SAN FRANCISCO – Former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, a prominent progressive Democrat who has represented the East Bay in Congress for more than two decades, said Wednesday she will run for mayor of Oakland in an April special election following a recall of former city leaders. Announced.
“I have never shied away from a challenge,” Lee said in a news release announcing his candidacy. “I am always ready to fight for Oakland. Together, we will revitalize Oakland as a lighthouse for innovators, artists, builders, and entrepreneurs, uplifting every family and neighborhood.” We can and will create opportunities for
Mr. Lee’s storied political career in the Bay Area ended when Mr. Lee ran for the U.S. Senate in 2024, defeating fellow Democrat Adam Schiff, who won in the November election, in the March primary. After finishing in 1st place, things went in an uncertain direction.
Mr. Lee, 78, is running in a special election on April 15 to fill the remainder of former Mayor Sheng Tao’s term, which ends in January 2027. Tao is a progressive politician elected in 2022 but was recalled in November amid voter frustration over rampant crime and homelessness. and the realization that the government has lost control of the streets. Alameda County District Atty. Pamela Price, a vocal advocate for criminal justice reform, was also recalled in November.
“[Lee] It’s perfect for now. She has real progressive beliefs, but she’s also willing to compromise and is pragmatic,” said Keeley McBride, a political science professor at the University of San Francisco and an Oakland resident. “That’s what Oakland desperately needs right now.”
Mr. Lee’s overwhelming name recognition and long service as an East Bay representative complicate a campaign for a list of local leaders who have already announced plans to run. Several candidates have indicated that they would withdraw from the race if Lee joins the race.
“You’d be hard-pressed to find a better candidate than her in terms of commanding respect and building allies across the city,” McBride said. “No one will be able to compete with her.”
Nevertheless, Lauren Taylor, a former Oakland city councilor considered the front-runner for the post, said she is preparing to submit her candidacy papers next week. Taylor, an engineer who served on East Oakland City Council for four years, received the most first-place votes in the city’s ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to select multiple candidates in order. He narrowly lost to Tao in the 2019 mayoral election. of your choice.
“I’m from this town and have benefited so much from what Auckland has to offer. I see incredible potential in our beautiful and wonderful city, but we don’t realize it. I don’t,” he said this week.
Mr Taylor, 47, is more than 30 years younger than Mr Lee. He respects Lee’s work on council, but said Oakland needs a mayor with “a fresh perspective approach to leadership and government.”
Taylor is someone who is “informed by being active on the ground, in the community, and in city hall, as opposed to someone who has focused on Washington, D.C., Republican and Democratic politics at the national level.” he said.
“This is a different position, a position she didn’t have. Executive office is very different from legislation,” he said.
Ms Lee’s announcement sparked excitement among several local community groups, whose members have been lobbying her to join the race. They said Lee, known in Washington for his anti-war stance and civil rights champion, brought an era of stability to a city grappling with several crises, including a deepening budget deficit and soaring crime rates. I hope that we can bring about this.
In a December letter, a coalition of local business, labor and education groups implored Mr. Lee to run, urging him to “restore integrity to the mayoral office, bring us together in a time of divisiveness, and do important work.” They called for a new leader, someone who can help them deal with the problems. Budgets, public safety, housing, and inequality in our cities. ”
Born in El Paso, Texas, Lee eventually moved to the Bay Area and attended Mills College in Oakland as a single mother. She earned a master’s degree in social work from the University of California, Berkeley in 1975 and founded an organization that provided mental health services to East Bay residents.
She served as chief of staff to the late Congressman Ron Dellums, former mayor of Oakland, and after retiring in 1998 won a seat in the House of Representatives. Mr. Lee also served in the state Legislature in the 1990s.
Even with widespread support from the community, Lee will inherit a list of significant issues as mayor that could test his qualifications as an Oakland city councilor.
Violent and property crimes have skyrocketed in Oakland, with homicides soaring to more than 100 a year in multiple years during the pandemic. In December, the City Council approved a series of service cuts to close a $130 million budget deficit. The number of homeless people in Auckland increased by 9% between 2022 and 2024.
Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a large contingent of California Highway Patrol troopers to Oakland to ease a crime spike, with a focus on curbing brazen retail trade and vehicle theft. As of November, the operation has resulted in nearly 1,200 arrests, more than 2,200 stolen vehicles and the seizure of 124 illegal firearms, according to the CHP.
“The crime problem needs to be brought under control,” McBride said, adding that the business community is reeling from the fact that retail theft has become commonplace. “People are afraid to invest in cities, which is exacerbating the budget deficit.”
Many wonder whether Lee would want the mayor’s job as the state of emergency deepens, a position that will inevitably require tough decisions and jeopardize her status as a progressive icon. There is a possibility.
“She doesn’t need that job for her legacy,” said Ludovic Blaine, a Berkeley resident and chief executive of California Donor Table, a statewide donor network that funds progressive candidates. he says. “I guess she does it to be helpful, to help, to guide.”
In an interview with KQED on Tuesday, Lee reflected on his time in Congress and said he spent weeks thinking about difficult decisions.
“If I decide to run, it’s because I want to do it and I think I can help make everyone’s lives better,” she said.
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