Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Oakland Mayor & City Council Election 2026

4 of 8

council seats up

4 contests

9 candidates

Updated Oct 2, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check →

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

Mayor · 1 seat

Brenda F. GrishamEast Oakland business owner and public safety advocate who led the successful recall campaign against Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.3sourced
Barbara LeeIncumbentMayor of Oakland since May 2025; current term ends January 20279sourced
Mindy Ruth PechenukEducator with a Bachelor of Music from Queens College; says she has worked on drug-prevention efforts since the 1970s.10sourced
Julius RobinsonFormer executive vice president of corporate social responsibility at MUFG Union Bank.3sourced

City Council District 2 · 1 seat

City Council District 4 · Unopposed

Janani RamachandranIncumbentCouncilmember, District 4, since January 2023; current term ends January 202711sourced

City Council District 6 · 1 seat

All Oakland voters rank up to five candidates for mayor; voters in Districts 2, 4 and 6 also rank candidates for their council seat. Oakland uses ranked-choice voting: if no one has a majority of first choices, last-place candidates are eliminated and their votes move to voters' next choices.

5 notes on these statements

Janani Ramachandran is the only qualified candidate for the District 4 seat. City of Oakland

The League of Women Voters of Oakland scheduled a District 2 forum for Sept. 26 and a mayoral forum for Oct. 3; no District 6 forum is scheduled. League of Women Voters of Oakland

Charlene Wang's campaign site lists Mayor Barbara Lee and Councilmembers Kevin Jenkins, Rowena Brown, Zac Unger, Janani Ramachandran, Noel Gallo and Ken Houston among her endorsers. Charlene Wang campaign site

The advocacy group Empower Oakland has endorsed all of the incumbents running for council and mayor. The Oaklandside · Oct 1, 2026

Oakland voters will also decide two city ballot measures: a charter rewrite that would make the mayor the chief executive, and applying the real estate transfer tax to foreclosures. The Oaklandside · Sep 9, 2026

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

Rowena BrownCouncilmember At-Large; term ends January 20297sourced Carroll FifeCouncilmember, District 3; term ends January 20299sourced Noel GalloCouncilmember, District 5; term ends January 20298sourced Ken HoustonCouncilmember, District 7; term ends January 20298sourced Zac UngerCouncilmember, District 1; term ends January 20298sourced

Officeholders' pages compare what they've said with how they've voted, with sources.

Start here

Match quiz6 questions · answers stay on your phone Seat the CouncilPick winners, see the council What council decidesMeasure EE: a 'strong mayor' for Oakland, Budget and Measure FF, Police staffing and surveillance cameras Key datesDeadlines and vote centers

Next date

Vote-by-mail ballots start going out; early voting opens at the Registrar's office

Mon, Oct 5, 2026

TodayAll key dates

What the next council decides

Measure EE: a 'strong mayor' for Oakland

Where it standsMeasure EE, on the Nov. 3 ballot, would make the mayor Oakland's chief executive with a veto; the council split 4-4 on placing it there and Mayor Lee broke the tie.

What's on the tableIf Measure EE passes, the next council would gain veto overrides and an independent budget analyst while the mayor runs city departments; if it fails, today's system stays.

The council tied 4-4 on June 16, 2026 on placing the charter amendment on the ballot, and Mayor Lee cast the deciding vote. Oakland City Council minutes, June 16, 2026 · Jun 16, 2026
The measure would end the mayor's power to break council ties and let six councilmembers override a mayoral veto. City of Oakland
The city auditor estimates council pay and benefits would rise $36,000 to $108,000 per councilmember under the new salary process. City of Oakland
Measure EE needs a simple majority to pass. The Oaklandside · Oct 1, 2026

Budget and Measure FF

Where it standsVoters rejected the Measure E parcel tax in June, and the council adopted a 2026-27 budget without it; Measure FF would apply the real estate transfer tax to foreclosures.

What's on the tableThe next council will write the 2027-29 budget and, if Measure FF passes, can amend its remaining foreclosure exemptions.

Measure E, a parcel tax Mayor Lee championed, would have raised $34 million a year; voters rejected it. The Oaklandside · Sep 28, 2026
The council adopted the 2026-27 midcycle budget 6-2 on June 12, 2026, with Councilmembers Gallo and Wang voting no. Oakland City Council minutes, June 12, 2026 · Jun 12, 2026
The city auditor estimates Measure FF would raise $10.4 million to $13.8 million in its first year. City of Oakland
The council voted 7-0 on July 7, 2026 to place the foreclosure transfer tax measure on the ballot. Oakland City Council minutes, July 7, 2026 · Jul 7, 2026

Police staffing and surveillance cameras

Where it standsOakland has 601 of 678 budgeted police positions filled and approved a Flock Safety license-plate camera contract in December 2025.

What's on the tableThe next council will fund police academies and staffing levels and oversee camera and surveillance contracts.

The police department is budgeted for 678 officers with 601 positions filled. The Oaklandside · Sep 28, 2026
The council approved a two-year Flock Safety contract of up to $2,252,500 for 291 license-plate reader cameras and 40 other cameras, 7-1, on Dec. 16, 2025. Oakland City Council minutes, Dec. 16, 2025 · Dec 16, 2025
Homicides reached a nearly 60-year low in 2025. The Oaklandside · Sep 28, 2026

Homelessness and encampments

Where it standsIn April 2026 the council replaced the 2020 encampment policy with a 2025 abatement policy that allows towing of lived-in vehicles.

What's on the tableThe next council will fund shelter and oversee how the encampment policy is carried out.

The council adopted the 2025 encampment abatement policy 5-1 on April 14, 2026, with one abstention and one member excused. Oakland City Council minutes, April 14, 2026 · Apr 14, 2026
The point-in-time count fell from about 5,485 to roughly 4,410 homeless residents over two years. The Oaklandside · Sep 28, 2026
The city's Office of Homelessness Solutions aims to cut unsheltered homelessness 50% over five years. The Oaklandside · Sep 28, 2026

Data centers

Where it standsA council committee sent a temporary moratorium on data center approvals to the full council, which takes it up Oct. 6.

What's on the tableThe next council would write the permanent rules for data centers if the moratorium passes.

The Life Enrichment Committee voted 3-0 on Sept. 22, 2026 to send the data center moratorium to the full council. Oakland City Council Life Enrichment Committee minutes (draft), Sept. 22, 2026 · Sep 22, 2026
As an urgency measure, the moratorium needs at least six council votes. Oakland City Council Life Enrichment Committee minutes (draft), Sept. 22, 2026 · Sep 22, 2026
Only one data center project has been proposed for Oakland. The Oaklandside · Sep 23, 2026

Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

1. Should Oakland voters approve Measure EE, making the mayor the city's chief executive with veto power?
2. Should Oakland apply its real estate transfer tax to foreclosures (Measure FF)?
3. Should Oakland keep its Flock Safety license-plate camera contract?
4. How many police officers should Oakland pay for?
5. Should Oakland keep its 2025 encampment policy, which allows faster closures and towing of lived-in vehicles?
6. Should Oakland pause approvals of new data centers while it writes rules for them?

Seat the Council →

Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.

Key dates

Vote-by-mail ballots start going out; early voting opens at the Registrar's officeAlameda County Registrar of VotersOct 5, 2026
Close of the voter registration period (5 p.m.)Alameda County Registrar of VotersOct 19, 2026
10-day vote centers openAlameda County Registrar of VotersOct 24, 2026
Election Day; vote centers open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.Alameda County Registrar of VotersNov 3, 2026

The seat math

5 stay (not up this year): Rowena Brown, Carroll Fife, Noel Gallo, Ken Houston, Zac Unger4 on this ballot

8 council seats plus a mayor who doesn't vote on council items. The council decides by a 5-vote majority.

The City Council has eight members: seven elected by district and one at-large member who represents the whole city. The Oaklandside · Oct 2, 2024
The mayor is elected citywide, is not a member of the council, and votes on council items only when the council is evenly divided. City of Oakland
Oakland voters use ranked-choice voting to elect most local officials, ranking up to five candidates for an office. Alameda County Registrar of Voters
Today the mayor hires and fires the city administrator, who runs day-to-day city operations; Measure EE would change that. The Oaklandside · Oct 1, 2026

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