Barbara Lee, a long-serving congresswoman, has been declared the winner in Oakland's mayoral race after her opponent conceded. (AP/Santiago Mejia)

- Lee, 78, represented Oakland in Congress for over two decades before retiring last year to run for U.S. Senate.
- Oakland faces significant challenges including crime, homelessness, economic stagnation, and a budget shortfall.
- Lee aims to unite the city, bolster community services and police, and focus on economic development and jobs.
Share
SAN FRANCISCO — Progressive icon and former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee declared victory Saturday as the new mayor of troubled Oakland, a San Francisco Bay Area city reeling from economic stagnation, crime and homelessness.
Lee issued a statement Saturday as mayor-elect, saying that her chief opponent, Loren Taylor, had called to concede the April 15 race.
“While I believe strongly in respecting the democratic voting process and ballots will continue to be counted … the results are clear that the people of Oakland have elected me as your next Mayor,” she said. “Thank you, Oakland!”
Lee, 78, is a Black female trailblazer who represented the city in Congress for over two decades before retiring last year after running unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate.
A Call for Unity
“Oakland is a deeply divided City,” she said, adding that she “answered the call to run” so the community could work together to solve its problems.
Lee was endorsed by former Gov. Jerry Brown and other previous Oakland mayors who said she was the seasoned, uniting presence the city needed after a divisive recall of former Mayor Sheng Thao in November. Thao was indicted on federal bribery, fraud and conspiracy charges in January.
Oakland has about 400,000 residents and is deeply liberal and multicultural, the birthplace of the Black Panther Party and claimed by former Vice President Kamala Harris as her hometown.
Oakland’s Challenges
But Oakland also is reeling from homeless tents, public drug use, illegal sideshows, gun violence and brazen robberies that prompted In-N-Out Burger to close its first location ever last year.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sent California Highway Patrol officers to help combat what he called an alarming and unacceptable rise in crime. And the city doesn’t have enough money to pay for public services.
Despite her high name recognition, the race was surprisingly heated with Taylor, 47, a former Oakland city council member who pledged to bolster police, reduce crime and revitalize the city’s economy.
Campaign Priorities
Taylor said in a statement that “while the outcome was not what we worked for and hoped for,” he was proud of the campaign and the bold ideas he introduced.
On the campaign trail, Lee emphasized the need for more community services as well as more police. Economic development, job creation and ensuring core city services like fire hydrants work properly are among her priorities.
She will finish out the remainder of Thao’s term and would be up for reelection in November 2026.
Lee was first elected to the U.S. House in 1998 and became best known nationally as the only lawmaker to vote against the 2001 authorization for the use of military force in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.
RELATED TOPICS:
Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis
14 hours ago
Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar
14 hours ago
Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending
14 hours ago
Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen
15 hours ago
US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion
15 hours ago
A Program Paying CA Jurors $100 a Day Would End Due to Newsom’s Budget Cuts
15 hours ago
Some Glaciers Will Vanish No Matter What, Study Finds
15 hours ago
Canada Wants to Kill 400 Ostriches. RFK Jr. and Dr. Oz Want to Save Them.
16 hours ago
Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole
12 hours ago
Categories

Tulare County Man Convicted of Child Molestation During Burglary Faces Life Without Parole

Fresno Man Arrested After Stolen City Vehicle Pursuit, Fires in Madera County

Former MLB All-Star Breaks Ground on BMW/Porsche/Audi Dealership in Clovis

Fresno, Clovis to Open Cooling Centers as Temperatures Expected to Soar

Costco Misses Quarterly Revenue Expectations Amid Reduced Consumer Spending

Tulare County Authorities Respond to Double Shooting in Goshen

US Appeals Court Reinstates Trump Tariffs, Sowing Market Confusion
