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Exclusive: Former Oakland City Council member Lauren Taylor said former councillor Barbara Lee’s relationship with political organisations could help Oakland win the status quo ahead of the April 15 special election.
Taylor, a self-proclaimed political outsider who served only one term as a city council member after being discharged from his 16-year incumbent, shared plans to make a difference in Bay Area City, which he “struggles.”
“I run as a political outsider who has enough experience to understand what’s going on inside the city hall, but I’m not so entrenched in political organisations, that’s what Oaklanders are looking for,” Taylor said.
Lee is a former member of Congress’s progressive Caucus and the leading candidate for the Senate in 2024, but has name recognition and national experience, while Taylor is making waves in the Oakland special elections as the campaign finance report has overtaken California politicians.
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Former Auckland City Council member Lauren Taylor (left) and former Councilman Barbara Lee (right) will face off in the special election in Auckland on April 15th.
“We raised more money from local residents than other candidates in this race,” Taylor said. “Over 80% of our contribution comes directly from people living here in Auckland. My main element is less than 50%. This speaks to the volume of who this campaign is. We are being strengthened by the Aucklanders by locals who are affected by the decisions that the campaign is being made.
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Auckland’s incredible $129.8 budget deficit 2024-25 was forced to close the doors to the Oakland Fire Station earlier this year. The city council passed a resolution to reopen these fire stations, preventing tragedy from financial mismanagement.
The liberal-run city has had four different mayors over the course of four months, after former mayor Shen Tao was recalled this November and subsequently charged with eight counts of bribery. Auckland has not had a clear leader this year as the city continues to tackle the homeless crisis.
In January 2024, Alameda County Health’s Points in Time (PIT) report found that in 2024 there were 5,490 homeless individuals in Auckland.
“Auckland is frustrated,” Taylor explained. “We’re angry that we don’t get what we deserve, what we need to get from local governments. When crime rates get out of control, the status quo continues to fail. We see the homeless still growing as we are shrinking in our neighbouring cities.
The homeless camp lined up on the streets of Auckland on March 15th, 2024 (DWS, Fox News Digital)
The Auckland Police Department reported a decline in violent crimes in 2024, but 2025 began with a surge in crimes plagued by five murders recorded within 48 hours. By January 3rd, the San Francisco Chronicle had reported Oakland’s third and seventh murders since December 30th, 2024.
Taylor is hoping to equip more police officers with technology on the ground to prevent violence and lawlessness.
“We are struggling as a city, and that’s what this campaign is talking about: I am ready to make difficult and necessary decisions to deal with corruption and to correct mismanagement.
Mayor Daniel Lully will speak on the stairs of San Francisco city hall on January 28, 2025 (Taihun Kosukun/Anadoru via Getty Images)
Crossing the bay, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has been running to the ground since January when he assumed an office. He set up the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Hospitality Task Force, which cleans up the city of San Francisco and passes the Fentanyl Emergency Ordinance, which works to restore what he describes as a common-sense policy for the city.
“I am absolutely watching what’s going on in San Francisco, even in San Jose’s South Bay, across the bay, along with Mayor Matt Mahan, who is proud of his support,” Taylor said. “I think both of these mayors are political outsiders like me. They didn’t grow within the ranks of government. They had careers, had a huge influence on the outside, and saw the gaps that existed with local government.
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Lee did not respond to a request for comment by Deadline on Fox News Digital.
Deirdre Heavey is a political writer for Fox News Digital.
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