Barbara Lee has yet to confirm she’s running for mayor — but she’s raised $31,000

Oakland residents voted for a brand new mayor final April. In a number of months they’ll do all of it once more. However need Barbara Leewho gained the particular election handily, are within the operating?

That query loomed massive in latest days as Oakland politicians made public their annual monetary disclosures and revealed how a lot cash that they had raised for November.

Lee’s revelation seems to point she is operating for a full time period.

The mayor raised $31,863 within the second half of 2025, in keeping with a report filed with the town Monday. She spent just below $6,000, totally on routine workplace {and professional} providers. It is a small quantity in comparison with her whole 2025 increase for the particular election — $580,000 — nevertheless it’s excess of any potential challengers already within the race have raised.

The truth is, the one individual formally taking part within the mayoral election who reported elevating cash was Mindy Pechenuka Republican follower of Donald Trump. Pechenuk raised $7,765 and spent $5,364 final yr.

We had been unable to succeed in Lee’s marketing campaign to debate her plans for the 2026 election.

The truth is, Lee raised way more cash final yr for her workplace account, which helps pay the invoice for issues unrelated to the election. Her public workplace account held $100,000 in 2025, which is the utmost quantity she was allowed to lift below metropolis guidelines.

Lee spent $66,220 of this officeholder cash. A lot of that went to charities, together with $5,000 every to the Alameda County Meals Financial institution and the Public Schooling Fund. She additionally donated $1,500 every to the Avenue Degree Well being Venture, Mary Barber Ministries, East Oakland Senior Heart, Hope Collaborative, Dream Youth Clinic, Wooden Avenue Commons, Telegraph Group Ministry Heart and a pair of Star Market.

The mayor additionally paid $5,000 to Change Consulting for media outreach. Lee owes Madera Group roughly $21,000 for fundraising providers.

The unions are additionally pouring cash right into a committee aimed toward constructing assist for a parcel tax measure that would assist steadiness the town funds and keep away from cuts. In line with the most recent announcement, the “Oaklanders for a Secure, Clear and Wholesome Metropolis” committee raised $450,000 final yr.

Most of this cash got here from SEIU Native 1021 ($200,000), IAFF Native 55the Oakland Hearth Division Affiliation ($150,000), and IFPTE Native 21 ($50,000). PG&E additionally donated $50,000 to the trigger. Final month, SEIU donated one other $225,000 to this committee.

The fee spent $440,000 final yr, totally on firms that acquire signatures for petitions.

Two council members operating unopposed have large warfare chests for his or her marketing campaign

A lot of different places of work in Oakland are up for grabs in November, together with three council seats, a metropolis auditorium and three faculty board seats.

Incumbent Districts 2, 4 and 6 are all presently unopposed.

District councilor 6 Kevin Jenkins reported elevating $57,600 final yr. He spent just below $3,000, leaving him with $54,670.

The council president additionally raised $17,825 in his workplace account final yr. Jenkins and two different council members, Janani Ramachandran and Ken Houston, final yr urged the council to cross laws that raised the contribution cap for council officer accounts from $25,000 to $75,000.

Jenkins spent greater than $10,000, leaving him with a money steadiness of $7,647 and simply over $8,000 in debt. In line with his disclosure, Jenkins spent a number of thousand {dollars} at Scott’s Seafood. These bills embrace vacation celebrations for group volunteers; conferences on district, coverage and legislative issues; meals with stakeholders associated to metropolis affairs; and a “enterprise assembly with stakeholders to debate the event of the Oakland Coliseum and associated coverage concerns.”

Councilor Janani Ramachandran reported final yr that she had raised $46,184 for her re-election committee. She spent just about none of it, leaving her with a money steadiness of simply over $61,000.

Ramachandran’s account for workplace bearers was much less lively. In 2025, she reported elevating $9,845. She ended the yr with a money steadiness of greater than $13,000.

Councilor Charlene Wang was elected final April for the rest of Nikki Fortunato Bas’s time period. (Bas now sits on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors.) Wang’s re-election committee raised $8,105 final yr and spent solely a small quantity on workplace bills.

Wang’s account, which she used final yr within the run-up to the particular election, raised greater than $104,000 and spent about $119,000. That committee presently holds $4,900 in money. Wang has used that account to pay wages to some marketing campaign employees.

Actual Property and Cryptocurrency Fund Main Political Group in Oakland

One group that has been very lively in latest elections by spending monumental quantities of cash on unbiased expenditures – promoting and different issues not coordinated with any candidates – is the Political Motion Committee. Give Oakland a brand new life. In line with the disclosures, Revitalize has raised $690,000 in 2025.

The group’s largest contributor final yr was Holland Residential California, an actual property developer and landlord with a number of massive properties in downtown Oakland. Holland offered the fee with $235,000.

Piedmont resident and San Francisco-based hedge fund accomplice Philip Dreyfus threw in $160,000. Dreyfuss is greatest identified for financing the recall efforts of Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Lawyer Pamela Worth.

Revitalize additionally acquired two main contributions from people within the cryptocurrency area final yr: $100,000 from Jesse Pollak, an government at Coin baseand $100,000 from Konstantin Richter, CEO of the corporate Block daemon.

Revitalize additionally acquired contributions from Ryan Graciano, the co-founder of Credit Karma ($50,000), PG&E ($25,000, and investor Ilya Sukhar ($20,000).

Greater than a 3rd of Revitalize’s spending final yr, about $267,000, went to supporting Loren Taylor‘s mayoral marketing campaign. The group additionally donated $22,500 to the Black Action Alliancea brand new group that organized a mayoral debate in 2025, and that lately organized a governor’s debate. Taylor is presently the interim CEO of the Black Motion Alliance.

Revitalize additionally donated $25,000 Empower Oaklandthe advocacy group based by Taylor in 2023. Empower endorsed candidates within the 2025 elections. And the group spent tens of 1000’s of {dollars} paying off the money owed of two committees that supported Thao’s recall.

In line with the disclosures, Revitalize paid almost $19,000 to an organization referred to as VR Analysis Inc. for opinion polls and survey analysis. Within the run-up to final yr’s election, VR Analysis produced an opposition analysis paper on Barbara Lee. Political activist Seneca Scott shared the report with members of the media forward of the election.

Within the second half of 2025, Revitalize donated cash to Oakland Parks and Recreation Basis ($50,000), City Compassion Venture ($50,000), 100 Black Males of the Bay Space ($35,000), the Lake Merritt Conservancy ($31,794), Cristo Rey De La Salle East Bay Excessive College ($30,000), and Youth Alive ($30,000).

Pamela Worth has some assist for her bid to retake the district lawyer’s workplace

Alameda County voters recalled the district lawyer Pamela Worth by a large margin in November 2024, shortening her time period. However final yr, Worth made it clear she plans to win again her former seat.

Worth raised $26,307 final yr and gave her political committee a $7,500 mortgage. She spent about $7,800, leaving her with $25,970 in money available. Her notable contributors embrace civil rights lawyer John Burris and former Privateness Advisory Commissioner Brian Hofer.

Nevertheless, Worth’s fundraising nonetheless has an extended solution to go to compete with the girl who was appointed DA by the Board of Trustees final yr. Ursula Jones Dickson has made it clear she is operating for a full time period as district lawyer this yr, and in keeping with her monetary disclosures, she raised greater than $423,000 final yr.

Notable supporters of Jones Dickson embrace two former Alameda County district attorneys: Thomas Orloff ($20,000) and Nancy O’Malley ($5,000). Additionally in her camp are the Alameda County Prosecutors Affiliation ($10,000), the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council POWER PAC ($10,000), Realtor Ronald Nahas ($6,000) and Supervisor David Haubert’s officeholder committee ($2,500). Dickson has additionally acquired smaller contributions from the mayors of Piedmont, Alameda and Newark.