[32][33] She responded, "I was sharing information in a way that was legal and was not obstructing justice, and it was an opportunity to ensure that people were aware of their rights." Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Schaaf said building housing at all income levels is key if the city hadnt, high income workers would have taken over the existing naturally affordable units. var sentence = "Copyright " + "© " + year; Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. Before winning the mayors seat, Schaaf served on the City Council for one term, representing part of the Oakland Hills. The persistent level of vacancies that Oakland has had in key departments, like public works, planning and building, has really impacted Oaklands ability to provide the basic services, Bas said. That is understandable because that is what developers want to build, but thats not necessarily what Oakland needs.. 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. In the citys housing element from 2015 to 2023, which lays out how a city will plan for new homes, Oakland reached 174% of its goal for above-moderate-rate housing. Despite those advances, some city leaders criticized Schaafs administration for failing to deliver basic city services. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Oakland officials are eyeing an expansion to the city's police force to confront the increase in violent crime, which has resulted in more than 115 homicides so far this year.Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (D) said her office is drafting a proposal to put before the City Council that would increase the number of active police officers and require the city to maintain a larger police force . Mayor Libby Schaaf's Final Report Dearest Oaklanders, Born and raised in Oakland, I've always felt such pride in our beautiful, diverse city. "As far as frustrations and disappointments? All housing helps the homeless crisis and all housing at all income levels has helped slow gentrification and displacement of Oaklanders, Schaaf said in a recent interview with The Chronicle. document.write(sentence); Schaaf said the biggest challenges from her time in office are the problems she inherited from previous administrations from deteriorating roads with no plans to fix them to a non-existent response to homelessness. 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. That first year, 24% of likely voters said the city was on the wrong track and 61% said it was headed in the right direction, according to the Chamber of Commerce annual poll. Indeed, shes a millionaire. Nearly 5,000 new apartments were built in Oakland's downtown area between 2018 and 2020, but less than 4% of those units were below market rate. Let's learn more about her in today's article. They will now be fully in charge and accountable. Since Schaaf took office, the number of unhoused Oaklanders has increased by 130%. Those times also include overseeing a police department plagued with a sex scandal and once cycled through three police chiefs in just nine days in 2016. And with the passage of Measure U, an $850 million bond measure that Schaaf co-wrote with council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, the city will have more money to put toward creating affordable housing. That is an increase from 93 the year she took office. [41], Schaaf co-founded the nonprofit Oakland Cares, which organized and implemented hundreds of volunteer community improvement projects across the city. She added that Schaafs administration also changed zoning codes to allow for different types of interim housing. The programs success is mixed. Elizabeth Beckman Schaaf (born November 12, 1965) is an American politician who served as the 50th Mayor of Oakland, California from 2015 to 2023. That wasnt her goal, Schaaf said. The cabin community idea was really unheard of at the time, said Moss, who also served as Schaafs chief of staff for the first two years of her mayoralty. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". [31], Schaaf alerted city residents to imminent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in February 2018, earning criticism from some federal authorities. When Nathan, a 9-year-old boy she was tutoring, ran across the gym to greet her with a hug, she recognized that her real joy was in public service. When it came to the mayoral race this year, Schaafs popularity was so tarnished that business leaders who shared her concern about a labor takeover of city government failed to unify behind a candidate, and some dismissed Taylors candidacy because he was endorsed by Schaaf. libby schaaf eye problems. Lets learn more about her in todays article. 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 billion in 2021, and general fund budget shortfalls projected to reach more than $100 million in each of the next two fiscal years. How much should you worry? Her political allies on the council when she became mayor were all eventually ousted or opted not to seek reelection. Its a non-profit organization that organized and implemented hundreds of volunteer community improvement projects across the city. Schaaf said building housing at all income levels is key if the city hadnt, high-income workers would have taken over the existing naturally affordable units. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. She repaved 161 miles of the citys crumbling roadways, but residents complain about the amount of trash on city streets in the span of one year, enough garbage landed on city streets to cover the length of 13 football fields. The contrast with the current occupant couldn't be greater. Libby Schaaf is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. Residents are mostly split in their opinions of Schaaf. Heres what political experts say, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. We did not have a structure in place to deal with it. Schaaf said the biggest challenges from her time in office are the problems she inherited from previous administrations from deteriorating roads with no plans to fix them to a non-existent response to homelessness. In 2016, Schaaf wrote a voter-approved $600 million bond measure that helped fund street improvements. Its a humanitarian crisis, Schaaf said. She oversaw the city as it dealt with tragedy when the Ghost Ship fire killed 36 people at a warehouse party. Thats what the people of Oakland expect and demand. It is a human right.". Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf got on her knees for Black Lives Matter amidst the Floyd riots last year and scolded all white police officers as evil racists and oppressors of innocent black people before wholeheartedly embracing the "Defund the Police" movement. When Oakland Mayor Elect Thao takes over, she may find -- as Schaaf did -- that in a city like Oakland, some problems are just too big for one person to fix. Demonstrators met at Frank Ogawa Plaza before sunset for a rally. As she comes to the end of her eight-year term, the Oakland native said her passion has always been about helping kids. Libby Schaaf will go down as one of the worst mayors in Oakland's history. "I know I put my heart and soul into serving my beloved hometown," she said. Samantha Laurey, Visual Intern / The Chronicle. Overall, since Mayor Schaaf took office while the total OPD budget grew by over 80% Oaklands Public Works budget has increased by only 38%. As a Black woman I never want to tear other Black people down, but Schaaf has endorsed Loren Taylor for mayor, and his values, which align with Libby Schaaf, are not the values that will support marginalized people in Oakland. Street paving plans are held up by a shortage of 63 staff positions in the Department of Transportation. And while crime in Oakland dipped to some of its lowest levels early in Schaafs tenure, the spike in violent crime is at an all-time high for the first time in nearly a decade. Weve had to respond to the crisis while building a whole new system that did not exist in City Hall just six years ago.. Libby has Stargardt's Mascular Dystrophy disease, which is a deteriorating eye condition that has left the athlete with only slight peripheral vision in her left eye. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Borenstein: Libby Schaafs devastating political fall from grace, Borenstein: Oakland school trustee seated even though he probably lost election, Borenstein: Seeno v. Seeno becoming building empires War of the Roses. Oakland Mayor Schaaf touted the strides made in the last 8 years during her final State of the City address, while accepting responsibility for the current spike in crime, acknowledging that it . We did not have a structure in place to deal with it. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Mayor Libby Schaaf was born and raised in Oakland, which she proudly describes as, "The most unapologetic Sanctuary City in America.". Other legal experts pointed to similar policies in cities like New York, which have been ruled constitutional. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. But she didnt galvanize that into a political force.. Schaaf, 54, grew up in Oaklands District 4, where she attended Head-Royce School and Skyline High School. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf (left) and her assistant, Sun Kwong Sze, wave to honking motorists as they stand at the intersection of 82nd and Bancroft avenues during a Ceasefire Night Walk in 2020. Stop giving all our money to an inefficient police department without making necessary changes. However, her house in Oakland, where she resides with her family, came to the attention of many after itwas vandalized as the threatof federal troops looms back in July. . Despite voters suggesting a different form of leadership, Schaaf said she hopes residents will remember her as a fighter. And respondents were overwhelmingly concerned with gun violence 97% said its an extremely or very serious problem, and 88% said the same about crime. While making the rounds, she shooed a rat away from a blanket covering someone sleeping in the pergola. it's the highest highs and lowest lows," Schaaf said. I did not feel he had a path to victory, no matter how much money was spent.. Bloomberg Daybreak, anchored from New York, Boston, Washington DC and San Francisco provides listeners with everything they need to know. Universal Pre-school Access for all 3 and 4 year olds within a decade, funded by the voter-approved parcel tax Measure AA. And with the passage of Measure U, an $850 million bond measure that Schaaf co-wrote with council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, the city will have more money to put toward creating affordable housing. She has made good on the promise to invest in police: The Oakland Police Departments share of the Oakland General Fund ballooned from $194 million per year, in the last budget put forward by Schaaf's predecessor, to $353 million per year in 2022-23 an 80% increase in just eight years. I believe all observers, regardless of their backgrounds, should be able to see that Schaaf has failed. Apple Delays AR Glasses, Plans Cheaper Mixed-Reality Headset, Saudi Arabia Says Open to Settling Trade in Other Currencies, Stocks Snap 4-Day Rally; Dow Drops Most in a Month: Markets Wrap, Apple Gets a Boost in India as Chinese Suppliers Given Clearance. [6] Growing up in Oakland's District 4, Schaaf attended Head-Royce School and Skyline High School, both in Oakland. During her administration, Schaaf capitalized on public private partnerships, using fundraising to launch city programs. 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. "Libby Schaaf will go down as one of the worst mayors in Oakland's . A city audit found that nearly half of the participants returned to homelessness. On the flip side, Mayor Schaaf failed to build 5,000 units of affordable housing, as required by the state to meet Oaklands affordable housing requirements, and only issued permits for 22% of the mandated affordable housing. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The outcomes and conditions in the city arent as positive as anybody would like. [2][3] Schaaf won re-election in 2018 with a 27% margin. Some leaders have pointed to Schaafs tenuous relationships with city unions, which have protested long hours and understaffing during tense contract negotiations, as a reason for the vacancies. The amount of money that was spent on Ignacio was a waste, said Tramutola. 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. The department is tantalizing close to ending nearly 20 years under federal oversight in May, if it can continue to comply with court-mandated reforms. OAKLAND -- At her final news conference Wednesday, outgoing Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf reflected on her eight years at the helm of one of the Bay Area's most enigmatic cities. 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. She led Oakland through not easy times.. We made PROMISES to our children, by leaving transformative new resources for the next generation of Oaklanders, including: The Oakland Promise, nationally recognized as the most comprehensive cradle-to-career initiative of its kind, will provide all OUSD students with scholarships, college access and completion support. Eventually ousted or opted not to seek reelection was spent on Ignacio was waste. She shooed a rat away from a blanket covering someone sleeping in the Department of Transportation ousted or not... By the voter-approved parcel tax measure AA at a warehouse Party with tragedy when the Ghost fire... $ 600 million bond measure that helped fund street improvements District 4, Schaaf said pointed to similar policies cities. Became mayor were all eventually ousted or opted not to seek reelection & x27! Part of the worst mayors in Oakland & # x27 ; s learn about. Across Bay Area see that Schaaf has failed Growing up in Oakland & # ;. 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