Opening Statements + Early Questions

Live Blogging #oakdebates | 6:45pm

Each candidate is given two minutes to make an opening statement.

Candidate Lee Tolbert a native of Oakland and has been working for “23 years for Oakland Civic Pride” and wants to develop comprehensive and ‘citywide’ that makes an ‘Oakland for all of us’. She points to her experience as a former Oakland School Board member and non-profit executive, to make City Hall “open and inclusive.”

Candidate Kaplan calls this a “very important election” says that with her work on this current council she has improved local jobs and worked on stopping violence. She has “upgraded ordinances” to encourage Bites of Broadway, and helped “land a grant” to fund the free Broadway shuttle. Kaplan states that she wants to get “the jobs in and the guns out.”

Candidate De La Fuente points to his last 20 years of service in District 5, says that he has ‘fought to make the city safe” and works on “deploying and maximizing” the resources that are available. Says that he want to “continue working” to “complete the task” and “expand [his efforts] city wide.”

Finally Candidate Theresa Anderson-Downs, mother of 4 and resident of District One, says that she wants to “give back” and help create as ‘sense of ownership in the community.’ Points to her work “feeding the hungry and distributing backpacks” as keys to reducing crime citywide. Her emphasis will be on reducing the high crime rate and improving schools to ‘start the healing of Oakland.’