Barbara Lee surges into lead in Oakland mayor's race

Former longtime Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee surged into the pb successful the contention to go Oakland’s adjacent mayor, according to ballot results released Friday evening.

The latest tally showed Lee moving up of her superior challenger successful the race, erstwhile City Councilmember Loren Taylor, with 53% percent of the ballot compared to Taylor’s 47%. Her pb was commanding capable that the San Francisco Chronicle called the race, declaring Lee “has been elected Oakland’s adjacent mayor.”

Oakland, a metropolis of 436,000 people, uses ranked-choice elections, which allows voters to prime aggregate candidates by bid of preference. The method complicates the ballot count, and it could beryllium weeks earlier Alameda County predetermination officials denote a last tally for this week’s peculiar election.

Lee’s run held disconnected connected declaring triumph Friday evening, though run officials released a connection calling the latest results “encouraging.” Taylor, who represented East Oakland connected the City Council for 4 years, could not beryllium reached for comment.

If the results hold, Lee, 78, a progressive icon who represented Oakland and surrounding areas successful Congress for astir 3 decades, would regenerate ousted Mayor Sheng Thao, a progressive elected successful 2022. Thao was recalled from bureau successful November amid heavy elector frustrations with crime, homelessness and the pervasive consciousness that Oakland is successful crisis. Thao was accused of bungling the city’s finances, contributing to a fund shortfall that volition astir surely necessitate sweeping cuts crossed authorities departments.

Efforts to callback Thao from bureau were already underway when, successful June, FBI agents raided her location arsenic portion of an probe into an alleged corruption strategy involving Thao’s fellow and a father-son squad who tally the institution that provides Oakland’s recycling services. That probe energized the recall, which easy passed with much than 60% of the vote. Thao, her boyfriend, Andre Jones, and Andy and David Duong of California Waste Solutions were indicted connected federal bribery charges successful January. All 4 person pleaded not guilty.

“I decided to tally for Mayor knowing that Oakland is simply a profoundly divided City — and I ran to unite our community,” Lee said successful her Friday statement.

The predetermination created an unexpected vocation accidental for Lee, who near Washington successful January aft losing her bid for the Senate successful past year’s superior to chap Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, who went connected to triumph the spot successful November.

With Oakland successful abrupt request of a caller mayor, a wide conjugation of concern groups, labour organizations and elected leaders spent past autumn calling connected Lee to tally successful the April 15 peculiar predetermination and prevention their metropolis from collapse.

Though 9 radical yet competed successful the race, Taylor, a concern absorption advisor who is 30 years Lee’s junior, emerged arsenic her main opponent. He painted the metropolis arsenic “broken” and successful hopeless request of a main enforcement with on-the-ground acquisition astatine City Hall who could marque pugnacious decisions without fearfulness of disappointing longtime governmental supporters.

Taylor received a fiscal boost from tech and concern leaders who funneled tens of thousands of dollars into autarkic expenditure committees supporting his candidacy.

Lee ran connected her grounds arsenic a seasoned person with decades of acquisition forging connections crossed divers involvement groups. She touted the hundreds of millions of dollars she brought location to the East Bay during her clip successful Congress, wherever she advocated for anti-war policies and promoted authorities that targeted racism, sexism, poorness and labour exploitation. Those values stem from her roots arsenic a Black Panther activistic and her acquisition grooming astatine Mills College and UC Berkeley.

She promised to “make beingness amended for everybody” successful Oakland, portion vowing to combat transgression and promote the estimated 5,400 stateless radical successful Oakland into structure and housing. She has pledged to prosecute much constabulary officers, curb authorities spending and summation transparency into decisions made astatine City Hall.