Oakland voters have an opportunity to begin recovering from the city’s recent political scandals when they vote for a new mayor in the April 15 special election. Former congressmember Barbara Lee, who long represented the city in the House of Representatives, is our choice for mayor. She has considerable political connections that should serve the Town well, and is a solid ally to the LGBTQ community.
Residents of Oakland’s District 2 will also elect a new city councilmember to complete the term of former councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas, who was elected last November to serve on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. In that race, we endorse Charlene Wang, a lesbian who ran for the council’s at-large seat last fall but came up short. Wang would be the third out woman on the council, and we believe her perspective on local issues fits well with the district that includes Chinatown, part of Lake Merritt, and the Jack London Square and San Antonio neighborhoods.
Lee
After former mayor Sheng Thao was recalled by voters last November, the depth of the scandal became clear when she was criminally indicted by the federal government on bribery offences. (Thao has pleaded not guilty.) The U.S. Department of Justice essentially outlined a pay-to-play case involving Thao and her romantic partner, Andre Jones, who was also charged and has pleaded not guilty. Residents also became aware of the city’s daunting budget challenges and have continued to speak out on homelessness and public safety concerns.
With the city facing a $129 million structural budget deficit, Lee stated in her questionnaire that she has a track record of bringing billions of dollars in federal funding to Oakland, during both Democratic and Republican administrations. While President Donald Trump and Elon Musk seek to drastically cut federal funding, Lee stated that she will work with her successor, Congressmember Lateefah Simon (D) and California’s two Democratic U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff “to ensure that Oakland can leverage all federal funding for important projects that impact our neighborhoods and quality of life.” She also stated that the city will need to work with Alameda County and state leaders. Lee indicated she will prioritize fiscal responsibility, bring in new resources, and ensure that city dollars are spent efficiently. “My plan to get Oakland back on track: 1) increase revenue without burdening residents; 2) control spending and ensure fiscal responsibility; 3) strengthen our long-term financial stability.”
Lee stated that she supports Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, whom Thao hired after she fired former chief LaRonne Armstrong in early 2023. “Public safety is a top priority for the city, and I understand that Oakland needs stable leadership on this issue as well as across the board,” Lee wrote. “Through his leadership to date, Chief Mitchell has demonstrated that he is a committed public servant.” She added that she would evaluate leadership roles in the city before making any decisions.
It is Lee’s record on LGBTQ issues, however, that sets her apart from the other candidates. Lee has, quite simply, always been there for the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities. Most readers are aware of the leadership Lee took on establishing the bipartisan President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, during the George W. Bush presidency (an example of her working with Republicans), and for which funding was cut by Trump after he returned to the White House in January.
Lee is steadfast in her support for the transgender community in the face of Trump’s executive orders stripping rights from trans people. “As mayor, I would proudly support our transgender neighbors, especially transgender youth,” Lee stated. “I will do everything in my power to ensure that the trans community here in Oakland are not just welcome, but loved and celebrated.” She also stated that she wants to ensure the city can expand gender-affirming health care access and ensure that city services “are inclusive, strengthen workplace protections and provide job training for trans individuals, and improve data collection on trans-specific issues to develop targeted policy solutions.”
While Lee has not had local government experience, we believe her decades in state and federal office have prepared her well for this new role. Oakland is a city that needs a steady voice at the helm, and Lee is that person.
Wang
Wang brings experience working for the Biden administration, advising on civil rights and environmental justice at the Environmental Protection Agency, where her duties included helping communities hold polluters accountable and supporting organizations that apply for grants. Like other employees impacted by the Trump administration’s moves to shrink the federal government, Wang is currently on administrative leave.
In her endorsement questionnaire, Wang stated that she supports the city hiring a full-time grant writer to seek funds – the Thao administration famously missed out on the city receiving a share of a $267 million state retail theft prevention grant in 2023 – and she reviewed grants in the Biden administration. She would train her staff to be part-time grant writers and use her officeholder account to contract with a grant-writing technical assistance provider to help the city, she stated in her questionnaire.
Wang is realistic when it comes to supporting LGBTQ nonprofits and other agencies that work with queer youth. She stated that while the city does not have the capacity to provide direct grants right now, it can offer technical assistance for grant-writing. She also wants to strengthen partnerships between LGBTQ nonprofits and city government so that they can leverage assets like city-owned facilities for events and services.
“Furthermore, I would actively advocate for policies that specifically protect LGBTQ individuals, with an emphasis on queer youth, LGBTQ elders, and queer people of color,” she stated. This includes implementing robust anti-discrimination laws and streamlining processes for LGBTQ organizations to secure city contracts or other forms of municipal support, Wang added.
The Jack London Square neighborhood has lost many businesses lately, the most recent being the closure of the Waterfront Hotel. The Port of Oakland manages real estate in the square, and Wang stated she would work with the port to reduce its commercial rents.
“I see Jack London Square as having the potential to become an Oakland center of nightlife and entertainment,” she wrote, adding she would work to cut red tape for licensing venues such as clubs, galleries, and arcades. She’d like to reduce parking fees in public garages and improve transit from downtown BART stations to the Amtrak station just off the square to encourage foot traffic. “I am proud that one of the projects the $4 billion infrastructure program I stood up is funding $2 million in improvements to the unsafe underpass between Jack London and downtown/Chinatown,” she wrote, referring to the Biden administration program she worked on.
Wang would be an asset on the City Council, joining queer colleagues Janani Ramachandran (District 4) and Rowena Brown (at-large).