Oakland's latest new era begins
Barbara Lee declares, 'There’s no time to waste, Oaklanders deserve transparency, accountability, and results starting now;' Hayward places recently hired city manager on paid administrative leave
☕️MORNING BUZZ
—It was Take Two in Oakland on Tuesday afternoon.
Just over two years since Sheng Thao was sworn in with similar enthusiasm for a renaissance in Oakland, Barbara Lee placed her hand on a Bible belonging to her great-grandfather to become its 52nd mayor and first African American woman to hold the office.
“We’ve been through a lot, and we’ll continue to go through our share of challenges,” Lee said, during the roughly 15-minute address. “But what I know about Oakland is that we are a community that punches above our weight.”
Last month, Lee staved off a surprisingly strong campaign by Loren Taylor to win the special mayoral election to replace Thao, who was recalled by Oakland voters last November and indicted for bribery earlier this year.
“You were clear about the need to transform Oakland into a safer and cleaner city. And you were clear about wanting a government that you can trust to solve our fiscal challenges, safety, housing, and homelessness challenges.
Lee was introduced by her transition team co-chairs Barbara Leslie, president of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce; and Keith Brown, executive-secretary of the Alameda Labor Council.
She was later joined by her Chief of Staff Miya Saika Chen, a potentially influential and pivotal figure in the new administration, who served in the same capacity under former Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas.
—On Day One, the new mayor is immediately tasked with figuring out how to balance an estimated $87 million budget shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year by the June 30 deadline.
“These budget shortfalls didn’t happen overnight,” Lee said, “and they will require both short-term and long-term structural solutions to solve Oakland’s budget challenges.”
She plans to review Oakland’s expenditures, obligations, budget assumptions, collect money owed to the city, government efficiency, and the effects of proposed federal budget cuts on local programs.
The speech, however, broke no new ground on the specific policies Lee intends to use to solve the city’s mounting problems.
“We must govern in a new way and its starts with the people,” she said. “Over the next 100 days we will bring people of all walks of life to help inform how our government can better serve the people and usher in a new era of prosperity and progress.”
—More inside:
Oakland Councilmember Kevin Jenkins’ successful run as interim mayor opens up quite few options for his political future.
An Oakland city auditor report found $1.6 million in overpaid overtime, and the issue could be more widespread than just two city departments, and with overpayments still ongoing.
Bombshell announcement in Hayward: City Council places city manager on paid administrative leave after just 131 days on the job.
San Leandro officials are reticent about placing a revenue bond measure before voters next year, but they received an offer to help get it passed.
—411 ON THE 510—Become an East Bay Insiders subscriber today and get FULL ACCESS to the inside scoop every weekday morning at 6 a.m. It’s what the insiders read.
—EBI PODCAST—Download and listen to the East Bay Insiders Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify below:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to East Bay Insiders Newsletter to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.