Former Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf ended her campaign Friday to become state treasurer and endorsed Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis for the role.
Kounalakis announced early Friday that she had dropped out of the race for governor to instead seek the treasurer’s seat.
Schaaf, who led Oakland from 2015 to 2023, was the first candidate to announce a bid to succeed the current treasurer, Fiona Ma, in January 2024. At the time, she said she planned to enhance public infrastructure and strengthen educational opportunities while tackling the state’s housing and climate crisis…