DAYS AFTER HER closest opponent conceded and she declared victory in the race to become Oakland’s next leader, Mayor-elect Barbara Lee outlined her vision for her first 100 days in office and announced her transition team.
“Let me just say once again, I am filled with excietement, optimism, but a lot of humility,” Lee said during a news conference Monday inside the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. “Recognizing the challenges, but also recognizing and looking forward to lifting up our opportunities and fighting for everyone here in Oakland.”
The mayor-elect thanked her family and supporters, then laid out her plans to focus on some of Oakland’s most vexing issues in her first 100 days in office, ranging from improving public safety and reducing homelessness to tackling a stubborn budget deficit while providing important city services.
“I will be a hands-on mayor who will address the structural challenges that impact everything from our budget to whether we can walk our streets safely at night,” Lee said. “I’ll lead a government that serves the people, not special interests, and work to deliver the core services Oaklanders rely on.”
Lee struck an optimistic tone, promising to be a uniter in “an Oakland where people want to turn the chapter on division and a government that has not upheld their trust.”
“I’ll govern with the same leadership that I’ve engaged in my entire career,” she said. “With transparency, integrity, and accountability, and with unwavering focus on the results … the results that you expect and deserve. With an ability to bring together people who don’t always agree. … But everyone believes in a better Oakland, and I’m gonna do the hard work and make the tough decisions.”
Taylor concedes
Lee declared victory Saturday, hours after an updated count released by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters on Friday afternoon showed her surge ahead of former City Councilmember Loren Taylor in the April 15 special election to replace recalled former mayor Sheng Thao.
Taylor called Lee to concede early Saturday, his campaign confirmed in a text message. Lee later released a statement acknowledging that more votes are yet to be counted but thanked the city’s voters for their apparent decision.
“This morning, Loren Taylor called me to concede the race. While I believe strongly in respecting the democratic voting process and ballots will continue to be counted through Tuesday, the results are clear that the people of Oakland have elected me as your next Mayor. Thank you, Oakland!” Lee said.
Lee took a lead of about six percentage points in updated vote tallies on Friday, after preliminary results on Tuesday showed Taylor ahead. The latest results as of Friday showed Lee ahead with about 52.7% of the vote to Taylor’s 47.3% after the ninth round of ranked choice voting with all other candidates eliminated.
“I’ll govern with the same leadership that I’ve engaged in my entire career — with transparency, integrity, and accountability, and with unwavering focus on the results … the results that you expect and deserve.” Mayor-elect Barbara Lee
Lee was also ahead in the count of first choice votes as of Tuesday, leading with roughly 50.1% of the vote to Taylor’s 45.0%, according to the county registrar. Over 90,000 of the nearly 95,000 ballots cast were cast by mail.
Lee, 78, a former congresswoman who represented Oakland from 1998 to 2025, becomes the first Black woman to hold the mayor’s office. She will succeed Thao, who was recalled in November amid allegations of bribery and later indicted on federal charges in January.
The special election was called to finish out her term that began in 2023, meaning that once the results are certified, Lee will serve through Jan. 4, 2027.
The only other candidate in the race to break 1% as voters’ first choice was Tyron Jordan.
In addition to her other remarks Monday, Mayor-elect Lee also announced that her transition team will be co-chaired by Barbara Leslie, executive director of the Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and Keith Brown, executive secretary-treasurer of the Alameda Labor Council.
LEE’s 100-DAY AGENDA
Working together, we will:
- Make Oakland safer by investing in public safety and violence prevention programs;
- Root out corruption and usher in a new era of ethics, transparency, and accountability;
- Provide more housing, education and economic development in historically underrepresented communities, our downtown, and business corridors;
- Provide shelter, services, and programs to our unhoused population;
- Restore Oakland as a beacon for innovators; for artists and builders; and for women, entrepreneurs, and small business owners;
- Create opportunities that lift all families and communities in safe, thriving neighborhoods
In my first hundred days, I will take immediate action to address our challenges, including;
- Bringing together Police Department leadership and representatives from all business corridors to improve public safety strategies.
- Working to secure Oakland’s fair share of resources from Alameda County to address the homelessness crisis and provide meaningful solutions, including housing and support services.
- Staffing up blight reduction crews and partnering with the District Attorney’s Office to aggressively prosecute illegal dumping, improving Oakland’s neighborhoods and quality of life.
- Convening the CEOs of the 10 largest Oakland employers to develop public-private initiatives that enhance economic growth and advance public safety.
- Directing permitting reform to streamline city processes and reduce bureaucracy for small businesses.
- Appointing a taskforce of ethics experts and good governance advocates to modernize Oakland’s Charter, ensuring stronger accountability and transparency in city government.
- Conducting a forensic audit of city contracts to ensure public funds are spent effectively and responsibly by contractors and non-profits.