Schaaf has responded to the housing crisis instead by criminalizing unhoused people. An Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll released in October shows that voters are largely dissatisfied with the city 64% of the polls respondents said they felt the city was headed in the wrong direction. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. We created several public-private partnerships to test innovative approaches with private dollars, like the Cabin Community Shelter Model and Keep Oakland Housed that prevented 1800 families a year from entering homelessness and won HUD's National Partnership Award. A city audit found that nearly half of the participants returned to homelessness. In addition toOakland Cares, Schaaf is also active as the Leadership Council atKiva, another non-profit organization. She equipped an entire generation of children with college savings accounts and universal preschool. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Despite those advances, some city leaders criticized Schaafs administration for failing to deliver basic city services. The homeless crisis is just a moral outrage," she said. Libby Schaaf is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. Unless the two groups can somehow coalesce, labor leaders will continue to fill the political vacuum. December 21, 2022 / 6:55 PM Dan Borenstein is an award-winning columnist for the Bay Area News Group and editorial page editor of the East Bay Times. 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. This bloated police budget has done nothing to improve public safety; in fact,annual homicides increased from 93 when Schaaf took office to 133 in 2021. While Schaaf ushered in a building boom, Lindheim said the housing crisis in Oakland is worse than ever., They grossly under-performed targets of moderate housing and they greatly over-performed targets of market rate housing, Lindheim said. The mayor, on the other hand, never seemed to find her political message, vacillating between her progressive goals and claims of fiscal responsibility and unable to articulate a vision that captured both. When I became the mayor, it wasnt a top concern. Some of the highest vacancy rates are in key city functions about 30% of jobs in the building department and nearly a third of positions in the transportation department are open. [22][23][24] In her announcement,[25] Mayor Schaaf said that the focus will be on, "sustainable strategies that can bring needed change quickly to city streets. Elizabeth Beckman Schaaf (born November 12, 1965) is an American politician who has been Mayor of Oakland, California since 2015. Libby Schaaf's Tweets. Schaaf's first roles in local government were as legislative aide to Oakland City Council president Ignacio De La Fuente[10] and special assistant to Oakland mayor Jerry Brown. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf hugs supporter Tiffany Lacsado as Madison Lacsado Harvell, 5, looks on during Schaafs final news conference as mayor. 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. Schaaf, 54, grew up in Oaklands District 4, where she attended Head-Royce School and Skyline High School. 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. Oakland is grappling with high vacancy rate with nearly one-fifth of governments jobs currently vacant. But homelessness experts say its a quick and cost-effective way to get people indoors. Mayor of Oakland Libby Schaaf reacts after throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics at Oracle Park on June 25, 2021, in. Residents are mostly split in their opinions of Schaaf. var sentence = "Copyright " + "© " + year; Chelsea Andrews (left) of EveryOne Home and Schaaf participate in Februarys homeless count around Lake Merritt. She added that the city has 2,200 affordable homes in the pipeline ready to be built. Moss said shes eager to see how Schaafs legacy will live on from her investments in education for Oakland children to implementing Ceasefire, the citys flagship anti-violence program. 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. / CBS San Francisco. Indeed, shes a millionaire. In 2009, Schaaf graduated from Emerge California, a training program for women who aspire to elected office.[13]. An Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll released in October shows that voters are largely dissatisfied with the city 64% of the polls respondents said they felt the city was headed in the wrong direction. Is that fair for an overall eight year period? She holds a B.A. Rain finally came to California. Since then, her support has only risen, according to polls. Since 2015, the first year of Schaafs mayoral tenure, Oakland residents have become increasingly pessimistic about the city. And respondents were overwhelmingly concerned with gun violence 97% said its an extremely or very serious problem, and 88% said the same about crime. Still, she acknowledged, its not enough. After 8 years of Libby Schaaf, is Oakland better or worse? The mayor cannot press an agenda without the votes on the council. 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. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf and City Administrator Ed Reiskin today released a two-year Proposed Policy Budget for fiscal years 2021-2023. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. She led Oakland through not easy times.. Its a non-profit organization that organized and implemented hundreds of volunteer community improvement projects across the city. Schaaf failed to expand MACRO, a model for mental health emergency support to Oaklanders that does not lead with law enforcement, and which could free up officers to handle actual crime. Her mother was a flight attendant. [18], In the race for Oakland mayor, Schaaf was endorsed by Governor of California Jerry Brown[19][20] and US Senator Barbara Boxer. 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. Oakland is grappling with a high vacancy rate, with nearly one-fifth of governments jobs currently vacant. We tackled the unsexy basics like finances and POTHOLES. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Elizabeth Beckman "Libby" Schaaf (born November 12, 1965) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. It's been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Oakland's 50th Mayor during the eventful years of 2015-2022. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. As she comes to the end of her eight-year term, the Oakland. First, theyll need to stop digging. Officers say theyre overwhelmed by call volume, and data shows the majority of these calls are for noncriminal events such as issues related to homelessness and mental health. Skelton: California has lots of catching up to do on flood management, Opinion: How facial recognition will transform airport security. I have seen true heroism in the public servants who Ive had the honor of serving with and learning from -- especially those magical, brilliant professionals who made up the Mayors Office, aka Team MLS. Your email address will not be published. Libby Schaaf will go down as one of the worst mayors in Oaklands history. 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. S.F. "[25], The Department of Transportation consists of 300 employees, previously working in the Department of Public Works and Oakland Police Department's Parking Enforcement operations.[26]. This is the gem of Oakland and its completely trashed, the woman said, pointing to the people sleeping on the street. They have two children, Dominic Fahey and Lena. By nearly every metric, she has decreased community safety and increased human suffering of those already most. "There are moments of just unbelievable joy, like riding in that first Warriors' victory parade and seeing just the beauty of Oakland on full display. 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. 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. We did not have a structure in place to deal with it. Lets learn more about her in todays article. Demonstrators met at Frank Ogawa Plaza before sunset for a rally. This was an unreasonable interference with the demonstration given that there had been no serious crimes committed." Overall, since Mayor Schaaf took office while the total OPD budget grew by over 80% Oaklands Public Works budget has increased by only 38%. Talking about the financial status of Libby Schaaf, her net worth is estimated to revolve around$1 millionas of 2020. "As far as frustrations and disappointments? "I like to think that I'm leaving them with the bases loaded.". In 2015, 68% of likely voters had a favorable impression of Schaaf, according to the chamber poll. Harriette Cole: How do I confront my mom about what I heard? While market rate housing is constructed for new residents, Oakland has become the third most expensive city in the country for renters, and Black Oaklanders especially face overwhelming displacement pressures. from Loyola Law School.[7]. Facts of "Libby Schaaf will go down as one of the worst mayors in Oakland's . People tend to be remembered by the end of their administration and if that Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll is any indication, shes not being well remembered, said Dan Lindheim, a former city administrator and current professor at UC Berkeleys Goldman School of Public Policy. Meanwhile, homelessness is worse. If Im looking at (her) legacy, I dont think she left her successor in a particularly great spot, Lindheim added. Schaafs model is now used in other cities, said Tomiquia Moss, the CEO of All Home, a nonprofit that focuses on addressing homelessness as a regional issue. By October, that had plummeted to 35%. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! In South African townships oppressed because of unemployment, crime, drugs and violence, and where many of the population are suffering from HIV and Aids, this inspiring feature-length documentary follows the journey of six people who transform themselves through yoga, and documents the impact that yoga has on their families, and communities. She is right that the contentious environment on the council discouraged prospective candidates. The Mayors Housing Cabinets 17k/17k Housing Plan helped protect more than 36,000 low income Oakland households from displacement, roughly doubled affordable housing production, and built nearly 20,000 new homes Oaklands biggest building boom in more than a century! Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Rather they split between progressives. 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. long hours and understaffing during tense contract negotiations, Which Bay Area city has best quality of life? I dont know whats fair, but my sense is that people are pretty unhappy at the moment with the state of issues in Oakland.. But the city reached 43% of its very-low-income housing goals, 26% of its low-income housing and 3% of its moderate-income housing goals. Executive director of EveryOne Home Chelsea Andrews (left) and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf walk together as they count homeless people around Lake Merritt in February. The chambers poll also found that 97% of respondents said homelessness is either an extreme or very serious problem. This is the gem of Oakland and its completely trashed, the woman said pointing to the people sleeping on the street. As the town awakened that February morning and more people flocked to the lake for their daily jog or walk, a woman approached Schaaf. Schaaf has also been a strong advocate for locating a ballpark for the A's at Howard Terminal in the Port of Oakland. While nearly 20,000 housing units have been built in her time, homelessness also grew by 131% since 2015. Schaaf presided over a city that has gone through a complete transformation, from a housing boom to exploding homelessness. She has provided coverage on wildfires, mass shootings, the fatal shooting of police officers and massive floods in the North Bay. The housing shortage in California is at the root of the states biggest problems,said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, who wants to expand the use of local bonds to promote more building in one of the countrys priciest areas for real estate. var year = today.getFullYear(); Delving into Schaafs charitable works, let us start with theOakland Cares. We must pay close attention to both the people and policies who get support at the upcoming city elections. Heres what political experts say, Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area. Stop giving all our money to an inefficient police department without making necessary changes. [4][5], Schaaf was born in Oakland, California, on November 12, 1965. Weve had to respond to the crisis while building a whole new system that did not exist in City Hall just six years ago.. Most famously, she sparred with former President Trump after alerting residents that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement could conduct a raid. Come January, Thao, as the new mayor, and her labor allies on the council will no longer be able to use Schaaf as their political foil to hide their own failures to address the citys problems. Oakland politics do not divide between Democrats and Republicans, or liberals and conservatives. Before the sun rose on a brisk February morning, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf looked around Lake Merritt and counted the number of people sleeping on the street for the bieennial point-in-time count. 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. Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Meet Mayor Libby Schaaf. As an Oakland native, the town is a roadmap of Schaafs life history: Its where she grew up as the daughter of a shoe salesman and a flight attendant, where she graduated from Skyline High School and where she raised her two kids. And the new candidates Schaaf backed often entered the races late, lacked sufficient funding and were unprepared, inexperienced and/or poorly vetted. Oakland is a challenging city to govern, said Doug Linney, a political consultant in the East Bay. Im writing this piece as a warning to every voter in Oakland. She referenced them as she looked back on her time in office. But homelessness experts say its a quick and cost effective way to get people indoors. The programs success is mixed. Before the sun rose on a brisk February morning, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf looked around Lake Merritt and counted the number of people sleeping on the street for the biennial point-in-time count. Two sports teams left the city and a third, the Oakland As, has threatened to leave if their proposed multi-billion dollar waterfront ballpark and surrounding development doesnt move forward. Its Schaafs job to make sure the police respond in a timely manner to emergency calls, but all she has done is throw money at an agency that is already grossly inefficient. The chambers poll also found that 97% of respondents said homelessness is either an extreme or very serious problem. This is out of control.. 16. The first enforcement of this ban was on May 21, during a #SayHerName[29] march, a nationwide coordinated march focused on ending state violence against black women and girls in the US. This is out of control.. She serves on the Leadership Council at Kiva, a non-profit organization that allows people to lend money via the Internet to low-income entrepreneurs and students in over 80 countries. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. in political science from Rollins College and a J.D. "I know I put my heart and soul into serving my beloved hometown," she said. While making the rounds, she shooed a rat away from a blanket covering someone sleeping in the pergola. They will now be fully in charge and accountable. [31], Schaaf alerted city residents to imminent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in February 2018, earning criticism from some federal authorities. Bloomberg Surveillance: Early Edition with Anna Edwards, Matt Miller & Kailey Leinz live from London, Berlin and New York, bringing insight on global markets and the top business stories of the day. We created Oakland's first Rainy Day Fund, adopted stronger fiscal practices, and grew the economy leading to Oakland's highest credit rating on record. Office chairs and a blue bird statue: Heres everything you can bid on Woman found dead near tree limb at Golden Gate Park identified as San S.F. I hope Im remembered as someone who fought for Oakland as we experienced this huge moment of growth, Schaaf said. People tend to be remembered by the end of their administration and if that Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll is any indication, shes not being well-remembered, said Dan Lindheim, a former city administrator and current professor at UC Berkeleys Goldman School of Public Policy. Thats what the people of Oakland expect and demand. Heres what Sheng Thao plans to do first, Is Oakland more progressive than San Francisco? We fought against coal and for the planet, advanced public access to our waterfront while keeping our A's in Oakland, and became the first city to give municipal land back to our Indigenous people. But the reticence was reinforced by Schaafs lack of a political organization to support campaigns. De La Fuentes entry into the campaign, the division in the business community and the lack of a potent Schaaf-backed political operation cost Taylor the race. 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