Oakland's Measure EE Explained: A Strong Mayor, a Veto and a Full-Time Council

Oakland voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to rewrite how City Hall is run. Measure EE, a charter amendment introduced by Mayor Barbara Lee, would move the city from its current hybrid setup to a clearly defined strong-mayor system, according to city records and voter guides.

What would change for the mayor

Under the measure, the mayor would become the city's chief executive officer, responsible for managing city affairs, according to the resolution the council adopted in June. The mayor would gain a veto over legislation and a line-item veto over the budget. The City Council could override either kind of veto with six of its eight votes, SPUR's voter guide says. The mayor would also lose the tie-breaking vote on the council.

What the council would get

The council would be able to confirm the mayor's picks to lead the finance, human resources, public works and transportation departments. It could create an independent budget and legislative analyst's office to give it nonpartisan fiscal and policy analysis, hold legislative hearings and issue subpoenas. The measure affirms council members' right to get information from city officials, and it would require council members to work full time. The Public Ethics Commission would set salaries for all elected city officials using similar formulas, according to the ballot question.

How it got here

SPUR recommended a strong-mayor system for Oakland in a 2021 report. Lee later asked SPUR and the League of Women Voters of Oakland to co-facilitate a charter reform working group, which SPUR says heard from more than 750 residents between August 2025 and January 2026 before recommending the change. Four council votes plus the mayor's tie-breaking vote put the measure on the ballot, SPUR says.

The arguments

Supporters, as summarized in KQED's voter guide, say the hybrid system is confusing, that power now rests with an unelected city administrator, and that a stronger mayor would make it clear who is responsible for results. Opponents call it a power grab and warn that future mayors may not be trustworthy with more authority, and that council pay raises could worsen the city's budget problems.

As of Oct. 7, campaign finance records compiled by Open Disclosure Oakland showed $375,000 in contributions supporting the measure and none opposing it. Measure EE needs a simple majority to pass.