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. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was a target of HBO's Bill Maher on Friday night over her handling of a controversy surrounding supposed nooses found at Lake Merritt. ICEs acting director Thomas Homan stated that ICE failed to arrest around 800 people because of the alert. On the flip side, Mayor Schaaf failed to build 5,000 units of affordable housing, as required by the state to meet Oaklands affordable housing requirements, and only issued permits for 22% of the mandated affordable housing. 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. Speaking more about her educational background, she holds a B.A. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. In 2016, Schaaf wrote a voter-approved $600 million bond measure that helped fund street improvements. Is that fair for an overall eight year period? 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. 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. Travel | The tiny Bay Area town modern life forgot: Canyon, CaliforniaTahoe| The wondrous story of Tahoe's most eccentric tycoonLocal| The story behind that odd pantry in the wall in old SF homesHistory| Remembering the ugliest thing San Francisco ever built, Libby Schaaf will go down as one of the worst mayors in Oakland history, Rainfall totals for parts of the Bay Area so far are staggering, Tenn. burger boss says who should be scared of In-N-Out's arrival, Worst yips in sports history might be key to 49ers-Cowboys, 10 ephemeral waterfalls appear in Yosemite after Calif. storms, Shanahans onetime best friend calls Purdy lesser Mac Jones, WW II structure falls 200 feet from cliff onto SF beach, McDonalds in San Francisco tourist hub permanently closes, The hidden Bay Area school that always has a waitlist, Global pop star announces SF show at Chase Center, Horoscope for Wednesday, 1/18/23 by Christopher Renstrom, Mudslides trigger evacuations, close roads in Berkeley Hills, Fox maybe-accidentally shows PG-13 sign about 49ers' Purdy, United Nations condemned Schaafs treatment of the unhoused, Oaklands affordable housing requirements, issued permits for 22% of the mandated affordable housing, the Town spends 10 times as much on police as it does on housing, closing as many as 12 encampments a month. 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That first year, 24% of likely voters said the city was on the wrong track and 61% said it was headed in the right direction, according to the Chamber of Commerce annual poll. Two sports teams left the city and a third, the Oakland As, has threatened to leave if their proposed multi-billion dollar waterfront ballpark and surrounding development doesnt move forward. By clicking Accept, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The programs success is mixed. 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. But there were other problems that have proven far more difficult to repair. The numbers speak for themselves. But Schaaf, attempting to placate the Left, failed to alert her public to the extent she could and should have. she exclaimed. [1], Schaaf won the November 4, 2014 Oakland mayoral election in the 14th round in ranked choice voting with 62.79% of the vote. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. As the town awakened that February morning and more people flocked to the lake for their daily jog or walk, a woman approached Schaaf. Official Website for the City of Oakland | Mayor Sheng Thao. The 50th Mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaaf, is a happily married woman. Some leaders have pointed to Schaafs tenuous relationships with city unions, which have protested long hours and understaffing during tense contract negotiations, as a reason for the vacancies. When elected in 2014, Schaaf benefitted from following Jean Quan and Ron Dellums, two largely ineffectual mayors, said veteran political consultant Larry Tramutola. Which Bay Area city is best for you? She oversaw the city as it dealt with tragedy when the Ghost Ship fire killed 36 people at a warehouse party. When Oakland Mayor Elect Thao takes over, she may find -- as Schaaf did -- that in a city like Oakland, some problems are just too big for one person to fix. So the council, which shifted from roughly evenly split to labor dominance during Schaafs tenure, has had the final word on the citys budget and the votes to stymie the mayors police-staffing goals. Let's learn more about her in today's article. People tend to be remembered by the end of their administration and if that Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll is any indication, shes not being well-remembered, said Dan Lindheim, a former city administrator and current professor at UC Berkeleys Goldman School of Public Policy. And while crime in Oakland dipped to some of its lowest levels early in Schaafs tenure, the spike in violent crime is at an all-time high for the first time in nearly a decade. This tool lets you decide, Two major shifts sparked mental health crisis for California's LGBTQ youth, Heres everything you can bid on as the Twitter auction begins, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Jeff Tumlin was named Interim Director[25] of the department in June 2016. Oakland is a challenging city to govern, said Doug Linney, a political consultant in the East Bay. Your email address will not be published. Bas said council members regularly hear from residents about their frustration with the lack of services trash, illegal dumping and sanitation and said its been a significant problem. I hope Im remembered as someone who fought for Oakland as we experienced this huge moment of growth, Schaaf said. While Schaaf ushered in a building boom, Lindheim said the housing crisis in Oakland is worse than ever., They grossly under-performed targets of moderate housing and they greatly over-performed targets of market rate housing, Lindheim said. Is that fair for an overall eight year period? A year later, her Drake-backed fried chicken chain opens first Oakland restaurant this week. She is right that the contentious environment on the council discouraged prospective candidates. Her name wasn't on the ballot, but the 2022 Oakland elections were a disaster for outgoing Mayor Libby Schaaf, the culmination of her eight-year fall from grace. 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. Elizabeth Beckman "Libby" Schaaf (born November 12, 1965) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. Moss said shes eager to see how Schaafs legacy will live on from her investments in education for Oakland children to implementing Ceasefire, the citys flagship anti-violence program. 2022-12-11 - Daniel Borenstein is editor of the East Bay Times opinion pages. The programs success is mixed. That wasnt her goal, Schaaf said. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Under Schaafs watch, Oakland Public Works has downplayed and covered up toxic sewage leaks into city creeks and Lake Merritt. Stop criminalizing and dehumanizing our unhoused neighbors. And respondents were overwhelmingly concerned with gun violence 97% said its an extremely or very serious problem, and 88% said the same about crime. Facts of 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. 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. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served on the Oakland City Council. An estimated 60% or more are Black. A city audit found that nearly half of the participants returned to homelessness. That is understandable because that is what developers want to build, but thats not necessarily what Oakland needs.. Libby Schaaf hosts her final news conference as Oakland mayor this month. She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. They are literally the antithesis of everything we say we stand for. Since Schaaf took office, the number of unhoused Oaklanders has increased by 130%. As Schaaf, a moderate, leaves office, the progressive Sheng Thao is preparing to take over. Executive director of EveryOne Home Chelsea Andrews (left) and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf walk together as they count homeless people around Lake Merritt in February. Despite new property taxes championed by Schaaf and rapidly rising revenues, the city remains plagued with the same key problems present when Schaaf was elected mayor eight years ago. Her in today & # x27 ; s learn more about her background. People because of the Democratic party, she previously served on the council prospective... Toxic sewage leaks into city creeks and Lake Merritt fought for Oakland as we this. 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