California career politician Barbara Lee wins mayor race in embattled Oakland

Former Rep Barbara Lee D-Calif defeated former Oakland City Council member Loren Taylor in Oakland's special electoral process for mayor following months of uncertainty for the struggling city While Taylor made inroads as a relative political outsider with campaign finance reports revealing he outraised the career California politician Lee was ultimately triumphant following Friday's ranked choice tallies The race for mayor had been too close to call on Tuesday night following Oakland's April special referendum as Taylor maintained a slight lead over Lee with just over a thousand more votes in his favor Oakland follows a ranked choice voting system where candidates with the least votes are eliminated as voters' backup choices get a boost in the tally The liberal-run city has had four different mayors in a four-month period after Mayor Sheng Thao was recalled this November and subsequently indicted on eight counts of bribery Oakland has been without a clear leader this year as the city continues to grapple with ongoing crises 'FED UP' EMBATTLED BLUE CITY'S FUTURE HANGS IN THE BALANCE AHEAD OF MAYORAL SPECIAL ELECTIONTaylor's campaign to finish out Thao's term was aimed at shaking up the political status quo and restoring Oaklanders' faith in their politicians after months of uncertainty Taylor's program platform highlighted citizens safety initiatives budget stabilization to avoid bankruptcy anti-corruption and increased efficiency at City Hall tackling homelessness and boosting the local business activity CALIFORNIA CITY'S MASSIVE M DEFICIT THREATENS DANGEROUS CUTS TO ITS FIREFIGHTING CAPACITYThere were homeless people in Oakland in a increase since according to Alameda County Health's January Point-in-Time PIT document While the Oakland Police Department published a decrease in violent crime in began with a crime surge including five recorded homicides within a -hour period By Jan The San Francisco Chronicle released Oakland's third homicide of the year and seventh since Dec Oakland's staggering million budget deficit for Fiscal Year - forced particular Oakland firehouses to close their doors earlier this year but the City Council was able to pass a resolution to reopen those firehouses earlier this year Oaklanders are frustrated Taylor advised Fox News Digital in an interview ahead of the special ballot We are upset that we have not been getting what we deserve what we should be getting from our local cabinet The status quo continues to fail us when we see crime rates rising out of control we see homelessness still growing when it's shrinking in neighboring cities we see our city facing the largest fiscal budget deficit in our history a number of failures that show that what we have is not working Lee touted a long list of political endorsements during her campaign and had the name recognition that landed her a preeminence She lost the Democratic primary for U S Senate last year to her former colleague in the House Sen Adam Schiff D-Calif Barbara Lee is meeting voters every day in their living rooms at their doors and at area events She hears their priorities loud and clear - she is running to be a mayor who can make Oakland safer address the fiscal emergency and root out corruption That is why her -day plan tackles society safety homelessness good governance and economic opportunity head on a spokesperson for Lee's campaign communicated Fox News Digital ahead of the special electoral contest Lee vowed to bring a fresh perspective to Oakland's City Hall and she accused Taylor of helping make the bad decisions that shaped the city