Mayor Barbara Lee’s First 100 Days: Are Oakland’s Streets Actually Getting Safer?

When Barbara Lee was sworn in on May 20, 2025, as Oakland’s 52nd mayor, the city was at a crossroads. Grappling with a $265 million budget deficit, chronic violent crime, and a homelessness crisis, Lee, a seasoned legislator, stepped into the role following the recall of Sheng Thao. Her promise was direct: “Today marks a new era for Oakland.”

Over the next 100 days, her administration moved with urgency. While Oakland’s sharp crime declines had already begun in early 2024, Lee embraced the momentum and built her governing philosophy on what she called a “systems-based approach to public safety.” This framework rested on three interconnected pillars: revitalized law enforcement, a prosecutorial pivot, and a public health-based intervention through the Ceasefire strategy. But her early tenure went well beyond crime. From homelessness funding to charter reform, she made her first 100 days a flurry of decisions designed to stabilize Oakland and reestablish trust. Her style was defined by collaboration, accountability, and an insistence that progress be measured in both numbers and the lived experience of Oaklanders.

Inauguration and Initial Agenda

Lee’s inaugural remarks set the tone: Oakland would unify around public safety, accountability, and revitalization. Within weeks, she unveiled a 10-point agenda. It included convening police and business leaders to confront crime, pushing Alameda County for a greater share of homelessness resources, staffing blight-reduction crews, and launching a charter reform task force.

At a community celebration on June 8, she sharpened the vision: Oakland should once again be “a beacon for innovators; for artists and builders; and for women, entrepreneurs, and small business owners.” Her message reflected both urgency and optimism. For many longtime residents, this was a familiar call to restore Oakland’s reputation not only as a city of resilience but also of creativity, innovation, and inclusion.

The agenda also emphasized economic recovery, promising to make Oakland a hub where small businesses could thrive. She pledged to streamline permitting, reduce bureaucratic delays, and ensure that community voices guided decisions. The tone of her early speeches suggested that Lee saw public safety as inseparable from economic vitality, education, and cultural identity.

Public Safety as a Cornerstone

Figures reflect YTD through Aug 24, 2025, according to OPD’s Citywide Weekly Crime Report. Visit our Dashboard to learn more.

Few issues loomed larger than public safety. As of Aug 24, 2025, OPD year-to-date (YTD) data show sharp declines versus YTD 2024:

• Violent Crime: ↓28% (4,501 → 3,256). 

• Homicide (187 PC): ↓27% (55 → 40). 

• Aggravated Assault: ↓16% (2,288 → 1,912). 

• Rape: ↓23% (131 → 101). 

• Robbery: ↓41% (2,021 → 1,199). 

Property Crime also fell across core categories, with one exception:

• Burglary: ↓26% (6,712 → 4,986) 

• Motor Vehicle Theft: ↓45% (7,591 → 4,213) 

• Larceny: ↓20% (5,822 → 4,636) 

• Arson: ↑17% (72 → 84) — the lone uptick. 

Overall Part I crime was down 30% YTD (24,698 → 17,175) through Aug 24, 2025. 

YTD Part I Crime Comparison (2024 vs 2025)

Lee credited this to Oakland’s integrated approach: policing reforms, targeted prosecutions, and Ceasefire’s public-health intervention. Still, she was quick to temper the optimism: “These results show we’re on the right track, but our work is far from done.” Community leaders echoed the sentiment, stressing that data points must translate into safer neighborhoods and restored confidence in public institutions.

Pillar One: Revitalized Law Enforcement

Under Police Chief Floyd Mitchell, OPD doubled down on proactive enforcement. The department expanded sideshow crackdowns, over 100 vehicles were towed in 2025, and targeted robbery and burglary crews, resulting in 37 arrests since June, including a team behind 14 “ram raids.”

Staffing was another focus. Backed by Measure NN, which requires Oakland to fund at least 700 officers, the city moved toward that goal. The 195th Police Academy opened July 21—the first in over a year. Lee described the academy as “a vital step to rebuild capacity and morale” within a department that had long struggled with recruitment and retention.

Meanwhile, 911 response times improved dramatically. By mid-2025, 73% of calls were answered within 15 seconds, up from 50% in 2024 and just 37% in 2023. Expanded hiring and technology upgrades turned around what had been one of the worst-performing emergency systems in California. For residents, this marked a tangible sign that the system could work when they needed it most.

Pillar Two: The Prosecutorial Pivot

The arrival of District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson in February 2025 reshaped Oakland’s justice landscape. She reversed policies that had limited prosecutors’ ability to seek sentencing enhancements, particularly for gun crimes.

Her “zero tolerance for gun violence” approach sent a clear signal. Law enforcement leaders and business groups welcomed the shift, arguing it restored deterrence and morale. As one police union representative put it: “It feels like the system is backing us again.”

Jones Dickson also prioritized rebuilding trust with victims, expanding victim services, and working more closely with neighborhood groups. Her pivot was not only punitive but also meant to ensure that the legal system supported those most affected by violence.

Pillar Three: Ceasefire and the Public Health Lens

Ceasefire, Oakland’s hallmark violence-prevention strategy, re-emerged as the third pillar. Rooted in focused deterrence, Ceasefire targets the small number of individuals most at risk of committing or becoming victims of gun violence.

The Department of Violence Prevention (DVP), led by Dr. Holly Joshi, funded outreach workers, interrupters, and life coaches who connected high-risk individuals with housing, jobs, and mental health support. The “carrot” of services was matched with the “stick” of targeted enforcement.

The program’s results were dramatic: firearm robberies down 49%, carjackings down 47%, and homicides and firearm assaults down 31%. Evaluators noted the gains were “statistically significant,” building on Ceasefire’s earlier success between 2012–2019, when it cut shootings nearly in half.

Community advocates pointed out that Ceasefire’s success was not just in numbers but in relationships, conflict mediation prevented retaliatory shootings, and mentorship programs created lifelines for those ready to leave street violence behind.

Other Key Initiatives

While crime dominated headlines, Lee advanced a wide set of initiatives in her first 100 days:

• Budget Stability: A $4.2 billion two-year budget passed on June 11 closed the $265 million deficit. Public safety remained the priority, though Lee dubbed it a “Nobody’s Happy Budget.” The plan funded 678 sworn officers and added money for illegal dumping enforcement and traffic safety.
• Homelessness: In July, Lee secured nearly $1.14 billion in county Measure W funding for homelessness housing and services over 10 years. This represented Oakland’s “fair share” of resources, a promise Lee had emphasized since day one.
• Arts & Culture: After public backlash over eliminating the Cultural Affairs Manager role, Lee restored the position and launched a $600,000 “Emergency Pooled Fund” for 24 local arts organizations. By July 25, her office proposed making the cultural role permanent, underscoring the importance of arts to Oakland’s identity.
• Infrastructure: A July settlement committed Oakland to building or repairing 11,000 curb ramps and 78,000 sidewalks over the next two decades. Lee also broke ground on the $5.4 million Lakeshore Avenue Safety Project, which included protected bike lanes.
• Broadband Equity: Backing a new Broadband Master Plan, Lee pledged to expand affordable internet access in underserved neighborhoods, framing digital access as a form of equity.
• Charter Reform: In August, she convened a nine-member advisory group to study potential governance reforms for Oakland’s city charter, signaling her commitment to long-term structural accountability.

Political and Financial Support

Lee’s initiatives were underpinned by a strong support structure:

• Measure NN: Passed in 2024, it provided $47.4 million annually for public safety and mandated the 700-officer minimum.
• State Partnerships: Governor Gavin Newsom extended CHP surge deployments into 2025, resulting in over 1,100 arrests and 2,200 stolen vehicle recoveries. The state also installed 480 automated license plate reader cameras and toughened penalties for retail theft and sideshows.
• Leadership Style: Observers described Lee as a “conductor,” keeping the city’s complex safety strategies aligned and publicly embracing the multi-pronged approach. Her ability to integrate efforts across agencies and maintain momentum became one of her most cited strengths.

Challenges and Outlook

Despite progress, Lee acknowledged persistent challenges. Chief among them: the “perception gap.” Even with crime plunging, many residents still felt unsafe. Community surveys suggested that while confidence in OPD and City Hall had improved, skepticism remained high.

OPD also faced a claimed structural strain. Only about 510–515 officers were actively working out of 678 funded slots. Overtime reliance ballooned to a projected $55 million in 2025, with poor management controls costing the city millions. The union IFPTE Local 21 highlighted inefficiencies such as failing to civilianize administrative roles, which they argued drained resources.

Housing and homelessness remained another urgent concern. While Lee secured major county funds, implementation will be the true test. Advocates warned that without clear timelines and accountability, residents might see little immediate relief.

Lee’s task moving forward will be sustaining gains while addressing the deeper staffing, fiscal, and trust issues that threaten long-term stability. Her administration must not only maintain momentum but also demonstrate that reforms can endure beyond her first 100 days.

Lee’s 100-Day Promises — How Did She Do?

What’s still hard (and honest)

• Response times: Faster call pick-ups don’t automatically mean quicker arrivals. Staffing, deployment, and call triage still need work—and a public dashboard would help everyone see progress (or lack of it).
• Arson: It’s the only major category trending up. Small base, but worth immediate attention.
• Perception lag: People don’t feel safer the moment numbers change. That takes consistency—months of steady declines and visible presence—plus clean, reliable updates the public can trust.

What to watch next

• Q3/Q4 crime curves: If robbery and auto theft keep falling through the holidays, that’s staying power—not a blip.
• 911 beyond the call-taker: We need transparent reporting on dispatch and arrival intervals, especially for priority calls.
• Measure W money hitting the street: Track shelter beds added, housing placements, behavioral health slots—not just dollars appropriated.
• Police reform milestones: The mayor says she wants federal oversight finished “on her watch.” Meeting those benchmarks is part of making safety gains stick.

Conclusion

Mayor Barbara Lee’s first 100 days were defined by urgency, collaboration, and results. Oakland’s crime rates fell faster than national trends, county homelessness funds were secured, and long-delayed reforms, from sidewalks to charter governance, took shape. She balanced fiscal discipline with social investment, aiming to build a city that is safer, fairer, and more resilient.

The road ahead remains steep. Staffing shortages, fiscal fragility, and resident skepticism could undermine progress. Yet Lee’s first months have reestablished Oakland’s trajectory: a city moving, however cautiously, from crisis toward recovery. The coming months will test whether her integrated strategy can continue to deliver not just safer streets, but also renewed faith in government and a shared sense of civic possibility.