In partnership with The Oaklandside and El Tímpano, KALW presents Oakland's mayoral candidates sharing their visions ahead of the April special election.
The event took place at Castlemont High School at 6 p.m. on February 26, 2025.
Click the play button above to listen to a one-hour compilation of the discussion.
The full recording is below:
Candidates:
Barbara Lee is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Oakland and part of Alameda County for around three decades.
Mindy Pechenuk is an economist, classical music scholar, and follower of the deceased conspiracy theorist and perennial presidential gadfly Lyndon LaRouche.
Suz Robinson is an Oakland resident and serves as the vice president of governance and stakeholder engagement for the Bay Area Council, a business association.
Eric Simpson is a machine operator at Ghirardelli Chocolate factory in San Leandro and a member of Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union Local 125, Simpson is the Socialist Workers Party’s candidate for mayor.
Elizabeth Swaney is most widely known for her viral halfpipe performance at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where she represented Hungary. The former Olympian has set her sights on a variety of other lofty goals over the years, including a brief run against Arnold Schwarzenegger for governor of California.
Loren Taylor is a third-generation Oaklander and former city councilmember. He is a founder of Empower Oakland, a volunteer-led advocacy group that got involved in local politics by backing candidates and pushing for the recalls of both Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price.
Renia Webb is former staffer for Thao when she was a District 4 city councilmember. In recent years, she became a vocal critic of Thao. Webb currently works as an educator for Crocker Highlands Elementary School.
Two candidates for mayor will not be present at The Oaklandside’s forum are President Cristina Grappo and Peter Liu.
Hosts and moderators:
Darwin BondGraham, news editor for The Oaklandside
Roselyn Romero covers public safety for The Oaklandside.
Eli Wolfe reports on City Hall for The Oaklandside.
Azucena Rasilla is a bilingual journalist from East Oakland reporting in Spanish and in English, and a longtime reporter on Oakland arts, culture and community.
Ximena Loeza, reports for El Tímpano, a local journalism outlet that uses civic engagement to amplify the voices of the Bay Area’s Latino and Mayan immigrants.
Additional resources from The Oaklandside: