Outgoing Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunado Bas Wants Rebecca Kaplan As Interim District Two Rep

Oakland (Special to OaklandNewsOnline.com) – In a long email letter that touched on several issues, outgoing Oakland City Council District Two Representative Nikki Fortunado Bas took time to recommend retired Oakland At-Large Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan as her interim replacement.

From her email, Bas wrote the following:

My strong recommendation to the City Council is to appoint District 2 resident and seasoned Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan as the interim caretaker D2 Councilmember. She is retiring from her At-Large Council seat and will not run for the District 2 seat in the special election. CM Kaplan is uniquely qualified to:

• jump in and immediately help serve D2 constituents,
• keep important neighborhood projects moving forward, and
• provide leadership during the City’s biennial budget process.

Here are highlights from the rest of Bas’ communication:

Our Collective Wins

My tenure as your District 2 Councilmember has been one of the hardest periods in our lifetime. Despite the monumental challenges of the pandemic, an economic downturn, growing inequality and the issues these challenges brought forth, we laid the foundation for transformative change and a stronger Oakland that will continue to move forward.  

• After engaging countless Oaklanders in reimagining public safety, we expanded our community safety system. We invested more in proven violence intervention strategies, created an alternative crisis response program, and focused accountable policing on more effective response and investigations. In 2024, Oakland had our lowest rates of violent crime since before the pandemic.
• We made record investments in affordable housing and homelessness solutions. We created a tiny homes program on public land, prevented countless evictions during COVID, assisted tenants in purchasing their homes with land trusts, and opened 1,931 new affordable units across the city. I’m especially proud that we broke ground on the first of two 100% affordable housing projects on the E. 12th parcel, thanks to our persistence with Eastlake United for Justice and affordable housing developers EBALDC and SAHA.  
• We advanced budget solutions by creating a progressive corporate business tax for greater economic equity and better city services. I am proud to have authored the ballot measure, which a united community-labor-business coalition worked together to pass in 2022, raising nearly $20 million each year.
• We improved our neighborhoods with critical investments in our parks and recreation centers for youth, families and seniors, including the planned expansion of Lincoln Recreation Center, renovating and reactivating Clinton Park & Community Center, a new master plan for San Antonio Park, and more investments in Lake Merritt.

What’s Next?For me, my last day with the City of Oakland will be Monday, January 6th. On Tuesday morning, January 7th, I will be sworn in as County Supervisor for District 5 and will attend my first meeting of the Board of Supervisors. For District 2, Oakland will hold a special election on April 15 for a Councilmember to complete my term through January 4, 2027. The same election will also determine who serves as our new  Mayor. At the Monday, January 6th Council meeting, when the newly elected Councilmembers will be sworn in, the City Council may adopt a motion by majority vote to appoint a person to serve as the interim District 2 Councilmember over the next four months. One of my top priorities in this District 2 transition is ensuring strong constituent services and continuing to help residents and neighbors problem-solve concerns by effectively navigating city channels. In this vein, my trusted constituent aide Debra Israel will continue on with the interim District 2 Councilmember. Thank you Debra for your ongoing commitment to our District 2 residents, businesses, and community! These are some of the important neighborhood projects that the interim D2 Councilmember and staff can continue to advance with our community partners: Breaking ground on the Lakeshore protected bikeway in the Spring, Breaking ground on the Lincoln Rec Center expansion in the Summer, Continuing improvements at Clinton Park & Community Center, Moving forward the San Antonio Park Master Plan, Advancing the Fire Station #4 upgrade with OFD, With the State, County and local community, working together to transition the unhoused residents of the E. 12th median encampment to a new program at the Extended Stay America, and partnering with neighbors to develop a community garden, Providing services and housing to the unhoused residents at Peralta Park and installation of a fence and gates to improve public access, safety and environmental protection of Peralta Park and the estuary, Ensuring that the 2nd 100% affordable housing project on the E. 12th remainder parcel moves forward with SAHA, EUJ and Dewey, Continuing to advance the Museum of Jazz and Art in Oakland’s historic Fire Alarm Building near Lake Merritt, and Being as responsive as possible to our District 2 constituents during this interim period until a new Councilmember is elected. I hope you share my support for Rebecca Kaplan’s appointment. You may share your e-comment here before Sunday 11am, or email the City Council at [email protected] before Monday’s 11am Council meeting.

GratitudeI am so grateful for your partnership to lift up our District and our City for our children, families, and future generations. I want to especially thank my talented and dedicated District 2 team — past and present — for your support, initiative and deep partnerships with our committed city staff and our valued community members. Let’s continue to stand together and work with the next leaders of District 2 and the City of Oakland.   With Oakland Love,