Libby Schaaf
September 13, 2018 — People
Mayor of Oakland, California
Mayor Libby Schaaf was inaugurated into office in January 2015 and launched an agenda to elevate one of America’s most diverse and progressive cities into an equitable and resilient city.
Born and raised in Oakland, Mayor Schaaf is currently leading the City’s efforts to offset the cost of living crisis, reduce crime, improve transit and infrastructure, and expand educational and career opportunities for the city’s most vulnerable residents. She developed Oakland’s “17K/17K Plan” to protect 17,000 low-income households from displacement while producing 17,000 new housing units by 2024. She created the city’s first Department of Transportation, an urban design unit to connect safe streets with housing and transportation. She also championed Measure KK, a $600-million infrastructure and affordable housing bond, which Oakland voters passed with 82 percent approval.
Mayor Schaaf has received national attention for launching the Oakland Promise, an education initiative that will triple the number of college graduates from Oakland by 2025. To date, the program has sent 1,000 high-schoolers to college with scholarships, and will soon provide every baby born into poverty in Oakland with a $500 college savings account.
Mayor Schaaf is honored to serve the people of Oakland and to help promote her hometown as the greatest place to live, work, play and do business. She is committed to revitalization that preserves and celebrates Oakland’s diversity and leads to direct prosperity for long-time residents and newcomers.