Moreover, she never capitalized on her early popularity and the bully pulpit of the mayoral post to build an effective fund-raising and grassroots political operation that could be mobilized in support of political allies. Street paving plans are held up by a shortage of 63 staff positions in the Department of Transportation. This is the gem of Oakland and its completely trashed, the woman said pointing to the people sleeping on the street. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served on the Oakland City Council. I believe all observers, regardless of their backgrounds, should be able to see that Schaaf has failed. During her administration, Schaaf capitalized on public private partnerships, using fundraising to launch new city programs. from Loyola Law School.[7]. While Schaaf ushered in a building boom, Lindheim said the housing crisis in Oakland is worse than ever., They grossly underperformed targets of moderate housing and they greatly over-performed targets of market rate housing, Lindheim said. The 50th Mayor of Oakland, Libby Schaaf, is a happily married woman. As an Oakland native, the town is a roadmap of Schaafs life history: Its where she grew up as the daughter of a shoe salesman and a flight attendant, where she graduated from Skyline High School and where she raised her two kids. Libby Schaaf is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. Schaaf said if she could go back in time to 2015, when she first took office, she would give herself one piece of advice: That homelessness would explode the way that it did and that its not just the countys responsibility, its everyones responsibility, Schaaf said. "As far as frustrations and disappointments? These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Come January, Thao, as the new mayor, and her labor allies on the council will no longer be able to use Schaaf as their political foil to hide their own failures to address the citys problems. With so much of Oaklands budget flowing to policing, the city has been hobbled in its response to questions of basic governance and infrastructure. He has worked for the Times and its affiliated newspapers since 1980, including previous assignments as political editor, Sacramento bureau editor, projects editor and assistant metro editor. Mayor of Oakland Libby Schaaf reacts after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics at Oracle Park on June 25, 2021, in San Francisco. During her administration, Schaaf capitalized on public private partnerships, using fundraising to launch city programs. Libby Schaaf is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. Skelton: California has lots of catching up to do on flood management, Opinion: How facial recognition will transform airport security. It also lays out her political achievements and failures as the citys 50th mayor for the past eight years. Which Bay Area city is best for you? Controversial Mayor Libby Schaaf of Oakland, Calif., is touting her opposition to President Trump's policies against illegal immigration -- while mayoral challengers criticize her for the. Remember, this was literally in the middle of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and Anti Police-Terror Project had been bringing Black people into the streets to protest state violence for five consecutive years. Its the kind of foundational investments that she did in her tenure that will bear fruit for the city of Oakland in the long-term, Moss said. If Im looking at (her) legacy, I dont think she left her successor in a particularly great spot, Lindheim added. [22][23][24] In her announcement,[25] Mayor Schaaf said that the focus will be on, "sustainable strategies that can bring needed change quickly to city streets. Foster Educational Institute in 1995, creating and running a new volunteer program for the Oakland Unified School District. Outgoing Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf reflects on trials and triumphs in office, Public File for KBCW-TV / KBCW 44 Cable 12. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". That dissatisfaction also extended to the citys leadership 42% of the polls respondents rated Schaafs performance poorly. var today = new Date(); The programs success is mixed. This tool lets you decide, Two major shifts sparked mental health crisis for California's LGBTQ youth, Heres everything you can bid on as the Twitter auction begins, Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads). Despite the unrelenting challenges of these times, we made historic accomplishments together. In addition toOakland Cares, Schaaf is also active as the Leadership Council atKiva, another non-profit organization. [37], Schaaf is Jewish. In 2015, 68% of likely voters had a favorable impression of Schaaf, according to the chamber poll. "You know, I always tell little kids who ask, 'What's it like being the mayor of Oakland?' Published: Aug 26, 2022. [31], Schaaf alerted city residents to imminent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in February 2018, earning criticism from some federal authorities. My general sense is if Libby cant do it, boy, its going to be hard for anybody because she really had the experience, the skills and the general chops to be able to do it.. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. While Schaaf ushered in a building boom, Lindheim said the housing crisis in Oakland is worse than ever., They grossly under-performed targets of moderate housing and they greatly over-performed targets of market rate housing, Lindheim said. Schaaf also built and ran the first centralized volunteer program for Oakland public schools at theMarcus Foster Institute. Here Are Four Ways to Spot Greenwashing, The School Board Queen Endorsed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, The School Board Queen: How a Florida Mom Is Shaking Up US Education, The Idea of Parental Rights in Education Goes Back to the 1950s, Ryan Salame Invested Big In ASmall Town, Now Its Tangled Up In FTXs Fallout(Podcast), Fight to Regulate Crypto atCrossroads as Ripple Ruling Looms. Delving into Schaafs charitable works, let us start with theOakland Cares. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf CBS It was fitting that her last press conference would be about a program for universal preschool access. Despite the unrelenting challenges of these times, we made historic accomplishments together. Bas said council members regularly hear from residents about their frustration with the lack of services trash, illegal dumping and sanitation and said its been a significant problem. John Ramos accidentally launched a lifelong career in journalism when he began drawing editorial cartoons and writing smart-alecky satire pieces for the Bakersfield High School newspaper. As Schaaf exits on Jan. 2, she leaves behind a crime-ridden city with inadequate police staffing, unfunded retirement liabilities that have grown from about $2.4 billion a decade ago to $3. For the first time in recent history, Oakland will have a progressive mayor and a progressive-majority City Council the outcome of the November election, which Ross called a repudiation of Schaafs time in office. She worked extensively on Oakland Police Department reform, hiring more civilian staff and pushing through a plan to coordinate the Oakland Police Department with the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, to increase the number of officers patrolling Oakland. In addition to repaving, Schaaf created a Department of Transportation and a 311 system that residents can call to report potholes and damaged roads. Samantha Laurey, Visual Intern / The Chronicle. Stop criminalizing and dehumanizing our unhoused neighbors. Chelsea Andrews (left) of EveryOne Home and Schaaf participate in Februarys homeless count around Lake Merritt. I was surprised by the lack of willingness or interest to run for office in Oakland, Schaaf said. Required fields are marked *. Schaafs model is now used in other cities, said Tomiquia Moss, the CEO of All Home, a nonprofit that focuses on addressing homelessness as a regional issue. [34][35], In March 2021, Schaaf announced that non-white, low-income residents of Oakland would receive $500 per month "guaranteed income" for 18 months. S.F.s Golden Gate Park has a new feature after storms: more lakes. Her mother used to work as a flight attendant. Since then, her support has only risen, according to polls. Once again, lots of folks tout themselves as progressives, but just like Schaaf they are neoliberals co-opting language that they hope will fool voters and get them elected. Born and raised in Oakland, Ive always felt such pride in our beautiful, diverse city. From 2010 to 2020, the city population increased by 50,000, but the Black population shrank by 14% and the number of Black youth under 18 decreased by 29%. Bloomberg Surveillance: Early Edition with Anna Edwards, Matt Miller & Kailey Leinz live from London, Berlin and New York, bringing insight on global markets and the top business stories of the day. Libby Schaaf hosts her final news conference as Oakland mayor this month. An Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll released in October shows that voters are largely dissatisfied with the city 64% of the polls respondents said they felt the city was headed in the wrong direction. If Im looking at (her) legacy, I dont think she left her successor in a particularly great spot, Lindheim added. In Oaklands weak-mayor governance structure, the mayor can propose a financial and policy agenda, but the ultimate power rests with the eight-member City Council. Before joining the Oakland City Council in 2010, Schaaf served as the Economic Policy Advisor for the council for a year. As Schaaf exits on Jan. 2, she leaves behind a crime-ridden city with inadequate police staffing, unfunded retirement liabilities that have grown from about $2.4 billion a decade ago to $3. Before winning the mayors seat, Schaaf served on the City Council for one term, representing part of the Oakland Hills. Libby Schaaf's Tweets. [11], In 2006, Schaaf joined the Port of Oakland as the Director of Public Affairs,[12] helping to secure state and federal funding for the city of Oakland, as well as directing all strategic communications for the port. As Schaaf prepares to leave office on Jan. 2, still keeping her next move quiet, political experts say her tenure and her success as the citys leader is mostly mixed. Her stop at the police department wasn't just symbolism it was a signal to the police that they were her top priority. Police officers told them to keep to the sidewalks, and cited California Vehicle Code Section 2800, making it an arrestable offense not to comply with the police order. And respondents were overwhelmingly concerned with gun violence 97% said its an extremely or very serious problem, and 88% said the same about crime. Eight years, bounce rate, traffic source, etc partnerships, using fundraising to City... Woman said pointing to the chamber poll for a year success is mixed be able to see that has... 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