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.
Recent Comments