As we reach the 50-day mark of my administration, I want to share what we've learned during this critical "listening and learning" phase, and how we're transitioning into decisive action mode - "leading" - to accomplish goals set forth in my 10 point plan.
Your participation has been extraordinary, and the insights you've shared are now driving real change across our city.
Oakland faces serious challenges, but we're making meaningful progress. Together, we're building a city where every neighborhood is safe, clean, and thriving.
Effective governance requires genuine community engagement. From day one, I've ensured Oakland residents are active partners in shaping our city's direction.
Over the past month, we held four Listening Sessions across Oakland (East Oakland, Montclair, Temescal, and Grand Lake). More than 300 people from all walks of life showed up to share their thoughts and to ask insightful questions.
Public Safety:
• Faster police response times
• Aggressive action against illegal sideshows
• Evidence-based violence prevention addressing root causes
• Community policing that rebuilds trust
• Accountability measures ensuring professional law enforcement
Infrastructure and Quality of Life:
• Illegal dumping turning neighborhoods into eyesores
• Pothole-riddled roads damaging vehicles
• Broken streetlights creating safety hazards
• Inconsistent street cleaning and maintenance
• Need for comprehensive neighborhood beautification
Economic Opportunity and Small Business Support:
• Streamlined permitting processes
• Faster, more transparent city services for business owners
• Support for diverse-owned businesses, including those owned by people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities
• Job creation programs providing pathways to the middle class
• Investment in commercial corridors anchoring neighborhood prosperity
These sessions are the foundation of my governing philosophy. Every concern raised is being addressed through targeted working groups, policy initiatives, and budget priorities.
Over the last 50 days, I brought together local experts and community leaders to shape real solutions. As a former colleague said: those closest to the pain should be closest to the power.
Public Safety Working Group: Five Priorities for Reform
Led by Pastor Mike McBride, the group identified five key areas for immediate action:
Youth and Families – Expand mentorship, jobs, and support to keep young people safe and thriving
Business Corridor Safety – Make our commercial districts safer for workers, owners, and customers
Violent Crime Prevention – Use proven strategies to stop cycles of violence and retaliation
Community-Centered Policing – Rebuild trust through accountability and partnership
Public Health and Street Safety – Tackle the root causes: poverty, trauma, and inequity
Next Steps: Their final report is coming this week, but we’re already moving forward. These ideas are guiding our 2025 budget, staffing, and policy agenda.
One of our most important behind-the-scenes efforts involves securing Oakland’s proportionate share of Alameda County’s Measure W funding. Although Oakland makes up just 24 percent of the county’s population, we are home to 58 percent of its unsheltered residents - more than 70 percent of whom are Black. We conducted a comprehensive racial equity impact analysis that makes the case clearly: decades of disinvestment have created deep disparities, and the data demands a response rooted in justice.
Our Multi-Pronged Advocacy Strategy:
This work exemplifies our approach: use data to demonstrate need, build coalitions to amplify our voice, and maintain persistent advocacy until we achieve the outcomes Oakland residents deserve.
The first 50 days were about building the foundation — assembling teams, assessing challenges, and designing real solutions. Now we’re focused on action residents can see and feel.
Wildfire Prevention: Protecting Our Hills and Our Future.
2025 Vegetation Management is On Track: We’re on pace to clear over 1,300 acres of hazardous dry brush on city land and key evacuation routes.
Our plan includes:
Wider Geographic Coverage – Crews are clearing brush from East Oakland hills to Grass Valley Road
Youth Jobs – Civicorps youth are gaining job training while clearing parks like Joaquin Miller
CAL FIRE Support – State teams are boosting local efforts with added resources
Eco-Friendly Tools – Goat crews are managing brush in a sustainable, Oakland-style way
Community Partnerships – Groups like Friends of Sausal Creek and Sogorea Te’ ensure our work is rooted in stewardship
Emergency Readiness
Our budget ensures that every Oakland fire station is open and fully staffed. We’re protecting lives through both prevention and rapid response.
The Permitting process in Oakland can be a source of frustration for residents and businesses trying to improve their properties or start new ventures. After extensive analysis and community input, we're addressing the core problems with immediate improvements — with more on the way.
Areas of improvement:
Our Keep The Town Clean initiative represents a fundamental shift from reactive cleanup to proactive community stewardship, with equity and youth development at the center.
Summer 2025 Action Schedule: Every District, Every Community
We're launching high-visibility cleanup events in every Council District, targeting illegal dumping and blight near schools and youth-serving facilities. This isn't charity work — it's community investment with clear equity principles:
Long-Term Strategy: Sustainable Change
Monthly Mini-Bulky Block Parties: Starting within 50 days, monthly events with dumpsters, compost stations, and educational booths to make legal disposal easier than illegal dumping.
Business Corridor Maintenance: Ongoing abatement targeting high-traffic commercial areas for clean, walkable access.
Trash Compliance Campaign: 60-day "amnesty period" with compliance checks, outreach, and support for residents needing waste services.
Technology Upgrades:
Community Partnerships: Youth intern programs and Race & Equity Office ensuring fair service delivery while creating employment pathways.
One of our most significant early accomplishments was passing a balanced budget that closes Oakland's historic deficit while protecting services and investing in community priorities. Working closely with the City Council, we secured funding for key initiatives that reflect our listening session priorities:
Major Budget Victories:
This budget reflects our values: fiscal responsibility without abandoning community investment, public safety through multiple approaches, and economic development that benefits all Oakland residents.
The transition from listening to action begins now. Your voices are being heard, priorities are clear, and plans are ready for implementation.
What You Can Expect: Concrete Deliverables and Timeline
Lot 2270 Plaza: Empty Lot to Community Space
On June 25, we dedicated Lot 2270 Plaza in Uptown—transforming an empty lot into a space where people can gather, rest, and connect. The plaza represents collaboration between Councilmembers Carroll Fife and Rowena Brown, city teams, the Uptown Downtown BID, and local businesses.
During the week of June 23, I hosted a Hospitality Roundtable focused on keeping Oakland active day and night with nighttime safety measures, faster permits, and local branding campaigns; A Large Employers Meeting where I addressed employee safety, parking, transit, and good-paying jobs with tailored security plans and workforce training; A Business Owners Session that brought together BIDs and city teams to create a "culture of yes" at City Hall with fast-track permits and corridor beautification.
Elaine Brown Way - Last week, we unveiled this West Oakland street naming that honored the Black Panther leader, author, and affordable housing developer whose work shaped our city.
Ms. Margaret Gordon West Port - I joined EBALDC for the grand opening of new supportive housing development, named for the lifelong environmental justice activist who embodies West Oakland's spirit.
Major League Cricket at the Coliseum - I amplified Major League Cricket's debut on the West Coast at our Oakland Coliseum. With $3 million in stadium improvements, this was exactly the kind of investment that showcases our city's potential on an international stage.
Co-Founders the Musical - On July 6, I celebrated the final performance of this groundbreaking hip-hop musical at A.C.T.'s Strand Theater. Created by Oakland talent, telling Oakland's story—this is our creativity and social justice legacy on stage.
Fruitvale Merchants Meeting – Met with local business owners in Fruitvale to hear firsthand about their priorities, including improving public safety, reducing illegal dumping, and creating a more supportive environment for small businesses to thrive. We discussed ways the City can strengthen partnerships to better meet the needs of this vibrant commercial corridor.
Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council – Joined the Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council to address persistent concerns around blight, sanitation, and public safety. The conversation focused on strengthening city services, supporting legacy businesses, and ensuring that Chinatown remains a safe, clean, and welcoming destination for residents and visitors alike.
Visit by Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett to the Black Cultural Zone – Welcomed Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett to the Black Cultural Zone in Deep East Oakland and enjoyed a meaningful dialogue on community-driven development and economic opportunity.
My appointments to the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners -
Our Oakland community recently lost a giant. Dan Siegel, a longtime friend of mine and a pathbreaking civil rights lawyer who fought for workers, unions, and human rights advocates over five decades of civil practice, died on July 2 in Oakland. He was 79.
Born in the Bronx and shaped by his commitment to civil rights struggle, Dan's journey to Oakland began when he was arrested in Mississippi while working with the Congress on Racial Equality to register voters. A National Lawyers Guild attorney got him out of jail—an experience that inspired his own legal career.
A Legacy of Legal Victory and Social Justice
Dan's legal career was defined by landmark victories on behalf of thousands of plaintiffs seeking protection for their civil, labor, and First Amendment rights. He represented workers across industries, defended protesters, and as chief of complex litigation for San Francisco, led employment discrimination settlements that guaranteed affirmative action in hiring and promotions.
Oakland Leadership and Community Service
Dan's commitment to Oakland extended beyond his legal practice:
His final public appearance was a speech at Oakland's "No Kings" rally on June 14, where he urged the crowd filling Oscar Grant Plaza to oppose authoritarianism and white supremacist movements. Dan understood that democracy requires constant vigilance and active participation.
To Anne, Michael, Christopher, and the entire Siegel family: Oakland grieves with you. Dan’s legacy of justice lives on in every life he touched and every victory he won for our community.
Rest in power, Dan.
As I close this newsletter, I'm thinking about what good government can accomplish when it listens to residents and acts on their priorities.
We have momentum. We have partnership between residents and government. We have the foundation for sustained progress.
The challenges remain serious. Our budget situation requires ongoing vigilance. Public safety concerns demand continued attention. Housing and homelessness need sustained investment. Infrastructure maintenance requires consistent funding. Economic development needs ongoing support.
But Oakland has always been a city that faces challenges head-on, brings people together across differences, and finds innovative solutions to complex problems. That's who we are. That's what we're doing. That's why I remain optimistic about our future.
This is Oakland's moment. We're bringing our diverse communities together to build a city where everyone feels seen, heard, and supported. We’re moving from crisis to opportunity, and from listening to action. Your partnership makes it all possible.
Let's keep moving forward together.
In solidarity and service,
Mayor Barbara Lee
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