Barbara Lee greets supporters on election night Tuesday. Three days later, she had an insurmountable lead and secured her place as the next mayor of Oakland.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
Barbara Lee, the former congresswoman and progressive stalwart, has been elected Oakland’s next mayor, resting her legacy on turning around a city now embroiled in crises, including mass homelessness, the indictment of the previous mayor on corruption charges, and daunting financial challenges.
Lee, who represented Oakland for nearly three decades in Congress, stunned many when she decided to run for mayor in a city wounded badly by the pandemic. But the victory capped a hard-fought win that ran counter to the rising success in the Bay Area of more moderate candidates, including San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Late Friday, Lee took an insurmountable lead over moderate Loren Taylor. She had nearly 53% of the vote to Taylor’s 47%. While Taylor’s support was strong in the wealthier hills of Oakland, Lee drew more votes from the flatlands and parts of North Oakland.
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Oakland uses ranked choice voting, which means that if a candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, that person wins. If not, the last-place candidate is eliminated, and voters who selected that person have their votes counted for their next choice — a cycle that repeats until a candidate gets a majority.
Lee’s campaign said Friday night that it was not yet declaring victory but proclaimed: “This is a wonderful way to end the week.”
“We are exceeding expected turnout for this special election, because the people of Oakland care deeply about our future,” Lee said in a statement. “This is democracy at work, and I look forward to further election updates.”
Taylor and his campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Friday.
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Lee will replace former Mayor Sheng Thao, who was recalled by voters in November and has since been indicted on federal bribery charges involving her romantic partner and the city’s curbside recycling contractor. Thao has pleaded not guilty.
Lee will serve the remainder of Thao’s term until another election in November 2026. Thao is due back in court next week for a status hearing on the FBI’s corruption probe.
Lee will inherit a city grappling with major challenges and residents fed up with the status quo. A survey released in March found that frustration with city government was at a record high and that general satisfaction with living in Oakland was declining. The survey also showed that Oaklanders’ top priorities were cleanliness — picking up trash and removing graffiti — public safety and boosting housing.
The city administrator is battling a massive budget deficit that has resulted in layoffs, a hiring freeze and the temporary closure of fire stations.
Oakland has lost three professional sports franchises in recent years, and the pandemic struck a major blow to the city’s momentum in becoming a vital Silicon Valley business hub.
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“Oakland is at a crossroads, and I have the experience and the leadership and the understanding of what I think Oakland needs to be able to help move the city forward,” Lee previously told the Chronicle.
Throughout the campaign, she said that public safety, addressing homelessness and increasing the city’s revenues would be her top priorities.
Lee, who represented all of Oakland in Congress for 27 years, released a 100-day plan last week that focuses on public safety, maintaining city services and addressing homelessness. Some ideas include working with the CEOs of the 10 largest Oakland employers on economic development.
While the city addresses a nearly $140 million annual structural budget deficit, Lee has said she intends to ensure the city gets its fair share of tax dollars from Alameda County and the state to address its crises. Lee said layoffs are a last resort to manage the city’s budget.
She has also said she intends to focus on implementing Measure NN, a property tax approved by voters in November that is expected to generate $47 million a year for public safety departments. The measure requires the city to have at least 700 police officers minimum.
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Lee has said the department should exceed 800 officers as a longer-term strategy. She also supports community policing and Ceasefire, an anti-violence program that Thao revived nearly a year ago and that has been credited for declining homicide numbers.
As for homelessness, Lee has referred to the crisis as a “moral disgrace.” She said she wants to test a guaranteed income pilot program for homeless people, hire unhoused residents to clean the streets, and work with the Veterans Administration to get veterans off the street.
Reach Sarah Ravani: [email protected]; X: @SarRavani
