Oakland, CA – Following the elections, the Oakland City Council will have three new members.
Rebecca Kaplan, the only city-wide elected member of the Oakland City Council (At-Large), reached out to all three Councilmembers-elect, and welcomed them all to the Oakland City Council. Kaplan, who was re-elected city-wide in 2016, was not on the ballot this cycle, but did endorse multiple successful candidates and ballot Measures.
Said Kaplan: “I am pleased to congratulate and welcome our new colleagues, who have been elected to join the Oakland City Council. I look forward to the opportunity to unite for a stronger and healthier future for our entire community. Together, we can improve our city.”
The newly-elected members are:
District 2: Nikki Fortunato Bas. Nikki has lived in District 2 for over 20 years, and is a community organizer who has helped immigrant garment workers to win their wages back, fought for clean air programs with truck remediation, and helped win quality jobs for the community. Councilmember Kaplan was an early endorser for Nikki, who was victorious in her bid for the District 2 City Council seat.
http://www.nikki4oakland.com/
District 4: Sheng Thao. Sheng won her election bid to an unusual open-seat on the Oakland City Council. Having served on Kaplan’s staff for many years, most recently as Chief of Staff, Sheng won many important endorsements, including the Oakland Firefighters, the Sierra Club, and demonstrated her thoughtfulness and dedication on the campaign trail as well, winning the support of the voters of District 4. Sheng is on the Board of the Redwood Heights Association, Oakland Asian Cultural Center and is the Vice President of the Asian Pacific American Democratic Caucus of Alameda County.
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https://www.shengforoakland.com/
District 6: Loren Taylor. Loren brings his important experience, that can be valuable to serving Oakland, including having brought health, medical, education, and business leaders together to develop a blueprint for reducing diabetes rates, business management and growth, serving as a Board member of 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, and much more.
https://www.lorentaylor.org/meet_loren
Lastly, Kaplan thanks the people of Oakland for passing Measure W, stating:
“I am very pleased that Oakland voters overwhelmingly supported our ballot Measure, the vacant property tax, to help fund homeless solutions and improve our community. We can reduce blight and improve lives, by investing in displacement prevention to keep more renters from being pushed onto the streets, by expanding incentives and assistance to provide affordable housing, and by providing more effective services in our most hard-hit communities. Through the tax on vacant properties we will have dedicated funding for these vital needs. Thank you for voting Yes on Measure W.”