Oakland Mayor · Nov 3, 2026
Barbara Lee
Candidate for Mayor (incumbent)
Barbara Lee, the incumbent, is running for mayor of Oakland in the Nov 3, 2026 election, against Brenda F. Grisham, Mindy Ruth Pechenuk and Julius Robinson.
Vote-by-mail ballots start going out; early voting opens at the Registrar's office · Mon, Oct 5, 2026
TodayRepresented Oakland in the California Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives for over three decades before winning an April 2025 special election for mayor.
- Occupation (from candidate statement)
- Mayor, City of Oakland
- Endorsed by
- Lists endorsements from current and former Oakland mayors Jerry Brown, Elihu Harris, Kevin Jenkins, Jean Quan and Libby Schaaf, among others. Barbara Lee campaign site
- Campaign website
- barbaralee4oakland.com
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
Where Barbara Lee stands: positions on the record
Charter reform (Measure EE)3 sourced positions
Signed the official ballot argument in favor of Measure EE, the strong-mayor charter amendment.
“You elect a Mayor to do a job, and you should be able to clearly judge their performance.”
Own statementCity of Oakland
Cast the tie-breaking vote to put her charter amendment making the mayor chief executive on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot (council tied 4-4, June 2026).
Council voteOakland City Council minutes, June 16, 2026 · Jun 16, 2026
Told the council the strong-mayor measure is about letting voters decide the future of their government, as reported by The Oaklandside.
“This measure is not about me — and it’s not about any of us in this chamber”
Own statementThe Oaklandside · Jun 16, 2026
Budget / Measure FF1 sourced position
Signed the official ballot argument in favor of Measure FF, which would apply the real estate transfer tax to foreclosures.
“In just the first half of 2026, this loophole has cost Oakland up to $25 million.”
Own statementCity of Oakland
Budget1 sourced position
Championed the Measure E parcel tax, which voters rejected; told The Oaklandside the city needs to look at how it raises revenue.
“We have to do more, and that’s about raising revenue, and we have to look at how we raise revenue”
Own statementThe Oaklandside · Sep 28, 2026
Police staffing1 sourced position
Said she is committed to staffing the police department with 700 officers as Measure NN requires, as reported by The Oaklandside.
“We just can’t keep the police recruiting the way it has been in the past”
Own statementThe Oaklandside · Sep 28, 2026
Data centers1 sourced position
Announced support for a temporary moratorium on building data centers in Oakland, as reported by The Oaklandside.
Own statementThe Oaklandside · Sep 28, 2026
Past candidacies2 sourced positions
Ran for Mayor of Oakland (short term) in 2025 (won).
Own statementAlameda County Registrar of Voters · Apr 15, 2025
Ran for U.S. Representative, 12th Congressional District in 2022 (won).
Own statementAlameda County Registrar of Voters · Nov 8, 2022
What Barbara Lee said vs. how Barbara Lee voted
Charter reform (Measure EE)
In their words
Told the council the strong-mayor measure is about letting voters decide the future of their government, as reported by The Oaklandside.
Jun 16, 2026 ·The Oaklandside · Jun 16, 2026
On the record
Cast the tie-breaking vote to put her charter amendment making the mayor chief executive on the Nov. 3, 2026 ballot (council tied 4-4, June 2026).
Jun 16, 2026 ·Oakland City Council minutes, June 16, 2026 · Jun 16, 2026
Also running for Mayor
All 9 Oakland candidates →Every claim here links to its source and was checked against it before publishing. How this guide works →
See something wrong? Report an error
Something wrong or missing? Tell us what and where, with a link to a source if you have one. Reports feed the next verification run.