Barbara Lee

Mayor

Barbara Lee is the 52nd Mayor of the City of Oakland

Mayor Barbara Lee's swearing in. Photo from City Attorney Ryan Richardson
Mayor Lee

Mayor Lee's Plan for the First 100 Days in Office

  1. Bring together Police Department leadership and representatives from all business corridors to coordinate and improve public safety strategies.
  2. Focus on securing Oakland’s fair share of money from Alameda County to address our homeless crisis.
  3. Convene the CEOs of the 10 largest Oakland employers to discuss public-private initiatives that can improve Oakland’s economy and increase public safety.
  4. Deploy vegetation management crews to clear hazards in the city’s high fire danger zones.
  5. Appoint a taskforce of League of Women Voters, ethics, and good government experts to modernize Oakland’s Charter and strengthen government accountability.
  6. Direct permitting reform to streamline city processes and reduce bureaucracy for small businesses.
  7. Generate entrepreneurial and philanthropic investment in Oakland by convening local, state, and national civic leaders.
  8. Staff up blight reductions crews and partner with District Attorney’s Office to aggressively prosecute illegal dumping.
  9. Direct the City Council to pass a budget that prioritizes public safety and stabilizes the city’s finances
  10. Audit city contracts to ensure public funds are being spent effectively by contractors and non-profits.

Stay tuned to this page for updates as together we drive progress on these priorities!

Biography

Barbara Lee was elected Mayor of Oakland in a historic Special Election conducted on April 15, 2025.

Prior to her election, Mayor Lee represented the people of Oakland as the community’s award-winning California State Assembly Member, California State Senator, and U.S. Congressional representative for nearly three decades.

As Oakland’s Congresswoman, Mayor Lee secured billions of dollars to improve Oakland’s neighborhoods and quality of life -- including funding for local police officers, firefighters, and community safety programs; money for safer and greener streets; resources to uplift small businesses; and hundreds of millions to expand and green the Port of Oakland. She is the first Black woman to be elected Mayor of Oakland.

Mayor Lee has historically been a strong advocate for ethics reform and budget accountability, common sense gun reform, the expansion of home ownership opportunities, and effective solutions to homelessness -- experience she will use in her executive position as Oakland’s Mayor.

During her years as a graduate student, Mayor Lee founded the Community Health Alliance for Neighborhood Growth and Education (CHANGE), a community-based mental health center and is also a former small business owner. A clinical social worker by profession, Mayor Lee received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Mills College and her Masters in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley.