Brenda Grisham

Security
Grisham's central pitch is public safety, and she describes the race as being about "the people, the fight for our neighborhoods, and the future of Oakland." Her site says she supports pushing for stricter gun-control measures in coordination with local, state, and federal partners, alongside community violence-intervention programs meant to address crime at its roots rather than only after it occurs.

Governance
She frames her candidacy around government accountability and transparency, arguing that Oakland's dysfunction comes from no one being clearly responsible for solving specific problems, and pledges to put a single person in charge of tackling each major issue facing the city. She casts this kind of administrative discipline, more than any single policy program, as her core qualification for the job.

Economy
On the economic side, Grisham says she wants to support local businesses and spur economic development, alongside efforts to stabilize housing costs for existing residents. She has offered fewer specifics here than on public safety, but consistently ties economic revival to the same neighborhood-by-neighborhood approach she applies to crime.

Infrastructure
Grisham also emphasizes basic city upkeep, including improving street conditions and other core services, and argues that durable change in Oakland requires building a solid institutional foundation first. As she put it, "you have to build a foundation to make a difference."