OAKLAND — Mayor Barbara Lee’s campaign promise of bringing optimism back to Oakland may have been all that residents needed to hear from the former congresswoman serving less than half a term before the next election.

In her first mayoral state-of-the-city address on Tuesday, Lee went beyond that. She urged everyone listening to acknowledge that good things are happening in Oakland, presenting herself as more than the caretaker of a city that is recovering from a rough pandemic.

The 79-year-old progressive icon touted declining crime levels, her efforts to streamline permit approvals and — for the first time in two decades — keep all the fire stations open, while securing various pockets of funding from Alameda County and California’s coffers.

Mostly, though, Lee pleaded for a more positive narrative around Oakland — especially with President Donald Trump appearing determined to pack the streets in major U.S. cities with National Guard troops and immigration authorities.

“For every single struggle that this city faces, there is a story waiting to be told of recovery and opportunity,” Lee told the crowd inside City Hall.

Lee promised stability after prevailing in an April special election to complete the term of Mayor Sheng Thao, who voters recalled last November, before she was federally indicted on conspiracy charges.

But in a shortened term of just under 19 months, Lee may not have long to achieve more ambitious goals. By the time she offers her next state-of-the-city address, voters will have received ballots in the 2026 mayoral election. Lee, who defeated former Councilman Loren Taylor in April, has not publicly said whether she’d run or not.

Before assuming office, Lee’s most prominent policy proposal was to re-examine the legislative power given to any mayor in Oakland’s current governmental structure — an effort that could fundamentally shift how the city is governed.

Other changes are more administrative, such as making it easier for people to pull and obtain permits at City Hall. Now, she estimated, the process could be completed within weeks — instead of nearly a year.

“Sometimes, I think things move too slow here,” she acknowledged, grinning. “You know that East Coast fast pace? … I’m kind of like, ‘Let’s move a little faster.’”

Oakland mayor Barbara Lee rides in a firetruck during the Oakland Pride Parade in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group) 

Perhaps Lee’s highest-profile venture so far is a new Office of Homelessness, designed to coordinate funding for both emergency shelters and permanent housing.

Over a month into its formation, however, the office seems to be progressing slowly, with staff still in the process of being hired under an interim director, Sasha Hauswald.

The mayor’s office said Tuesday that it is waiting on a timeline to receive money from Alameda County’s Measure W, a key tranche of funding to combat homelessness in the region and one of Lee’s core pitches to voters.

In the meantime, Lee’s mayoral tenure is not facing the same crime levels as her predecessor.

As of Oct. 5, crimes investigated as homicides had dropped by 27% from the same period of time last year, while robberies had dropped by 40%, burglaries by 41% and overall violent crime by 23%.

MACRO, a police-alternative program that deploys unarmed responders to non-emergency situations, this week received a $1 million state grant that will keep it funded after grant money from its founding runs out.

A new state law, S.B. 304, will allow Oakland to lease vacant buildings in Jack London Square for more waterfront attractions. State Sen. Jesse Arreguin, the bill’s author, described talks between himself, Lee and Gov. Gavin Newsom to extend the deployment of California Highway Patrol officers in the city’s streets.

“It’s making a real difference,” Arreguin said of the CHP in an address to the council Tuesday, where the former Berkeley mayor also announced he had recently moved to Oakland.

And Trump remained a central theme of Lee’s messaging.

“I will not allow Oakland to be bullied by the president of the United States,” she said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Shomik Mukherjee is a reporter covering Oakland. Call or text him at 510-905-5495 or email him at [email protected].