Oakland voters will go to the polls tomorrow in a special election to choose a new mayor.

Oakland voters will go to the polls tomorrow (Tuesday) in a special election to choose a new mayor.

Ten candidates are on the ballot for mayor, but the real contest appears to be between former longtime Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former Oakland City Councilman Loren Taylor.

Lee represented the East Bay in Washington for nearly 27 years. The 78-year old is being backed by most of the local Democratic Party establishment. Many local leaders urged her to run.

The 41-year old Taylor served one four-year term on the Oakland City Council, before he launched an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2022. 

Taylor was the runner up to Mayor Sheng Thao. However, Thao was recalled by Oakland voters last fall. She left office in January and faces federal corruption charges, following an FBI probe and a raid of her home last year.

Besides the mayor’s race, five candidates are vying for the District 2 City Council seat, formerly held by Nikki Fortunato-Bas. And voters will also cast their ballots on Measure A, which, if approved, would slightly raise Oakland’s sales tax to help balance the city’s budget.