Moderate Trails Lead in Oakland Mayor Race Fundraising

When it comes to fundraising for who can win the race for Oakland mayor this spring, former Rep. Barbara Lee has outperformed former Council member Loren Taylor.

Lee and groups supporting her have raised about $694,000, while Taylor and his supporters raised $488,000, a 42 percent gap, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The dollars will be used to pay for online advertisements, direct mailers and campaigns to replace former Mayor Sheng Thao, elected in 2022 and recalled on April 15 last year.

The contributions include all fundraising through March 1 and donations exceeding $1,000 through March 24.

Lee, viewed as the front-runner in the race because of her widespread name recognition as a former congresswoman, depends on support from city unions and building trades that heavily backed Thao in 2022, plus Pacific Gas and Electric Company and support from outside the city.

Taylor’s support has come predominantly from individual Oakland residents and backers of the recalls of Thao and former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, according to the Chronicle.

Lee is politically progressive. Taylor is a moderate who narrowly lost the 2022 mayoral race to Thao. She was recalled by voters in November and then indicted on federal bribery charges.

Taylor has criticized Lee for relying on labor groups that fueled Thao’s campaign for mayor. Lee has said that she will not disparage Taylor’s supporters, and that her support comes from across all groups.

“The recall forces in Oakland feel like Loren Taylor’s their candidate,” Jim Ross, a political consultant based in the East Bay city, told the Chronicle. “He really has fully embraced that slice of the political community in Oakland for his campaign.”

The largest contributions to the Lee campaign were $150,000 from the California Nurses Association Political Action Committee; $51,000 from the Service Employees International Union Local 1021; and $50,000 from the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 21, according to the Oakland Public Ethics Commission.

The largest donations to the Taylor campaign were $67,000 from the Revitalize East Bay Committee; $51,000 from Ronald Nahas, a partner of Rafanelli and Nahas, a developer based in Lafayette; and $21,000 from Marty Glick, an adviser to the Golden State Warriors.

The election nears as the city confronts a budget crisis and concerns about crime, with residents unhappy with the state of the city.

Three out of four respondents to an October poll by the Oakland Chamber of Commerce felt Oakland was headed in the wrong direction, nearly 10 percent more than previous chamber polls, according to the Chronicle. A city survey released this month shows that satisfaction with local government is at a record low.

— Dana Bartholomew