Oakland Mayor News: Kevin Jenkins Selected to Become Oakland’s Next Acting Mayor Amid Fire Station Closures

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) — Oakland is experiencing another change in leadership.

On Monday, the City Council voted to elect Kevin Jenkins as its new president, who will then serve as mayor until the April special election.

The changes in Oakland’s leadership come as the city faces a fiscal crisis with significant budget cuts, including to emergency services.

Jenkins will be the third Oakland mayor he has seen in the past month, following Sheng Thao’s recall.

Outgoing City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas is currently serving as interim mayor following Thao’s departure.

But she is set to leave the board to be sworn in as Alameda County supervisor.

Rebecca Kaplan was selected by the board to serve as an interim District 2 board member.

Former U.S. Representative and East Bay Congresswoman Barbara Lee files paperwork to run for Oakland mayor

Former U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee filed paperwork with the city of Oakland on Monday, indicating she is considering a possible run for mayor.

Lee filed Form 410 “Declaration of Organization: Committee of Beneficiaries” with the city elections department under the name “Barbara Lee for Oakland Mayor 2025” and named herself treasurer.

This is one of the first steps candidates must take before they begin raising money for their campaign. Lee also filed a candidate statement of intent.

Representatives for Lee were not immediately available for comment.

So far, in addition to Lee, 13 people have filed paperwork signaling a possible run for Oakland mayor, according to a list posted on the city’s website last Friday. The application period ends on January 17.

The new mayor will be chosen in a special election on April 15 to replace ousted Mayor Sheng Thao, who lost a recall election in November.

Oakland Fire Department station closures take effect

This all comes just hours after the city closed two fire stations.

On Monday morning, crews were seen leaving the fire station 25 minutes after laying the American flag outside.

Station 25 and Station 28 closed at 8 a.m. Monday.

Oakland fire chief says it’s a brownout process that will keep stations closed for at least 6 months and save the city $5 million, just a small portion of the budget deficit of $129 million.

In response, the firefighters union held a 10 a.m. news conference on the steps of Oakland City Hall.

They are calling on city leaders to reopen the stations and stop a proposal to close four additional stations next month.

“Cuts to emergency services don’t mean these calls will go away, it means we’ll have to travel further to reach those who need them,” said Chris Robinson, an Oakland firefighter. “Increased response times also mean dispatchers will need to prioritize calls, which could have an even greater impact on our response times. These cuts are a tragedy waiting to happen.

In response to the power outages, the Oakland Fire Department launched what is called the Fire Safe Oakland website and campaign.

The city says the closures are intended to keep Oakland afloat until money from the sale of the Coliseum is long delayed.