Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee lays out 1-year plan as she marks 100 days in office with public safety still top of mind

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — Oakland mayor Barbara Lee laying out her one-year goals as she marks 100 days in office.

But as she looks to the future, how are her constituents grading her progress so far? Critics are still concerned with public safety. Others are praising her for doing more to help small businesses.

“It has been quite a run. But the residents and my team and my staff, the city staff, have been all-hands-on-deck,” said Lee, who was a guest on ABC7’s ‘Midday Live.’

VIDEO: Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee reflects on 1st 100 days in office

Lee made big political promises during her campaign, even a 10-point plan for her first 100 days in office. Many say she is delivering.

“I would say she has actually done an excellent job over the first 100 days, because she has done what many administrations have not done” said Shawn Granberry, president of the Temescal Business District.

What she is doing is “listening,” said Granberry. He points to the numerous business forums in each district that she has held, bringing with her the city’s top brass, to listen to what it takes to run a business in Oakland.

“(Her) people didn’t know it took months and months and months, up to a year, to get a simple building permit to change out your sink,” Granberry said.

Reforms to the permitting process, also part of the mayor’s 100-day plan, is working, said Granberry. And these are the types of changes he says that will attract investment.

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“I see it. We have Winky Dinky Dogs opening up on Telegraph. We have another couple of businesses. So, I see it physically happen, at the Temescal District, at least,” Granberry said.

Meanwhile, street sweeps continue to deal with blight. This week, the city launched the first-ever Office of Homelessness Solutions to tackle the issue, yet another of Lee’s 10-point plan.

Reverend Jeremy McCants works in the faith community. He is with Faith Alliance For Moral Economy at community-based EBASE. He highlights how the mayor is working to bring the broader community together to change the “doom loop “narrative.

“I know that was Mayor Lee’s pitches, was to reshape and reclaim the positive narrative of Oakland, and I think she is doing that,” said Rev. McCants.

But Lee’s critics are also raising concerns.

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“We are losing approximately six officers every month. And we have no plan to continue to increase officers, to retain officers that are here,” said Sergeant Huy Nguyen, president of the Oakland Police Officers’ Association.

Nguyen acknowledges the recent drop in violent crime in Oakland compared to last year. But his main issue remains around funding.

Last week there were three smash-and-grabs, including at two banks in Chinatown. There were two small rallies held days later in response, calling for more police on the streets and accountability. They also take issue with claims that Oakland crime in dropping. They argue that drop in crime is due to less reporting.

“We are demanding that they declare a state of emergency and call in the California National Guard to save our streets,” said Edward Escobar, with Citizens Unite, at one of the rallies. He was part of a coalition that led the recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, who was accused of being soft on crime.

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“You are not doing your job! We didn’t elect you to follow Sheng Thao’s policies, and that is what you are doing,” community activist Chris Moore told a crowd at the same rally.

Professor Nolan Higdon, a media and political analyst at UC Santa Cruz, says the first 100 days is tough political milestone for a city like Oakland, which is battling issues decades in the making. And that Lee likely comes into office with higher expectations to get work done, given her decades in national politics — which, however, could also help her. Higdon says it will come down to trust.

“So, this is where Barbara Lee is really unique. Barbara Lee is a beloved figure. She is well-known through the state of California. Definitely well-known throughout Oakland. She comes in with some goodwill, and I think a lot more people will have faith within the City of Oakland of her ability to deal with these issues, than you would have with some politician who is a new or up-and-coming type figure,” Higdon said.