SAN FRANCISCO — Innovative icon and previous U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee declared victory Saturday as the brand new mayor of afflicted Oakland, a San Francisco Bay House town reeling from financial stagnation, crime and homelessness.
Lee issued a commentary Saturday as mayor-elect, pronouncing that her leader opponent, Loren Taylor, had known as to concede the April 15 race.
“Whilst I consider strongly in respecting the democratic vote casting procedure and ballots will proceed to be counted … the effects are transparent that the folk of Oakland have elected me as your subsequent Mayor,” she mentioned. “Thanks, Oakland!”
Lee, 78, is a Black feminine trailblazer who represented the town in Congress for over twenty years earlier than retiring ultimate yr after operating unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate.
“Oakland is a deeply divided Town,” she mentioned, including that she “spoke back the decision to run” so the group may paintings in combination to unravel its issues.
Lee was once counseled via former Gov. Jerry Brown and different earlier Oakland mayors who mentioned she was once the seasoned, uniting presence the town wanted after a divisive recall of former Mayor Sheng Thao in November. Thao was once indicted on federal bribery, fraud and conspiracy fees in January.
Oakland has about 400,000 citizens and is deeply liberal and multicultural, the birthplace of the Black Panther Celebration and claimed via former Vice President Kamala Harris as her native land.
However Oakland is also reeling from homeless tents, public drug use, unlawful sideshows, gun violence and brazen robberies that induced In-N-Out Burger to near its first location ever ultimate yr.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has despatched California Freeway Patrol officials to assist struggle what he known as an alarming and unacceptable upward push in crime. And the town doesn’t manage to pay for to pay for public services and products.
Regardless of her prime identify popularity, the race was once strangely heated with Taylor, 47, a former Oakland town council member who pledged to reinforce police, cut back crime and revitalize the town’s financial system.
Taylor mentioned in a commentary that “whilst the end result was once no longer what we labored for and was hoping for,” he was once happy with the marketing campaign and the daring concepts he presented.
At the marketing campaign path, Lee emphasised the will for extra group services and products in addition to extra police. Financial construction, activity introduction and making sure core town services and products like hearth hydrants paintings correctly are amongst her priorities.
She’s going to end out the rest of Thao’s time period and can be up for reelection in November 2026.
Lee was once first elected to the U.S. Space in 1998 and become very best identified nationally as the one lawmaker to vote towards the 2001 authorization for using army drive in accordance with the 11th of September assaults.
