Why is Mr. De La Fuente coming back into Oakland Politics? This is what he said...
This is what he wrote...
I am running for mayor because our city is in deep trouble. I am fighting for our city because I care and believe that the most important responsibility of local government is to protect the lives of our residents and our businesses. I am returning to political office because now, more than ever, experience matters! I have lived in this city for 51 years of my life and, just like you, I carry an unfeigned concern over what is happening to our city. I cannot stand by and witness the city that I love become a place where people are afraid to walk the streets, to take their children to parks, to go out to dinner with their families, or to park their cars on the street. I cannot let our city continue to be a place where seniors are assaulted and robbed in broad daylight, a place where unauthorized sideshows are constant throughout the city and where children are being shot and killed. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Oakland is not a dumping ground, and it is time to take action!
I promise you that I will not only do whatever it takes to increase the number of police officers, but I will give them the resources that they need to help them justly do their job; and, above all, I will provide them with the backup and political support they need and deserve to provide legitimate protection for our residents and our businesses.
I promise you that I will not tolerate homeless encampments, where violence and drug abuse are rampant. This encroachment is disrespecting our neighborhoods, our schools, our businesses, our residents, taking over our parks and defacing our city. Residents and businesses in our low-income flatland neighborhoods have been disproportionately affected by these encampments, and they deserve better. In collaboration with the county, we will serve our homeless residents who need it most, but not at the expense of other residents and businesses in our city.
I promise you that I’ll focus my efforts on bolstering and expanding basic city services and holding our city departments accountable in providing those basic services: Repairing potholes, taking back and beautifying our parks, fixing our sewers, and providing robust programming for our recreation centers and libraries to enrich the lives of our kids and seniors.
The job of mayor is not for the faint of heart. Oakland is a great city, but it always brings its challenges to those who run it. I bring 20 years of service as an Oakland City Council member and, for 11 of those years, served as city council president. Today, I am indelibly and deeply compelled to serve our great city as its next mayor. I promise you that I will dedicate 100 percent of my experience, time, and energy to making Oakland a safe city, a clean city, and a city that returns to providing basic city services with policies that are fair and sustainable for all our residents and businesses. We need a mayor with a proven track record of getting things done. We need a mayor with the political backbone and experience to make the tough decisions—the ones that must be made to heal this city and set it back on a path of progress. Respectfully, Ignacio De La Fuente
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