Barbara Lee

Economy
Lee points to a series of steps meant to make Oakland easier to do business in, including faster permit reviews for downtown small businesses, a same-day permit-approval option, and a multimillion-dollar investment in modernizing the city's permitting system. She also highlights passing a balanced city budget and creating the One Oakland Fund, a philanthropic vehicle she says has already drawn hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside commitments to support city priorities.

Security
On public safety, Lee cites funding for five new police academy classes, added money to crack down on illegal sideshows, and a new corps of community safety ambassadors deployed to commercial corridors in partnership with business owners and police leadership. She frames these steps as part of a broader push to reduce gun violence and stabilize neighborhoods that struggled under previous administrations.

Infrastructure
Lee created a new Office of Homelessness Solutions and says she has lined up county and state funding for housing assistance, framing homelessness as a problem to be solved by building capacity rather than relying on enforcement alone. She also touts a citywide cleanup effort her campaign calls "Keep the Town Clean," which it says has hauled away thousands of tons of illegally dumped debris, alongside wildfire-prevention work that cleared more than a thousand acres of brush in high fire-risk zones and secured state CAL FIRE grant funding.

Governance
Lee has convened a charter reform working group tasked with recommending changes to how Oakland's city government operates, with findings expected around November 2026, and points to a partnership with the League of Women Voters aimed at making City Hall more transparent and efficient. She presents this institutional-reform push as central to restoring public trust after a period of scandal and turnover at the top of city government.