Oakland went to the polls in a special election yesterday to choose a new mayor, a city council member and to decide on whether to adopt a new sales tax.
Six months after Oakland voters overwhelmingly recalled Mayor Sheng Thao, they went to the polls again to elect a successor.
Ten candidates were on the ballot for mayor. Former longtime Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former city councilman Loren Taylor were considered the favorites.
The initial results from the Alameda County Registrar of Voters showed just that. As of eleven o’clock last night, Taylor led with nearly 48 percent of the vote to about 45 percent for Lee with all of the 108 vote centers reporting.
Rank choice votes remain to be tabulated.
In the District 2 council race, Charlene Wang held a nearly two-to-one lead over her closest challenger, Kara Murray-Badal.
Measure A, a sales tax to help balance Oakland’s budget, was leading 64 percent to 36 percent.
