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Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee speaks at city council chambers at City Hall in Octbober.<\/p>\n
Yalonda M. James\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n
Oakland voters will decide this November whether to strengthen the powers of Mayor Barbara Lee within City Hall.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the Oakland City Council voted 5-3 to advance a charter reform measure to the ballot that would expand the mayor\u2019s authority over day-to-day city operations, and give her veto power over council decisions. Council Members Zac Unger, Noel Gallo and Janani Ramachandran opposed the measure.<\/p>\n
Lee, who typically doesn\u2019t attend council meetings, made an appearance to advocate for the measure, which she said would ensure \u201cclearer executive leadership, stronger fiscal coordination, and a governance structure where residents can clearly identify who is responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cOakland is at a turning point and the status quo needs to change,\u201d Lee said. \u201cOur residents do not have patience for a government that cannot figure out where the buck stops or why the delivery of core services is lacking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under Oakland\u2019s current system, the mayor acts as chief executive and appoints the city administrator, but cannot vote on council matters except to break ties. She proposes a budget, but ultimately the council makes a final decision on it. The city administrator manages city departments and reports to the mayor, yet is also charged with implementing the council\u2019s directives.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Lee\u2019s proposal largely would delegate more responsibilities to the mayor \u2014\u00a0effectively getting rid of the city administrator position and putting the mayor in charge of hiring and firing department heads. It would make Oakland\u2019s system of governance more like San Francisco or Los Angeles.\u00a0<\/p>\n It also has a few perks for the council: it would require council members to work full-time, which most of them already do, and adjust their salaries accordingly. It would also create an independent budget and legislative analyst office within the council.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n