Oakland’s New Mayor Wants $50 Minimum Wage, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

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Barbara Lee, a former congresswoman known for for being batshit crazy, has been elected mayor of Oakland, a city already facing deep financial and social challenges.

Key Facts:

  • Barbara Lee, a former U.S. Representative, won Oakland’s mayoral race after losing a 2024 U.S. Senate primary to Adam Schiff.
  • Oakland faces an $87 million budget deficit, with more financial strain expected from high spending and pension costs.
  • Lee has called for a $50 federal minimum wage, citing California’s high cost of living.
  • The city has seen major business and sports team departures, including In-N-Out, the Raiders, and the Warriors.
  • Oakland’s previous mayor, Sheng Thao, is under FBI investigation for corruption.

The Rest of the Story: Oakland’s New Leadership and Economic Outlook

Barbara Lee, a longtime Democratic politician, is stepping into her new role as mayor of Oakland amid economic chaos and public concern.

After leaving her congressional seat in 2024 to pursue a U.S. Senate bid—ultimately losing to Adam Schiff—she returns to city politics at a precarious moment.

Oakland’s city government is staring down an $87 million budget deficit.

Pensions, insurance, and a shrinking tax base are expected to make matters worse.

The city has become a symbol of urban decline in California, marked by rampant crime, business closures, and general lawlessness.

Commentary: Voters Chose the Chaos—Now They’ll Live With It

Oakland voters have made their choice, and now they’ll live with the consequences.

Barbara Lee’s election is not just another leftward lurch—it’s a hard swerve into fantasy economics and failed policies repackaged as “progress.”

Anyone who thinks raising the minimum wage to $50 an hour—equivalent to $104,000 a year—is a sane or sustainable policy shouldn’t be running a lemonade stand, much less a major city.

Lee wasn’t exactly a legislative heavyweight in Congress.

Her record was long on symbolic gestures and short on accomplishments.

Now she’ll be expected to manage a complex, failing city that requires practical solutions and competent management—skills she’s never demonstrated.

Oakland’s challenges aren’t theoretical.

Businesses are fleeing.

Sports teams are gone.

Public safety has deteriorated to the point where thieves are stealing emergency equipment like the jaws of life.

When even In-N-Out throws in the towel, it’s clear the situation has passed the tipping point.

Lee’s predecessors, like Sheng Thao and Libby Schaaf, left their own trail of dysfunction.

Thao’s home was raided by the FBI.

Schaaf endorsed racially exclusive handouts that stoked division.

These are the political circles Lee belongs to—and now she’s leading the city.

The voters who picked Barbara Lee bought into utopian promises with no connection to fiscal reality.

They weren’t misled—they were convinced.

And they’ll reap exactly what they sowed.

So to the people of Oakland: good luck.

You’re going to need every bit of it.

The Bottom Line: What This Means for Oakland’s Future

Barbara Lee’s election as Oakland’s mayor signals more financial instability, crime, and policy experiments that ignore economic basics.

Her leadership will likely accelerate the city’s decline rather than reverse it.

Oakland didn’t just vote for a mayor—they endorsed a radical vision disconnected from the city’s most urgent needs.

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