Nearly 5,000 new apartments were built in Oakland's downtown area between 2018 and 2020, but less than 4% of those units were below market rate. If Im looking at (her) legacy, I dont think she left her successor in a particularly great spot, Lindheim added. The outcomes and conditions in the city arent as positive as anybody would like. Is that fair for an overall eight year period? Then theyll need to lift us up. Schaaf spent her entire first day as mayor in 2015 at the Oakland Police Department, demonstrating tone-deafness to the people at a time when thousands of Oaklanders were in the streets protesting OPD shootings of Black folks. December 21, 2022 / 6:55 PM The outcomes and conditions in the city arent as positive as anybody would like. [14], During her tenure on the city council, Schaaf fought to raise the minimum wage,[15] voicing her support for Measure FF,[16][17] also known as Lift Up Oakland, a $12.25 minimum wage ballot initiative which passed in a landslide on November 4, 2014. Schaaf said building housing at all income levels is key if the city hadnt, high income workers would have taken over the existing naturally affordable units. In addition to repaving, Schaaf created a Department of Transportation and a 311 system that residents can call to report potholes and damaged roads. She has made good on the promise to invest in police: The Oakland Police Departments share of the Oakland General Fund ballooned from $194 million per year, in the last budget put forward by Schaaf's predecessor, to $353 million per year in 2022-23 an 80% increase in just eight years. There is no doubt with a million worth fortune; she holds several lavish properties; however, nothing official has been released on this topic. This is out of control.. But as she prepares to leave office, with the city still facing tremendous problems, Oakland's 50th mayor was reluctant to evaluate her own performance. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (left) and her assistant, Sun Kwong Sze, wave to honking motorists as they stand at the intersection of 82nd and Bancroft avenues during a Ceasefire Night Walk in 2020. Some leaders have pointed to Schaafs tenuous relationships with city unions, which have protested long hours and understaffing during tense contract negotiations, as a reason for the vacancies. A year later, her Drake-backed fried chicken chain opens first Oakland restaurant this week. She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. Oakland is a challenging city to govern, said Doug Linney, a political consultant in the East Bay. Fort Funston visitors beware: A World War II era structure fell off a proposed multibillion-dollar waterfront ballpark and surrounding development, ending nearly 20 years under federal oversight, Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll released in October, equipped an entire generation of children, one of the nations largest guaranteed income programs. "And for me it was to fix the damn pot holes!" She referenced them as she looked back on her time in office. The department is tantalizing close to ending nearly 20 years under federal oversight in May, if it can continue to comply with court-mandated reforms. Since 2015, the first year of Schaafs mayoral tenure, Oakland residents have become increasingly pessimistic about the city. A city audit found that nearly half of the participants returned to homelessness. While making the rounds, she shooed a rat away from a blanket covering someone sleeping in the pergola. / CBS San Francisco. However, she doesnt only do social works to gain peoples trust. Its the kind of foundational investments that she did in her tenure that will bear fruit for the city of Oakland in the long-term, Moss said. It does not store any personal data. No one can argue that Schaaf didn't try. The Just Recovery Budget totals more than $3.85 billion over the next two years, as shown in the table below: "As the City begins to recover from the devastating impact of the COVID pandemic, this Just . [8] She then became the program director[9] for the Marcus A. OAKLAND -- At her final news conference Wednesday, outgoing Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf reflected on her eight years at the helm of one of the Bay Area's most enigmatic cities. Ask Amy: I'm young and hot, and I just got two of my older clients pregnant, Harriette Cole: My husband can't remember what he did on New Year's Eve, and I can't forget, The Bay Area's 10 best new bakeries, from Los Gatos to Danville to Emeryville, Dear Abby: It makes me queasy when my boyfriend sends roses to my office for no reason, Miss Manners: These two moms tried to shame me for cutting in the supermarket line, Dear Abby: Because of a patio heater, we've been dragged into their messy divorce, Harriette Cole: I'm hurt by my best friend's surprising behavior. We created several public-private partnerships to test innovative approaches with private dollars, like the Cabin Community Shelter Model and Keep Oakland Housed that prevented 1800 families a year from entering homelessness and won HUD's National Partnership Award. At best, her tenure has been mixed, said Jim Ross, a political consultant based in Oakland. It also lays out her political achievements and failures as the citys 50th mayor for the past eight years. She oversaw the city as it dealt with tragedy when the Ghost Ship fire killed 36 people at a warehouse party. She easily won reelection in a 10-candidate field in 2018. She oversaw the city as it dealt with tragedy when the Ghost Ship fire killed 36 people at a warehouse party. Schaaf said if she could go back in time to 2015, when she first took office, she would give herself one piece of advice: That homelessness would explode the way that it did and that its not just the countys responsibility, its everyones responsibility, Schaaf said. 2022-12-11 - Daniel Borenstein is editor of the East Bay Times opinion pages. We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. This bloated police budget has done nothing to improve public safety; in fact,annual homicides increased from 93 when Schaaf took office to 133 in 2021. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. How much should you worry? Born and raised in Oakland, Ive always felt such pride in our beautiful, diverse city. Schaaf presided over a city that has gone through a complete transformation, from a housing boom to exploding homelessness. This tool lets you decide, Two major shifts sparked mental health crisis for California's LGBTQ youth, Heres everything you can bid on as the Twitter auction begins, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Polling showed Schaaf was widely popular in 2015, the year after her first mayoral election. Libby had disappointed so many people., De La Fuente finished a distant third. With so much of Oaklands budget flowing to policing, the city has been hobbled in its response to questions of basic governance and infrastructure. "And I wouldn't be surprised if I continue to be an advocate at the state and federal level to truly make housing a right. While nearly 20,000 new housing units have been built in her time, homelessness also grew by 131% since 2015. Learn how your comment data is processed. OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Police are investigating an act of vandalism at Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's house. Elizabeth Beckman Schaaf (born November 12, 1965) is an American politician who has been Mayor of Oakland, California since 2015. Libby Schaaf is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. 16. A key component of Schaafs strategy to addressing homelessness is the community cabin program, which moves unhoused people into temporary structures. Every so often, shed pause and point to the building where her mother lived or the white Victorian home where she got married. Controversial Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland, Calif., is touting her opposition to President Trump's policies against illegal immigration -- while mayoral challengers criticize her for the. document.write(sentence); Before the sun rose on a brisk February morning, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf looked around Lake Merritt and counted the number of people sleeping on the street for the bieennial point-in-time count. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Borenstein: Libby Schaafs devastating political fall from grace, Borenstein: Oakland school trustee seated even though he probably lost election, Borenstein: Seeno v. Seeno becoming building empires War of the Roses. My general sense is if Libby cant do it, boy, its going to be hard for anybody because she really had the experience, the skills and the general chops to be able to do it.. Show this thread. Despite voters suggesting a different form of leadership, Schaaf said she hopes residents will remember her as a fighter. During her tenure, Oakland has undergone an economic revitalization and building boom, as well as cut gun violence in half. Report a Problem to OAK 311. [4][5], Schaaf was born in Oakland, California, on November 12, 1965. Mayor Libby Schaaf was born and raised in Oakland, which she proudly describes as, "The most unapologetic Sanctuary City in America.". Other legal experts pointed to similar policies in cities like New York, which have been ruled constitutional. [22][23][24] In her announcement,[25] Mayor Schaaf said that the focus will be on, "sustainable strategies that can bring needed change quickly to city streets. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. The next mayor has their work cut out to get us out of the hole Schaaf has dug us into. As Schaaf exits on Jan. 2, she leaves behind a crime-ridden city with inadequate police staffing, unfunded retirement liabilities that have grown from about $2.4 billion a decade ago to $3. Speaking more about her educational background, she holds a B.A. This is the gem of Oakland and its completely trashed, the woman said, pointing to the people sleeping on the street. Her political allies on the council when she became mayor were all eventually ousted or opted not to seek reelection. But by the time this years election season began, the Libby brand had plummeted so far that her endorsement was considered by some to be a liability. Mayor of Oakland Libby Schaaf reacts after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics at Oracle Park on June 25, 2021, in San Francisco. The programs success is mixed. Outside the Oakland Mayor's office, there is a photo gallery of all the bearded, stern-faced men who have served in the past 168 years. Still, she acknowledged, its not enough. While controversial, she said she considers that an accomplishment that will one day be realized. Her "17K/17K Housing Plan" has helped increase Oakland's affordable housing . And respondents were overwhelmingly concerned with gun violence 97% said its an extremely or very serious problem, and 88% said the same about crime. Bas said council members regularly hear from residents about their frustration with the lack of services trash, illegal dumping and sanitation and said its been a significant problem. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. As the town awakened that February morning and more people flocked to the lake for their daily jog or walk, a woman approached Schaaf. When Oakland Mayor Elect Thao takes over, she may find -- as Schaaf did -- that in a city like Oakland, some problems are just too big for one person to fix. In addition toOakland Cares, Schaaf is also active as the Leadership Council atKiva, another non-profit organization. "You know, I always tell little kids who ask, 'What's it like being the mayor of Oakland?' SACRAMENTO - Governor Gavin Newsom and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf issued the following joint statement regarding the Wood Street encampment clearing: "The Court's indication that it will lift the injunction in a week means Caltrans will hopefully be able to proceed to clean up the most dangerous portion of the . November 4, 2014 Oakland mayoral election, List of mayors of the 50 largest US cities, "Councilwoman Libby Schaaf files to run for Oakland mayor", "Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf wins re-election", "Mayoral election in Oakland, California (2018)", "Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf Is Our East Bay Person of the Year", "De La Fuente to challenge Schaaf for Oakland mayor in 2018", "Mayor-elect Schaaf: Now is 'Oakland's time', "Oakland voters approve two tax measures, minimum wage hike", "Gov. Overall, since Mayor Schaaf took office while the total OPD budget grew by over 80% Oaklands Public Works budget has increased by only 38%. Cat Brooks is an award-winning actress, playwright, the executive director of the Justice Teams Network, the co-founder of the Anti Police-Terror Project and the host of "Law & Disorder" on KPFA. My general sense is if Libby cant do it, boy, its going to be hard for anybody because she really had the experience, the skills and the general chops to be able to do it.. As she departs because of term limits, Schaaf leaves the mayors office and seven of the eight City Council seats in the hands of her political opponents, a hard-left, union-driven coalition that swept the table in last months balloting. All housing helps the homeless crisis and all housing at all income levels has helped slow gentrification and displacement of Oaklanders, Schaaf said in a recent interview with The Chronicle. We created Oakland's first Rainy Day Fund, adopted stronger fiscal practices, and grew the economy leading to Oakland's highest credit rating on record. That dissatisfaction also extended to the citys leadership 42% of the polls respondents rated Schaafs performance poorly. Every so often, shed pause and point to the building where her mother lived or the white Victorian home where she got married. She holds a B.A. She equipped an entire generation of children with college savings accounts and universal preschool. var today = new Date(); Stop doing the bidding of the corporate landlords and wealthy developers. In May 2015, Mayor Schaaf instituted a ban on un-permitted nighttime marches on public roadways in Oakland, citing existing city policies. Mayor Libby Schaaf's Final Report Dearest Oaklanders, Born and raised in Oakland, I've always felt such pride in our beautiful, diverse city. The cabin community idea was really unheard of at the time, said Moss, who also served as Schaafs chief of staff for the first two years of her mayoralty. The chambers poll also found that 97% of respondents said homelessness is either an extreme or very serious problem. The cabin community idea was really unheard of at the time, said Moss, who also served as Schaafs chief of staff for the first two years of her mayoralty. Oakland needs a mayor who will listen to our communities and prioritize them over profit. On the flip side, Mayor Schaaf failed to build 5,000 units of affordable housing, as required by the state to meet Oaklands affordable housing requirements, and only issued permits for 22% of the mandated affordable housing. She added that Schaafs administration also changed zoning codes to allow for different types of interim housing. As Schaaf exits on Jan. 2, she leaves behind a crime-ridden city with inadequate police staffing, unfunded retirement liabilities that have grown from about $2.4 billion a decade ago to $3 billion in 2021, and general fund budget shortfalls projected to reach more than $100 million in each of the next two fiscal years. Unless the two groups can somehow coalesce, labor leaders will continue to fill the political vacuum. As a politician, she needs to maintain a healthy image in the crowd. A Bay Area native, he holds masters degrees in public policy and journalism from University of California, Berkeley. McManus: Are Americans ready for a long, frozen conflict in Ukraine? These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. But homelessness experts say its a quick and cost effective way to get people indoors. Oaklands next mayor is eager to hit the ground running. The first enforcement of this ban was on May 21, during a #SayHerName[29] march, a nationwide coordinated march focused on ending state violence against black women and girls in the US. Stop giving all our money to an inefficient police department without making necessary changes. Political experts say that while Oakland is grappling with major issues the housing and homelessness crises and violent crime Schaaf deserves credit for leading the city through some of its toughest times, including the pandemic. 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