Schaaf leading big in re-election bid

Race seen as referendum on her policy on homeless

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf was leading in early returns in her bid for re-election Tuesday night after a mostly uneventful, low-key campaign.

With 17 percent of precincts counted, Schaaf had 65 percent of the vote. Her nearest competitor, Cat Brooks, had 16 percent.

If Schaaf wins, she will be the city’s first mayor to clinch a second term since Jerry Brown’s time in the office. Takeaway: The campaign became a referendum on whether Schaaf has done enough to alleviate the homeless crisis and build and retain affordable housing — forces that have pushed longtime residents out of the city or onto the streets. Background: Schaaf, 52, served one term on the City Council before her 2014 mayoral victory. She famously sparred with President Trump and his administration this year after she released a public warning about an impending immigration enforcement operation in Northern California.

Schaaf ’s support of sanctuary city policies, designed to shield immigrants from deportation, won her praise on the left. Nationally, Schaaf said, she is viewed as “one of the most dangerous radicals around.”

But for many segments of Oakland, she is far too centrist and supportive of development, big business and tech industries reshaping the city. Others complain her administration hasn’t sufficiently responded to illegal dumping, potholes and vandalism. And violent crime, which has taken a sharp dip in recent years, continues to plague poor neighborhoods.

Her main competitors — nine ran against her — were Brooks, a nonprofit leader and activist, and Pamela Price, a civil rights attorney who was defeated in the June Alameda County district attorney’s race.

Schaaf ’s first term as mayor of Oakland was marked by episodes of tragedy and scandal — among them the Ghost Ship fire in 2016 that killed 36 people and sexual misconduct within the Police Department.

Under ranked choice voting, Oakland voters select up to three preferred candidates. If no one receives a majority of votes among No. 1 picks, then the candidate who received the fewest first-choice votes is taken out of the running, and that person’s votes are redistributed to the No. 2 choices on those ballots.

The process continues until someone gets a majority.

Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf waves to the crowd while standing between her mother, Barbara Schaaf (left), and her supporter and friend Jacqueline Phillips at Schaaf ’s campaign headquarters. The Oakland mayor has famously sparred with President Trump.