OAKLAND MAYOR BARBARA LEE took the stage during a community mayoral inaugural celebration over the weekend that brought revelers and politicians alike to Jack London Square.
Lee was sworn in as Oakland’s 52nd mayor on May 20 in City Council chambers, so Sunday’s event was a chance for all members of the community to celebrate both Lee and the city itself.
“Oakland is truly a patchwork of cultures, of stories, of languages stitched together by a shared love of place,” said Lee to the crowd. “Oakland teaches us to listen, yes; to work together, yes; and to dream bigger than any one group can on its own.”
Lee took office after winning a special April 15 election to replace Sheng Thao, who was ousted in a recall vote and subsequently arrested on a slew of federal corruption and bribery charges, which she has denied.
Sunday’s event was punctuated with cultural and musical performances and volunteers wearing “It’s All Love in Oakland” T-shirts.
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie attended, as well as California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, state Sen. Jesse Arreguin, D-Berkeley, Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, D-Oakland, Assemblymember Mia Bonta, D-Oakland, and Oakland City Council president Kevin Jenkins, who served as the city’s interim mayor following Thao’s departure.
“This is truly a great day for Oakland,” Jenkins told the crowd. “In my short two years, I’ve had four different mayors, but I think we got it right this time.”
U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Oakland, led Lee’s public swearing-in, with the mayor’s two granddaughters beside her.
“We are blessed to have a leader of this caliber, a leader of this love,” said Simon in remarks before she brought out the mayor.
“Miss Lee was my professor at Mills College,” she added, saying that Lee allowed her to bring her little girl to class when she was having to choose between school and being a mom.
“Ms. Lee said, ‘You bring that child. We need to create the futures that we want.’”
After the swearing-in, Lee commented that having Simon do the honors was a “full circle moment.”
Leading with ‘openness’ and ‘honesty’
Lee highlighted her plans to inject vitality into the city’s economy, to address safety and housing, and to keep “Oakland’s grit and beauty front and center” with the help of local nonprofits.
“I don’t have all the answers, that’s very clear,” said Lee. “And I don’t expect you to agree with me, which you haven’t even two weeks in,” she laughed. “What I do promise is openness, is honesty, and yeah, relentless effort.”
Upon her election, Lee unveiled a 10-point plan for her first 100 days in office. The plan includes bringing police and business owners together to devise public safety strategies, inviting the CEOs of the city’s 10 largest companies to discuss public-private partnerships, initiating an audit of city contracts and appointing a task force to find ways to “modernize Oakland’s Charter and strengthen government accountability,” among other things.
She said she will also form working groups to focus on such things as housing and homelessness, economic development, good governance, arts and culture and the city’s youth.
Lee, 78, will serve out the remainder of Thao’s term, through January 2027, and could spend much of her term running to retain the mayor’s office.
