New Oakland Mayor, Barbara Lee, lays out her plans for her first 100 days and beyond. Last month, the City of Oakland held a special election to elect a mayor to finish Sheng Thao’s term, after her recall in November of last year.
Lee finished with 50.06% to Loren Taylor’s 44.98%, with Taylor leading among earlier voters and taking a majority of votes in the hills. This special election had extremely low turnout, though, with less than 38% of eligible voters casting a ballot citywide.
Lee’s campaign did not include any hard numbers or statistics and instead promised “leadership, integrity, and results,” but since her election, she has laid out a ten step plan for her first 100 days in office, which will start once she is sworn in on May 20.
This plan focuses primarily on accountability, public safety and homelessness, and financial stability for the city. She plans to address the homelessness crisis by using county resources to provide housing and support for those affected.
Additionally, the recent recall and criticisms of Oakland’s government structure have led to calls for a restructuring of the city’s Charter, which Lee plans to address through a task force of experts and advocates.
Two of the ten steps are focused on balancing the budget and reprioritizing city spending, which could come just in time to help with Oakland’s projected $129 million shortfall in 2025 alone. Lee plans to do this by working with the city council to create and approve a budget, while also reviewing all of the city’s contracts to ensure the money is being spent wisely. The mayor elect has also been working with interim mayor Kevin Jenkins on his budget proposal, which was released on May 5.
The plan also includes multiple items that focus on public safety and resident quality of life, including working with the Police Department to collaborate with the community, reducing fire danger, and focusing more on prosecuting illegal dumping. Three fire stations in high fire risk areas of the Oakland hills are still browned out until the end of the fiscal year in June.
Other initiatives include public-private action with Oakland’s largest employers as well as tactics to increase philanthropic investment. Also on the business side, Lee plans to reform the permitting system, which she hopes will “reduce bureaucracy” and improve the city economically.
In recent weeks, mayor-elect Lee has selected her chief of staff, Miya Saika Chen, who was a former staffer of Nikki Forunato Bas, former District 2 representative who was elected to Alameda County Board of supervisors in the fall. Bas’ former seat was filled in this election, by Charlene Wang, who won almost 65% of votes in the district.
Lee, who will be 80 by the time her term ends, told KTVU that she was excited to start the “next chapter” of her career in her first sit-down interview since her election on May 6.