Recent endorsements include former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Buffy Wicks

Part II

By Ken Epstein

While many Oakland residents are not yet up to speed on the track record of the candidates in the running for mayor of Oakland in the April 15 special election, supporters of  Barbara Lee say the public should be aware that Lee, who until recently represented Oakland and nearby East Bay cities in Congress,  has made an indelible impact on the city, creating jobs, building infrastructure, and improving the environmental quality of life of local residents.

Many people may mostly know about her as an outspoken opponent of war and defender of civil and human rights for women, African Americans, Latinos, other people of color, and LGBTQ+ communities.

Recent endorsers include former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and Assemblymembers Mia Bonta and Buffy Wicks, who gave her their sole endorsements.

“The hallmark of Congresswoman Lee’s career has been courage,” said Schaaf. “Our conversations have given me confidence that she will exercise that famous courage for Oakland for the issues we all care about: prioritizing holistic, evidence-based public safety by working with the Police Department and violence prevention organizations to continue to implement Ceasefire; recruiting and retaining police staffing; improving 911 police response and reopening closed fire stations.”

Other prominent endorsements include State Senator Jesse Arreguín, former Oakland City Councilmembers Annie Campbell Washington, Ignacio De La Fuente, former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Congresswoman Lateefah Simon, and the Oakland Firefighters Union.

Her supporters can point, not only to Lee’s program and promises but also her major accomplishments during the 26 years she served in the House of Representatives

Briefly, between 2022 and 2024 she brought over half a billion dollars in federal funds to  Oakland in 2024; $15.8 million in 2024 for safer communities; $4.3 million in 2024 for Oakland’s Department of Violence Prevention;  $2.5 million for clean drinking water  to Oakland; $1 million to upgrade Oakland’s  Children’s Fairyland; $372 million for clean, breathable air in West Oakland; and $83.7 million for small businesses and economic development.

A major recent accomplishment was the nearly $50 billion she brought into the Port of Oakland to create and protect jobs and ensure the Port’s competitive advantage in the global economy.

The $49.5 million allocation, which was awarded in November 2024 through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program, supports the modernization of the port’s Outer Harbor Terminal, according to a report on CBS News.

“These investments will strengthen our communities, strengthen supply chain reliability, create workforce development opportunities, enhance freight efficiency, lower costs, reduce emissions, and improve the safety, reliability, and resilience of our ports,” Lee said.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg highlighted the significance of the funding.

With these investments, “made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re … funding more projects that will expand capacity, improve efficiency, and facilitate the quicker movement of goods at ports in (Oakland and) more than a dozen states,” Buttigieg said.

The upgrades will “include wharf strengthening, crane rail replacement, and structural repairs to accommodate larger vessels and improve efficiency, according to the CBS report.

Lee also secured federal funding to improve air quality in Oakland and West Oakland in particular.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the Port of Oakland $322 million in October 2024 to fast track the Oakland Seaport’s conversion to nearly 100% zero-emissions cargo handling operations.

The Port’s proposal is called “Community Led, Business Supported, Proven and Ready to Go! Transforming the Port of Oakland to Zero Emissions.” The historic federal funding announcement, when matched with Port and local partner contributions, will unlock approximately half a billion dollars in total investment for green initiatives at the Oakland seaport, according to the Port of Oakland.

This is the largest-ever amount of federal funding for a Bay Area program aimed at cutting emissions from seaport cargo operations. The grant will finance 663 pieces of zero-emissions equipment which includes 475 drayage trucks and 188 pieces of cargo handling equipment.

“The climate crisis demands that we act urgently and boldly to protect our communities,” said Lee in a Port of Oakland media statement.

“This investment will protect Oakland from the damaging effects of fossil fuels and will move us faster toward a zero-emissions future… It is critical that we continue to invest in zero-emissions operations, and I’m proud the Port of Oakland is leading the way,” she said.

Lee championed the building at the Ed Roberts Campus (ERC), a transit-oriented development serving people with disabilities, which opened its doors at 3075 Adeline St. in Berkeley in 2010.

ERC is widely hailed as “the world’s foremost disability rights service, advocacy, education, training, and policy center,” serving people in the Greater Bay Area, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), which credited Lee for her leadership in raising funds for the ERC.

The Campus was built as a $47.5 million public-private partnership with approximately 45% of its funds coming from the private sector and a mortgage paid by the partner organizations and other tenants, and 55% from government sources.

In an interview recently with the Oakland Post, Lee talked about her experience with successful public-private partnerships such as the Ed Roberts Center.

“Right now, public-private partnerships are going to be key,” Lee said. “You hear people talk about it, but not really know what it means. Well, it means that if I win, I’m going to go directly to the source in terms of the foundations.

“In terms of the private sector, (I’ll) talk to them about the beauty of Oakland, its challenges, (and) how, with minimal investment, they can help us move forward. I think that’s the job. It’s going to be a heavy lift, but I’m going to do that.”

Ken Epstein

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