Oakland (Special to ZennieReport.com) – Ok, who’s running for Mayor of Oakland in the wake of the successful recall of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao? Well, until this point in time, no one person or publication has made a definitive, constantly updated list.
Update: City of Oakland Releases Its First List of Names Of Candidates For The Special Election For Mayor And District Two City Council Seat
But the reason I call it “The First List” is that it will be updated with new names by the end of this week, and well into the December 23rd – January 17th nominating period before the April 15th 2025 Special Election. But right now we have the following:
Tyron Jordan
Mindy Pechenuk
Fabian Robinson
Elizabeth Swaney
Loren Taylor
Renia Webb (posted also as Rania Webb, which is wrong)
Larry Lionel Young Jr.
That Oakland List Will Be Updated But It’s Still Behind Zennie62Media’s As Of Now
This blogger and Oakland vlogger gets regular texts, phone calls, and emails containing names of candidates to be, or are because they filed. Unfortunately, there’s no place to go to see all of the names, including those not listed by the City of Oakland but say they’re running – until now.
The interesting news is that even though the rules posted by the Oakland City Attorney say that the nominating period starts Christmas Eve Eve December 23rd, 2024, a number of people who are candidates have already told me they filed. There’s no listing of “already filed candidates” on the City of Oakland website as of this writing. Still, reports to Zennie62Media, Inc. are that names have been filed with the City Clerk’s Office.
This is the list of people that I know of to date who have filed to run for Mayor of Oakland or have made it known they are at least thinking about it, and in one case a name of a person that some others want to run, even if he’s not expected to actually do it. Some are listed as having filed on the City of Oakland’s website, and most are not.
Here goes.
LeRonne Armstrong – The possibility that the former Oakland Police Chief is going to run was floated even before the idea of a recall election was launched. The general view was that Chief Armstrong was going to sail into Oakland City Hall, but Rowena Brown had her own successful plan designs on the At-Large Seat. Licking his wounds from the 2024 Election and in the middle of a lawsuit for wrongful termination, LeRonne may have a different view of the idea of running now, but stay tuned to this space for updates.
Latanya Brown – Little is known about this candidate beyond her heavily readacted filing with the Oakland City Clerk’s Office, but she focused on the 2026 Election back in April of this year.
Tyron Jordan – This news comes from Mr. Jordan’s Twitter Account (https://x.com/TyronJordan13) where it clearly states that he is a “Candidate for Mayor of Oakland 2025”. That written, Mr. Jordan’s website still focused on his run for the Oakland City Council District Three Seat.
Marshawn Lynch – The former Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders and California Golden Bears football star, has teased that he’s launching a campaign to become the mayor of Oakland. As of this writing, there’s no website outlining his platform, just statements to mainstream media outlets.
Mindy Penechuk – ZennieReport Post: https://zenniereport.com/2024/12/03/mindy-pechenuk-candidate-for-mayor-of-oakland-on-debt-fiasco/
Issac Kos-Reed – Tip from Zennie62Media Fan that the popular Oakland public relations consultant and creator of Salsa Oakland is running. To date, Issac has no video or website up for view.
Pastor Fabian Robinson – Zennie62 Video where he talks about wanting to bring casinos to Oakland (not a bad idea):
Derrick Soo – Derrick Soo Announcement Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEJt-ZHSffI
Then, Derrick Soo (also a Zennie62Media, Inc, vlogger) was on the show to talk about his decision to run (he’s filed and will be on the list by the City of Oakland):
Andrea Smith – Like Latanya Brown, little is known about this candidate beyond her heavily readacted filing with the Oakland City Clerk’s Office, but she focused on the 2026 Election on October 7th of this year. A very recent filing just a month before the 2024 Election.
Elizabeth Swaney – She’s not filled out anything beyond the standard form, but an internet search shows that the only person with that name in Oakland is an actress and comedian. On her Facebook Page here, she is “Stunt Performer & Actress at SAG-AFTRA” but nothing about running for Mayor of Oakland. That’s weird. I found an email for her and am waiting for her response.
Loren Taylor – Tip from Zennie62Media Fan that the former Oakland City Councilmember and Mayoral Candidate has filed and is running for Mayor of Oakland. Moreover, he still has his Loren Taylor for Oakland Mayor Website up at https://lorenforoakland.com/
Dr. Jennifer Tran – Another tip from a Zennie62Media Fan who reports that the candidate for the U.S. Congressional Seat that was held by Barbara Lee, and who lost to Lateefah Simon, is also planning to submit her application to run for Mayor of Oakland. As of this writing, Dr. Tran has not published a website or made an official announcement of this news.
Allyssa Victory – One of the main, key, candidates in the 2022 Oakland Mayoral Election is Allyssa Victory. The amazing an ACLU social justice and civil rights lawyer showed everyone what an effective lawyer-in-office can do when she pushed against the Oakland City Attorney’s Office’s questionable rules for who gets on the ballot. As a result, Victory had her name added after a lawsuit threat that made Barbara Parkers’ charges straighten up and fly right.
Victory is discussing a run with friends and family according to the East Bay Times, said she could find reasons to remain in the upcoming race even if Lee were to join in on the fun.
“Such a hard-hitting and longstanding leader is still going to need a ranked-choice voting strategy,” Victory said.
Charlene Wang – Tip from a Zennie62Media Fan with deep knowledge of the news that the candidate for the Oakland City Council At-Large Seat in the 2024 Oakland Election intends to throw her hat into the ring of competition for Mayor. If she does, Wang, battle-hardened after a first-time campaign marked by a theft of her election donations, could be a formidable opponent. Charlene came in third behind LeRonne and Rowena and out from nowhere.
Renia Webb – Renia Webb is running for Mayor of Oakland, thanks to a new tip from a Zennie62Media Fan. The fan also presented Webb’s website webbforoakland.com. Renia Webb is familiar to regular Zennie62 YouTube viewers because she played a pivotal role in the alleged violation of the civil rights of then Oakland Councilmember Sheng Thao Aide LeAna Powell. Ms. Webb famously resigned from employment in the City of Oakland under Thao after Sheng beat Loren Taylor in the Rank Choice Voting phase of the 2022 Oakland Mayoral Election. The story of her resignation was broken by Zennie62Media. Then, Webb gave photos of damning text messages shared between herself and Mayor Thao. Webb was a person of interest in LeAna Powell’s complaint that triggered an Oakland Public Ethics Commission investigation. Later, budget problems and Thao’s politics delayed completion of the investigation. Earlier this year, Webb emerged as a kind of informant to the mainstream media regarding the FBI Raid of Mayor Sheng Thao and California Waste Solutions AKA The Duong Family. Webb’s campaign website shows a surprising number of endorsements, including Ismael Ahmed, the owner of the Skyline Community Market. I called to confirm the association and a business partner to Mr. Ahmed said “I think he may have contributed to her campaign”, which is a specific confirmation. Renia’s website is well-ordered and signals a serious leap in a new direction for her.
Oaklanders Rumored To Run For Mayor In The Special Mayoral Election
Phil Tagami As Mayor Of Oakland?
This list will also be updated as we go, and along with the video livestream series. But the one big name that has been shared with me to date is California Capital Investment Group Managing Partner Phil Tagami. Phil’s involvement in a lawsuit against the City of Oakland regarding the Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal does not disqualify him from running if he chooses to do so. As of this writing, Phil has neither confirmed or denied interest in being Mayor of Oakland. He has thought about it in the past.
Ignacio De La Fuente Running For Mayor Of Oakland Again?
Another possible candidate is Ignacio De La Fuente, the once District Five Oakland City Councilmember and great City Council President. Ignacio ran a good campaign for Mayor of Oakland in 2022, coming in 3rd; does he have the fire in the belly for another go?
U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee Is The Favorite Oakland Mayoral Candidate In This Group
U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee is the favorite of not a small group of Oaklanders who believe she can restore Oakland to greatness as its mayor. Conversations I have had with those in the know say she’s considering it, then those folks quickly ticket-off all of the ways they believe she will be able to improve Oakland. Most of those reasons are related to raising money from federal sources.
But would Congresswoman Barbara Lee actually win the election? It’s hard to see a path where she does, but one area of weakness might be just how much has she done for Oakland from her position in Washington D.C.? Generally, congressional leaders are judged by the amount of jobs and economic development dollars they bring to their constituents. Barbara Lee, by contrast, is known for her stances on hot-button social issues.
Take this entry from the U.C. Berkeley School of Social Welfare, where Congresswoman Lee earned her graduate degree:
Everything Barbara Lee (MSW ’75) does – be it campaigning against poverty, advocating for AIDS research, or voting against giving the President the power to declare war – is informed by the social work values she learned at the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare.
“A clinical psychologist must speak out on every crime against humanity that has produced discontent, sick and frustrated individuals,” Lee wrote in her application for admission to UC Berkeley’s School of Social Welfare, “Whether that be through politics, development of programs, or helping effect change in the various social institutions which I see as responsible for this discontent.”
Can Congresswoman Lee makes her focus translate to become economic development programs? This blogger thinks she can. The question is will the electorate agree? There’s a school of thought that says Congresswoman Lee can be more effectively involved in helping industry on corporate boards, where the pressure will be less on her considering her age of 78 years old than the job of Mayor of Oakland.
Let’s see how this plays out.
When Will The Special Election To Fill The Oakland Mayoral Vacancy Take Place?
According to Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker, Under the Charter, on or after the Council declares a vacancy in the Office of the Mayor, a special election must be held within 120 days of the declaration of vacancy if the unexpired term of the Mayor exceeds one year. (Charter § 303.)
The Mayor’s unexpired four-year term of office ends on January 4, 2027. (Charter § 303.) A special election must be held to fill the vacancy because the unexpired term exceeds one year.
If the Council declares a vacancy in the Office of the Mayor at the December 17, 2024 Council
meeting, the special election likely will be scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2025, based on the
requirements of the Charter and Elections Code § 1100, which requires elections that all elections be held on a Tuesday.
The nominations period would run from Monday, December 23, 2024 to Friday, January 17,
2025.
C. Who becomes Mayor until the special election?
The Charter provides that the Council President serves as Mayor until a new Mayor is elected in
the special election. (Charter § 303.) The Council President’s service as Mayor would end when
the newly-elected Mayor is sworn into office.
The Council President’s term is two years. (Charter §§ 200, 208.) The current term is January 9,
2023 to January 6, 2025. (See City Resolution 89545 CMS electing District 2 Councilmember
Nikki Fortunato Bas as Council President.) On January 6, 2025, the Council will meet to, among
other things, elect a Council President for the next two-year term which will run from January 6,
2025 to January 4, 2027.
From declaration of vacancy to first Council meeting of 2025 Upon the passage of the resolution declaring the vacancy in the Office of the Mayor, the Council President shall assume the Office of the Mayor. (Charter § 303.) Upon taking the Oath of Office, the Council President – now interim Mayor, shall perform the duties of the Mayor until their term as Council President expires on Monday, January 6, 2025 and a Council President is elected for the new term. (Charter §§ 200, 204, 1206.)
From first Council meeting of 2025 to swearing in of new Mayor Under the Charter, new Councilmembers’ terms begin at “11:00 a.m. on the Monday following January 2 following their election”. ( Charter § 204.)
On January 6, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., after new Councilmembers are sworn into office, the Council
will hold its first meeting of 2025. (Charter § 208.) At that meeting, the Council will elect the
Council President and President Pro Tempore, and will pass a resolution confirming the Council
Committee appointments. (Rules 4 and 6 of the Council’s Rules of Procedure (Resolution No.
90066 C.M.S.))
lf the Council President is re-elected to serve as Council President for the next
two-year term (January 6, 2025 to January 4, 2027), that person will continue to serve as Mayor
until the completion of the special election to fill the vacancy and swearing in of the mayoral
candidate who wins the special election.
If a different Councilmember is elected as Council President, the new Council President will serve as interim Mayor, until the completion of the special election to fill the vacancy and swearing in of the mayoral candidate who wins the special election. In that event, the outgoing Council President will immediately cease to be Mayor or Council President and will return to their seat on the Council to once again execute their official duties as a Councilmember. (Charter § 205.)
D. Does the law allow the Council President to simultaneously serve as Mayor and a
Councilmember? Under the Charter and the Oakland Municipal Code (OMC), the Mayor and Councilmembers may not simultaneously hold any other City office or employment with the City. (Charter § 1202; OMC § 2.25.040(F).)
However, the Charter also expressly dictates that the Council President assumes the Office of the Mayor in the event of a vacancy. (Charter § 303.) Thus, when the Council President assumes the Office of the Mayor per the Charter, they serve solely as the Mayor of the City of Oakland and may not perform any of their official duties or exercise any of their powers as Councilmember until they complete their service as Mayor and return to their Council seat. (Charter § 205.)
The OMC and state law also prohibit a public servant from simultaneously holding two public
offices that are incompatible. (OMC § 2.25.040(E); Gov. Code § 1099.) However, two offices are
not “incompatible” when “simultaneous holding of the particular offices is compelled or expressly
authorized by law.” (OMC § 2.25.040(E)(1); Gov. Code § 1099(a).)
Here, the Charter expressly authorizes the Council President to temporarily fill a mayoral vacancy. Thus, the temporary service by the Council President as Mayor cannot be deemed incompatible because it is expressly authorized by law.
E. Is the Council President’s Council District seat vacant while they are serving as the
interim Mayor?
The Council President’s service as interim Mayor does not meet the definition of a “vacancy”
under the Charter. Thus, no election is required or permitted and the Council President is entitled to return to their seat when their service as Mayor ends. (Charter §§ 205 and 206)
As discussed above, however, while the Council President serves as Mayor they may not perform any of the duties of their Council office or exercise any of their powers as a Councilmember. Thus, the Council President will be absent from Council meetings and on leave during their service as Mayor, except to the extent they attend meetings in their official capacity as Mayor.
To that end, the Council President’s absence from the Council meetings will count as a “no” vote
for the purposes of determining whether the Council is evenly divided (i.e. “tied”) on a particular
vote under Charter section 305(i). Furthermore, while serving as Mayor, the Council President will have the right to cast tie-breaking votes under Charter section 305(i).
During the Council President’s service as Mayor, their Council District staff may remain available
to receive constituent correspondence. Likewise, the At-Large District Office will remain open
and available to receive and address constituent concerns for the entire City. In addition,
constituents of any Council district, including the Council President’s district, may contact the
Office of the Mayor. However, as discussed above, the Council President cannot give direction to staff in their District office.
F. Is the Council President’s seat also vacant?
The Council President’s Council seat is not vacant while the Council President serves as interim
Mayor. (Charter § 205.) The Charter provides that the President Pro Tempore “shall perform the
duties and shall have the powers of the President of the Council during any time that the President of the Council has assumed the office of the Mayor.” (Charter § 303.)
G. What happens if the Council President resigns as Council President?
If the Council President resigns from their appointment as Council President, which they are
entitled to do at any time for any reason, the City Council will be able to elect a new Council
President for the unexpired term of that Council President. (Charter §§ 200, 207.)
The Council President’s term as D2 is two years. (Charter §§ 200, 208.) The current term is
January 9, 2023 to January 6, 2025. (See City Resolution 89545 CMS electing District 2
Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas as Council President.) The next two-year Council President
term will run from January 6, 2025 to January 4, 2027.
Thus, for example, if Nikki Fortunato Bas resigns as Council President prior to January 6, 2025,
the Council could elect a new Council President to complete her term, which ends on January 6,
2025.
Any resignation of a Council President that occurs during the vacancy in the Office of the Mayor
will result in the newly-elected Council President assuming the Office of the Mayor as set forth in
Section II.C, above.
H. Can the Council President run for Mayor?
A Council President who accepts the Charter mandate to serve as Mayor until a new Mayor is
elected and sworn in can run for Mayor in the special election as long as they otherwise meet the requirements for a mayoral candidate in the City of Oakland. Under the Charter, they must be a citizen of the United States, a qualified elector and a resident of the City at least 30 days prior to the time they submit their nomination paperwork to the City Clerk. (Charter § 301.)
I. How long will the new Mayor’s term be?
The mayoral candidate who wins the special election will complete the Mayor’s unexpired term,
which ends January 4, 2027. The City’s next regularly-scheduled mayoral election is November
2026, which will be for a four-year term from January 4, 2027 to January 6, 2031.
III. DISTRICT TWO COUNCIL OFFICE
A. When is the seat vacant?
If Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas wins the Alameda County Supervisors 5th District race,
the District 2 Council office she currently holds will be vacant upon her resignation or when she
is sworn into office as a Supervisor, whichever occurs first. Council President Fortunato Bas’ D2
term runs until 10:59 a.m. on January 4, 2027.
B. Who becomes District 2 Councilmember until the special election?
Under the Charter, “[w]henever the period of vacancy in a Councilmember’s term of office
equals or exceeds 100 days the vacancy may be temporarily filled by appointment through the
majority vote of the remaining Councilmembers, provided the appointee may not simultaneously
fill the vacancy and run as a candidate for that office and provided the appointment does not
exceed 180 days or go beyond the date the new incumbent is sworn in, whichever is shortest.”
(Charter § 205.)
A vacancy in a Council Office must be filled by special election occurring within 120 days of
the vacancy. (Charter § 205.)
Since the District 2 term will not expire until January 4, 2027, the unexpired term of the office
exceeds 100 days. Accordingly, once the D2 seat is vacant, the Council may by majority vote of
the remaining Councilmembers, pass a motion appointing a District 2 Councilmember. Such a
motion passes with the affirmative votes of 4 out of the 7 remaining Councilmembers. The
appointed District 2 Councilmember would serve until the election and swearing in of a new
District 2 Councilmember who would complete the existing four-year term.
As noted above, the appointed person may not run for the District 2 office in the special election
and they may not occupy the seat for more than 180 days. (Charter § 205.)
To be eligible for the appointment the prospective appointee must be “a citizen of the United
States, a qualified elector, a resident for at least thirty days of the City or of a territory lawfully
annexed or consolidated, and a resident of the district from which they may be a candidate for
at least thirty days immediately next preceding their nomination or appointment.” (Charter §
201.)
C. When will the special election to fill the District 2 vacancy take place?
Under the Charter, after the Council declares a vacancy in the District 2 Council Office, the special election must be held within 120 days of the declaration of vacancy. (Charter § 205.)
If the District 2 Councilmember waits until she is sworn in as the Alameda County 5th District
Supervisor in January, a special election likely will not be held until May 2025.
If the District 2 Councilmember provides notice of resignation, and the City Council is able to
declare the vacancy in the District 2 Council Office at the December 17, 2024 Council meeting,
the special election for the District 2 Council Office vacancy could be scheduled for Tuesday,
April 15, 2025, and be consolidated with the mayoral vacancy special election. (Gov. Code §
1770(c)(2); Charter §§ 205, 206.) The nominations period would run from Monday, December 23,
2024 to Friday, January 17, 2025.
IV. 2025 SPECIAL ELECTION
A. Will the City Council call two separate special elections?
If possible, the City Council will coordinate the declaration of vacancies in the Office of the Mayor and District 2 Council Office so the two vacancies can be consolidated into a single special election. This will avoid the City paying for two separate special elections. The ROV reports that the expected cost for a special standalone election is $19.00-$21.00 per voter. See
The special election for the mayoral vacancy likely will be set for April 15, 2025. Based on that
date, the nomination period would run from Monday, December 23, 2024 to Friday, January 17,
2025.
In order to be able to consolidate the District 2 special election with the mayoral special election,
the District 2 Councilmember will need to resign from her Council District office. Under the
Charter, a Council office “shall be declared vacant by the Council when the person…resigns.”
(Charter § 206.)
Under state law, if Councilmember Bas tenders her letter of resignation to the City Clerk on
December 17, 2024 and the resignation effective date is consistent with the Charter, the Council
would be able to declare a vacancy on December 17, 2024, and fulfill its Charter obligation to call a special election for the D2 Council seat within 120 days of the vacancy. (Gov. Code § 1770(c)(2); Charter § 205.)
In that event, the special election for the District 2 Council Office vacancy could be scheduled for Tuesday, April 15, 2025, and would be consolidated with the mayoral vacancy special election. The nominations period for both the Office of the Mayor and the District 2 Council seat would run concurrently from Monday, December 23, 2024 to Friday, January 17, 2025.
B. What if a Recount is Pursued in the Alameda County 5th District Race?
If a voter or campaign committee pursues a recount, two separate special elections may be
unavoidable. There is no deadline under state law to complete a recount; it continues as long as
the requesters continue to pay for the cost of the recount or until it is completed. In the event of a
recount, and if the District 2 Councilmember’s victory is affirmed, the City Council likely will not
be able to consolidate the two special elections and the City will have to pay for two separate
special elections to fill the vacancies in the Office of the Mayor and the District 2 Council Office.