Mayor Schaaf Sworn In For Second Term

OAKLAND, CA — Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said Monday that she is "full of gratitude and hope" as she begins her second four-year term as the city's mayor.

Schaaf, who won 56 percent of the vote in the Nov. 6 election despite facing nine challengers, said her top four priorities are "holistic public safety," equitable jobs and housing, "vibrant, sustainable infrastructure" and responsive and trustworthy government.

In a swipe at President Donald Trump, with whom she has quarreled over immigration and other issues, Schaaf said, "Despite the horrible example we find in our current president, I truly believe in the nobility of public service."

Schaaf also warned Trump, "If you pollute our coast with drilling or coal, we will stop you."

The mayor said one of her biggest accomplishments during her first term was getting Oakland off the list of one the 10 most dangerous places in the country in terms of violent crime.

Schaaf reminded the packed audience at the City Council chambers that information released last week showed that Oakland's homicide total in 2018 was its lowest number in nearly two decades, violent crime has been reduced for six straight years and the four year-average for homicides is at
a historic low.

However, 2019 has begun with a crime wave that resulted in five homicides in the first five days of the year.

Also sworn in Monday were three new City Council members: Nikki Fortunato Bas in District 2, which includes the Lake Merritt and Chinatown neighborhoods, Sheng Thao in District 4 and Loren Taylor in District 6 in East Oakland, who defeated 16-year incumbent Desley Brooks.

Bas, the first Filipina woman to be elected to the City Council, said she will work for "equity, inclusion and community participation" and fight "systematic racism and corporate power." Bas said there's a record level of development in Oakland but it's only helping people who already are well-off. "I say enough. No more free passes or deals behind closed doors," she said.

Thao, the daughter of asylum seekers from Vietnam, said she's the first Hmong-American to be elected to a city council in California. "I want to be the voice for those who don't have voices," Thao said.

Referring to the rising cost of housing in Oakland, Taylor said he wants to "stop the pushing and pricing out of our long-term residents." Taylor also said, "I want to make sure our government works more efficiently for us."

Also sworn in Monday were newly elected school board members Aimee Eng, Gary Yee and Shanthi Gonzales.

(Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news from your California neighborhood. Also, download the free Patch iPhone app or free Patch Android app. Also, be sure to follow your local Patch on Facebook!)

Also See:

• Goat Herding In The East Bay Hills: Photos
• Deadly Mushrooms Growing In The East Bay
• Apple Has Over 600 Job Openings In The Bay Area Right Now
• Please Don't Help My Kids

— Bay City News; Image via City of Oakland