The four candidates for Oakland mayor talked about the city budget, economic revitalization and other issues at a voter forum Saturday at City Hall, but the discussion kept returning to public safety.
Around 40 people attended the forum, which was organized with the League of Women Voters of Oakland. First-term Mayor Barbara Lee will face challengers Brenda Grisham, a business owner and longtime community advocate; Mindy Pechenuk, an educator and researcher; and Julius Robinson, a community investment executive, in the Nov. 3 election.
Lee said that while crime is down, there is more to do to make the city safer. She pointed to Measure NN, a parcel tax approved by voters in 2024 that raises $47 million a year for police, fire, 911 dispatch and violence prevention programs, and requires the city to maintain a minimum number of police officers…