(For the full 100-day report with complete details on all initiatives and upcoming projects, visit https://blog.oaklandca.gov/the-pulse-of-the-town/100-days-of-action. Also visit Mayor Lee’s Instagram “@MayorBarbaraLee” for updates)
OAKLAND, CA – Mayor Barbara Lee today announced significant achievements in her first 100 days in office, delivering on key campaign promises with measurable results across public safety, homelessness solutions, and community revitalization. Under her leadership, Oakland has seen a 30% reduction in crime citywide as of August 24, 2025.
“We promised Oaklanders a comprehensive approach to our city’s challenges, and even though there is still work to be done, we are delivering with measurable progress that residents can see and feel in their daily lives,” said Mayor Lee.
The administration’s upcoming public safety initiatives include increasing nighttime and weekend Police and Community Safety Ambassador presence downtown, training community ambassadors as block captains across Oakland’s business corridors, and building a seven-city regional partnership to prevent gun and gang violence.
“Public safety is strongest when our strategies are comprehensive, collaborative, and community centered. Under Mayor Lee’s leadership, we are deepening our work to create a safe and healthy Oakland and strengthening our partnerships with civic, business, and community leaders to reduce violence and expand prevention programs,” said Dr. Holly Joshi, Chief, Department of Violence Prevention.
Since taking office, the Mayor’s administration has secured millions of dollars for homelessness transformation and is currently hiring the Office of Homelessness Solutions leadership team while leveraging all available resources for proven solutions.
Mayor Lee has also prioritized authentic community engagement, with 1,500+ residents engaged across 15 sessions. The policy priorities directly correspond to community concerns identified, including comprehensive public safety, economic survival for small businesses, infrastructure as dignity, housing and homelessness with equity, sanctuary city protection, youth investment, and governance transformation.
“The mayor is focusing on what matters to Oakland businesses- ensuring our streets are safe and clean, a transparent government and bringing jobs and economic opportunity to all corners of our City,” said Oakland Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Barbara Leslie.
LOOKING AHEAD
Mayor Lee’s administration continues building momentum with plans to expand the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program to serve 500 participants in 2026, create Arts and Entertainment Districts to support Oakland businesses, and launch a narrative campaign showcasing Oakland as a world-class destination city.
“This is just the beginning,” Mayor Lee concluded. “We’re building a foundation for long-term transformation that centers community voices, delivers measurable results, and creates the Oakland our residents deserve.”
Mayor Lee’s leadership reflects her belief that Oakland thrives when residents’ voices are at the center of governance, and when government acts boldly, responsibly, and inclusively to deliver results.
See Details of Mayor Barbara Lee’s First 100 Days of Action:
Building a Brighter Oakland
Delivering on her 10-Point Plan
- Increased Public Safety
Priority: Bring together Police Department leadership and representatives from all business corridors to coordinate and improve public safety strategies.
What We Accomplished:
- United 100+ business leaders in powerful safety coalition
- Funded five police academies and authorized 678 officers toward 700-officer goal
- Funded the expansion of Oakland’s Community Safety Ambassador program
- Revived sideshow enforcement patrols
- Forged major employer partnerships for citywide safety
- Connected merchants with Business Improvement District advisors to activate “Block Captain” model including Police and community ambassadors
- Developing personalized security plans for hospital campuses in partnership with Oakland Police Department
What’s Coming:
- Increasing nighttime and weekend Police and Community Safety Ambassador presence downtown
- Training community ambassadors as block captains across Oakland’s business corridors
- Expanding “Clean and Safe” model citywide in partnership with the Business Improvement Districts, OPD, businesses, and community
- Building seven-city regional partnership to prevent gun and gang violence
- Developing citywide task force on immigrant community support and protections
- Added Homelessness Resources
Priority: Focus on securing Oakland’s fair share of money from Alameda County to address our homeless crisis
What We Accomplished:
- Established Office of Homelessness Solutions to prevent homelessness, connect people to services, and help people find permanent housing
- Worked with community and Board of Supervisors to ensure 80% of Alameda County’s Measure W funds are dedicated to reducing homelessness
- Secured state Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention funding for affordable housing projects
- Joined Alameda County Conference of Mayors homelessness working group
- Partnered with Governor’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Caltrans, Alameda County, and city leaders for progress on homelessness solutions and trash removal
What’s Coming:
- Hiring Office of Homelessness Solutions leadership team
- Leveraging all available resources for proven solutions for homelessness and housing
- Ensuring the Home Together 2030 Plan, which will guide countywide resources for homelessness, is deeply informed by what works for Oaklanders
- Strengthening partnerships across County and City homelessness and housing teams
- Prioritized Economic Development
Priority: Convene the CEOs of the 10 largest Oakland employers to discuss public-private initiatives that can improve Oakland’s economy and increase public safety.
What We Accomplished:
- Rallied Oakland’s largest employers for bold investment commitments in Oakland’s future
- Delivered $3 million Business Incentive Program and funded Economic Activation Zones in partnership with Council
- Fast-tracked 22 bright new streetlights around Fox Theatre
- Reinstated Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program for 200+ Oakland youth
- Employed 75 justice-involved residents to remove 30 tons of trash
- Reinstated funding for Cultural Affairs Division Manager in partnership with Council
- Boosted graffiti cleanup resources for business corridors in partnership with Council
- Partnered with Jack London Square merchants for business growth
- Initiated Sister Cities Program revival and international trade connections
- Partnered on green business incubator serving 25 small business owners
What’s Coming:
- Creating Arts and Entertainment Districts to support Oakland businesses
- Implementing comprehensive clean and safe streets with coordinated enforcement teams
- Uplifting business districts through streamlining permits, filling vacant storefronts, and cultural activations
- Expanding Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program to serve 500 participants in 2026
- Launching narrative campaign showcasing Oakland as a world-class destination city
- Launching Green Business Accelerator, supporting 25 underinvested entrepreneurs in sustainability and green jobs
- Reduced Fire Risk
Priority: Deploy vegetation management crews to clear hazards in the city’s high fire danger zones
What We Accomplished:
- Supported Oakland Fire Department to clear brush from 1,300+ high-risk acres
- Partnered with Council to invest $10.3 million to keep all fire stations open
- Secured $1.5 million CAL FIRE grant and expanded coverage to East Oakland hills
- Appointed first Wildfire Prevention Commission members
What’s Coming:
- Coordinate fire prevention efforts with all city departments and recruit more community volunteers to help with fire prevention and land stewardship
- Led Good Government, Charter Modernization
Priority: Appoint a taskforce of League of Women Voters, ethics, and good government experts to modernize Oakland’s Charter and strengthen government accountability.
What We Accomplished:
- Assembled working group to provide Charter reform, specifically for recommendations for accountability and transparency, co-chaired by the League of Women Voters of Oakland and San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association
What’s Coming:
- Engaging the public and presenting Charter reform recommendations by January 2026, ahead of anticipated November 2026 ballot measure
- Removed Roadblocks to Support Small Businesses
Priority: Direct permitting reform to streamline city processes and reduce bureaucracy for small businesses
What We Accomplished:
- Introduced same day permits for six permit types
- Slashed digital building permit wait time from 7 to 1 day
- Streamlined “by right” permit approvals for Downtown, Broadway Valdez, and Lake Merritt, as well as for residential affordable housing in all districts
- Increased Permit Center hours to 8:30am-4:00pm daily
- Partnered with Council to invest $3 million for permit system upgrades in Accela
What’s Coming:
- Continuing to make more permits available same-day and expand one-stop digital options
- Creating simple permit process guides to help residents navigate city services
- Fast-tracking tenant improvements to attract retail businesses and fill storefronts
- Continuing to streamline “by right” permit approvals
- Generated Public Private Partnerships
Priority: Generate entrepreneurial and philanthropic investment in Oakland by convening local, state, and national civic leaders
What We Accomplished:
- Assembled 30+ philanthropic leaders to launch the One Oakland Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation
- Generated $650K of initial philanthropic investment for high priority programs and innovation in partnership with Akonadi Foundation, East Bay Community Foundation, Kapor Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, and The Asian American Foundation
- Awarded $12.4 million justice-involved workforce grant for parolees to clean and beautify Oakland
- Worked with Kapor Foundation to secure $2.14M for building Oakland’s tech sector
- Funded additional staff to create centralized grants management division for City departments in partnership with City Council
- Hired Mayor’s Office Director of Innovation
- Secured Mayor Lee’s appointment to Metropolitan Transportation Commission for Oakland representation
What’s Coming:
- Working with businesses and community groups to bring more resources to Oakland. Focusing on safety, small businesses, economic growth and sustainability, neighborhood beautification, homelessness solutions, and supporting immigrants
- Addressed Trash and Illegal Dumping
Priority: Staff up trash reductions crews and partner with District Attorney’s Office to aggressively prosecute illegal dumping.
What We Accomplished:
- Launched “Keep The Town Clean” to address illegal dumping and provide workforce development
- Removed 30 tons of waste around schools
- Cleared trash from 30 miles of Oakland streets
- Added $1 million+ for illegal dumping enforcement technology and officers
- Partnered with District Attorney’s Office and OPD to develop illegal dumping strategy
- Secured agreement for Caltrans to reimburse the City for off-ramps cleanup
What’s Coming:
- Creating Mayor’s Working Group for Clean and Safe Streets with multi-agency coordination
- Increasing penalties for illegal dumping
- Prioritizing business corridors for long-term beautification and economic revitalization efforts
- Expanding Keep The Town Clean toolkits on an ongoing basis
- Rolling out mass public education campaign
- Stabilized the Budget
Priority: Direct the City Council to pass a budget that prioritizes public safety and stabilizes the city’s finances.
What We Accomplished:
- Worked with Council to pass balanced budget prioritizing public safety investments
- Funded responsible path to 700 officers, Ceasefire, violence prevention, and academies
- Funded Sideshow Prevention Detail and human trafficking enforcement in OPD
- Kept all 25 fire stations operating and reversed brownouts
- Created medium-term roadmap to fiscal health and balanced GPF without one-time revenues
What’s Coming:
- Rolling out long-term fiscal sustainability strategies
- Ensured Accountability
Priority: Audit city contracts to ensure public funds are being spent effectively by contractors and non-profits.
What We Accomplished:
- Funded Public Ethics Commission investigator and auditor staff
- Initiated planning for comprehensive forensic financial audit
- Identified top 10% City contracts for thorough review
- Hired Mayor’s Office Director of Data and Technology Transformation to deliver accurate data, assess city technology, and ensure departmental accountability
What’s Coming:
- Conducting comprehensive operational and technology audit
Our Results:
- As of Aug 24, 2025 crime down 30% citywide
- Millions of dollars secured for homelessness transformation
- 1,300+ acres cleared of fire danger
- 30 tons trash removed, 30 miles cleaned
- 678 police officers authorized, 5 academies funded
Community Participation in Governing:
- 1,500+ residents engaged across 15 sessions
- Policy priorities directly correspond to community concerns identified:
- Comprehensive Public Safety – Residents want safety without over-policing, embracing community-based violence prevention
- Economic Survival – Small businesses need streamlined permitting, theft protection, and workforce development
- Infrastructure as Dignity – Clean streets, working lights, and pothole repairs as basic respect
- Housing and Homelessness with Equity – Anti-displacement strategies and dignity-centered solutions
- Sanctuary City Protection – Immigrant communities need proactive ICE non-cooperation assurance
- Youth Investment – Violence prevention through life coaches, case managers, and workforce programs
- Governance Transformation: Communities demanded engagement, accountability, coordinated services, and authentic partnership in decision-making.