Both Loren Taylor and Barbara Lee were sharp and well-prepared for Tuesday night’s Oakland mayoral debate, and both crafted arguments that somehow the other was the bigger enabler of the alleged corruption under former mayor Sheng Thao.
Of the three previous Oakland mayoral debates for the April 15 special election to replace the recalled Sheng Thao, only one had been televised (and only on Zoom at that). And that debate was an absolute embarrassment, because it included a bunch of fringe candidates with no chance of winning, and 80% of the speaking time wentn to these unserious also-rans.
So it was very refreshing that last night’s KTVU debate included only the two most credible candidates: former US Representative Barbara Lee and ex-Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor. There had been some online criticism that the fix was in for Taylor at this debate, as it was co-hosted by Empower Oakland, an advocacy group that Taylor founded, and as such has already endorsed him. But the debate was moderated by KTVU’s Dave Clark, who was a very capable straight-shooter and showed no bias while running the show with his grandfatherly charm and wit.
You can watch the whole 90-minute affair above if you so desire (the actual debate does not start until the 11:58 mark), but we’re happy to recap for you.
Since Barbara Lee has largely been in Washington, DC for the last 26 years, we forget how charismatic she is, and the 78-year-old has not lost a step. She has much better retail political skills than Sheng Thao ever did (or for that matter, better than SF Mayor Daniel Lurie has).
For his part, Loren Taylor presented himself very well as a private-sector-guy-turned-politico, with an economic vision that could appeal to every Oakland business from corner stores to the Clorox Company.
The debate was largely cordial, but boy did the gloves come off on the topic of Sheng Thao. Taylor went on the attack, pointing out that Lee opposed the recall, and several Thao supporters now endorse Lee. “My opponent has been recruited by some of those same backers of Sheng Thao to run,” he said, to a mix of immediate boos and applause.
“I’m not sure who Loren is talking about,” Lee shot back, saying she was supported by labor unions and the Oakland Chamber of Commerce. “I will not take cheap shots at people who support him.”
But Lee took her shots in her closing statement. “Many of these decisions that were made that brought us to this crisis occurred by his votes when he was on the City Council,” she said. “We have to be clear about how this budget deficit and how this Duong contract and how all of these votes took place that brought us to this point.”
More hay was thrown on the topic of Gavin Newsom’s criticisms of Oakland. “We are a drain on the state of California, we are a drain on the county, because we cannot operate effectively. The mismanagement, the corruption, the self-dealing,” Taylor declared. “Governor Newsom is frustrated with how we’ve shown up.”
Lee's response was feisty. “We’re not a drain on Sacramento, and Washington, we pay taxes. Come on!” she fumed. “They owe us.”
On the topic of that $130 million budget deficit the city is facing, Lee hyped the sales tax increase before Oakland voters, and said she’ll go harder after code enforcement, parking tickets, and fines not being collected, while not laying off city employees or cutting services. Taylor pushed for more austerity, audits, and restructuring pension debt. He also proposed eliminating business license taxes for small businesses making less than $1.5 million a year to spur more foot traffic and activate desolate streets.
Lee addressed Oakland’s prolific crime problem by saying the city should loosen its police car chase restrictions, bolster the Ceasefire program, and budget more resources towards fighting crime.
On homelessness, Taylor pushed for less-costly sheltering solutions, noting that many in the homeless population “simply need first month’s [rent], last month’s, and security deposit, and they can handle and sustain themselves."
If it’s possible for both candidates to have won the debate, they did. Both Lee and Taylor came off as very credible, knowledgeable, and competent, with realistic policy visions for chronic problems. So in that sense, the real winner of Tuesday night’s debate may have been the city of Oakland, a city that can maybe be optimistic that either way the vote goes, they’ll finally have an effective mayor again after the April 15 election.
Related: Candidates Running to Replace Sheng Thao Face Off In First Oakland Mayoral Forum [SFist]
Screenshot: KTVU via Youtube
