Former longtime councilman joins 15 others in race to be Oakland mayor
It's a wide open race as current Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf will will be termed out at the end of her second term.
OAKLAND — The race to become Oakland’s next mayor is getting more crowded, with former City Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente officially announcing this week that he is throwing his hat in the ring.
De La Fuente joins a group of 15 other people running for mayor. It’s a wide-open race as current Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf will be termed out at the end of her second term.
De La Fuente is experienced in Oakland politics, having served on the council from 1992 to 2013 as one of its most powerful members, including in a role as council president for almost a decade.
He has run for mayor before. In 1998, he lost to former Gov. Jerry Brown and in 2006, lost the race again to Ronald Dellums. In 2018, De La Fuente said he planned to run against Schaaf, but ultimately did not go through with a campaign.
Now, though, he’s officially launched his bid, noting in campaign materials that the has “unfeigned concern over what is happening to our city.”
He is vowing to beef up the number of police officers and said he “will not tolerate” homeless encampments in the city. De La Fuente also promises to put resources toward repairing city streets, sewer lines and other infrastructure.
In November, he’s facing off against current councilmembers Treva Reid, who was elected to represent East Oakland’s District 7 in 2020; Sheng Thao, who became the first Hmong American councilwoman in California when she was elected in 2018 to represent District 4; and Loren Taylor, who was elected to the council in 2018 to represent District 6’s portion, which covers part of East Oakland.
Others announcing their intention to run for mayor include Allyssa Victory, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California and for the Communications Workers of America; Derrick Soo, an Oakland native who advocates for homeless residents and has experienced homelessness; and longtime Oakland resident Steve Schear, who has advocated for a wealth tax in Oakland, an annexation of Piedmont and reparations for Black residents, on his campaign website.
Other candidates include head of Neighbors Together Seneca Scott, former school board member Gregory Hodge and entrepreneur Derreck Johnson.
According to the Oakland elections office, the other candidates who have filed intention statements include Monesha Carter, Tyron Jordan, Peter Liu, John Marks, Elbert Owens and John Reimann.
The nomination period for running for the office in November ends Aug. 17, according to the city’s elections office.