Ten people who have never held political office are running to fill the single at-large Oakland City Council seat on the Nov. 5 ballot that was left vacant when incumbent Rebecca Kaplan chose not to run for re-election.
There are eight members of the Oakland City Council, but only one — the at-large member — represents the entire city, while the others are all elected by the voters in their specific districts.
Charlene Wang
One of the 10 candidates, Charlene Wang, is an East Bay native who grew up visiting her grandparents in West Oakland and who now lives in the Eastlake/San Antonio area.
She works for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on civil rights and environmental justice issues, according to her campaign website.
Wang has raised roughly $84,000 for her campaign so far and says public safety is one of her top priorities. She advocates hiring more police officers from Oakland, increasing the use of technology and community policing strategies, reforming the Police Department’s internal affairs process and making body camera footage publicly available, among other things.
She said she’d work to bring green energy and transportation manufacturing to Oakland and would rezone areas along existing public transit corridors to increase housing density, particularly for affordable housing projects.
Wang’s endorsements include the Sierra Club, East Bay YIMBY, Teamsters Local 70, Oakland Firefighters Local 55, Alameda County Supervisor Lena Tam, outgoing District 1 Oakland City Councilmember Dan Kalb, the Alameda County Green Party and the Wellstone Democratic Club.
LeRonne Armstrong
One of her opponents, LeRonne Armstrong, has perhaps the best name recognition in the race as a result of being Oakland’s former police chief.
Armstrong, a West Oakland native, was fired by Mayor Sheng Thao in 2023 after 24 years on the force and has since sued the city for wrongful termination.
He has so far raised more than $74,000 and two independent expenditure committees are working on his behalf — Families for a Safer Oakland, which has raised about $150,000, and Citizens for a Brighter Oakland Future, which has raised about $50,000.
Armstrong says one of his main priorities is public safety and vows to support the Ceasefire program, increase the number of community resource officers, reduce the number of unfunded OPD positions and bring back traffic enforcement and other specialized units, according to his campaign website.
He says he would address the city’s homelessness problem and “bridge the gap” between unions, housing advocates, developers and others to develop policies and build housing that is “affordable to all.”
Armstrong also said he would rebuild public trust in the City Council by “reducing the conflicts instigated by a few councilmembers” and by “overcoming the aggressive infighting” on the council.
Some of his endorsements include Oakland city councilmembers Janani Ramachandran, Noel Gallo, Kevin Jenkins and Treva Reid, as well as the Oakland Police Officers Association, Ironworkers Local 378, Teamsters Local 70 and Oakland Firefighters Local 55, among others.
Kanitha Matoury
Also running for the at-large seat is local restaurateur and real estate investment professional Kanitha Matoury, a first-generation Cambodian immigrant and long-time owner of the now-closed Spice Monkey restaurant and current owner of Howden Market.
Matoury says she, like many Oakland business owners, has been the victim of repeated burglaries and property damage and that the city fails to provide basic services and support.
She wants to increase police staffing to 1,000 officers, expand the Ceasefire program, refinance interest payments on the city’s debt to fund services and streamline permitting to increase production of affordable housing, among other things, according to her website.
The former U.S. Air Force reservist, who has so far raised a little more than $61,000, also says she wants to hire an outside auditor and controller to help “cut unnecessary spending and operational inefficiencies” and would push for a stimulus program to support new and existing small businesses.
Matoury lists endorsements from Oakland City Councilmember Noel Gallo, former state senator and assemblymember Don Perata and several well-known local business owners, including celebrity chef Tanya Holland, restaurateurs Rich and Rebekah Wood and the Oakland Builders Alliance.
Rowena Brown
Another candidate, Rowena Brown, is state Assemblymember Mia Bonta’s district director and has collected an extensive list of endorsements from local and state politicians, including Bonta and her husband Rob, who is currently California’s attorney general.
Brown, who has raised about $39,000, also enjoys the support of Kaplan, the outgoing at-large councilmember, BART board director Lateefah Simon and councilmembers Dan Kalb, Treva Reid, Carroll Fife and Nikki Fortunato Bas, along with several unions and the Alameda County Democratic Party.
Brown identifies herself on her website as an East Bay native who is Black and queer and who lost both of her parents by the age of 17.
She says her priorities include reducing gun violence and homelessness, increasing access to mental health services, advocating for neighborhood and business-district based policing, renter protections and reducing red tape for small businesses.
Shawn Danino
Shawn Danino is a policy manager in San Jose’s Housing Department who said he has helped Oakland refine its housing element, among other local housing advocacy endeavors.
His platform includes a “zero displacement” housing program that aims to create more homes without displacing current residents; a four-day work week; building more “mobility lanes” designed to protect bikes, scooters and wheelchairs from car doors and traffic by putting bike lanes between street parking and sidewalks; a program to legalize corner stores so people don’t have to rely on cars as much for basic necessities and legalizing the sale of backyard homes.
Danino is a member of the transit and affordable housing advocacy groups TransForm and Transport Oakland and has so far raised a little more than $14,000 for his campaign.
His list of endorsements includes the Sierra Club, East Bay For Everyone, East Bay YIMBY, Berkeley City Councilmember Cecilia Lunaparra and San Mateo City Councilmember Amourence Lee, among others.
Cristina Tostado
Another candidate, Cristina Tostado, refers to herself “Tina from the Town” on her campaign website. She is an East Oakland native and first generation Mexican-American who has raised about $9,000 so far.
She doesn’t list any endorsements on her website but does mention that she was appointed to the Oakland Library Commission and is a mentor for Life Goes On, an initiative to end gun violence. She also sits on the Oakland Public Education Fund Advisory Board and was a volunteer liaison for former Mayor Libby Schaaf.
One of Tostado’s priorities is mental health, for which she said she would access an existing pot of county money — $206 million — to fund programs and services for Oaklanders, according to her website.
She said she would invest in small businesses and develop career paths, youth employment opportunities and financial literacy programs via private partnerships.
Mindy Pechenuk
Vocal MAGA Republican Mindy Pechenuk is also running for the at-large seat and so far has raised about $8,000.
Oakland’s “financial mismanagement,” public safety and infrastructure are among her priorities, according to her campaign website.
She says she would audit the city’s budget, along with any nongovernmental organizations that contract with the city and would “redirect funds away from ineffective projects and towards solutions that address the city’s root problems.”
Pechenuk supports increasing the number of police officers and leveraging the California National Guard for support.
She also plans to help foster technology and manufacturing companies by developing an Oakland investment bank, in partnership with individuals, businesses and investors.
“I champion law and order, I believe in secure borders, I want a strong economy, I revere our republic, I honor history, I live in Oakland, I love California,” she says on her website.
Her endorsements include the Alameda County Republican Central Committee, the America First Chamber of Commerce and the California Rifle and Pistol Association.
Fabian Robinson
Fabian Robinson is a pastor whose social media posts indicate crime and job creation are among his priorities.
His ballot statement says he has worked for a couple of labor unions, including as secretary of HOD Carriers Local 156, was a football coach at Oakland Tech High School and was a community liaison for the Bay Cities Baptist Ministers Union.
Robinson hasn’t reported any financial contributions to his campaign and doesn’t list any endorsements on his Facebook page.
Nancy Sidebotham
Nancy Sidebotham also hasn’t reported any financial contributions and doesn’t list any endorsements. She is a long-time tax preparer who has unsuccessfully run for local political office several times. She is a member of Oakland’s Community Policing Advisory Board and says she understands how the city’s organizations, budgets and politics work.
“I won’t saddle you with bad garbage contracts, give away public land or push out residents who have made Oakland great,” Sidebotham says in her ballot statement.
Selika Thomas
East Oakland native Selika Thomas says she has been the victim of crime and that public safety is her top priority.
She has publicly called for the city to continue using its gunshot detection system, ShotSpotter, and wants it to include security cameras, as well.
Thomas wants the city to help create jobs for people with and without criminal histories, focus on cleaning up illegal dump sites and increase police patrols.
A graduate of Oakland’s Fremont High School, Thomas earned a degree in science and cosmetology at Laney College and now runs her own business catering to people experiencing hair loss.
“The Flatlands have Always been discriminated against, which is why we need people from the Flatlands running our city,” Thomas posted on one of her social media accounts.