A view of Oakland City Hall from June 28, 2016. Nine candidates are vying to be mayor of Oakland, after the previous mayor was recalled and as the city faces a major budget deficit. (Mike Linksvayer via Flickr)
Voting is underway in Oakland between now and April 15 as voters choose a new mayor and city council member. They are also voting on whether to approve Measure A, which would increase Oakland’s sales tax by 0.5%.
How did we get here?
Last year, Oakland voters recalled their mayor, Sheng Thao. Nine people are now running to finish the remainder of her term. Oakland City Council President Kevin Jenkins has been serving as interim mayor in the meantime, but is not running to stay in the job.
Oakland’s District 2 City Council seat is also up for grabs after former Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas was elected to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.
Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee (center) addresses the crowd at a public forum organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
How to vote?
Every registered voter in Oakland will receive a ballot by mail, and ballots have already started going out. To return your ballot, just drop it in a 24-hour drop box or mail it in postage-free. See a list of drop box locations here.
If you prefer to vote in person, you can cast your ballot at one of nine vote centers in the city. Five vote centers will open on April 5 and another four will open on April 12. Click here for a list of vote centers and their hours. You can also vote at the Alameda County Registrar of Voters office at any point. Voting ends on April 15 at 8 p.m.
The mayoral and city council races will be ranked choice. That means that voters will have the option of voting for five candidates and ranking them by preference. Here’s how ranked choice voting works: If one candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice votes, they win the race outright. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes, then the last-place candidate is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their first-choice will have their votes allocated to their second-choice candidate. A new tally is then conducted. If, after that, there still isn’t a candidate who has received more than half of the votes, the next candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated and the process repeats until a winner is identified.
A public forum for all nine mayoral candidates is organized by the League of Women Voters of Oakland at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
Who are the candidates running to be Oakland’s next mayor?
These are candidates that KQED has found are actively campaigning. That means they’re doing things like appearing at forums and other events, enlisting the help of volunteers and speaking directly with voters through door-knocking or phone banking.
Key supporters include: Former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, Alameda County Democratic Central Committee, IAFF Local 55 (Oakland Firefighters).
Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
Key supporters include: Shannon Watts, Founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, Linda Hothem, Owner of Pacific American Group.
Oakland mayoral candidate Renia Webb at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
Positions on key issues
Oakland is facing significant financial challenges. As mayor, what specific actions would you take to close the city’s current $87 million shortfall and eliminate the $265 million deficit projected over the next two years?
Lee says she would bring in more outside investment to Oakland through a new office of public and private partnerships. She says she would leverage state and federal resources and points to her track record of securing millions for Oakland while in Congress. Lee also says she would streamline permitting, support small businesses and pursue grants. She has previously said her priorities would include collecting city revenue from things like fines and parking tickets. She has also said she would conduct a forensic audit of Oakland’s finances to detect waste, fraud and abuse. Lee has said cutting city jobs would be a last resort.
Pechenuk says interest payments on the city’s debts can be canceled or renegotiated. She says she wants to bring manufacturing, industry and productivity back to Oakland. Pechenuk has previously said that, as mayor, she would work with President Donald Trump and would also bring in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to clean out Oakland’s budget and finances.
Robinson says that she would launch a new comprehensive business plan within her first six months in office. She says she would appoint a Chief of Economic Development and Housing to help attract businesses, tourism and conventions. She would direct the city to explore repurposing vacant office buildings into affordable housing. She says she would introduce business tax incentives like reducing the gross receipts tax for employers who bring employees back in person. For multifamily housing projects, she would push for extending entitlements and permits to ensure that developers don’t face delays and reducing impact fees and transfer taxes for multifamily developments to encourage growth in housing production.
Simpson says the Oakland budget, like everything else in society, is determined by what is in the interests of the ruling class, which Simpson defines as capitalists, developers and bondholders. The sales tax measure on the April 15 ballot is one more example of this, Simpson says, and if passed, would fall hardest on workers. “The bosses’ attacks on working people — on our wages and working conditions, the high prices, unemployment and the decay in the cities — are rooted in the crisis of the capitalist system,” Simpson says. He says the force that can end these attacks and open a new future for humanity is the working class, which Simpson says needs to break from the capitalist parties and move toward taking political power.
Swaney says she would expand career training and entrepreneurship programs with company sponsorships, trade schools and universities. She says she would launch “Oakland Project Stargate” to transform unused land into a high-tech innovation hub, with the goal of attracting startups and high-paying jobs, and would offer tax incentives to film and creative industries. Swaney says she would auction city naming rights for major landmarks, such as “Apple City Hall.” She says she would modernize parking and tourism fees to generate new revenue, renegotiate city contracts and attract investors through public-private partnerships.
Taylor says he would bring in a neutral third-party to audit Oakland’s books and require concessions from large companies doing business with the city, service providers and unions. He says he would also pursue outside funding opportunities and public-private partnerships and work with professional advisors to restructure and refinance the city’s debt. Taylor says he would activate revenue potential of vacant buildings and under-utilized parcels, have regular community town hall meetings and provide public performance updates on how the city is performing against its goals.
Webb says Oakland’s budget crisis requires discipline, accountability and strong oversight. She says she would work with the city auditor and finance department to make tough budget decisions, merge departments to conserve resources and improve efficiency of spending. Webb says she would also attract business and property development to build tax revenues, cut expenditures that aren’t serving Oakland and apply for grants and aid at all levels of government to support transportation, public health, social services and other city needs. Webb has previously said that hundreds of millions of dollars are being mismanaged in the city.
Oakland residents are concerned about public safety. But police, fire and other public safety programs and resources cost money. If elected, what specific actions would you take to improve public safety in Oakland without adding to the city’s financial troubles?
Lee says public safety would be her top priority as mayor. She says her priorities would be maintaining police patrols and programs like Ceasefire, deploying special police teams trained to investigate gun crimes and arrest dangerous fugitives, increasing the number of police officers and funding to support neighborhood-based mental health crisis teams and anti-gang and anti-drug youth prevention programs. Lee says she would also prioritize the expansion of after-school and summer programs to provide safe and structured environments for Oakland’s youth. Lee says she also wants to address over 3,000 fire hydrants in the city that are not routinely inspected.
Pechenuk says Oakland’s city ordinances are preventing police from doing their duties. She also advocates for ending federal oversight of the Oakland Police Department, which Pechenuk says is wasting time and money by keeping the police from doing their job of guaranteeing the safety of law-abiding citizens.
Robinson says Oakland has never had enough police officers. She says the city needs to address the culture within the Oakland Police Department by re-evaluating the many layers of OPD’s management, reassessing the Oakland Police Commission’s appointment process and conducting a review of the organization. Robinson says the police department’s pursuit policy should be revised and that the current political environment is stalling progress on public safety decisions. Robinson points out that Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention is spending 95% of its time on the Ceasefire program, which she notes has gaps in addressing juvenile crime and crime unrelated to gangs.
Simpson says crime and antisocial behavior reflect the dog-eat-dog capitalist system and brutal “me-first morals” of those at the top that are pushed back when union and social struggles rise. “When workers begin to build movements based on solidarity, we see the truth — that we are the force that can solve society’s problems, not victims or passive recipients of charity. We are the solution,” Simpson says. Simpson says unions need to fight for a federally funded public works program to put millions to work building schools, housing and child care centers.
Swaney says Oakland’s hiring process for police officers is slow, expensive and discourages quality candidates. She says she would cut inefficiencies, reduce hiring times and attract top talent to create a police force that reflects Oakland. She says she would also expand community-based policing to build trust and put officers where they’re needed most. Swaney says she would reopen closed fire stations and reduce 911 response times by reallocating resources, deploy mental health crisis teams for nonviolent emergencies, and enter tech partnerships for modern crime prevention tools like predictive policing and surveillance. Swaney says she would fully fund after school programs, job training and violence prevention initiatives.
Taylor says he would increase Oakland’s police force to 800 officers and invest in a retail and property crime unit. Taylor says he would continue to fund violence prevention programs like Ceasefire, Youth Alive and the OK Program while reallocating funding from programs that fail to deliver on their promised value. He says he would exit the 20-year Negotiated Settlement Agreement. Taylor says the city must speed up 911 response times and increase the number of dispatchers. He also says he would reopen all of Oakland’s closed fire stations.
Webb says she would work with Oakland’s police department, fire department and district attorney’s office to get tougher on crime in a responsible and humane manner. She would increase the city’s police force and reduce excessive overtime, keep fire stations open, and increase the city’s Neighborhood Community Policing and Neighborhood Watch programs. She says she would also continue to build upon proven violence interruption programs like Ceasefire.
Members of the public attend the forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
Are you in favor of amending Oakland’s city charter to move the city from a hybrid form of government to a strong mayor or council-manager form of government? Why or why not?
Lee says that in Oakland’s current hybrid form of government, lines of accountability to the public are not clear, and this needs to change. She says she supports a public review of Oakland’s city charter led by a commission that would include representation from the League of Women Voters of Oakland, ethics experts and other government leaders and stakeholders. Lee says other areas pertaining to ethics should also be examined, including banning gifts to elected officials from those seeking to do business with the city. Any updates recommended would be subject to voter approval, she says.
Pechenuk says she favors a strong mayor system.
Robinson says a strong mayor model creates much-needed accountability between the mayor and the city council by granting the mayor line-item veto power on the budget and legislative veto authority. Robinson says that Oakland struggles with leadership and accountability. Without clear lines of responsibility, she says, the city will continue to flounder. “The public expects the mayor to be accountable for the city’s performance, which is why it is crucial to have a strong leader at the helm, driving results.” While the council-manager system may work for smaller cities, it’s not the right fit for a city like Oakland, Robinson says.
Simpson says this question obscures the real source of the crisis and the solution. “At every level of the bloated government bureaucracies, we see the interests of workers being subordinated to that of the capitalist exploiters. When the working class organizes in our interests, we win concessions on the road to taking power.” Simpson says the only way to end the crisis is to organize and take power away from the capitalists.
Swaney says that as an “Olympian for Oakland,” she believes in a government that is efficient and built for the success of its residents. She says she is open to exploring changes that make Oakland’s leadership more effective and accountable. “Creating a structure that delivers results, is streamlined, and ensures Oaklanders get responsive leadership is essential,” she says.
Taylor says he is the most qualified person to lead the city regardless of the government structure in place, but he is in favor of a strong mayor system, where the mayor has executive authority over city operations and direct accountability to voters, because it would allow the city to achieve its goals. “As a council member, I saw how difficult it was for the city to align on a unified vision for Oakland,” Taylor says. Taylor says a council-manager form of government could slow down the city’s responsiveness to residents. Finally, Taylor says he supports a strong public ethics department and city auditor as a check on the actions of the mayor and all elected officials.
Webb: The candidate did not respond to the question.
Oakland mayoral and District 2 candidate materials lay on a table at the public forum at Oakland City Hall on March 15, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
As mayor, what would you do to address residents’ concerns about homelessness, illegal dumping and neighborhood blight?
Lee says her preferred approach is to connect homeless individuals with housing, addiction treatment and mental health services. As mayor, Lee says she would accelerate housing production for all income levels and fight for Oakland’s fair share of funding from Measure W, an Alameda County sales tax approved by voters in 2020 intended for homelessness programs. When it comes to illegal dumping, Lee says she would build on the city’s existing efforts, including proactive, rapid cleanup of known dumping hotspots, expanding outreach efforts and expanding the use of technology and data. She says she would also create a Mayor’s Citywide Neighborhood District Leadership Committee to guide her office to address economic, cultural, safety and other quality-of-life issues important to each corner of the city.
Pechenuk says many of these problems begin with the failure to eradicate what she describes as Oakland’s enormous illegal drug program. Pechenuk says her priority is to save the lives and minds of Oakland’s residents by destroying the city’s illegal drug trade through cooperation between law enforcement at the local, county, state and federal level, similar to San Francisco’s DMACC (Drug Market Agency Coordination Center) program. “We can do much better in Oakland to wipe out drugs and crime than we have been doing under the present regime,” Pechenuk says.
Robinson says she would be committed to getting every homeless person off the streets. She supports the creation of a campus-style model, similar to Haven for Hope in San Antonio, that would provide both safe shelter and centralized services. Robinson supports having all service providers coordinated in one location with shelter and transitional housing. To address illegal dumping, Robinson would enforce stricter penalties, collect over $1 million in unpaid citations, and beef up the rewards program that uses tips and video evidence. “We’ll also boost public education and make it clear they are not dumping on the government, they are destroying our earth,” Robinson says.
Simpson says that working people are concerned about and impacted by drug addiction and other social scourges, noting that many people are one paycheck away from homelessness and have to work two jobs or more to pay the rent, which undermines public health and leaves little time for family. He says the Socialist Workers Party is part of building a working-class movement that will grow to millions, take power in the U.S. and stand in solidarity with working people in other countries.
Swaney says she would address homelessness by expanding transitional housing with mental health and addiction support. To cut down on illegal dumping, she would rely on tech surveillance and enforce penalties. She says her approach to blight would include tax incentives for businesses and nonprofits that provide housing and neighborhood cleanup and partnering with businesses and nonprofits to fund cleanups and revitalization without burdening taxpayers.
Taylor says Oakland’s multigenerational housing and homelessness crisis deserves a multifaceted solution that includes more housing, renter protections and mental health and addiction programs. He says he would close unsafe encampments and provide unhoused residents with shelter and services. Taylor says he would ensure Oakland’s Homeless Encampment Policy is implemented, striking a balance between protecting residents and respecting their civil liberties. He would renegotiate the city’s garbage and recycling contracts, support grants and incentives to rehabilitate blighted properties and partner with nonprofits and developers to convert abandoned buildings into housing. He says Oakland needs to install surveillance cameras in dumping hot spots, increase free bulk pickups and community drop off, require businesses to pay for trash pickup, and ensure prosecution of illegal dumpers.
Webb says she would work responsibly with developers to build more affordable and market-rate housing, access emergency funding streams via county, state and federal resources and attract large businesses with initiatives to fill vacant buildings and properties. Webb says she would clean up Oakland’s streets, complete the city’s pavement plans and fix the plethora of potholes across the city’s neighborhoods.
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