Barbara Lee Wins a Full Term, and Oakland Gives Her the Power She Asked For

OAKLAND — Eighteen months after she took over a city that had just recalled its mayor, Barbara Lee asked Oakland for two things: four more years, and more power to use them. Oakland said yes to both.

CBS News projected Wednesday that Lee won a full four-year term, and it wasn’t close. Three challengers split what was left, among them Brenda Grisham, a community organizer who helped lead the recall of former Mayor Sheng Thao. Measure EE, the “strong mayor” charter amendment Lee backed, passed too, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

“Whether you voted for me or not, we are one Oakland,” Lee told cheering supporters at a downtown watch party. “You told me what you want and that’s safer streets, cleaner neighborhoods, affordable housing, good jobs. No excuses, you wanted results.”

What Measure EE changes

Oakland has run on a hybrid system. Like most California cities, it leaned on a professional administrator for key functions, but it also elected a mayor. KQED described a city caught between two models, with blurred lines of accountability. Measure EE picks one. It will:

• Make the mayor the chief executive over city departments and operations.
• Give the mayor a veto over legislation and budget line items. The eight-member City Council can override with six votes.
• Give the mayor more control over hiring and firing department heads and other staff.
• Make City Council a full-time job with higher pay.

Lee’s case was simple: residents can’t tell who is in charge. “People get the run around, city services are not delivered,” she told KQED before the election. Gail Wallace of the League of Women Voters Oakland said the split system muddied who could be held accountable. “The wires got crossed,” she said.

Opponents called it a power grab. Resident Ben Gould noted the mayor won’t have to attend council meetings. “I think it makes the mayor harder to hold accountable,” he said. Former Councilmember Loren Taylor, who lost to Lee in last year’s special election, urged voters to imagine any future mayor with these powers. “It’s not just about Barbara Lee,” he said.

KQED reported that District 2 Councilmember Charlene Wang also won reelection.

For years, Oaklanders have asked who is responsible when the city falls short. Now the answer is shorter. It’s the mayor. And for the next four years, the mayor is Barbara Lee.

Results are unofficial until certified by the Alameda County Registrar of Voters. This report draws on CBS News, KQED, the San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland North.