Barbara Lee sworn in as 52nd mayor of Oakland, which faces $270M budget deficit

Barbara Lee sworn-in as 52nd Mayor of Oakland, first Black woman to serve in the city's highest office

Barbara Lee received a standing ovation on Tuesday as she entered the Oakland City Hall to take the oath of office. A congresswoman for three decades, Lee becomes the first Black woman to serve as Oakland's Mayor, after winning a special election to serve the remainder of recalled Mayor Sheng Thao's term.

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland's new mayor, Barbara Lee, was sworn in on Tuesday at Oakland City Hall as the city's 52nd mayor. 

"So to the good people of Oakland, I'm honored to serve as your mayor," Lee said to cheers and claps. "Your spirit, your resilience and your grit are unmatched."

The former East Bay congresswoman was introduced to the dias by Barbara Leslie, the president of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, and Keith Brown, executive secretary of the Alameda Labor Council. 

"Today marks the beginning of a new era in Oakland," Leslie said. "One of united leadership and collective progress. Oakland's toughest challenges cannot be solved by policy alone. It takes people. People in this room working together across neighborhoods, backgrounds and beliefs to build solutions that serve everyone." 

As would any mayor of Oakland, Lee is facing several major challenges as she becomes the new mayor, including how to deal with a budget deficit of $270 million over the next two years.

And she addressed just that during her ceremony, which filled up seats in the main council chambers, forcing spectators to spill over in another room.

"Oakland punches above its weight," Lee said, noting she is a graduate of Mills College and has lived in several Oakland neighborhoods. "You know, it's hard work to put Oakland back on the right track." 

Before the swearing-in ceremony, Lee said she's been working with interim Mayor Kevin Jenkins on a sweeping budget proposal that includes job cuts at city hall, while making money for public safety a priority.

Aside from the budget, Lee laid out her lofty goals, too. 

Lee said she wants to "restore hope, create opportunities for our young people, ensure a safe path for our sons and daughters to have long, productive lives and to be housed in our own homes in a safe, clean city." 

Citing her long progressive ideals, Lee also said she wanted to "address the moral disgrace of our unsheltered population with dignity, to support our senior citizens and our artists, and yes, to recommend solutions to make our city and its people economically healthy and vibrant." 

Lee's congressional successor, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon celebrated Lee's swearing in and issued a statement that read in part: "Mayor Lee has always led the path forward— as the first Black woman to represent Northern California in the State Assembly, State Senate, and Congress, and now as the first Black woman to serve as Mayor of Oakland as well."

She called Lee a champion for human rights, the forgotten, for peace and democracy. She said Lee is right person to make the sometimes difficult decisions that will only help bring Oakland into its next chapter. 

"I am excited to see the Mayor’s work to rebuild trust in our city’s leadership at this critical time," Simon said. 

Lee was elected mayor last month after defeating former councilman Loren Taylor in a special election.

That special election was held after former Mayor Sheng Thao was recalled in November. 

Lee didn't mention any of that, but did say that she knows "Oaklanders expect and demand that we must govern in a new way. And y'all know me, right? Where there's a will, there's a way. And it starts with the people." 

She said within the next 100 days, her administration plans to bring in people "from all walks of life" to help inform City Hall how to better serve the people and "usher in a new era of prosperity and progress."