Oakland mayor-elect Barbara Lee lays out plans for public safety, economic growth
Oakland mayor-elect Barbara Lee lays out plan for first 100 days
Oakland mayor-elect Barbara Lee says she plans to use her federal experience as a Congresswoman representing Oakland for three decades to help the city get back on track to be clean, safe, and thriving.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Barbara Lee entered the Chamber of Commerce on Monday to applause from her supporters.
The former congresswoman is now the apparent mayor-elect of Oakland.
All ballots, except those mailed on Election Day, have been counted, and with ranked-choice voting results included, Lee holds a 52% to 47% lead over Loren Taylor.
Loren Taylor congratulates Barbara Lee
What they're saying:
Over the weekend, Taylor conceded to Lee, saying, "I pray that Mayor-Elect Lee fulfills her commitment to unifying Oakland by authentically engaging the 47% of Oaklanders who voted for me and who want pragmatic, results-driven leadership."
"I have spent the last 30 years of my service representing all of Oakland. All of Oakland. Not just the voters who voted for me. So let the word go out that I mean that," Lee responded.
Loren Taylor congratulates Barbara Lee in Oakland's mayoral race
Voter reactions were mixed, with some praising Lee’s leadership and others expressing disappointment over low turnout and the ranked-choice voting system.
Mayor-elect ready to get down to business
What's next:
Lee met with interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins on Monday morning and said she is ready to get to work leading the city, even as it faces a public safety crisis and projected ongoing budget deficits of more than $130 million.
"I'm going to address the structural challenges that impact everything here from the budget to whether we can walk on our streets safely," Lee said.
"We had a long talk this morning, specifically about the budget, specifically about transition planning," Jenkins said. "The most important thing is that our mayor-elect is able to hit the ground running."
Jenkins said the city is preparing for a quick transition.
The city charter says the city council must vote to approve results at a regular meeting, so he estimates they can have Lee sworn in within two weeks after the county registrar certifies the results.
Lee began with a moment of silence for the late Pope Francis, saying she was raised Catholic and met Pope Francis several times.
Lee's plan for first 100 days
Dig deeper:
Lee said her goals for her first 100 days include bringing Oakland police and businesses together to coordinate on public safety, increasing blight reduction crews, code enforcement, conducting a forensic audit of all city contracts, and convening a meeting with Oakland's ten largest employers to create public-private partnerships.
"To bring them together to talk about what is important for them, to maintain their workforce here in Oakland, to grow their workforce here in Oakland, and to attract more businesses to the city," said Barbara Leslie, President and CEO of the Metro Chamber of Commerce."Southwest Airlines is a major employer, Clorex, Kaiser, obviously PG&E moving their headquarters here last year. Blue Shield, we've got some tech companies here, Credit Karma."
Lee announced Monday that Leslie and Keith Brown, secretary of the Alameda County Labor Council, will be co-chairs of her transition team.
"We are stronger if we are all working in the right direction, the same direction," Leslie said.
Lee said she plans to build on a broad coalition and use her federal experience to work with the White House.
"If there are areas we can work with the Trump administration, of course, I'm going to make sure we have a voice and a seat at the table," Lee said.