Oakland mayor breaks 4-4 tie to put charter plan on the ballot

Oakland
City Council Meeting
June 16, 2026

TL;DR

• Oakland's strong-mayor charter measure is headed to the November ballot. The council tied 4-4 and Mayor Barbara Lee broke the tie.
• The council funded 21 community groups for violence prevention and shortened the contract from three years to two.
• Property-tax rates on nine voter-approved measures will rise for the new fiscal year under a cost-of-living adjustment.
• The council reworked its billboard deal with Becker Boards on a 5-3 vote, guaranteeing the city at least $250,000 a year.
• Updated accessory dwelling unit rules cleared a first vote, with a final vote set for July 7.

What happened

1. Strong-mayor charter measure heads to the November ballot
   1. Oakland voters will decide in November whether to give the mayor more control over city government. The vote to send it to the ballot was 4-4, and Mayor Barbara Lee broke the tie. Gallo, Ken Houston, Ramachandran, and Unger voted no.
   2. The measure would make the mayor the city's chief executive, running daily operations. It would give the mayor a veto, including the power to strike single budget items, that the council could override with six votes. The council would gain power to confirm the mayor's picks for finance, human resources, public works, and transportation. It would also require full-time council members and create an independent budget and legislative analyst's office.
   3. What this means for you: This is a change to how Oakland is governed, not to any service or fee today. Nothing takes effect unless voters approve it on November 3. If they do, the mayor would run city departments and gain veto power over the council.
2. Council funds 21 violence-prevention groups, shortens term to two years
   1. The council awarded grants to 21 community organizations that work to prevent gun and gender-based violence. The money runs $12.7 million a year and starts October 1. The council shortened the contract from three years to two and ordered a six-month report on the funding and on groups that lost their contracts. The vote was 7-1, with Houston the lone no.
   2. What this means for you: These grants fund street-level violence work like violence interruption, hospital-based intervention, and support for survivors. With a two-year term, the groups will face renewal sooner than the original plan. Council members said they would look for more money for organizations left out, including several in East Oakland.
3. Property-tax rates rise on nine voter-approved measures
   1. The council gave final approval to a cost-of-living increase on nine voter-approved property taxes for the coming fiscal year. The measures fund emergency medical and paramedic services, libraries, parks, and the zoo. Others fund the children's initiative, wildfire prevention, and Measure NN's violence and emergency response work. This was the yearly cost-of-living adjustment built into these voter-approved measures.
   2. What this means for you: If you own property in Oakland, the amount you pay toward these nine measures will go up for the 2026-27 fiscal year. The increase is a cost-of-living adjustment, not a new tax. The source materials do not list the new rates.
4. City reworks its billboard deal, guaranteeing at least $250,000 a year
   1. The council changed how Becker Boards pays the city for its billboards. Instead of a fixed annual fee, Becker will now share 20 percent of the ad revenue from its new signs. Half of that share goes to the city, and half is split among four community health nonprofits.
   2. The city is guaranteed at least $250,000 a year, with more possible if ad revenue is high. The vote was 5-3, with Fife, Unger, and Council President Jenkins voting no.
   3. What this means for you: This changes the city's billboard revenue and adds funding for four health nonprofits. The city trades a fixed payment for a share of ad sales, plus a $250,000 floor. The deal covers Becker's signs and does not change any fee residents pay.
5. New rules for backyard homes clear a first vote
   1. The council took a first vote on new rules for accessory dwelling units. Those are the small homes some owners build in a backyard or garage. The changes drop vague design terms like "visible" and "visually similar," leaving only clear, objective standards.
   2. That update brings the city in line with state law. The package also makes zoning and clerical fixes in other areas. The vote was 8-0, with a final vote set for July 7.
   3. What this means for you: If you want to build an accessory dwelling unit, the city will judge your design against fixed standards rather than subjective ones. Nothing is final yet. The rules need a second council vote on July 7 to take effect.

What residents brought up

• Charter reform. Charter reform drew heavy public comment, and speakers were split. Supporters from labor groups, SPUR, the League of Women Voters, and faith organizations urged the council to let voters decide. Several working group members said they started with open minds and unanimously chose the strong-mayor model. Opponents, including an Oakland mayoral candidate, argued for a council-manager system or asked for both options on the ballot. A few said the working group's process avoided open-meeting rules and skipped a fiscal impact study.
• Violence-prevention funding. Violence prevention also drew dozens of speakers. Violence interrupters, survivors, and grieving parents described doing this work in East Oakland late at night, at funerals, and in hospitals. Many said no East Oakland organization had its contract renewed, and they asked the council to find more money. Several pointed to police overtime as proof the city can find money when it wants to. The Department of Violence Prevention defended its competitive process, saying 43 percent of recommended grantees are Black-run and 19 percent Latino-run.
• Billboard deal. The billboard deal drew a crowd of small-business owners and chambers of commerce. They said Becker's free-ad program gave nonprofits and small businesses advertising they could not otherwise afford. An attorney for a competing company urged the council to pull the item, citing the lower guaranteed payment and legal concerns.

Also happened

• Approved a $26,499,339.50 contract with McGuire and Hester for Martin Luther King Jr. Way streetscape improvements.
• Took a first vote on a new Oakland Ice Center lease, plus up to $10 million in bond money for a new refrigeration system. The final vote is July 7.
• Cleared a first vote to extend Lyft's bike-share franchise through 2032 and allow ads on the equipment, on a 5-2 vote.
• Settled two lawsuits: $5 million to acquire property for the Fire Station 4 relocation, and $160,000 in a Department of Transportation dangerous-condition case.
• Approved a 15-year deal of up to $720,000 to lease unused fiber-optic lines for the OaklandConnect network. It also struck no-cost fiber deals with Monkeybrains and three housing providers.
• Renewed local emergency declarations on homelessness, HIV/AIDS, and medical cannabis access, and updated the city's fee schedule for the new fiscal year.

For any updates or corrections, please email steven@polisdesk.com