Oakland’s Record-breaking Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan Continues to Amaze

When members of our SF Bay Times team first met Rebecca Kaplan nearly a decade ago, we were extremely impressed. At the time, Kaplan was in her 30’s, yet she had the polished presence and wisdom of someone with many more years of experience behind her. Fast forward to the present and Kaplan, now in her second term as an Oakland Councilmember, is in an historic race that could make both local and national history.

Kaplan already is the first out lesbian ever to hold elected office in Oakland. She is one of the more senior members of the Oakland City Council, serving as both President Pro Tempore and Vice Chair of the Transportation Commission. Yet, she is also the youngest member of the Oakland City Council. Should she win the upcoming mayoral race, Kaplan would become Oakland’s first openly LGBT mayor. This would also put her in the national spotlight, as she would be on a very short list of out LGBT women nationwide to hold public office, let alone to serve as mayor. (Openly gay Annise Parker is in her third term as mayor of Houston, Texas.)

LGBT voters in Oakland could be game changers in the tight race for Oakland mayor. The city has long had a sizeable LGBT population, and surveys report that it boasts more lesbians per capita than any other major American city. San Francisco’s housing crisis has only strengthened such numbers, given that many LGBT individuals and families have made the trek eastward after being Ellis Acted or otherwise priced out of San Francisco. Oakland is also an attractive destination in its own right. Earlier this month, for example, the American Planning Association declared that Uptown Oakland is one of America’s best neighborhoods. The city additionally features LGBT-focused groups, such as Oakland Pride, which continue to grow each year.

In the 1970’s, a similar set of population factors helped to elect Harvey Milk to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk even called himself The Mayor of Castro Street before winning his official seat in 1977. It will be interesting to see if Oakland’s diverse and ever-growing LGBT population will unite behind Kaplan both now, and later should she win the mayoral race.

We are proud to launch Kaplan’s new column in the SF Bay Times, providing a voice for East Bay issues as well as matters affecting our community as a whole. Dr. Betty Sullivan, co-publisher of the Bay Times and founder of “Betty’s List,” conducted a short interview with Kaplan at Oakland Pride four years ago (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3KKMXTRZAM). Kaplan amazed us then and she continues to do so now. Elections come and go, but Kaplan is proving that she is ready for the long haul and for all of the hard work that lies ahead in cutting through bureaucratic red tape to help solve some of the Bay Area’s most pressing challenges.

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Almost There, Oakland

By Rebecca Kaplan

Gertrude Stein traveled home to Oakland in 1935 after a 40-year absence and famously said, “there is no there, there.” Her words spoke to her sense of loss that the orchards and fields of her childhood home were no longer there. Oakland is now undergoing changes no less dramatic.

Have you had a chance to visit our restaurants, walk in our parks, see a concert in town? There’s an undeniable energy in Oakland, born of our diversity and creativity and activist roots. That energy has attracted women since Gertrude Stein’s time and they, in turn, have shaped the culture and community.

And despite the challenges we face, we have a grand opportunity to preserve that spirit, reclaim the beauty, and create the opportunity that is the city’s birthright and promise.

It is Oakland’s deep commitment to gender, racial, economic, and social justice that both attracted out women and offers the LGBTQ community the chance to lead the way. We are in the age of marriage equality, but we cannot ignore the stifling issues facing our community—poverty, joblessness, violence, and despair. We must continue to demand more fairness for women, children, and the poor, and challenge ongoing injustices like incarceration and displacement. And with the highest per-capita ratio of lesbian households in the nation, we stand at a unique and powerful juncture.

We can choose to deepen ties with the communities we collectively represent and together make Oakland great.

From Jane Addams to Audre Lorde to Tammy Baldwin, our country’s history has a long line of artists, organizers, and activists that evoke social and economic justice not only for the LGBTQ community, but also for everyone. I stand on the shoulders of giants in my run to be Oakland’s first out lesbian mayor.

Here’s the bold vision—and it requires strong, stable leadership to get it done. Create 30,000 jobs and ensure job access for local residents. Enforce local hiring and local contracting requirements in city business and local recruitment of new police hires. Bring grocery and other retail stores into town and expand job training for local residents.

I will apply my extensive experience as a tenant’s rights attorney to build policies and practices that protect people from being pushed out of the city because of skyrocketing costs. I am dedicated to protecting residents from wrongful evictions and foreclosures, and expanding housing for all income levels.

Oakland can be a city that is safe for everyone. We must build the relationship and ties between the police and the community. I know that strengthening trust between the police force and the community reduces crime and reducing crime strengthens trust in each other and the city. I’ll restore neighborhood beats so that police are on foot and on bikes, interacting with and protecting the community they serve.

We also need a fresh start. As President Pro Tem of the City Council, I secured funding for the Free Broadway Shuttle and the Uptown Bike Station. Public transportation and support of bike use matters in a bustling, thriving city. I have a plan to crackdown on illegal dumping that is plaguing many parts of our city. We’ll fill potholes and deliver city services with efficiency and respect.

I’ve had the privilege of serving in leadership in Oakland as the citywide city councilmember, and am ready to take Oakland to the next level. We’re almost there, Oakland. The election on November 4th is a tremendous chance to do things right in the city that is the heart of the Bay Area.

Rebecca Kaplan graduated Phi Beta Kappa from MIT, earned a master’s degree in Urban & Environmental Policy from Tufts and a law degree from Stanford. She was a housing rights attorney before being elected to the AC Transit board. She’s an avid bicyclist, and a bible teacher with an upbringing in Orthodox Hebrew school. Area’s most pressing challenges.