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| Elections in California |
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The 1998 Oakland mayoral election was held on June 2, 1998, to elect the mayor of Oakland, California. It saw the election of Jerry Brown, the former and future Governor of California, as mayor.
Brown won an outright majority in the first round of the election, forgoing the need for a runoff. [1]
Incumbent mayor Elihu Harris opted against running for a third term. [10]
Brown entered what was already a crowded mayoral field in late October 1997, instantly becoming the race's frontrunner. [10] A poll published in The Montclarion right before he formally entered the race had showed Brown garnering 47% in a hypothetical race. [10]
Brown identified himself to be an independent, having declared himself to have left the Democratic Party. [11]
Brown ran under the campaign slogan "Oaklanders First". [11] He campaign actively, holding many events. [11]
Brown was endorsed by, among others, former Berkeley, California mayor Gus Newport. [8]
Brown was the only white candidate running in the race. [11] Oakland was and still is a majority minority city. [12] Brown won a majority of the black vote. [8]
Brown was heavily anticipated to win the election. [11]
While Oakland had a weak mayor form of government, Brown was also campaigning to change this. He supported Measure X, a measure on the ballot in November 1998 which would change the city's model of government to a strong mayor for a period of 6 years. Ultimately, in November, Oakland's electorate voted by a landslide margin of 3 to 1 in support of Measure X, switching the city to a strong mayor system of governance prior to Brown taking office. [13] [14] Years later, in 2004, a referendum permanently extending Measure X later was passed, after failing to pass in 2002, making permanent the city's shift to the strong mayor model of governance. [14]
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Brown | 48,129 | 58.9 | |
| Ed Blakely | 12,226 | 14.9 | |
| Shannon F. Reeves | 5,679 | 6.9 | |
| Ignacio De La Fuente | 5,509 | 6.7 | |
| Mary V. King | 4,618 | 5.6 | |
| Ces Butner | 2,222 | 2.7 | |
| Audrey Rice Oliver | 1,245 | 1.5 | |
| Leo Bazile | 997 | 1.2 | |
| Hugh E. Bassette | 518 | 0.6 | |
| Maria G. Harper | 329 | 0.4 | |
| Hector Reyna | 207 | 0.2 | |
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of State of California in 1970; Brown later served as Mayor of Oakland from 1999 to 2007 and Attorney General of California from 2007 to 2011. He was both the oldest and sixth-youngest governor of California due to the 28-year gap between his second and third terms. Upon completing his fourth term in office, Brown became the fourth longest-serving governor in U.S. history, serving 16 years and 5 days in office.
Thomas H. Bates was the 21st mayor of Berkeley, California, and a member of the California State Assembly. Bates is married to Loni Hancock, another former mayor of Berkeley and State Assembly member who served in the California State Senate. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and was a member of the Golden Bears' 1959 Rose Bowl team. Bates was a captain in the United States Army Reserves after graduating from college and served in Germany. He worked in real estate before serving on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and in the state legislature.
Ronald Vernie Dellums was an American politician who served as Mayor of Oakland from 2007 to 2011. He had previously served thirteen terms as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 9th congressional district, in office from 1971 to 1998, after which he worked as a lobbyist in Washington, D.C.
March Fong Eu was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 24th secretary of state of California for five terms from 1975 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the California State Assembly from 1967 to 1974 and later as the United States ambassador to Micronesia under Bill Clinton from 1994 to 1996.
The Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA) is a community/political group in Richmond, western Contra Costa County, California, United States. Its mission is to unite the left regardless of political party and was founded by Gayle McLaughlin and Marilyn Langlois.
Don Richard Perata is a California lobbyist and former Democratic politician, who was President pro tempore of the California State Senate from 2004 to 2008. He came in second place in the November 2010 election for Mayor of Oakland.
Elihu Mason Harris is a retired American politician and college administrator. A member of the Democratic Party, Harris served as the 46th Mayor of Oakland, California from 1991 to 1999; he previously served for 12 years (1978–1990) as a member of the California State Assembly. He was the Chancellor of Peralta Community College District from 2004 to 2010.
From April 1998 to March 1999, five special elections were held in the Oakland and Berkeley area. The process was triggered by the mid-term retirement of U.S. Representative Ron Dellums and ended one year later with the unexpected election to the California State Assembly of Green Party candidate Audie Bock, by which time turnout had fallen to just 15% of registered voters.
The Richmond City Council is the governing body for the city of Richmond, California. The council consists of the Mayor of Richmond and six other city council members, one designated Vice Mayor. The council members are all elected from the whole city; no members are elected by district or ward. The council members are elected to four-year terms, as opposed to the previous six-year terms. They are not all elected at once. The council members meet every first and third Tuesday of the month and, if necessary, hold special meetings on the remaining Tuesdays. Presently the entire city council is Democratic.
Ignacio De La Fuente is a former Oakland City Councilmember. He was also the President of Oakland's City Council until January 2009, when he became vice mayor of Oakland. De La Fuente was an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Oakland in 1998, 2006, and 2022.
Carole Ward Allen is an American politician, professor, and political consultant. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and serves as the chief executive officer of CWA Partners, LLC. As a mass transportation executive in the State of California, Ward Allen served three four-year terms as an elected member of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District Board of Directors representing the 4th district from 1998 until 2010.
Lai Jean Quan is an American politician who was the 49th mayor of Oakland, California from 2011 to 2015. She previously served as City Council member for Oakland's 4th District. Upon inauguration on January 3, 2011, she became Oakland's first female mayor. Quan ran an unsuccessful campaign for reelection in 2014, losing the mayoral race to Libby Schaaf, a member of the Oakland City Council.
Elizabeth Beckman Schaaf is an American politician who served as the 50th Mayor of Oakland, California from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served on the Oakland City Council.
Steven Mitchell Glazer is an American politician and former political advisor serving as a member of the California State Senate from the 7th Senate District, which includes most of Contra Costa County and eastern portions of Alameda County in the East Bay.
The 2014 Oakland mayoral election was held on November 4, 2014 to elect the mayor of Oakland, California. It saw the election of Libby Schaaf, who unseated incumbent mayor Jean Quan.
The 2010 Oakland mayoral election was held on November 2, 2010 to elect the mayor of Oakland, California, electing Jean Quan to be their mayor. In early August 2010, incumbent mayor Ron Dellums announced that he would not be seeking reelection to a second term. In November 2010, Oakland also instant-runoff voting to elect its mayor, three city council races and four other local offices, with the elections for the mayor and Oakland council district four requiring multiple rounds of counting. Oakland used instant-runoff voting in the city's remaining elected offices in 2012. IRV was again used in 2014 and 2016, including in the 2014 mayoral election in which incumbent Jean Quan was defeated by Libby Schaaf.
The 2002 Oakland mayoral election was held on March 5, 2002 to elect the mayor of Oakland, California. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Jerry Brown.
The 2006 Oakland mayoral election was held on June 7, 2006 to elect the mayor of Oakland, California. It saw the election of Ron Dellums.
The 2022 Oakland mayoral election was held on November 8, 2022, to elect the mayor of Oakland, California. Incumbent mayor Libby Schaaf was term-limited. Sheng Thao won the election and was inaugurated as mayor in January 2023.
The 1994 Oakland mayoral election was held on June 7, 1994 and November 8, 1994 to elect the mayor of Oakland, California. It saw the reelection of Elihu Harris.
