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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBarbara Lee (left) and Loren Taylor are running for Oakland mayor in the April 15 special election. Credit: Kelly Sullivan<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are nine candidates running for Oakland mayor<\/a>, but two have garnered the most financial support<\/a> and media attention: former Councilmember Loren Taylor and former Congresswoman Barbara Lee. Oaklanders will have a chance to vote for multiple candidates on April 15, but these two stand the greatest chance of winning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taylor and Lee have presented different visions<\/a> of how they would approach the job of being mayor. While they agree on many things, at a recent debate, Lee emphasized her desire to unite people while Taylor talked about needing to fix a broken city. Taylor said the city needs to be self-sufficient while Lee said Oakland should demand its fair share of resources from the state and the feds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Those are the broad-stroke differences. On a more granular level, the candidates also diverge in key areas on the policies they\u2019d like to pursue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To get a clearer picture of what distinguishes the candidates from each other, we looked at their campaign websites, public statements, and media interviews. Here\u2019s what we found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee and Taylor share some similar ideas for how to make Oakland safer. They both want to fully staff the city\u2019s 911 call center and continue funding the anti-gun violence program Ceasefire<\/a>. They each embrace a public safety strategy that includes traditional police services along with violence intervention and prevention programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, their plans do have some noteworthy differences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Taylor and Lee both want to hire more police officers but disagree on the right number, and they\u2019ve outlined different paths to increase staffing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both candidates believe OPD\u2019s policy on vehicle pursuits<\/a> may need to change, although they haven\u2019t shared many details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee and Taylor both say they support programs that provide a non-police response to some kinds of crisis situations, but they disagree about what to prioritize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee and Taylor share some views about Oakland\u2019s finances and local economy. They agree it was a bad idea to tie the sale of the Oakland Coliseum<\/a> to the city\u2019s budget<\/a>, and they both believe an expert should take a closer look at Oakland\u2019s finances. They want to help small businesses by improving security in commercial corridors. They\u2019re both firmly behind Measure A<\/a>, the proposal to increase the rate of Oakland\u2019s sales tax from 10.25% to 10.75%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They both want to cut waste, rein in spending, and avoid relying on one-time funding. But they don\u2019t agree on how to deal with the city\u2019s employees, who have already borne dozens of layoffs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Never miss a story.<\/strong> Sign up for The Oaklandside\u2019s free daily newsletter.<\/strong>Email<\/p>\n\n\n\n Police overtime spending<\/a> is one of the larger factors driving the budget deficit. Both candidates have talked about addressing it, but it\u2019s unclear if they agree on a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both candidates plan to drum up more revenue for Oakland. They also believe the city needs to chase philanthropic dollars and cut waste. But they differ on some other strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They both agree small businesses are important, and have promised to cut red tape and streamline permitting. But they have different strategies to help that part of Oakland\u2019s economy. Taylor\u2019s plans are more detailed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While both support services to help homeless people find housing and mental health care, Taylor plans to take a more aggressive approach than Lee when it comes to sweeping encampments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee and Taylor each have plans to build more housing in Oakland. They share an interest in streamlining permitting for new housing . But their strategies differ sharply in other areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The candidates have both promised to create mechanisms for holding elected officials and special interests more accountable. But they\u2019re focusing on different areas and tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both candidates support reviewing the City Charter to potentially make big changes to the powers and authorities of city government, but not for the same reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n eli@oaklandside.org<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eli Wolfe reports on City Hall for The Oaklandside. He was previously a senior reporter for San Jos\u00e9 Spotlight, where he had a beat covering Santa Clara County\u2019s government and transportation. He also worked as an investigative reporter for the Pasadena-based newsroom FairWarning, where he covered labor, consumer protection and transportation issues. He started his journalism career as a freelancer based out of Berkeley. Eli\u2019s stories have appeared in The Atlantic, NBCNews.com, Salon, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. Eli graduated from UC Santa Cruz and grew up in San Francisco.More by Eli Wolfe<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From MACRO to homeless encampments, Lee and Taylor have different plans for Oakland. by\u00a0Eli Wolfe March 19, 2025 (Oaklandside.com) Barbara Lee (left) and Loren Taylor are running for Oakland mayor in the April 15 special election. Credit: Kelly Sullivan There are nine candidates running for Oakland mayor, but two have garnered the most financial… Continue reading Skip ahead<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Public Safety<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Oakland\u2019s budget crisis and the local economy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Homelessness and housing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/oaklandside.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/housing-construction-oakland.jpg\")
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Government ethics, accountability, and transparency<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Oakland](\"https:\/\/oaklandside.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/large-Oakland-City-Hall-08.jpg\")
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ELI WOLFE<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n