Progressive icon Barbara Lee wants to be mayor of an Oakland marked by crime and homelessness

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Oakland, California, voters who recalled their mayor in November over crime, homelessness and allegations of corruption are weighing whether to give the job to former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, a progressive icon and Black female trailblazer who represented the city in Congress for over two decades.

The 78-year-old Lee is widely considered the front-runner in the April 15 election. This is despite her politics in a state where progressives have not fared well lately, partly over perceptions they are too soft on crime.

Former Mayor Sheng Thao was ousted barely two years into her term. Voters in November also recalled Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, whose territory included Oakland, and Los Angeles County voters denied progressive DA George Gascón a second term in office.

Her leading opponent is Loren Taylor, 47, a former Oakland City Council member who supports using drones and surveillance cameras to fight crime, and who nearly won the race for mayor in 2022. Ballots for the Oakland race have been mailed and voting is underway.

Lee is walking a careful line in how she addresses public safety in an Oakland that has become less permissive and more strident about punishing wrongdoers, like many other Democratic cities in California where voters are exasperated over grimy street conditions and empty storefronts.

“She can’t govern on the public safety front as a progressive or liberal. That has been repudiated throughout the state of California and almost nationally,” said James Taylor, a political science professor at the University of San Francisco.

“So she’s going to have to find a good team of people around her who will help administer the balance between community and neighborhood and individual rights and overall public safety,” he said. “But Oaklanders want the streets to be safe.”

Oakland has long been the cheaper, funkier alternative to San Francisco across the Bay. The city of 400,000 is deeply liberal and multicultural, the birthplace of the Black Panther Party and claimed by former Vice President Kamala Harris as her hometown.

But the city also is reeling from tent encampments, public drug use, illegal sideshows, gun violence and brazen robberies that prompted In-N-Out Burger to close its first location ever last year. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has sent California Highway Patrol officers to help combat what he called an alarming and unacceptable rise in crime. Oakland also doesn't have enough money to pay for public services.

On the campaign trail, Lee emphasizes the need for more community services as well as more police. She wants guns off the streets and more money for crime prevention. Economic development, job creation and ensuring core city services like fire hydrants work properly are among her priorities.

Lee rejects the idea that her progressive politics are at odds with the city.

“I believe that my values are Oakland values,” Lee said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Lee was first elected to the U.S. House in 1998 and became best known nationally as the only lawmaker to vote against the 2001 authorization for the use of military force in response to the Sept. 11 attacks. She ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate last year.

Her chief opponent, Taylor, who also is Black, says Oakland needs a pragmatic mayor who knows city government.

“The problems we’re facing, the things that need to be fixed in Oakland, she’s not the right fit," he said of Lee.

Consensus-building skills honed in Congress don’t always serve the needs of an executive in City Hall. For example, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, also a former member of Congress, is taking heat over January’s deadly wildfires, with some calling for a more take-charge mayor.

In Oakland, Lee and Taylor agree the Oakland Police Department needs 800 officers, up from the under 700 it has now. Taylor says he has a plan to get to 800 in three years, while Lee says it will be difficult.

Lee wants to test a guaranteed basic income program for homeless people and called the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling making it easier for cities to clear encampments "cruel."

Taylor voted against defunding police in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing by a police officer in 2020. He wants to clear homeless encampments and supports the use of drones, license plate readers and cameras to nab perpetrators.

Taylor, an engineer, served on the Oakland City Council from 2019 to 2023 and narrowly lost a bid for mayor in 2022 to Sheng Thao. He supported the recall while Lee opposed it.

Brenda Harbin-Forte, a retired judge who helped lead the recall, said she hopes voters will see beyond Lee's star power.

"I did not recall Sheng Thao to have Sheng Thao 2.0 in office,” she said.

But Carl Chan, a Chinatown community leader and recall leader, said he believes either Taylor or Lee will focus on the budget, public safety and economic revitalization. He hopes they will work together no matter who wins.

“No one can fix our problems immediately,” he said. “We'll be very happy if we can stop the bleeding.”

Loren Taylor, right, listens as fellow Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee answers a question during a debate Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Barbara Lee, left, answers a question next to fellow Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor during a debate Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Loren Taylor answers a question during the Oakland mayoral debate Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Barbara Lee answers a question during the Oakland mayoral debate Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

Loren Taylor, right, answers a question next to fellow Oakland mayoral candidate Barbara Lee during a debate Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)

NEW YORK (AP) — A championship window seemed to be closing when the Boston Celtics left Madison Square Garden earlier this week.

Jayson Tatum had just been carried off the court with a season-ending injury minutes before the Celtics were pushed to the brink of elimination. The players were decidedly down.

The defending NBA champions are certainly not out.

They return to New York on Friday night for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, believing they can extend the series and the Knicks' 25-year wait to get back to the conference finals.

“It’s win or go home at this moment, so none of us want to go home and so we understand it’s only going to get tougher,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “We haven’t done anything yet. Just got to find a way to go to New York and win a game.”

Only 13 teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. The Celtics are trying to do it without their leading scorer, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon late in the Knicks' 121-113 victory in Game 4.

“I know it’s kind of easy to write things off. Obviously unfortunate what happened to JT. But we’ve still got basketball to be played,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “I believe in this group, so don’t count us out just yet.”

The Celtics rolled to a 127-102 victory on Wednesday and have led by at least 14 points in the second half of all five games. The Knicks rallied to win three of them, but the starters know they can't keep putting the team into a hole.

“We need to be better,” Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson said. “Flat out.”

A victory would send the Knicks into the conference finals for the first time since they lost to the Indiana Pacers in 2000. The Pacers would be the opponent again, having eliminated top-seeded Cleveland, in a series that would begin Wednesday in New York.

If the Celtics win, Game 7 would be in Boston on Monday, with the winner getting just one day of rest before hosting the Pacers.

White scored 34 points in Game 5 and is 13 for 24 from 3-point range in the last two games. Brown comes off 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds and has scored at least 19 points in all five games, a reminder that the Celtics go far beyond Tatum.

“They’re defending champions," Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said. "So obviously losing Tatum is a big blow for their team, but we know they’re more than capable of beating anyone on any night.”

When/where to watch: Game 6, 8 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Knicks lead 3-2.

BetMGM Sportsbook: Knicks by 2.5.

What to know: The Knicks have not won a series on their home floor since the 1999 Eastern Conference finals. They failed in their lone chance this year, when they lost to Detroit in Game 5 of their first-round series. As starting center Kristaps Porzingis struggles to stay on the floor because of lingering effects of a virus that saps his energy, the Celtics may have found another option in Game 5. Luke Kornet — like Porzingis a former Knicks big man — came off the bench and had 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots. He provided the kind of boost the Knicks need from Towns, their All-Star who battled foul trouble and has made just two 3-pointers in the series. The Celtics, who won a league-high 33 road games during the regular season, are 3-1 at Madison Square Garden this season.

This story has been corrected to show that the Knicks are favored by 2.5 points. A previous version reported incorrectly that the Celtics were favored.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, right, during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) dunks against New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)