ExS.F. Muni chief new Oakland city administrator
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on Friday appointed Edward Reiskin, the former longtime transportation chief of San Francisco, as Oakland’s new city administrator, moving him up from an assistant role he has held since August.
Reiskin will follow interim City Administrator Steven Falk , the former Lafayette city manager who served after Sabrina Landreth announced last year she would step down from the role in March. If confirmed by the City Council, Reiskin will take up the administrator position the next day.
In her announcement, Schaaf said Reiskin “brings depths of experience, sharp insights, and a steady leadership style to the job in these unprecedented times.” She added, “His passion for public service and the residents of Oakland will serve our community well, and help Oakland thrive into the future.”
Reiskin’s varied municipal experience included serving since August as one of two Oakland assistant city administrators, a position he also held from 2000 to 2003. In the interim years, he was interim city administrator and deputy mayor of Washington, D.C., and then San Francisco’s Department of Public Works chief, appointed to that role by thenMayor Gavin Newsom. He also served as the first head of the city’s 311 nonemergency call center.
In 2011, thenMayor Ed Lee appointed Reiskin — who had no experience in the transit world — as San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency director, overseeing Muni, bicycle and pedestrian safety, traffic engineering and parking.
Reiskin steered a number of the city’s biggest and most polarizing projects, including the Central Subway, but, following Lee’s death in 2017, the new mayor, London Breed, was less of a fan of the mildmannered and calm Reiskin. After eight years with the MTA, Reiskin stepped down not long after a 10hour subway breakdown from a failed overhead wire all but immobilized the city.
Reiskin’s appointment in Oakland comes after a period of volatility in the city, which included Landreth’s announcement that she was stepping down following a turbulent year and clashes with council members.
As assistant city administrator, Reiskin oversaw city infrastructure and service operations that included public works; parks, recreation and youth development; and information technology.
“It is deeply humbling to be given the opportunity to be considered for the role of Oakland’s city administrator,” Reiskin said. “I look forward to working with the mayor, the City Council, other elected officials, and stakeholders to support the great employees of the city of Oakland in providing outstanding service that befits this outstanding city, particularly in support of the most vulnerable among us.” San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Sarah Ravani, Rachel Swan and Phil
Matier contributed to this report.