Oakland’s Future Starts Now:

A Safe Oakland, and the Cleanest, Greenest City on Earth

Welcome to the future of Oakland. Our city stands at a pivotal moment, and together, we have the power to shape its future. Oakland is ready to rise as a model of safety, sustainability, and opportunity. With bold action, a commitment to justice, and a vision for a thriving community, we will transform our city into the safest, cleanest, and greenest city on Earth. We’ll rebuild our neighborhoods, protect our businesses, create jobs, clean up our city and protect the planet we call home. The journey starts now, and every step we take is one toward a brighter, more prosperous future for all of us.

 

Increase Police Levels and Rebuild Public Safety

• Increase Police to 882 Officers: Oakland will increase police levels to 882 officers, bringing us to the national standard of 2 officers per 1,000 residents, ensuring a safe and secure city. This increase will enhance community policing, build stronger relationships between law enforcement and the public, and ensure that every neighborhood is protected.

• Big Business Supporting the Little Guys- Public-Private Partnerships to Protect Our Businesses: To safeguard both our community and our economy, we will establish public-private partnerships that combine resources from law enforcement and local businesses. Big businesses will work alongside small businesses to provide expanded security details and support storefront protections, creating a safer environment for all. Additionally, we will create a fund for small businesses to help with security upgrades and barrier installations, ensuring a robust defense against crime.

• End Unsheltered Homelessness: We will end unsheltered homelessness by implementing low-cost, scalable housing solutions that address this crisis. Oakland will not leave thousands on the streets waiting to win the affordable housing lottery—temporary housing, rapid construction methods, and supportive services will be put in place to get people off the streets while we build permanent supportive housing. We will ensure no one is left waiting in limbo as we work towards long-term solutions. As Mayor, I will fully support and accelerate the Haven for Hope Care Campus initiative, centralizing all homelessness services, scaling shelter and modular housing and centralizing all services in one location. We will end unsheltered homelessness within three years. This campus model can be operated by the county with construction costs raised via a capital campaign with contributions from Foundations, private donors, businesses and grants. The campus consolidates housing and services in one centralized location, providing on site mental health services, workforce training, addiction recovery assistance and a path to self-sufficiency. We will end the humanitarian crisis on the streets.

• Address Cultural Issues and Officers Not Doing Their Jobs: The toxic culture within OPD has paralyzed our department, preventing officers from doing their jobs effectively. We will implement a full cultural overhaul, focusing on streamlining systems, enforcing accountability, and focusing on people management. By prioritizing a healthy work environment, we will attract and retain top talent and ensure that officers are empowered to serve the community with professionalism and integrity. This will rebuild trust between OPD and Oakland residents, ensuring that officers are active, engaged, and committed to the safety of the city.

• Double Down on Community Policing, Ensure it is not cancelled: Public safety in Oakland starts with strong community-police partnerships. I’m committed to doubling down on community policing, ensuring we work together, hand in hand, to build a safer city. By expanding Oakland’s volunteer network and creating a centralized database, we can gather feedback and strengthen communication. This network will also be integrated into disaster planning, with incentives for CERT training. I will reinstate Neighborhood Service Coordinators (NSCs) and hold the city accountable, not allowing them to strip community from Measure NN, ensuring community policing remains a core public safety priority.

• Gap Fill Department of Violence Prevention Efforts: The pandemic wiped out alot of the in person activities that were keeping young people off the streets. We have recently seen escalating juvenile crime and violence. The Department of Violence Prevention has most of it's focus on the Cease Fire Program, but the program only addresses groups and gangs. The DVP needs to focus also on escalating juvenile violence and leverage non profit investments to get organizations back in person and to increase in person activities that get youth off the streets as a core violence prevention strategy.

Increase Revenue, Revitalize the Economy, Rebuild Business Districts

• Hire a Chief of Economic Development and Housing: The Mayor's office will own economic development and ensure we are proactive in getting revenue back into the general fund and the economy up and running- taking advantage of the crisis to increase the housing supply. ​​

• Launch a Business Competitiveness Plan in First 6 months: Oakland let their business plan expire 5 years ago. It was supposed to launch in 2023 but the "no action" government still has no plan to address a revenue and business crisis other than to tax residents. It is not an accident the city is facing bankruptcy when they have no plan to address revenue loss due to a post pandemic economic crisis. In the plan we have to be strategic and understand first what other cities are doing so we can be competitive (they are stealing our businesses) and second areas that we may need to give up revenue in order to make revenue in other categories. Such as waiving gross receipts taxes for companies that bring employees back to the office, this would pump up the downtown core by increasing sales tax revenue and parking fees and also support retail businesses. 

• Bring Thousands of Jobs Back to Oakland: We will work to bring thousands of jobs back to Oakland through strategic economic development initiatives. We will make deals with new businesses and companies whose leases are expiring to ensure we stop the collapse of our businesses and grow revenue and the economy. We will actively pursue companies and businesses that reflect our identity, new economy, green businesses and make deals with them, waiving taxes and fees, helping them get set up, in order to build long-term innovations clusters in the downtown core. 

• Vacant Office Buildings- convert or fill: By offering targeted tax incentives and fee waivers, we will bring new businesses into Oakland, revitalizing empty office buildings and transforming them into thriving commercial and residential spaces. This will create a vibrant ecosystem of work, retail, and living spaces, jumpstarting economic growth and job creation. We will also promote office to residential (OTR) conversions increasing housing supply and taking advantage of legislation (Ting) that enables us to convert old buildings and address the commercial real estate collapse.

• Rebrand Oakland as Business Friendly: To build an attractive business environment, we will actively rebrand Oakland as a business-friendly city. By eliminating bureaucratic obstacles, cutting taxes, and making it easier to start and expand businesses here, Oakland will become a magnet for entrepreneurs and innovators. I will create more focus on tourism and tapping the regional market to support the unique assets of our city like arts and culture, our LGBTQ+ community and businesses, the black cultural zone, and our waterfront district. We will grow and market our city's unique assets. 

• Restructure the Government from Within; Create a Fast, Modern Government: Our government is an outdated anti change institution that doesn't align with the modern workforce. I will build a modern government that moves fast, incentivizes innovation, and I will tear down old work rules that keep people silo'd and ineffective. I will create a great place for employees to work and drive down the cost of government while improving the quality of services to residents.​

Make Oakland Ground Zero in the Fight for Our Planet

• Oakland: The Cleanest Greenest City on Earth: Oakland will be known as the cleanest and greenest city on Earth, setting the bar for environmental sustainability. We will fill up empty office buildings with green, new economy jobs, getting investors in at the ground floor to help us transform the city. We will expand green spaces, promote clean energy, and invest in zero-waste initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint. Our commitment to the environment will make Oakland a beacon of hope for the future. Additionally, as part of this effort, ending unsheltered homelessness will be integral to our solutions; helping to clean our streets while addressing this critical issue with compassion and scale. By integrating environmental and social solutions, we will build a safer, more sustainable Oakland.

• End Illegal Dumping and Collect on Unpaid Citations, Protect our Sacred Lands: We will no longer enable illegal dumping in Oakland. By taking a firm stance on enforcement, we will collect on the over $1 million owed to the city in citations that have gone unpaid. We will increase penalties for illegal dumping and beef up our reward program that encourages the community to report illegal dumping through tips and video evidence, leading to convictions and ensuring that Oakland remains clean for all residents. We will ensure residents understand "illegal dumping" is about the destruction of our planet, and that we will defend our sacred lands in Oakland.

• Change First Fridays to Earth Day: We will reimagine First Fridays in Oakland as a city-wide Earth Day celebration, bringing together thousands of government employees, community members, and volunteers to surge clean the city. This will be a major community effort to show our commitment to keeping Oakland clean, with a focus on sustainability and environmental action.

• Education Campaign to Inspire a Movement: We will launch an education campaign that creates a movement in the fight for our Earth—Oakland will inspire its residents to take action in a new cultural shift towards sustainability. This campaign will engage youth by promoting eco-friendly habits, encouraging activism, and motivating them to take leadership roles in the fight for our planet’s future. Through this, Oakland’s youth will become agents of change, taking part in environmental initiatives and community-driven actions.

• Harness the Power of the Land Beneath Our Feet: We will protect and honor the sacred land beneath us by implementing policies that support carbon-neutral buildings, eco-friendly infrastructure, and sustainable urban planning. We will preserve natural resources and work towards a more sustainable future for Oakland and its residents.

• Scale Up Climate Action: Oakland will lead the charge in the fight against climate change by investing in green technologies and creating a green economy that provides jobs, reduces emissions, and makes Oakland a global leader in environmental innovation.

 

Closing Statement

Oakland’s time to shine has arrived. With your support, we will not only address our city’s challenges but transform them into opportunities for growth, justice, and environmental leadership. Together, we will build a city that reflects our values—a city that is safe, sustainable, and unified. The future is within our reach, and together, we will create a city we can all be proud of. Oakland, we are just getting started. Let’s make history.

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I entered this race because I am the candidate Oaklanders have been asking for—someone who deeply understands politics but is not a career politician. I have a strong grasp of business and will defend and grow our local economy, protect our businesses from being poached by other cities, and create a thriving future for Oakland. I’ve been personally impacted by our public safety crisis and truly understand our fractured past. I know what it will take to build a safe city and what changes are necessary to move us forward.

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My strengths align with the most urgent issues we face today. We are at a critical juncture. The establishment has failed us, missing key opportunities to reform our criminal justice system and evolve the way we approach accountability and redemption. We need a system that is more innovative, adaptable, and better equipped to handle not only the crises of today but those looming on the horizon.

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I have been on a path of healing for years, and I understand the core challenges facing our city. I will never prioritize politics over the people of Oakland. Our political system is broken, and it desperately needs a reformer like me. There is a clear path to an incredible future for Oakland, and I can see that future so clearly. And I think that is what differentiates me from other candidates. Oakland has wallowed in problems for too long and has grown those problems. My intention is to heal these problems by growing the future. To build an exciting future for all of us, and to prove the model that we can take humanity next level, that our elevated consciousness does translate to reality, and that reality is at our fingertips in this moment and this historic special election.

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About Me

I’m Suz Robinson, a proud Oaklander with over a decade of experience at the intersection of business and public policy. As Vice President of Governance for the Bay Area Council at the region’s leading public policy organization, I am immersed in issues like public safety, business climate, homelessness, housing, climate resilience, healthcare, and workforce development. My diverse career includes leadership roles in a Fortune 16 company, nonprofit organizations, and the startup sector—giving me a broad perspective on governance and economic growth.

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Since 2017, I’ve been committed to improving public safety in Oakland, particularly through my involvement in the city’s community policing efforts after witnessing a tragic event in my neighborhood. I’ve also served as Chair of the Board for a nonprofit supporting LGBTQAI addiction recovery programs and HIV programs, and volunteered with SF Pride’s Community Partner Program for many years. I have led expedition wilderness trips and served as a volunteer for inner city youth groups.

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For over a decade I have had the privilege of serving as a volunteer whitewater rafting guide, navigating some of the world’s biggest rapids and participating in expedition wilderness trips. These experiences taught me valuable lessons in leadership, resilience, and the importance of bold action in difficult circumstances.

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My connection with Native American culture has deeply influenced my worldview, teaching me that we are all part of a larger, interconnected whole. The generosity and wisdom from local tribes emphasizes that healing begins when we come together, move beyond anger and division, and realize that we share far more in common than we often recognize.

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