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Commentary: Oakland needs a council-manager government — or needs to eliminate ranked-choice voting
A former city council member and mayoral candidate explains why he changed his mind about Oakland's form of government.
Jan 10
•
Loren Taylor
12
30
4
Oakland city council tripled the allowed political contributions to its “officeholder funds”
Also: Forever emergencies; opening the door to new police and fire retirement fund board members — Oakland Agenda Watch
Jan 6
•
Sean S. Reinhart
10
6
1
Oakland Should Return to the Model City Charter: Commentary
Oakland Charter Reform Project kicks off our charter reform series exploring Oakland’s city charter and how it potentially could change in 2026.
Dec 22, 2025
15
15
2
Election results follow long-established voting patterns in Oakland
East Oakland had a disproportionately low influence due very low voter turnout, but slightly favored Lee. West Oakland/Temescal and district 4 dominated…
Apr 21, 2025
•
Tim Gardner
17
9
2025 Oakland Mayoral Debate
Barbara Lee and Loren Taylor squared off in a substantive debate—laying out their distinct approaches to restore Oakland's growth and stability
Mar 13, 2025
•
Tim Gardner
29
8
2
Oakland City Council used illegal votes to change city ordinances
In December, the city council relied on tie-breaking votes from recalled mayor Sheng Thao, a violation of city and state law. A lawsuit may be filed…
Feb 10, 2025
•
Brenda Harbin-Forte (Ret.)
and
Seneca Scott
30
8
1
Most ballot measure questions in Alameda County are biased
A volunteer body composed of former Alameda County Grand Jurors started a new rating system to help voters understand which ones are misleading
Sep 30, 2024
•
Tim Gardner
23
11
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