks of the campaign\u003c/a>, it was unclear whether the big money that supported the recall would coalesce behind Taylor. As the election neared, the cavalry arrived. Outside groups spent more than half a million dollars to boost Taylor, with some of the largest spending coming from pro-recall groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Taylor’s financial edge could not turn this race into a clear referendum on the recall. Instead, the early returns reflect some of Oakland’s traditional geographic divides, with the moderate candidate, in this case Taylor, drawing the bulk of his support from voters in the hills.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The recall vote and the Taylor vote did not align perfectly,” said Shawn Lee, a board member for the East Bay Young Democrats. “You have lots of precincts voting for Lee in Deep East Oakland and in the north. The north voted against the recall and the east didn’t, but both are going for Lee now.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Drawing upon decades of goodwill and voter support in the East Bay, Lee pledged to unify the city after the divisive recall campaigns. And she remains the region’s strongest connection to its proud activist past.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Speaking to supporters on Tuesday night, Lee recalled her first Oakland race, in 1973, when she helped raise money for the campaigns of Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale for mayor and Elaine Brown for city council.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“During that campaign, it was all about the power of the people, right?” Lee said. “In this campaign, what you all have done is you’ve reminded our great city that it’s a people’s movement, that it is the voice of the people.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just then, Lee spotted Elaine Brown in the crowd.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Good to see you, my sister,” Lee said. “We’re gonna have a street named after Elaine.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036211\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters clap for Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee during an election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Outside of a West Oakland voting location, Renee Hayes told KQED that she supported the Thao recall, but backed Lee in this race.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I know more about her than anybody,” Hayes said. “I think she’d be good for helping us get some things we need in Oakland.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both Lee and Taylor made the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031370/oakland-voters-want-to-know-how-next-mayor-would-fix-citys-finances\">teetering city budget\u003c/a> a priority in their campaigns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But a drawn-out vote count could reduce the impact either candidate has on next year’s spending plan — which the mayor is expected to submit to the council by May 1.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I voted because the city is facing a major budget shortfall and it’s kind of in chaos — it’s hard to get any services,” said Eugene Hecht, a voter in West Oakland. “I voted for Loren Taylor, but that said, I don’t know that he could do a better job than Barbara Lee could or any of these other people. I just don’t know.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"slug": "polls-close-in-oakland-with-some-voters-conflicted-over-choice-for-mayor",
"title": "Loren Taylor Holds Slim Lead Over Barbara Lee in Initial Oakland Mayor Results",
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"headTitle": "Loren Taylor Holds Slim Lead Over Barbara Lee in Initial Oakland Mayor Results | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 10:05 a.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former Oakland City Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a> holds a narrow lead over former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> in initial results from Tuesday’s special election for Oakland mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor is ahead of Lee, 48%-46% in first-choice votes. When voters’ additional choices were included in a ranked-choice runoff, Taylor gained a 51%-49% advantage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those results will hold until at least Friday, when the Alameda County Registrar of Voters is expected to release its next update.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor’s early lead mirrors the one he had in the 2022 mayor’s race, which he ultimately lost to Sheng Thao once all the votes were counted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a speech to supporters, Taylor called his run against Lee, who represented the East Bay in Congress for nearly three decades, “a true David and Goliath story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036195\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036195\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor takes a photo with a supporter at his campaign’s election results party in Oakland on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We may not know the outcome of this race tonight, we may not know this week,” Taylor said. “But what we do know is that it is important that we count every vote, that everyone’s voice is heard. Democracy must prevail in Oakland and beyond.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vote-counting will continue for weeks, and another update is not expected from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters until Friday. Any ballot postmarked by Tuesday and received by the Registrar of Voters before April 22 can be counted. Election officials will also spend the next few weeks confirming the eligibility of voters who registered on Election Day, and others whose ballot signature did not match their registration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">city’s ranked choice system\u003c/a>, voters were able to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. Candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated in an instant runoff, and votes are redistributed until one candidate reaches a majority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Taylor’s election night gathering at a former Kaiser Permanente office tower downtown, more than a hundred supporters cheered and hugged when they learned of the initial results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036210\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12036210 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee takes the stage during her election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just blocks away, Lee supporters swayed underneath a disco ball as a band played on a stage adorned by yellow and green balloons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee urged supporters to enjoy themselves as they await further results from what she described as a “tough campaign.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is going to be a long week, but we’re doing very well,” Lee said. “We have to really be very vigilant right now with these votes as they come in, because we know that people just mailed them today, yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[aside postID=news_12033381 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_00156_qed-1020x680.jpg']\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The winner of the mayoral election will finish out the remainder of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s term after she was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">recalled last year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an election for the District 2 City Council seat, Charlene Wang leads Kara Murray-Badal, 50%–26% in first-choice votes and 66% – 34% in the ranked-choice runoff. The seat, which includes neighborhoods around Lake Merritt, was vacated after Nikki Fortunato Bas was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Voters appeared to embrace a sales tax increase, Measure A. Both Taylor and Lee agreed that Measure A would be crucial to fixing Oakland’s structural budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Measure A was passing with 64% of the vote in initial returns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a key component that anybody who is going to expect to do anything in the city is going to need going forward,” said Seth Olyer, president of the Oakland Firefighters union, Local 55.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036211\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters clap for Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee during an election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since Thao was recalled, Oakland has had two interim mayors. City Council President Kevin Jenkins has served in the role since January, but he did not throw his hat in the ring to stay in the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor, who in 2022 lost to Thao by less than 700 votes, ran a campaign focused on fixing “broken” Oakland, pitching himself to voters as a professional problem solver. He laid out ideas for tackling Oakland’s financial crisis at a granular level, while calling for a course correction from the decisions of the previous administration under Thao.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan came out in support of Taylor, as did organizers of the recalls of Thao and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12014858/alameda-county-da-pamela-price-concedes-recall-defeat-after-long-holdout\">former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price\u003c/a>, several members of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and other current and former local elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020556/barbara-lee-launches-campaign-for-oakland-mayor-after-contentious-recall\">entered the race\u003c/a> in early January after weeks of speculation and after a group of elected officials, business owners and other community leaders \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@oaklandneedsbarbaralee/oakland-needs-barbara-lee-1ee21c4e3ae6\">urged her to run\u003c/a>.[aside postID=news_12031370 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00061-1020x680.jpg']She ran on a platform of unity. Touting her track record of \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/677831d7ee817b16ccf67e54/t/67bf802dc7f7d80e6d1f5116/1740603438063/BillionsFactSheet.BLEE.2.25.pdf\">bringing billions in federal funding\u003c/a> to Oakland during her years in Congress, Lee told voters she would unite the city’s fractured sectors and use her experience and contacts to attract outside investment through public-private partnerships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee earned the endorsement of several of the city’s major labor unions and nearly all members of the Oakland City Council, leading some to predict she would be better positioned than Taylor to execute her agenda as mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Lee also faced questions about her decision to oppose the Thao recall and whether her experience in Congress would easily translate to that of mayor, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021907/can-barbara-lee-avoid-mentors-missteps-run-oakland-mayor\">comparing her to the late Ron Dellums\u003c/a>, who was also urged to run for Oakland mayor after a storied career in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor’s campaign spent nearly $400,000 through March 29, while Lee’s campaign spent slightly less, around $372,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036201\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036201\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guests mingle at Loren Taylor’s election results party in Oakland on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Political groups operating independently from the campaigns also spent big money on mailers and online ads attacking each of the candidates, along with billboards and other campaign materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of April 11, Taylor had benefited from $517,300 in outside spending from four groups — including a committee funded by fast-food franchise owners and another receiving money from Revitalize East Bay, which last year was a major backer of the recall of Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other contributions came from Science Corporation CEO Max Hodak ($70,000), Lafayette real estate developer Ronald Nahas ($50,000) and Marty Glick, an advisor to the Golden State Warriors ($20,000).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside spending for Lee totalled $379,507 through April 11.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Nurses Association PAC contributed $200,000 to independent groups supporting Lee, with other major donations coming from the CEO of Kaiser Permanente and union-sponsored PACs like IFPTE Local 21 TJ Anthony PAC Fund, SEIU Local 1021 Candidate PAC and International Association of Firefighters Local 55 Political Action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee participates in a media interview during her election party in Oakland on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A week and a half after Lee announced her candidacy in January, federal prosecutors announced that Thao, her boyfriend Andre Jones, David Duong, the CEO of Oakland’s recycling contractor, California Waste Solutions, and his son, Andy Duong, were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022900/oakland-officials-react-to-indictment-of-former-mayor-thao-in-corruption-case\">indicted on bribery and fraud charges\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scandal, coupled with the city’s looming financial troubles, hung like a cloud over the race, with both Taylor and Lee distancing themselves from Thao and proposing transparency and accountability reforms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both candidates said they would order an audit of the city’s finances. Lee also proposed launching a public portal displaying city contracts, while Taylor advocated for requiring nonprofits to register with the city when lobbying city officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Lee and Taylor are among the candidates running in the special election called after the recall of former Mayor Sheng Thao.",
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"title": "Loren Taylor Holds Slim Lead Over Barbara Lee in Initial Oakland Mayor Results | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 10:05 a.m. Wednesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Former Oakland City Councilmember \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/loren-taylor\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a> holds a narrow lead over former U.S. Rep. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/barbara-lee\">Barbara Lee\u003c/a> in initial results from Tuesday’s special election for Oakland mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor is ahead of Lee, 48%-46% in first-choice votes. When voters’ additional choices were included in a ranked-choice runoff, Taylor gained a 51%-49% advantage.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those results will hold until at least Friday, when the Alameda County Registrar of Voters is expected to release its next update.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor’s early lead mirrors the one he had in the 2022 mayor’s race, which he ultimately lost to Sheng Thao once all the votes were counted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a speech to supporters, Taylor called his run against Lee, who represented the East Bay in Congress for nearly three decades, “a true David and Goliath story.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036195\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036195\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-02-KQED-3-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor takes a photo with a supporter at his campaign’s election results party in Oakland on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“We may not know the outcome of this race tonight, we may not know this week,” Taylor said. “But what we do know is that it is important that we count every vote, that everyone’s voice is heard. Democracy must prevail in Oakland and beyond.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Vote-counting will continue for weeks, and another update is not expected from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters until Friday. Any ballot postmarked by Tuesday and received by the Registrar of Voters before April 22 can be counted. Election officials will also spend the next few weeks confirming the eligibility of voters who registered on Election Day, and others whose ballot signature did not match their registration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Under the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">city’s ranked choice system\u003c/a>, voters were able to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. Candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated in an instant runoff, and votes are redistributed until one candidate reaches a majority.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At Taylor’s election night gathering at a former Kaiser Permanente office tower downtown, more than a hundred supporters cheered and hugged when they learned of the initial results.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036210\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12036210 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-02-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee takes the stage during her election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Just blocks away, Lee supporters swayed underneath a disco ball as a band played on a stage adorned by yellow and green balloons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee urged supporters to enjoy themselves as they await further results from what she described as a “tough campaign.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is going to be a long week, but we’re doing very well,” Lee said. “We have to really be very vigilant right now with these votes as they come in, because we know that people just mailed them today, yesterday.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The winner of the mayoral election will finish out the remainder of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s term after she was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">recalled last year\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In an election for the District 2 City Council seat, Charlene Wang leads Kara Murray-Badal, 50%–26% in first-choice votes and 66% – 34% in the ranked-choice runoff. The seat, which includes neighborhoods around Lake Merritt, was vacated after Nikki Fortunato Bas was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in November.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Voters appeared to embrace a sales tax increase, Measure A. Both Taylor and Lee agreed that Measure A would be crucial to fixing Oakland’s structural budget deficit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Measure A was passing with 64% of the vote in initial returns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This is a key component that anybody who is going to expect to do anything in the city is going to need going forward,” said Seth Olyer, president of the Oakland Firefighters union, Local 55.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036211\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036211\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-03-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Supporters clap for Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee during an election night party on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Since Thao was recalled, Oakland has had two interim mayors. City Council President Kevin Jenkins has served in the role since January, but he did not throw his hat in the ring to stay in the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor, who in 2022 lost to Thao by less than 700 votes, ran a campaign focused on fixing “broken” Oakland, pitching himself to voters as a professional problem solver. He laid out ideas for tackling Oakland’s financial crisis at a granular level, while calling for a course correction from the decisions of the previous administration under Thao.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>San José Mayor Matt Mahan came out in support of Taylor, as did organizers of the recalls of Thao and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12014858/alameda-county-da-pamela-price-concedes-recall-defeat-after-long-holdout\">former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price\u003c/a>, several members of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and other current and former local elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12020556/barbara-lee-launches-campaign-for-oakland-mayor-after-contentious-recall\">entered the race\u003c/a> in early January after weeks of speculation and after a group of elected officials, business owners and other community leaders \u003ca href=\"https://medium.com/@oaklandneedsbarbaralee/oakland-needs-barbara-lee-1ee21c4e3ae6\">urged her to run\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>She ran on a platform of unity. Touting her track record of \u003ca href=\"https://static1.squarespace.com/static/677831d7ee817b16ccf67e54/t/67bf802dc7f7d80e6d1f5116/1740603438063/BillionsFactSheet.BLEE.2.25.pdf\">bringing billions in federal funding\u003c/a> to Oakland during her years in Congress, Lee told voters she would unite the city’s fractured sectors and use her experience and contacts to attract outside investment through public-private partnerships.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Lee earned the endorsement of several of the city’s major labor unions and nearly all members of the Oakland City Council, leading some to predict she would be better positioned than Taylor to execute her agenda as mayor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But Lee also faced questions about her decision to oppose the Thao recall and whether her experience in Congress would easily translate to that of mayor, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021907/can-barbara-lee-avoid-mentors-missteps-run-oakland-mayor\">comparing her to the late Ron Dellums\u003c/a>, who was also urged to run for Oakland mayor after a storied career in Congress.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor’s campaign spent nearly $400,000 through March 29, while Lee’s campaign spent slightly less, around $372,000.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036201\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036201\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-MD-08-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Guests mingle at Loren Taylor’s election results party in Oakland on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Political groups operating independently from the campaigns also spent big money on mailers and online ads attacking each of the candidates, along with billboards and other campaign materials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As of April 11, Taylor had benefited from $517,300 in outside spending from four groups — including a committee funded by fast-food franchise owners and another receiving money from Revitalize East Bay, which last year was a major backer of the recall of Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other contributions came from Science Corporation CEO Max Hodak ($70,000), Lafayette real estate developer Ronald Nahas ($50,000) and Marty Glick, an advisor to the Golden State Warriors ($20,000).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Outside spending for Lee totalled $379,507 through April 11.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The California Nurses Association PAC contributed $200,000 to independent groups supporting Lee, with other major donations coming from the CEO of Kaiser Permanente and union-sponsored PACs like IFPTE Local 21 TJ Anthony PAC Fund, SEIU Local 1021 Candidate PAC and International Association of Firefighters Local 55 Political Action.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12036213\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12036213\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250415-OAKLAND-MAYORAL-RESULTS-AC-05-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee participates in a media interview during her election party in Oakland on April 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(Aryk Copley for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>A week and a half after Lee announced her candidacy in January, federal prosecutors announced that Thao, her boyfriend Andre Jones, David Duong, the CEO of Oakland’s recycling contractor, California Waste Solutions, and his son, Andy Duong, were \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022900/oakland-officials-react-to-indictment-of-former-mayor-thao-in-corruption-case\">indicted on bribery and fraud charges\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The scandal, coupled with the city’s looming financial troubles, hung like a cloud over the race, with both Taylor and Lee distancing themselves from Thao and proposing transparency and accountability reforms.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Both candidates said they would order an audit of the city’s finances. Lee also proposed launching a public portal displaying city contracts, while Taylor advocated for requiring nonprofits to register with the city when lobbying city officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Oakland’s Big Special Election Day Is Here, and the Race Could Be Close",
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"content": "\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 1:25 p.m. Tuesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032042/oakland-special-election-candidate-guide-and-how-to-vote\">Special election\u003c/a> day voting is underway in Oakland, and people waiting to cast their votes on 14th Street were split on the mayoral race, which appears to be tighter than expected between the two front-runners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s Barbara Lee versus Loren Taylor, basically, and I’m kind of conflicted on both of them,” Laurence Miotto said, echoing the sentiment of many Oaklanders outside the library polling place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s ranking Lee first, he said, but doesn’t mind Taylor. Miotto’s barometer for mayor: “He’s not insane or anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is reeling from the recall of two high-profile progressive leaders in November — former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was indicted on bribery and fraud charges earlier this year, and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Oakland voters will decide if they are still willing to back left-wing voices like Lee, who spent decades in Congress, or go the way of San Francisco and San José and elect a more centrist Democrat in Taylor, a former City Council member.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12035864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12035864\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidates Barbara Lee, Loren Taylor and Renia Webb attend a public forum hosted by Greenbelt Alliance, Housing Action Coalition, and East Bay for Everyone in downtown Oakland, California, on Feb. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the leaders of the effort to recall Thao, Seneca Scott, was outside the polling place with Jason Byrnes, a fellow recall supporter and vocal Thao critic on social media platform X. They both said they voted for Taylor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t let Barbara Lee, with her grifting history, take control of Oakland right now,” Byrnes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Housing activist Nicole Deane was excited to vote for Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She believes housing is a human right,” Deane told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But others going to the polls were less sure.[aside postID=news_12032042 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/14772659073_f7e7f00d0a_k_qed-1020x765.jpg']“I won’t tell you who I’m going to vote [for] because I don’t know myself,” said Carmelita LaRoche, who has been in Oakland for 55 years. Tony Ford told KQED he’d tried to make the best decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The front-running candidates took to the streets over the weekend to make the final case for their candidacy and get people to the polls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had hundreds of people out canvassing and knocking, myself included,” Lee said. “This is a push for every vote to be cast. We’re hoping that people don’t forget and that they haven’t lost hope in our electoral system because your vote is your voice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All registered voters in Oakland were sent mail-in ballots, which can be dropped off at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm\">one of 16 drop boxes\u003c/a> throughout the city or mailed postage-free. Mailed ballots will be counted as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents can also cast their votes in person at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/vcalist?electionid=257\">1 of 9 voting centers\u003c/a> in the city or at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office. Voting ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to registrar’s office spokesperson Tim Dupuis, 21% of ballots were returned by the end of Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were knocking on doors in neighborhoods, not leaving any stone unturned,” Taylor said. “It’s on track to be a very low turnout as most special elections are, and that’s unfortunate given that democracy is stronger when we have more people participating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What’s at stake?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The battleground election comes after what’s been a contentious few months for city leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland residents last year ousted Thao from the mayor’s office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">in a recall election\u003c/a> that shed light on allegations of corruption unearthed by a federal investigation that eventually \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">led to Thao’s indictment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recall also underscored Oaklanders’ frustrations with what some residents said was the city’s inadequate response to high crime rates and a catastrophic budget deficit, issues that Oakland’s next mayor will need to address immediately upon entering office.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The front-runners’ proposals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Lee previously told KQED that she would alleviate the city’s financial troubles by securing outside investments through public and private partnerships, leveraging state and federal resources and auditing city spending to look for possible reductions ahead of the next fiscal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also pledged to address public safety concerns by increasing the number of Oakland police officers as well as funding for community organizations that provide mental health services and youth engagement programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031714\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee, center, addresses the crowd at a public forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My experience in leadership and my fighting for people here in Oakland is an example of how I want to work as mayor to deliver core services, to help steady the ship, to help adjust our budget challenges and to bring different points of view together,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor proposed similar plans for addressing Oakland’s problems. His ideas for reducing the city’s deficit include securing concessions from large companies operating in the city, facilitating outside partnerships and funding streams and assessing the revenue potential of Oakland’s vacant buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034443\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034443\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayoral Candidate Loren Taylor at KQED headquarters in San Francisco on April 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With regard to public safety, Taylor previously said he would increase the city’s police force by hundreds of officers and fund violence-prevention programs that show proven results. He said he would also work to improve 911 response times and would reopen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029499/oakland-halts-plan-close-4-fire-stations-amid-budget-crisis\">Oakland’s closed fire stations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have an urgency at the moment now that we have seen how bad things can get,” Taylor said. “Voters are hungry for a change. Voters are ready for something different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What’s on the ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Seven other candidates are also in the running, and whoever is chosen will serve as mayor until the next election in 2026. Voters will also decide on a replacement in District 2 for former Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas, who was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016605/oakland-special-election-mess-after-mayoral-recall-heres-why\">elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors\u003c/a>, and on Measure A, which would increase Oakland’s sales tax by 0.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayoral race will be determined by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">ranked choice\u003c/a>. Voters can select up to five candidates and rank them by preference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a single candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win outright. If no candidate secures a majority, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who selected them as their first choice will have their votes allocated to their second choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process will continue until a majority is reached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">Sara Hossaini\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>\u003cem>Updated 1:25 p.m. Tuesday\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032042/oakland-special-election-candidate-guide-and-how-to-vote\">Special election\u003c/a> day voting is underway in Oakland, and people waiting to cast their votes on 14th Street were split on the mayoral race, which appears to be tighter than expected between the two front-runners.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s Barbara Lee versus Loren Taylor, basically, and I’m kind of conflicted on both of them,” Laurence Miotto said, echoing the sentiment of many Oaklanders outside the library polling place.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He’s ranking Lee first, he said, but doesn’t mind Taylor. Miotto’s barometer for mayor: “He’s not insane or anything.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is reeling from the recall of two high-profile progressive leaders in November — former Mayor \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/sheng-thao\">Sheng Thao\u003c/a>, who was indicted on bribery and fraud charges earlier this year, and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>On Tuesday, Oakland voters will decide if they are still willing to back left-wing voices like Lee, who spent decades in Congress, or go the way of San Francisco and San José and elect a more centrist Democrat in Taylor, a former City Council member.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12035864\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12035864\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02227_qed-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidates Barbara Lee, Loren Taylor and Renia Webb attend a public forum hosted by Greenbelt Alliance, Housing Action Coalition, and East Bay for Everyone in downtown Oakland, California, on Feb. 18, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>One of the leaders of the effort to recall Thao, Seneca Scott, was outside the polling place with Jason Byrnes, a fellow recall supporter and vocal Thao critic on social media platform X. They both said they voted for Taylor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We can’t let Barbara Lee, with her grifting history, take control of Oakland right now,” Byrnes said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Housing activist Nicole Deane was excited to vote for Lee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“She believes housing is a human right,” Deane told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But others going to the polls were less sure.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“I won’t tell you who I’m going to vote [for] because I don’t know myself,” said Carmelita LaRoche, who has been in Oakland for 55 years. Tony Ford told KQED he’d tried to make the best decision.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The front-running candidates took to the streets over the weekend to make the final case for their candidacy and get people to the polls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We had hundreds of people out canvassing and knocking, myself included,” Lee said. “This is a push for every vote to be cast. We’re hoping that people don’t forget and that they haven’t lost hope in our electoral system because your vote is your voice.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All registered voters in Oakland were sent mail-in ballots, which can be dropped off at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm\">one of 16 drop boxes\u003c/a> throughout the city or mailed postage-free. Mailed ballots will be counted as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Residents can also cast their votes in person at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/vcalist?electionid=257\">1 of 9 voting centers\u003c/a> in the city or at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters’ Office. Voting ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to registrar’s office spokesperson Tim Dupuis, 21% of ballots were returned by the end of Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We were knocking on doors in neighborhoods, not leaving any stone unturned,” Taylor said. “It’s on track to be a very low turnout as most special elections are, and that’s unfortunate given that democracy is stronger when we have more people participating.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What’s at stake?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The battleground election comes after what’s been a contentious few months for city leaders.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland residents last year ousted Thao from the mayor’s office \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12012357/sheng-thao-accepts-defeat-in-contentious-oakland-mayoral-recall\">in a recall election\u003c/a> that shed light on allegations of corruption unearthed by a federal investigation that eventually \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">led to Thao’s indictment\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The recall also underscored Oaklanders’ frustrations with what some residents said was the city’s inadequate response to high crime rates and a catastrophic budget deficit, issues that Oakland’s next mayor will need to address immediately upon entering office.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>The front-runners’ proposals\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Lee previously told KQED that she would alleviate the city’s financial troubles by securing outside investments through public and private partnerships, leveraging state and federal resources and auditing city spending to look for possible reductions ahead of the next fiscal year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She also pledged to address public safety concerns by increasing the number of Oakland police officers as well as funding for community organizations that provide mental health services and youth engagement programs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031714\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee, center, addresses the crowd at a public forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>“My experience in leadership and my fighting for people here in Oakland is an example of how I want to work as mayor to deliver core services, to help steady the ship, to help adjust our budget challenges and to bring different points of view together,” Lee said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Taylor proposed similar plans for addressing Oakland’s problems. His ideas for reducing the city’s deficit include securing concessions from large companies operating in the city, facilitating outside partnerships and funding streams and assessing the revenue potential of Oakland’s vacant buildings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034443\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003ca href=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034443\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/250403-LOREN-TAYLOR-ON-PB-MD-06-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003c/a>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland Mayoral Candidate Loren Taylor at KQED headquarters in San Francisco on April 3, 2025. \u003ccite>(Martin do Nascimento/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>With regard to public safety, Taylor previously said he would increase the city’s police force by hundreds of officers and fund violence-prevention programs that show proven results. He said he would also work to improve 911 response times and would reopen \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12029499/oakland-halts-plan-close-4-fire-stations-amid-budget-crisis\">Oakland’s closed fire stations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We have an urgency at the moment now that we have seen how bad things can get,” Taylor said. “Voters are hungry for a change. Voters are ready for something different.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>What’s on the ballot?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Seven other candidates are also in the running, and whoever is chosen will serve as mayor until the next election in 2026. Voters will also decide on a replacement in District 2 for former Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas, who was \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016605/oakland-special-election-mess-after-mayoral-recall-heres-why\">elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors\u003c/a>, and on Measure A, which would increase Oakland’s sales tax by 0.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayoral race will be determined by \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">ranked choice\u003c/a>. Voters can select up to five candidates and rank them by preference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If a single candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win outright. If no candidate secures a majority, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who selected them as their first choice will have their votes allocated to their second choice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The process will continue until a majority is reached.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">Sara Hossaini\u003c/a> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"title": "Oakland Special Election: Who’s Running, What’s on the Ballot and How to Vote by Tuesday",
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"headTitle": "Oakland Special Election: Who’s Running, What’s on the Ballot and How to Vote by Tuesday | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Voting is underway in Oakland between now and Tuesday as voters choose a new mayor and city council member. They are also voting on whether to approve Measure A, which would increase Oakland’s sales tax by 0.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How did we get here? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Last year, Oakland voters recalled their mayor, Sheng Thao. Nine people are now running to finish the remainder of her term. Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins has been serving as interim mayor in the meantime, but is not running to stay in the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s District 2 City Council seat is also up for grabs after former Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is hoping to use revenue generated by the sales tax increase to help eliminate \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031370/oakland-voters-want-to-know-how-next-mayor-would-fix-citys-finances\">a budget deficit that Oakland is facing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031714\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee (center) addresses the crowd at a public forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How to vote? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every registered voter in Oakland will receive a ballot by mail, and ballots have already started going out. To return your ballot, just drop it in a 24-hour drop box or mail it in postage-free. \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm\">See a list of drop box locations here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you prefer to vote in person, you can cast your ballot at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/vcalist?electionid=257\">one of nine vote centers\u003c/a> in the city. Five vote centers will open on April 5 and another four will open on April 12. \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/vca/?electionid=257\">Click here for a list of vote centers and their hours\u003c/a>. You can also vote at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office at any point. Voting ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayoral and city council races will be ranked choice. That means that voters will have the option of voting for five candidates and ranking them by preference. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">Here’s how ranked choice voting works\u003c/a>: If one candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win the race outright. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their first-choice will have their votes allocated to their second-choice candidate. A new tally is then conducted. If, after that, there still isn’t a candidate who has received more than half of the votes, the next candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated and the process repeats until a winner is identified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031707\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A public forum for all nine mayoral candidates is organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Who are the candidates running to be Oakland’s next mayor? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These are candidates that KQED has found are actively campaigning. That means they’re doing things like appearing at forums and other events, enlisting the help of volunteers and speaking directly with voters through door-knocking or phone banking.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://barbaralee4oakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Barbara Lee\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former Congresswoman, Former State Legislator \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, IAFF Local 55 (Oakland Firefighters).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.electmindy.com/\">\u003cstrong>Mindy Pechenuk\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Researcher, Educator\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Assemblymember Leticia Castillo, retired California State Senator Mike Morrell, Alameda County Republican Central Committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Mindy Pechenuk at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.suzrobinsonoaklandmayor.com/\">\u003cstrong>Suz Robinson\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Vice President, Governance and Stakeholder Engagement, Bay Area Council\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: N/A\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031709\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Suz Robinson at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Eric_Simpson_(California)\">\u003cstrong>Eric Simpson\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Machine Operator, Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Socialist Workers Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031713\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031713\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Eric Simpson at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://standupoakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Elizabeth Swaney\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Comedian, Barista and Former Olympian\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: N/A\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031717\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031717\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Elizabeth Swaney (right) addresses the audience at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://lorenforoakland.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1um-BhDtARIsABjU5x6pqvx4wsQXCMzGsYQlWNiCrjroTTiJGnJVaNuncg-TJWviraGi-aIaArbGEALw_wcB\">\u003cstrong>Loren Taylor\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former City Council Member, Business Consultant\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031705\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031705\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.webbforoakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Renia Webb\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former City Staffer, Educator\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Linda Hothem, Owner of Pacific American Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031704\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031704\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Renia Webb at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Positions on key issues\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Oakland is facing significant financial challenges. As mayor, what specific actions would you take to close the city’s current $87 million shortfall and eliminate the $265 million deficit projected over the next two years? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee \u003c/strong>says she would bring in more outside investment to Oakland through a new office of public and private partnerships. She says she would leverage state and federal resources and points to her track record of securing millions for Oakland while in Congress. Lee also says she would streamline permitting, support small businesses and pursue grants. She has previously said her priorities would include collecting city revenue from things like fines and parking tickets. She has also said she would conduct a forensic audit of Oakland’s finances to detect waste, fraud and abuse. Lee has said cutting city jobs would be a last resort.[aside postID=news_12031370 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00061-1020x680.jpg']\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says interest payments on the city’s debts can be canceled or renegotiated. She says she wants to bring manufacturing, industry and productivity back to Oakland. Pechenuk has previously said that, as mayor, she would work with President Donald Trump and would also bring in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to clean out Oakland’s budget and finances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson \u003c/strong>says that she would launch a new comprehensive business plan within her first six months in office. She says she would appoint a Chief of Economic Development and Housing to help attract businesses, tourism and conventions. She would direct the city to explore repurposing vacant office buildings into affordable housing. She says she would introduce business tax incentives like reducing the gross receipts tax for employers who bring employees back in person. For multifamily housing projects, she would push for extending entitlements and permits to ensure that developers don’t face delays and reducing impact fees and transfer taxes for multifamily developments to encourage growth in housing production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says the Oakland budget, like everything else in society, is determined by what is in the interests of the ruling class, which Simpson defines as capitalists, developers and bondholders. The sales tax measure on Tuesday’s ballot is one more example of this, Simpson says, and if passed, would fall hardest on workers. “The bosses’ attacks on working people — on our wages and working conditions, the high prices, unemployment and the decay in the cities — are rooted in the crisis of the capitalist system,” Simpson says. He says the force that can end these attacks and open a new future for humanity is the working class, which Simpson says needs to break from the capitalist parties and move toward taking political power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says she would expand career training and entrepreneurship programs with company sponsorships, trade schools and universities. She says she would launch “Oakland Project Stargate” to transform unused land into a high-tech innovation hub, with the goal of attracting startups and high-paying jobs, and would offer tax incentives to film and creative industries. Swaney says she would auction city naming rights for major landmarks, such as “Apple City Hall.” She says she would modernize parking and tourism fees to generate new revenue, renegotiate city contracts and attract investors through public-private partnerships.[aside postID=news_12027749 hero='https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/10/2023/08/230802-OAKLAND-CITY-HALL-MHN-06-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says he would bring in a neutral third-party to audit Oakland’s books and require concessions from large companies doing business with the city, service providers and unions. He says he would also pursue outside funding opportunities and public-private partnerships and work with professional advisors to restructure and refinance the city’s debt. Taylor says he would activate revenue potential of vacant buildings and under-utilized parcels, have regular community town hall meetings and provide public performance updates on how the city is performing against its goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s budget crisis requires discipline, accountability and strong oversight. She says she would work with the city auditor and finance department to make tough budget decisions, merge departments to conserve resources and improve efficiency of spending. Webb says she would also attract business and property development to build tax revenues, cut expenditures that aren’t serving Oakland and apply for grants and aid at all levels of government to support transportation, public health, social services and other city needs. Webb has previously said that hundreds of millions of dollars are being mismanaged in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Oakland residents are concerned about public safety. But police, fire and other public safety programs and resources cost money. If elected, what specific actions would you take to improve public safety in Oakland without adding to the city’s financial troubles? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee\u003c/strong> says public safety would be her top priority as mayor. She says her priorities would be maintaining police patrols and programs like Ceasefire, deploying special police teams trained to investigate gun crimes and arrest dangerous fugitives, increasing the number of police officers and funding to support neighborhood-based mental health crisis teams and anti-gang and anti-drug youth prevention programs. Lee says she would also prioritize the expansion of after-school and summer programs to provide safe and structured environments for Oakland’s youth. Lee says she also wants to address over 3,000 fire hydrants in the city that are not routinely inspected.[aside postID=news_12027509 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/02/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_02238-1020x680.jpg']\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says Oakland’s city ordinances are preventing police from doing their duties. She also advocates for ending federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department, which Pechenuk says is wasting time and money by keeping the police from doing their job of guaranteeing the safety of law-abiding citizens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson\u003c/strong> says Oakland has never had enough police officers. She says the city needs to address the culture within the Oakland Police Department by re-evaluating the many layers of OPD’s management, reassessing the Oakland Police Commission’s appointment process and conducting a review of the organization. Robinson says the police department’s pursuit policy should be revised and that the current political environment is stalling progress on public safety decisions. Robinson points out that Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention is spending 95% of its time on the Ceasefire program, which she notes has gaps in addressing juvenile crime and crime unrelated to gangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says crime and antisocial behavior reflect the dog-eat-dog capitalist system and brutal “me-first morals” of those at the top that are pushed back when union and social struggles rise. “When workers begin to build movements based on solidarity, we see the truth — that we are the force that can solve society’s problems, not victims or passive recipients of charity. We are the solution,” Simpson says. Simpson says unions need to fight for a federally funded public works program to put millions to work building schools, housing and child care centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s hiring process for police officers is slow, expensive and discourages quality candidates. She says she would cut inefficiencies, reduce hiring times and attract top talent to create a police force that reflects Oakland. She says she would also expand community-based policing to build trust and put officers where they’re needed most. Swaney says she would reopen closed fire stations and reduce 911 response times by reallocating resources, deploy mental health crisis teams for nonviolent emergencies, and enter tech partnerships for modern crime prevention tools like predictive policing and surveillance. Swaney says she would fully fund after school programs, job training and violence prevention initiatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor \u003c/strong>says he would increase Oakland’s police force to 800 officers and invest in a retail and property crime unit. Taylor says he would continue to fund violence prevention programs like Ceasefire, Youth Alive and the OK Program while reallocating funding from programs that fail to deliver on their promised value. He says he would exit the 20-year \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/oakland-police-negotiated-settlement-agreement-nsa-reports\">Negotiated Settlement Agreement\u003c/a>. Taylor says the city must speed up 911 response times and increase the number of dispatchers. He also says he would reopen all of Oakland’s closed fire stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says she would work with Oakland’s police department, fire department and district attorney’s office to get tougher on crime in a responsible and humane manner. She would increase the city’s police force and reduce excessive overtime, keep fire stations open, and increase the city’s Neighborhood Community Policing and Neighborhood Watch programs. She says she would also continue to build upon proven violence interruption programs like Ceasefire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031710\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031710\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the public attend the forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are you in favor of amending Oakland’s city charter to move the city from a hybrid form of government to a strong mayor or council-manager form of government? Why or why not? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee \u003c/strong>says that in Oakland’s current hybrid form of government, lines of accountability to the public are not clear, and this needs to change. She says she supports a public review of Oakland’s city charter led by a commission that would include representation from the League of Women Voters of Oakland, ethics experts and other government leaders and stakeholders. Lee says other areas pertaining to ethics should also be examined, including banning gifts to elected officials from those seeking to do business with the city. Any updates recommended would be subject to voter approval, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says she favors a strong mayor system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson \u003c/strong>says a strong mayor model creates much-needed accountability between the mayor and the city council by granting the mayor line-item veto power on the budget and legislative veto authority. Robinson says that Oakland struggles with leadership and accountability. Without clear lines of responsibility, she says, the city will continue to flounder. “The public expects the mayor to be accountable for the city’s performance, which is why it is crucial to have a strong leader at the helm, driving results.” While the council-manager system may work for smaller cities, it’s not the right fit for a city like Oakland, Robinson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says this question obscures the real source of the crisis and the solution. “At every level of the bloated government bureaucracies, we see the interests of workers being subordinated to that of the capitalist exploiters. When the working class organizes in our interests, we win concessions on the road to taking power.” Simpson says the only way to end the crisis is to organize and take power away from the capitalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney \u003c/strong>says that as an “Olympian for Oakland,” she believes in a government that is efficient and built for the success of its residents. She says she is open to exploring changes that make Oakland’s leadership more effective and accountable. “Creating a structure that delivers results, is streamlined, and ensures Oaklanders get responsive leadership is essential,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says he is the most qualified person to lead the city regardless of the government structure in place, but he is in favor of a strong mayor system, where the mayor has executive authority over city operations and direct accountability to voters, because it would allow the city to achieve its goals. “As a council member, I saw how difficult it was for the city to align on a unified vision for Oakland,” Taylor says. Taylor says a council-manager form of government could slow down the city’s responsiveness to residents. Finally, Taylor says he supports a strong public ethics department and city auditor as a check on the actions of the mayor and all elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb:\u003c/strong> The candidate did not respond to the question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031718\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031718\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral and District 2 candidate materials lay on a table at the public forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As mayor, what would you do to address residents’ concerns about homelessness, illegal dumping and neighborhood blight?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee\u003c/strong> says her preferred approach is to connect homeless individuals with housing, addiction treatment and mental health services. As mayor, Lee says she would accelerate housing production for all income levels and fight for Oakland’s fair share of funding from Measure W, an Alameda County sales tax approved by voters in 2020 intended for homelessness programs. When it comes to illegal dumping, Lee says she would build on the city’s existing efforts, including proactive, rapid cleanup of known dumping hotspots, expanding outreach efforts and expanding the use of technology and data. She says she would also create a Mayor’s Citywide Neighborhood District Leadership Committee to guide her office to address economic, cultural, safety and other quality-of-life issues important to each corner of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says many of these problems begin with the failure to eradicate what she describes as Oakland’s enormous illegal drug program. Pechenuk says her priority is to save the lives and minds of Oakland’s residents by destroying the city’s illegal drug trade through cooperation between law enforcement at the local, county, state and federal level, similar to San Francisco’s DMACC (Drug Market Agency Coordination Center) program. “We can do much better in Oakland to wipe out drugs and crime than we have been doing under the present regime,” Pechenuk says.[aside postID=news_12029645 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/250304-OAKLANDHIGHSTREETENCAMPMENT-19-BL-KQED-1020x680.jpg']\u003cstrong>Robinson\u003c/strong> says she would be committed to getting every homeless person off the streets. She supports the creation of a campus-style model, similar to Haven for Hope in San Antonio, that would provide both safe shelter and centralized services. Robinson supports having all service providers coordinated in one location with shelter and transitional housing. To address illegal dumping, Robinson would enforce stricter penalties, collect over $1 million in unpaid citations, and beef up the rewards program that uses tips and video evidence. “We’ll also boost public education and make it clear they are not dumping on the government, they are destroying our earth,” Robinson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson\u003c/strong> says that working people are concerned about and impacted by drug addiction and other social scourges, noting that many people are one paycheck away from homelessness and have to work two jobs or more to pay the rent, which undermines public health and leaves little time for family. He says the Socialist Workers Party is part of building a working-class movement that will grow to millions, take power in the U.S. and stand in solidarity with working people in other countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says she would address homelessness by expanding transitional housing with mental health and addiction support. To cut down on illegal dumping, she would rely on tech surveillance and enforce penalties. She says her approach to blight would include tax incentives for businesses and nonprofits that provide housing and neighborhood cleanup and partnering with businesses and nonprofits to fund cleanups and revitalization without burdening taxpayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s multigenerational housing and homelessness crisis deserves a multifaceted solution that includes more housing, renter protections and mental health and addiction programs. He says he would close unsafe encampments and provide unhoused residents with shelter and services. Taylor says he would ensure Oakland’s Homeless Encampment Policy is implemented, striking a balance between protecting residents and respecting their civil liberties. He would renegotiate the city’s garbage and recycling contracts, support grants and incentives to rehabilitate blighted properties and partner with nonprofits and developers to convert abandoned buildings into housing. He says Oakland needs to install surveillance cameras in dumping hot spots, increase free bulk pickups and community drop off, require businesses to pay for trash pickup, and ensure prosecution of illegal dumpers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says she would work responsibly with developers to build more affordable and market-rate housing, access emergency funding streams via county, state and federal resources and attract large businesses with initiatives to fill vacant buildings and properties. Webb says she would clean up Oakland’s streets, complete the city’s pavement plans and fix the plethora of potholes across the city’s neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Nine candidates are vying to be mayor of Oakland, after the previous mayor was recalled and as the city faces a major budget deficit.",
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"title": "Oakland Special Election: Who’s Running, What’s on the Ballot and How to Vote by Tuesday | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Voting is underway in Oakland between now and Tuesday as voters choose a new mayor and city council member. They are also voting on whether to approve Measure A, which would increase Oakland’s sales tax by 0.5%.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How did we get here? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Last year, Oakland voters recalled their mayor, Sheng Thao. Nine people are now running to finish the remainder of her term. Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins has been serving as interim mayor in the meantime, but is not running to stay in the job.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland’s District 2 City Council seat is also up for grabs after former Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The city is hoping to use revenue generated by the sales tax increase to help eliminate \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12031370/oakland-voters-want-to-know-how-next-mayor-would-fix-citys-finances\">a budget deficit that Oakland is facing\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031714\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031714\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00060-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee (center) addresses the crowd at a public forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How to vote? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every registered voter in Oakland will receive a ballot by mail, and ballots have already started going out. To return your ballot, just drop it in a 24-hour drop box or mail it in postage-free. \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/ballotdropbox_map.htm\">See a list of drop box locations here\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you prefer to vote in person, you can cast your ballot at \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rov_app/vcalist?electionid=257\">one of nine vote centers\u003c/a> in the city. Five vote centers will open on April 5 and another four will open on April 12. \u003ca href=\"https://alamedacountyca.gov/rovapps/maps/vca/?electionid=257\">Click here for a list of vote centers and their hours\u003c/a>. You can also vote at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office at any point. Voting ends at 8 p.m. Tuesday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The mayoral and city council races will be ranked choice. That means that voters will have the option of voting for five candidates and ranking them by preference. \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12010512/how-does-ranked-choice-voting-work\">Here’s how ranked choice voting works\u003c/a>: If one candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win the race outright. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their first-choice will have their votes allocated to their second-choice candidate. A new tally is then conducted. If, after that, there still isn’t a candidate who has received more than half of the votes, the next candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated and the process repeats until a winner is identified.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031707\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00035-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A public forum for all nine mayoral candidates is organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Who are the candidates running to be Oakland’s next mayor? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>These are candidates that KQED has found are actively campaigning. That means they’re doing things like appearing at forums and other events, enlisting the help of volunteers and speaking directly with voters through door-knocking or phone banking.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://barbaralee4oakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Barbara Lee\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former Congresswoman, Former State Legislator \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, IAFF Local 55 (Oakland Firefighters).\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031711\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031711\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00041-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.electmindy.com/\">\u003cstrong>Mindy Pechenuk\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Researcher, Educator\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Assemblymember Leticia Castillo, retired California State Senator Mike Morrell, Alameda County Republican Central Committee.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031706\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031706\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00025-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Mindy Pechenuk at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.suzrobinsonoaklandmayor.com/\">\u003cstrong>Suz Robinson\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Vice President, Governance and Stakeholder Engagement, Bay Area Council\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: N/A\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031709\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031709\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00038-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Suz Robinson at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://ballotpedia.org/Eric_Simpson_(California)\">\u003cstrong>Eric Simpson\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Machine Operator, Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Socialist Workers Party.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031713\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031713\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00056-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Eric Simpson at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://standupoakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Elizabeth Swaney\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Comedian, Barista and Former Olympian\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: N/A\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031717\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031717\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00077-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Elizabeth Swaney (right) addresses the audience at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://lorenforoakland.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1um-BhDtARIsABjU5x6pqvx4wsQXCMzGsYQlWNiCrjroTTiJGnJVaNuncg-TJWviraGi-aIaArbGEALw_wcB\">\u003cstrong>Loren Taylor\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former City Council Member, Business Consultant\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert, Former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031705\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031705\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00023-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003ca href=\"https://www.webbforoakland.com/\">\u003cstrong>Renia Webb\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Former City Staffer, Educator\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Key supporters include: Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Linda Hothem, Owner of Pacific American Group.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031704\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031704\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00009-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral candidate Renia Webb at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Positions on key issues\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Oakland is facing significant financial challenges. As mayor, what specific actions would you take to close the city’s current $87 million shortfall and eliminate the $265 million deficit projected over the next two years? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee \u003c/strong>says she would bring in more outside investment to Oakland through a new office of public and private partnerships. She says she would leverage state and federal resources and points to her track record of securing millions for Oakland while in Congress. Lee also says she would streamline permitting, support small businesses and pursue grants. She has previously said her priorities would include collecting city revenue from things like fines and parking tickets. She has also said she would conduct a forensic audit of Oakland’s finances to detect waste, fraud and abuse. Lee has said cutting city jobs would be a last resort.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says interest payments on the city’s debts can be canceled or renegotiated. She says she wants to bring manufacturing, industry and productivity back to Oakland. Pechenuk has previously said that, as mayor, she would work with President Donald Trump and would also bring in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to clean out Oakland’s budget and finances.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson \u003c/strong>says that she would launch a new comprehensive business plan within her first six months in office. She says she would appoint a Chief of Economic Development and Housing to help attract businesses, tourism and conventions. She would direct the city to explore repurposing vacant office buildings into affordable housing. She says she would introduce business tax incentives like reducing the gross receipts tax for employers who bring employees back in person. For multifamily housing projects, she would push for extending entitlements and permits to ensure that developers don’t face delays and reducing impact fees and transfer taxes for multifamily developments to encourage growth in housing production.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says the Oakland budget, like everything else in society, is determined by what is in the interests of the ruling class, which Simpson defines as capitalists, developers and bondholders. The sales tax measure on Tuesday’s ballot is one more example of this, Simpson says, and if passed, would fall hardest on workers. “The bosses’ attacks on working people — on our wages and working conditions, the high prices, unemployment and the decay in the cities — are rooted in the crisis of the capitalist system,” Simpson says. He says the force that can end these attacks and open a new future for humanity is the working class, which Simpson says needs to break from the capitalist parties and move toward taking political power.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says she would expand career training and entrepreneurship programs with company sponsorships, trade schools and universities. She says she would launch “Oakland Project Stargate” to transform unused land into a high-tech innovation hub, with the goal of attracting startups and high-paying jobs, and would offer tax incentives to film and creative industries. Swaney says she would auction city naming rights for major landmarks, such as “Apple City Hall.” She says she would modernize parking and tourism fees to generate new revenue, renegotiate city contracts and attract investors through public-private partnerships.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says he would bring in a neutral third-party to audit Oakland’s books and require concessions from large companies doing business with the city, service providers and unions. He says he would also pursue outside funding opportunities and public-private partnerships and work with professional advisors to restructure and refinance the city’s debt. Taylor says he would activate revenue potential of vacant buildings and under-utilized parcels, have regular community town hall meetings and provide public performance updates on how the city is performing against its goals.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s budget crisis requires discipline, accountability and strong oversight. She says she would work with the city auditor and finance department to make tough budget decisions, merge departments to conserve resources and improve efficiency of spending. Webb says she would also attract business and property development to build tax revenues, cut expenditures that aren’t serving Oakland and apply for grants and aid at all levels of government to support transportation, public health, social services and other city needs. Webb has previously said that hundreds of millions of dollars are being mismanaged in the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Oakland residents are concerned about public safety. But police, fire and other public safety programs and resources cost money. If elected, what specific actions would you take to improve public safety in Oakland without adding to the city’s financial troubles? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee\u003c/strong> says public safety would be her top priority as mayor. She says her priorities would be maintaining police patrols and programs like Ceasefire, deploying special police teams trained to investigate gun crimes and arrest dangerous fugitives, increasing the number of police officers and funding to support neighborhood-based mental health crisis teams and anti-gang and anti-drug youth prevention programs. Lee says she would also prioritize the expansion of after-school and summer programs to provide safe and structured environments for Oakland’s youth. Lee says she also wants to address over 3,000 fire hydrants in the city that are not routinely inspected.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says Oakland’s city ordinances are preventing police from doing their duties. She also advocates for ending federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department, which Pechenuk says is wasting time and money by keeping the police from doing their job of guaranteeing the safety of law-abiding citizens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson\u003c/strong> says Oakland has never had enough police officers. She says the city needs to address the culture within the Oakland Police Department by re-evaluating the many layers of OPD’s management, reassessing the Oakland Police Commission’s appointment process and conducting a review of the organization. Robinson says the police department’s pursuit policy should be revised and that the current political environment is stalling progress on public safety decisions. Robinson points out that Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention is spending 95% of its time on the Ceasefire program, which she notes has gaps in addressing juvenile crime and crime unrelated to gangs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says crime and antisocial behavior reflect the dog-eat-dog capitalist system and brutal “me-first morals” of those at the top that are pushed back when union and social struggles rise. “When workers begin to build movements based on solidarity, we see the truth — that we are the force that can solve society’s problems, not victims or passive recipients of charity. We are the solution,” Simpson says. Simpson says unions need to fight for a federally funded public works program to put millions to work building schools, housing and child care centers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s hiring process for police officers is slow, expensive and discourages quality candidates. She says she would cut inefficiencies, reduce hiring times and attract top talent to create a police force that reflects Oakland. She says she would also expand community-based policing to build trust and put officers where they’re needed most. Swaney says she would reopen closed fire stations and reduce 911 response times by reallocating resources, deploy mental health crisis teams for nonviolent emergencies, and enter tech partnerships for modern crime prevention tools like predictive policing and surveillance. Swaney says she would fully fund after school programs, job training and violence prevention initiatives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor \u003c/strong>says he would increase Oakland’s police force to 800 officers and invest in a retail and property crime unit. Taylor says he would continue to fund violence prevention programs like Ceasefire, Youth Alive and the OK Program while reallocating funding from programs that fail to deliver on their promised value. He says he would exit the 20-year \u003ca href=\"https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/oakland-police-negotiated-settlement-agreement-nsa-reports\">Negotiated Settlement Agreement\u003c/a>. Taylor says the city must speed up 911 response times and increase the number of dispatchers. He also says he would reopen all of Oakland’s closed fire stations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says she would work with Oakland’s police department, fire department and district attorney’s office to get tougher on crime in a responsible and humane manner. She would increase the city’s police force and reduce excessive overtime, keep fire stations open, and increase the city’s Neighborhood Community Policing and Neighborhood Watch programs. She says she would also continue to build upon proven violence interruption programs like Ceasefire.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031710\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031710\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00039-KQED-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Members of the public attend the forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Are you in favor of amending Oakland’s city charter to move the city from a hybrid form of government to a strong mayor or council-manager form of government? Why or why not? \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee \u003c/strong>says that in Oakland’s current hybrid form of government, lines of accountability to the public are not clear, and this needs to change. She says she supports a public review of Oakland’s city charter led by a commission that would include representation from the League of Women Voters of Oakland, ethics experts and other government leaders and stakeholders. Lee says other areas pertaining to ethics should also be examined, including banning gifts to elected officials from those seeking to do business with the city. Any updates recommended would be subject to voter approval, she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says she favors a strong mayor system.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson \u003c/strong>says a strong mayor model creates much-needed accountability between the mayor and the city council by granting the mayor line-item veto power on the budget and legislative veto authority. Robinson says that Oakland struggles with leadership and accountability. Without clear lines of responsibility, she says, the city will continue to flounder. “The public expects the mayor to be accountable for the city’s performance, which is why it is crucial to have a strong leader at the helm, driving results.” While the council-manager system may work for smaller cities, it’s not the right fit for a city like Oakland, Robinson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson \u003c/strong>says this question obscures the real source of the crisis and the solution. “At every level of the bloated government bureaucracies, we see the interests of workers being subordinated to that of the capitalist exploiters. When the working class organizes in our interests, we win concessions on the road to taking power.” Simpson says the only way to end the crisis is to organize and take power away from the capitalists.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney \u003c/strong>says that as an “Olympian for Oakland,” she believes in a government that is efficient and built for the success of its residents. She says she is open to exploring changes that make Oakland’s leadership more effective and accountable. “Creating a structure that delivers results, is streamlined, and ensures Oaklanders get responsive leadership is essential,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says he is the most qualified person to lead the city regardless of the government structure in place, but he is in favor of a strong mayor system, where the mayor has executive authority over city operations and direct accountability to voters, because it would allow the city to achieve its goals. “As a council member, I saw how difficult it was for the city to align on a unified vision for Oakland,” Taylor says. Taylor says a council-manager form of government could slow down the city’s responsiveness to residents. Finally, Taylor says he supports a strong public ethics department and city auditor as a check on the actions of the mayor and all elected officials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb:\u003c/strong> The candidate did not respond to the question.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12031718\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12031718\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250315_OAKLAND-MAYOR_DB_00090-KQED-1920x1280.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oakland mayoral and District 2 candidate materials lay on a table at the public forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. \u003ccite>(David M. Barreda/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>As mayor, what would you do to address residents’ concerns about homelessness, illegal dumping and neighborhood blight?\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lee\u003c/strong> says her preferred approach is to connect homeless individuals with housing, addiction treatment and mental health services. As mayor, Lee says she would accelerate housing production for all income levels and fight for Oakland’s fair share of funding from Measure W, an Alameda County sales tax approved by voters in 2020 intended for homelessness programs. When it comes to illegal dumping, Lee says she would build on the city’s existing efforts, including proactive, rapid cleanup of known dumping hotspots, expanding outreach efforts and expanding the use of technology and data. She says she would also create a Mayor’s Citywide Neighborhood District Leadership Committee to guide her office to address economic, cultural, safety and other quality-of-life issues important to each corner of the city.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Pechenuk \u003c/strong>says many of these problems begin with the failure to eradicate what she describes as Oakland’s enormous illegal drug program. Pechenuk says her priority is to save the lives and minds of Oakland’s residents by destroying the city’s illegal drug trade through cooperation between law enforcement at the local, county, state and federal level, similar to San Francisco’s DMACC (Drug Market Agency Coordination Center) program. “We can do much better in Oakland to wipe out drugs and crime than we have been doing under the present regime,” Pechenuk says.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Robinson\u003c/strong> says she would be committed to getting every homeless person off the streets. She supports the creation of a campus-style model, similar to Haven for Hope in San Antonio, that would provide both safe shelter and centralized services. Robinson supports having all service providers coordinated in one location with shelter and transitional housing. To address illegal dumping, Robinson would enforce stricter penalties, collect over $1 million in unpaid citations, and beef up the rewards program that uses tips and video evidence. “We’ll also boost public education and make it clear they are not dumping on the government, they are destroying our earth,” Robinson says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Simpson\u003c/strong> says that working people are concerned about and impacted by drug addiction and other social scourges, noting that many people are one paycheck away from homelessness and have to work two jobs or more to pay the rent, which undermines public health and leaves little time for family. He says the Socialist Workers Party is part of building a working-class movement that will grow to millions, take power in the U.S. and stand in solidarity with working people in other countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Swaney\u003c/strong> says she would address homelessness by expanding transitional housing with mental health and addiction support. To cut down on illegal dumping, she would rely on tech surveillance and enforce penalties. She says her approach to blight would include tax incentives for businesses and nonprofits that provide housing and neighborhood cleanup and partnering with businesses and nonprofits to fund cleanups and revitalization without burdening taxpayers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Taylor\u003c/strong> says Oakland’s multigenerational housing and homelessness crisis deserves a multifaceted solution that includes more housing, renter protections and mental health and addiction programs. He says he would close unsafe encampments and provide unhoused residents with shelter and services. Taylor says he would ensure Oakland’s Homeless Encampment Policy is implemented, striking a balance between protecting residents and respecting their civil liberties. He would renegotiate the city’s garbage and recycling contracts, support grants and incentives to rehabilitate blighted properties and partner with nonprofits and developers to convert abandoned buildings into housing. He says Oakland needs to install surveillance cameras in dumping hot spots, increase free bulk pickups and community drop off, require businesses to pay for trash pickup, and ensure prosecution of illegal dumpers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Webb\u003c/strong> says she would work responsibly with developers to build more affordable and market-rate housing, access emergency funding streams via county, state and federal resources and attract large businesses with initiatives to fill vacant buildings and properties. Webb says she would clean up Oakland’s streets, complete the city’s pavement plans and fix the plethora of potholes across the city’s neighborhoods.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Most of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-mayor\">Oakland mayor’s office\u003c/a> staff will be let go at the end of the week, interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins said Monday, a day after he fired his chief of staff following the release of a note in which she appeared to refer to Black people as “tokens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenkins, Deputy Mayor Burt Jones, Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones and the office’s executive assistant and scheduler will remain in the office, with Burt Jones serving as chief of staff, the mayor’s office said in a statement on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to thank everyone who is leaving the office for their service,” Jenkins said in the statement. “It has always been our intention to allow our next Mayor to choose their own staff after the April 15 special election.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The handwritten note by chief of staff Leigh Hanson was included among records the city made public last week related to the FBI’s probe of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, whose recall in November led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032042/oakland-special-election-candidate-guide-and-how-to-vote\">this month’s special mayoral election\u003c/a>. Hanson was chief of staff for Thao and stayed on after her recall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the note, which KQED obtained last week, the word “Recall” appears at the top with people and groups known to have financially backed or opposed the recall campaign against Thao jotted down below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034813\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-800x609.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-1020x776.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-160x122.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-1536x1169.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-1920x1461.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This handwritten note by chief of staff Leigh Hanson was included among records the city made public last week related to the FBI’s probe of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the upper right-hand corner, “CM Fife can outreach to NAACP” is written, seemingly referring to Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Underneath that, the words “use BP as tokens” appear, set off by dashes. Hanson \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/leigh-hanson-oakland-20261051.php\">told the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which first reported her firing, that “BP” referred to Black people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a text message to KQED on Monday, Hanson said the note was taken out of context.[aside postID=news_12033381 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250218_Oak-Mayoral_DMB_00156_qed-1020x680.jpg']“These handwritten meeting notes record a group discussion that included proposed messaging points that the anti-recall campaign wanted to provide to potential surrogates,” Hanson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hanson said the notes were a reference to recall organizer Seneca Scott, who she said was hired by wealthy white \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11998651/a-hedge-fund-manager-is-funding-bid-to-oust-oaklands-mayor-and-its-not-his-first-recall\">funders of the effort\u003c/a> to obscure the public’s understanding of the campaign’s political origins. According to Hanson, Thao and her political team believed that the paid involvement of Scott, who is Black, in the recall campaign constituted tokenization — when a member of an underrepresented group is used to create the appearance of diversity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I regret that my short-hand note-taking has been taken out of context on social media and inadvertently harmed close friends, colleagues and members of my community who have been marginalized by our political system,” Hanson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a press conference on Monday morning, the Oakland chapter of the NAACP thanked Jenkins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I never dreamed in Oakland, California, that we would be called a token,” said Cynthia Adams, president of the chapter. “I just want to thank our interim mayor Kevin Jenkins for having courage to do what he did, to make a stand for the people of Oakland and for his Black community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012869\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12012869 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cynthia Adams, president of the Oakland NAACP chapter, smiles at the election watch party organized by the Oakland NAACP chapter pro-recall group at Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar in Jack London Square in Oakland on election night, Nov. 5, 2024. \u003ccite>(Camille Cohen for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Standing behind Adams at the press conference were Scott and fellow Thao recall organizer Brenda Harbin-Forte; Brenda Grisham and Carl Chan, organizers of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017506/these-maps-show-where-pamela-price-lost-the-most-support-from-voters-in-the-recall-election\">recall of former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price\u003c/a>; and Oakland mayoral candidate \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033381/fake-news-oakland-election-ads-raise-concerns-over-misleading-headlines\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked about the note’s reference to Fife reaching out to the NAACP, Adams said the chapter had not heard from the councilmember for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s darkness what’s in that City Hall. I was wondering why it was so dark over there. It was dark because it was a lot of darkness going on. But now, it’s light,” Adams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fife did not respond to a request for comment Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon Harami, another staffer in the mayor’s office who served under Thao, told KQED he was informed in a meeting on Monday morning that he was being placed on leave and would be terminated Friday. Deputy Mayor Burt Jones and City Administrator Jestin Johnson were both in the meeting, he said.[aside postID=news_12031370 hero='https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/03/20250311_Oakland-Budget_DMB_00061-1020x680.jpg']“This is clearly retaliatory action in response to an inaccurate and misleading release from the leadership of the Oakland NAACP, who has reason to dislike me after I landed a settlement with one of their officers for harassment,” Harami said in a statement, referring to Scott. “I am pursuing next steps with both my Union and other avenues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the city filed a petition for a workplace violence restraining order against Scott after he posted Harami’s address and cellphone number on social media and accused Harami of being a pedophile, according to court records. Scott agreed in a Feb. 6 settlement not to post Harami’s contact information or location, or accuse him of being a pedophile or of being abused by his parents. Harami also agreed not to post Scott’s contact information or home address, although the settlement notes he had not previously done so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adams declined to comment on Harami’s claim of retaliation, saying that she didn’t know anything about that. A city spokesperson also declined, saying the city does not comment on personnel matters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran said she was glad to see Hanson go, criticizing her involvement in and defense of the decision to tie the city’s budget \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030157/supervisors-aim-to-finalize-coliseum-sale-offering-hope-for-oaklands-budget-woes\">to the sale of the Coliseum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do think that the office led by Leigh Hanson as a whole was responsible for some very destructive decisions in the city, and I’m glad she is gone,” Ramachandran said. “I fully stand by the mayor and his decisions to fire many of these people associated with two years of some really horrible decisions for the city – on many fronts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other council members did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hanson’s note appeared in a trove of documents released last week after the city produced them in response to Department of Justice subpoenas last year following the FBI’s raid of Thao’s home and addresses tied to the Duong family, which owns California Waste Solutions, Oakland’s recycling contractor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">was indicted\u003c/a> in January on bribery and fraud charges, alongside her boyfriend, Andre Jones, California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and his son, Andy Duong. All four have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Most of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/oakland-mayor\">Oakland mayor’s office\u003c/a> staff will be let go at the end of the week, interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins said Monday, a day after he fired his chief of staff following the release of a note in which she appeared to refer to Black people as “tokens.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Jenkins, Deputy Mayor Burt Jones, Deputy Mayor LaNiece Jones and the office’s executive assistant and scheduler will remain in the office, with Burt Jones serving as chief of staff, the mayor’s office said in a statement on Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I want to thank everyone who is leaving the office for their service,” Jenkins said in the statement. “It has always been our intention to allow our next Mayor to choose their own staff after the April 15 special election.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The handwritten note by chief of staff Leigh Hanson was included among records the city made public last week related to the FBI’s probe of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, whose recall in November led to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12032042/oakland-special-election-candidate-guide-and-how-to-vote\">this month’s special mayoral election\u003c/a>. Hanson was chief of staff for Thao and stayed on after her recall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the note, which KQED obtained last week, the word “Recall” appears at the top with people and groups known to have financially backed or opposed the recall campaign against Thao jotted down below.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12034813\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12034813\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1522\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-800x609.png 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-1020x776.png 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-160x122.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-1536x1169.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/04/OAK_PRA_0054921.pdf-1920x1461.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">This handwritten note by chief of staff Leigh Hanson was included among records the city made public last week related to the FBI’s probe of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In the upper right-hand corner, “CM Fife can outreach to NAACP” is written, seemingly referring to Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Underneath that, the words “use BP as tokens” appear, set off by dashes. Hanson \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/eastbay/article/leigh-hanson-oakland-20261051.php\">told the \u003cem>San Francisco Chronicle\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which first reported her firing, that “BP” referred to Black people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a text message to KQED on Monday, Hanson said the note was taken out of context.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“These handwritten meeting notes record a group discussion that included proposed messaging points that the anti-recall campaign wanted to provide to potential surrogates,” Hanson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hanson said the notes were a reference to recall organizer Seneca Scott, who she said was hired by wealthy white \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11998651/a-hedge-fund-manager-is-funding-bid-to-oust-oaklands-mayor-and-its-not-his-first-recall\">funders of the effort\u003c/a> to obscure the public’s understanding of the campaign’s political origins. According to Hanson, Thao and her political team believed that the paid involvement of Scott, who is Black, in the recall campaign constituted tokenization — when a member of an underrepresented group is used to create the appearance of diversity.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I regret that my short-hand note-taking has been taken out of context on social media and inadvertently harmed close friends, colleagues and members of my community who have been marginalized by our political system,” Hanson said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a press conference on Monday morning, the Oakland chapter of the NAACP thanked Jenkins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I never dreamed in Oakland, California, that we would be called a token,” said Cynthia Adams, president of the chapter. “I just want to thank our interim mayor Kevin Jenkins for having courage to do what he did, to make a stand for the people of Oakland and for his Black community.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_12012869\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 2000px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-12012869 size-full\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/11/241105-ELECTIONNIGHT-CC-7-KQED_1-1920x1281.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cynthia Adams, president of the Oakland NAACP chapter, smiles at the election watch party organized by the Oakland NAACP chapter pro-recall group at Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar in Jack London Square in Oakland on election night, Nov. 5, 2024. \u003ccite>(Camille Cohen for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Standing behind Adams at the press conference were Scott and fellow Thao recall organizer Brenda Harbin-Forte; Brenda Grisham and Carl Chan, organizers of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12017506/these-maps-show-where-pamela-price-lost-the-most-support-from-voters-in-the-recall-election\">recall of former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price\u003c/a>; and Oakland mayoral candidate \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033381/fake-news-oakland-election-ads-raise-concerns-over-misleading-headlines\">Loren Taylor\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asked about the note’s reference to Fife reaching out to the NAACP, Adams said the chapter had not heard from the councilmember for years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s darkness what’s in that City Hall. I was wondering why it was so dark over there. It was dark because it was a lot of darkness going on. But now, it’s light,” Adams said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Fife did not respond to a request for comment Monday.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Brandon Harami, another staffer in the mayor’s office who served under Thao, told KQED he was informed in a meeting on Monday morning that he was being placed on leave and would be terminated Friday. Deputy Mayor Burt Jones and City Administrator Jestin Johnson were both in the meeting, he said.\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>“This is clearly retaliatory action in response to an inaccurate and misleading release from the leadership of the Oakland NAACP, who has reason to dislike me after I landed a settlement with one of their officers for harassment,” Harami said in a statement, referring to Scott. “I am pursuing next steps with both my Union and other avenues.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In December, the city filed a petition for a workplace violence restraining order against Scott after he posted Harami’s address and cellphone number on social media and accused Harami of being a pedophile, according to court records. Scott agreed in a Feb. 6 settlement not to post Harami’s contact information or location, or accuse him of being a pedophile or of being abused by his parents. Harami also agreed not to post Scott’s contact information or home address, although the settlement notes he had not previously done so.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Adams declined to comment on Harami’s claim of retaliation, saying that she didn’t know anything about that. A city spokesperson also declined, saying the city does not comment on personnel matters.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Oakland City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran said she was glad to see Hanson go, criticizing her involvement in and defense of the decision to tie the city’s budget \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12030157/supervisors-aim-to-finalize-coliseum-sale-offering-hope-for-oaklands-budget-woes\">to the sale of the Coliseum\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I do think that the office led by Leigh Hanson as a whole was responsible for some very destructive decisions in the city, and I’m glad she is gone,” Ramachandran said. “I fully stand by the mayor and his decisions to fire many of these people associated with two years of some really horrible decisions for the city – on many fronts.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other council members did not respond to KQED’s requests for comment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hanson’s note appeared in a trove of documents released last week after the city produced them in response to Department of Justice subpoenas last year following the FBI’s raid of Thao’s home and addresses tied to the Duong family, which owns California Waste Solutions, Oakland’s recycling contractor.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Thao \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12022612/ex-oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-3-others-charged-with-bribery-sprawling-corruption-probe\">was indicted\u003c/a> in January on bribery and fraud charges, alongside her boyfriend, Andre Jones, California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and his son, Andy Duong. All four have pleaded not guilty.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"order": 9
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"order": 15
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"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 18
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
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"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
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"masters-of-scale": {
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"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
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"meta": {
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"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
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"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
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"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 11
},
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"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
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"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
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},
"perspectives": {
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"order": 14
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"planet-money": {
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"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"order": 5
},
"link": "/podcasts/politicalbreakdown",
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"possible": {
"id": "possible",
"title": "Possible",
"info": "Possible is hosted by entrepreneur Reid Hoffman and writer Aria Finger. Together in Possible, Hoffman and Finger lead enlightening discussions about building a brighter collective future. The show features interviews with visionary guests like Trevor Noah, Sam Altman and Janette Sadik-Khan. Possible paints an optimistic portrait of the world we can create through science, policy, business, art and our shared humanity. It asks: What if everything goes right for once? How can we get there? Each episode also includes a short fiction story generated by advanced AI GPT-4, serving as a thought-provoking springboard to speculate how humanity could leverage technology for good.",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Possible-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.possible.fm/",
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"source": "Possible"
},
"link": "/radio/program/possible",
"subscribe": {
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/730YpdUSNlMyPQwNnyjp4k"
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},
"pri-the-world": {
"id": "pri-the-world",
"title": "PRI's The World: Latest Edition",
"info": "Each weekday, host Marco Werman and his team of producers bring you the world's most interesting stories in an hour of radio that reminds us just how small our planet really is.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 2pm-3pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-World-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
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