🗳️ Special Election: Oakland Mayor Endorsement

Vote Loren Taylor for a new generation of Oakland leadership

Last November, 60% of Oaklanders voted to recall Sheng Thao, signaling widespread frustration as our city faced serious challenges: a public safety crisis, a perpetual budget deficit pushing Oakland toward potential bankruptcy, and a lack of confidence in our city’s direction.

Put simply, voters made it clear: Oakland is not on the right track.

On April 15, we will elect Oakland’s next mayor. While real decision-making in our city depends on both the mayor’s office and the city council, the next mayor will have the opportunity to set the tone for our future.

As with all our endorsements, we encourage voters to hear directly from the candidates:

• Read their responses to Empower Oakland’s detailed questionnaire

• Watch their in-person interviews with our endorsement committee

• Attend live and virtual events to ask your own questions and learn more

Today, we are proud to endorse Loren Taylor for Mayor of Oakland. His vision, experience, and practical approach make him the best choice to lead Oakland forward.

If you believe in a better future for Oakland, please consider donating to and/or volunteering for his campaign.

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Oakland Mayor Endorsement

Rank #1: Loren Taylor

Loren Taylor is the most prepared candidate to be Mayor of Oakland, and all Oakland voters should rank him #1. He is the only viable candidate with experience in City Hall — and the only one championing common sense, practical ideas to improve our city. In fact, many of Oakland’s most popular reforms originated from Taylor, and are now being embraced by multiple Mayoral candidates and other leaders. He’s also presented by far the most detailed policy positions and practical plans across public safety, housing, budget stabilization, business revitalization, and government accountability.

Proven Track Record

As a city council member, Taylor had a track record of getting things done in Oakland:

• He fought back efforts to defund the police, advocating for an outcomes-focused approach to public safety

• Taylor authored and secured unanimous support from the city council to pass the city’s first encampment management policy

• He created the “Blue Ribbon Equitable Business Tax Task Force” which brought together community and business stakeholders to identify solutions that encouraged economic development

Taylor’s record reflects a dedicated leader willing to take on tough problems and work across differences to deliver real solutions.

Public Safety

Taylor believes in fully staffing our police department, using technology to improve the efficiency of our officers, and reducing red tape that prevents police from doing their jobs. His 10-point plan on public safety is by far the most detailed plan we’ve seen from any candidate in the last year.

Budget & Economic Growth

Taylor understands that truly stabilizing Oakland's finances requires addressing the structural deficit — an issue he's been sounding the alarm about for years. Taylor's background in business is particularly well suited for this challenge. Taylor intends to:

• Focus on renegotiating the city’s contracts that are crippling our spending

• Pursue grants and other funding opportunities to grow city revenues

• Decouple the sale of the coliseum from the city budget to avoid using short-term fixes to address long-term problems

Taylor has expressed a willingness to make the hard, undoubtedly unpopular, choices to steer Oakland away from bankruptcy, rebuild a healthy, sustainable budget, and lay the foundation for long-term economic growth.

Why Loren Taylor Over Barbara Lee?

Taylor’s main opponent is Barbara Lee, who has been a formidable force in national politics for the past 25+ years, representing Oakland on the national stage with dedication and resolve throughout her long and distinguished career in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Lee could be a powerful spokesperson for the city, helping to rebuild Oakland’s reputation with businesses and the public. Her ability to bring people together and leverage political relationships at the county and state levels could be valuable assets, particularly when it comes to securing resources and funding. These are positives we can get behind.

However, we are cautious about Lee for multiple reasons:

• Lack of policy depth: She has been exceptionally light on policy details, offering little insight into how she would actually tackle the most pressing issues.

• Limited understanding of city government: Lee has admitted she is unfamiliar with Oakland’s inner workings.

• Support for the status quo: Lee backed Mayor Sheng Thao despite mounting evidence of corruption and incompetence. And we are concerned Lee would continue the status quo rather than change it.

New Generation of Leadership

On balance, while we respect Lee’s contributions in Congress, Taylor offers more than just experience and practical policies — he represents a new generation of leadership. He’s focused, goal-oriented, and unafraid to make tough calls. As an engineer by training, he tackles problems by digging into root causes and is driven by what works.

All this leads us to believe Taylor is the right leader, who will make the right decisions on behalf of all Oaklanders as the city navigates the very real challenges ahead.

We encourage all Oakland voters to rank Loren Taylor #1 for mayor.