Former congressmember Barbara Lee told a crowd of supporters that she's ready to lead Oakland as her mayoral campaign kicked off its headquarters opening over the weekend. The longtime progressive Democrat is seen as the frontrunner in the special election to choose a leader following the recall of former mayor Sheng Thao.
Lee, who long represented Oakland and surrounding cities in Congress, left the House of Representatives in early January. She had run unsuccessfully for California's open U.S. Senate seat last year. A potential position in a Kamala Harris administration failed to materialize when Republican Donald Trump was elected president.
After Oakland voters recalled Thao in the November 5 election, and Trump won the presidency, progressives began talking about Lee as a mayoral candidate. There is precedent for such a move. The late former mayor Ron Dellums, Lee's mentor, served in Congress for decades before returning home to lead the East Bay city from 2007-2011.
In early January, Lee officially declared her mayoral candidacy. The April 15 election will be to complete Thao's term, which goes through 2026. Last summer, Thao found herself in the center of a wide-ranging federal corruption probe into Alameda County politics when FBI agents raided her home. In January, she was criminally indicted on federal corruption charges and has pleaded not guilty.
Lee's campaign headquarters is at 12th Street and Broadway in downtown Oakland. Supporters and volunteers filled the large room and gave Lee a rousing welcome.
"We're at a critical crossroads here in Oakland," Lee said during her remarks. "I will be ready to hit the ground running. I will be a hands-on mayor."
Lee, 78, touted recent endorsements of the Alameda County Democratic Party; Oak PAC, the political arm of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce; and the Alameda Labor Council.
Lee said she's learned in the last two to three months that "every sector wants the city to move forward."
There will be difficult decisions ahead for whomever wins the mayor's race. Lee's major opponent is former city councilmember Loren Taylor, who officially filed last month, as the Bay Area Reporter previously reported. Oakland faces a daunting $280 million budget shortfall that has already seen two fire stations in the hills temporarily closed. At the February 8 Lee event, queer City Councilmember Janani Ramachandran told the crowd that a third fire station has also been closed.
The Taylor campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
"The City of Oakland needs help," Ramachandran said, adding that seasoned leadership like Lee's is needed.
Lee said that public safety and sheltering the unhoused are top priorities, along with economic development to draw businesses to the city.
"I also recognize that Oakland is a vibrant community," she said, but added, "in many places, morale is down, people don't have hope."
She noted the city's well-known restaurant scene, which has been nationally recognized. "Everybody wants to come and see Oakland," she said.
Ramachandran told the B.A.R. that she believes Lee is the right person to lead the city in this time of challenges.
"I'm very proud to support a seasoned stateswoman with a sense of professionalism and maturity Oakland needs right now," she said.
Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas helped Ramachandran introduce Lee. Bas formerly served on the Oakland City Council and was acting mayor for a few weeks in December before she began in her new role as the county's District 5 supervisor.
"She knows how to bring people together," Bas told the audience, adding that Lee has integrity and has worked on ethics reform at the federal level.
Bas also noted that during Lee's time in Congress, she brought money back to Oakland and the East Bay. According to a mailer Lee sent to constituents just before she left Congress, she secured $47.5 million in community project funding since 2022.
Former Oakland mayor Jean Quan told the B.A.R. she also supports Lee for mayor.
"We need someone who can unite the city, and she'll hit the ground running with her national contacts," Quan said. "As a leader in the Black and progressive caucuses in Congress, she'll get resources for the city. She's worked so hard on so many projects – the Chabot Science Center, the sea wall, and Port of Oakland."
Queer at-large Oakland City Councilmember Rowena Brown was also at the event.
"It really is a dream come true to support her and work alongside her," Brown told the B.A.R. "I've worked alongside her and always looked up to her. There's so much work she's done for the East Bay and Oakland."
Marilyn King, a lesbian and former Olympic athlete, told the B.A.R. that she's supporting Lee for mayor.
"We need people who understand the systemic challenges," said King, an Oakland resident who competed in track and field at the 1972, 1976, and 1980 Olympics. She also said she and her partner were one of the first same-sex couples to march in the San Francisco Pride parade 37 years ago.
Another supporter is Judith Wilhyte, a straight ally and Oakland resident.
"I've known her behind the scenes for years," said Wilhyte. "She was a go-to person in Washington."
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