Oakland officials are eyeing an expansion to the city's police force to confront the increase in violent crime, which has resulted in more than 115 homicides so far this year.Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (D) said her office is drafting a proposal to put before the City Council that would increase the number of active police officers and require the city to maintain a larger police force . Schaaf presided over a city that has gone through a complete transformation, from a housing boom to exploding homelessness. Libby Schaaf hosts her final news conference as Oakland mayor this month. For more news and updates about your favorite stars, please stay connected with us atFeatured Biography. Manjoo: Your gas stove may be killing you. OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Police are investigating an act of vandalism at Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's house. "My other disappointment is I was able to budget for a police force of nearly 800 officers, but never actually able to reach that staffing number," she said. When elected in 2014, Schaaf benefitted from following Jean Quan and Ron Dellums, two largely ineffectual mayors, said veteran political consultant Larry Tramutola. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. "I know I put my heart and soul into serving my beloved hometown," she said. Schaaf said the biggest challenges from her time in office are the problems she inherited from previous administrations from deteriorating roads with no plans to fix them to a non-existent response to homelessness. Street paving plans are held up by a shortage of 63 staff positions in the Department of Transportation. And the pandemic has undercut the growth in business migration to Oakland that was so promising just a few years ago. 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. On her very first day in office, Schaaf was awakened by protestors at her home, and she was later criticized for touring the city with police officers. While Schaaf ushered in a building boom, Lindheim said the housing crisis in Oakland is worse than ever., They grossly underperformed targets of moderate housing and they greatly over-performed targets of market rate housing, Lindheim said. Her style was that of a practical progressive; vocal on social justice issues, but also determined to deal with real-world problems. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. From 2010 to 2020, the city population increased by 50,000, but the Black population shrank by 14% and the number of Black youth under 18 decreased by 29%. 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. Further, she is the mayor of Oakland, California, as of 2020. As Schaaf, a moderate, leaves office, the progressive Sheng Thao is preparing to take over. She added that the city has 2,200 affordable homes in the pipeline ready to be built. Here Are Four Ways to Spot Greenwashing, The School Board Queen Endorsed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, The School Board Queen: How a Florida Mom Is Shaking Up US Education, The Idea of Parental Rights in Education Goes Back to the 1950s, Ryan Salame Invested Big In ASmall Town, Now Its Tangled Up In FTXs Fallout(Podcast), Fight to Regulate Crypto atCrossroads as Ripple Ruling Looms. Schaaf failed to expand MACRO, a model for mental health emergency support to Oaklanders that does not lead with law enforcement, and which could free up officers to handle actual crime. 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 . That is understandable because that is what developers want to build, but thats not necessarily what Oakland needs.. Once again, lots of folks tout themselves as progressives, but just like Schaaf they are neoliberals co-opting language that they hope will fool voters and get them elected. The tiny Bay Area town modern life forgot: Canyon, California, The wondrous story of Tahoe's most eccentric tycoon, The story behind that odd pantry in the wall in old SF homes, Remembering the ugliest thing San Francisco ever built, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). She added that the city has 2,200 affordable homes ready to be built. An estimated 60% or more are Black. The outcomes and conditions in the city arent as positive as anybody would like. [11], In 2006, Schaaf joined the Port of Oakland as the Director of Public Affairs,[12] helping to secure state and federal funding for the city of Oakland, as well as directing all strategic communications for the port. [31], Schaaf alerted city residents to imminent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in February 2018, earning criticism from some federal authorities. Indeed, shes a millionaire. Those times also include overseeing a police department plagued with a sex scandal and once cycled through three police chiefs in just nine days in 2016. var sentence = "Copyright " + "© " + year; De La Fuentes entry into the campaign, the division in the business community and the lack of a potent Schaaf-backed political operation cost Taylor the race. We did not have a structure in place to deal with it. Required fields are marked *. As the town awakened that February morning and more people flocked to the lake for their daily jog or walk, a woman approached Schaaf. "You know, I always tell little kids who ask, 'What's it like being the mayor of Oakland?' Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. "I like to think that I'm leaving them with the bases loaded.". There was a lot of criticism around the type of cabin, but the fact of the matter is she was thinking about interim housing before most jurisdictions in the region were thinking about it.. Hear the latest economic, business and market news, as well as global, national, and local news. Facts of Moreover, she never capitalized on her early popularity and the bully pulpit of the mayoral post to build an effective fund-raising and grassroots political operation that could be mobilized in support of political allies. Some political experts say Oakland is a tough city to be in charge of balancing the different interests of residents. Schaaf won the November 4, 2014 Oakland mayoral election in the 14th round in ranked choice voting with 62.79% of the vote. During her tenure, Oakland has undergone an economic revitalization and building boom, as well as cut gun violence in half. Skelton: California has lots of catching up to do on flood management, Opinion: How facial recognition will transform airport security. We did not have a structure in place to deal with it. But she didnt galvanize that into a political force.. . The amount of money that was spent on Ignacio was a waste, said Tramutola. Libby Schaaf will go down as one of the worst mayors in Oakland's history. Some political experts say Oakland is a tough city to be in charge of balancing the different interests of residents. Meet Mayor Libby Schaaf. In South African townships oppressed because of unemployment, crime, drugs and violence, and where many of the population are suffering from HIV and Aids, this inspiring feature-length documentary follows the journey of six people who transform themselves through yoga, and documents the impact that yoga has on their families, and communities. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Heres what Sheng Thao plans to do first, Is Oakland more progressive than San Francisco? After the rally, demonstrators began to march onto the street. The IRS announced you can file your taxes starting Jan. 23. When I became the mayor, it wasnt a top concern. Its been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Oaklands 50th Mayor during the eventful years of 2015-2022. Schaaf has also been a strong advocate for locating a ballpark for the A's at Howard Terminal in the Port of Oakland. 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. It was her most-consequential failing. Schaaf, 54, grew up in Oaklands District 4, where she attended Head-Royce School and Skyline High School. She led Oakland through not easy times.. If we follow her actions, we think we can feel she loves what she does. 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. Despite those advances, some city leaders criticized Schaafs administration for failing to deliver basic city services. "And for me it was to fix the damn pot holes!" In 2009, Schaaf graduated from Emerge California, a training program for women who aspire to elected office.[13]. In 2016, Schaaf wrote a voter-approved $600 million bond measure that helped fund street improvements. And with the passage of Measure U, an $850 million bond measure that Schaaf co-wrote with council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, the city will have more money to put toward creating affordable housing. We think it isnt surprising for you guys to learn that Libby Schaaf is into charities work. She instituted one of the nations largest guaranteed income programs for low-income residents and launched a widely lauded program called Keep Oakland Housed, which provides rent checks and legal representation for residents at risk of homelessness. He pointed out the citys facing the highest levels of crime and violence in a decade, a massive increase in homelessness, a potential financial collapse and the loss of more than a third of Oaklands Black population. 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. Weve had to respond to the crisis while building a whole new system that did not exist in City Hall just six years ago.. Libby has Stargardt's Mascular Dystrophy disease, which is a deteriorating eye condition that has left the athlete with only slight peripheral vision in her left eye. "There are moments of just unbelievable joy, like riding in that first Warriors' victory parade and seeing just the beauty of Oakland on full display. As stated, earlier, the numbers speak for themselves. a widely lauded program called Keep Oakland Housed, changed zoning codes to allow for different types. 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 . She is right that the contentious environment on the council discouraged prospective candidates. In 2016, Schaaf wrote a voter-approved $600 million bond measure that helped fund street improvements. Rain finally came to California. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani. His candidacy was always a longshot, especially given his troubled two-decade tenure on the council, but it sucked up more than $500,000 of outside spending that could have helped Taylor counter more than $700,000 of independent expenditures for Thao. By October, that had plummeted to 35%. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani. "I have every confidence that the A's and the new mayor, Sheng Thao, will get this deal done," she said. Oakland politics do not divide between Democrats and Republicans, or liberals and conservatives. gallery owner who sprayed homeless woman in viral video apologizes. Some of the highest vacancy rates are in key city functions about 30% of jobs in the building department and nearly a third of positions in the transportation department are open. All Rights Reserved.Site by Value-Centered Solutions. Libby had disappointed so many people., De La Fuente finished a distant third. Foster Educational Institute in 1995, creating and running a new volunteer program for the Oakland Unified School District. We created Oakland's first Department of Transportation, 311 Call Center, Infrastructure Bond Program, and Equity-driven Paving Plan, which delivered Oakland's all-time record for roads replaced 100 miles in 3 years! 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. She instituted one of the nations largest guaranteed income programs for low-income residents and launched a widely-lauded program called Keep Oakland Housed, which provides rent checks and legal representation for residents at risk of homelessness. While controversial, she said she considers that an accomplishment that will one day be realized. As Schaaf, a moderate, leaves office, the progressive Sheng Thao is preparing to take over. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. 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. There is no doubt with a million worth fortune; she holds several lavish properties; however, nothing official has been released on this topic. The persistent level of vacancies that Oakland has had in key departments, like public works, planning and building, has really impacted Oaklands ability to provide the basic services, Bas said. With so much of Oaklands budget flowing to policing, the city has been hobbled in its response to questions of basic governance and infrastructure. In addition to that, shes a former member of the Oakland City Council. Officers say theyre overwhelmed by call volume, and data shows the majority of these calls are for noncriminal events such as issues related to homelessness and mental health. Rep. Katie Porter, a Democratic star . She added that Schaafs administration also changed zoning codes to allow for different types of interim housing. A key component of Schaafs strategy to addressing homelessness is the community cabin program, which moves unhoused people into temporary structures. Schaaf presided over a city that has gone through a complete transformation, from a housing boom to exploding homelessness. McManus: Are Americans ready for a long, frozen conflict in Ukraine? The City Council today is similarly unpopular. The programs success is mixed. Overall, since Mayor Schaaf took office while the total OPD budget grew by over 80% Oaklands Public Works budget has increased by only 38%. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Elizabeth Beckman Schaaf (born November 12, 1965) is an American politician who served as the 50th Mayor of Oakland, California from 2015 to 2023. 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. For the first time in recent history, Oakland will have a progressive mayor and a progressive-majority City Council the outcome of the November election, which Ross called a repudiation of Schaafs time in office. 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. 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. Libby Schaaf is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. Speaking more about her educational background, she holds a B.A. She equipped an entire generation of children with college savings accounts and universal preschool. He has worked for the Times and its affiliated newspapers since 1980, including previous assignments as political editor, Sacramento bureau editor, projects editor and assistant metro editor. Her mother was a flight attendant. Meanwhile, with Schaaf gone, more politically moderate residents who once backed her and this year subscribed to Taylors pragmatic progressive approach have almost no representation or political organization to fall back on. In addition to repaving, Schaaf created a Department of Transportation and a 311 system that residents can call to report potholes and damaged roads.
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