Voters grant Oakland Mayor more power

Oakland voters have handed Mayor Barbara Lee another term and a lot more power as we do give you a live look out at the city skyline tonight where the voters have spoken and are calling for change as to how City Hall is actually run. Mayor Lee Cruz to re-election for a full four-year term receiving an overwhelming 84 percent of the vote. The next batch of results from Alameda County will be released on Friday. Although this race has not been formally called Measure EE, Also appears to have been successful with about 74% there of the vote. The measure gives the mayor's office more power, and in doing so, completely reform how city government operates. KTVU's Amber Lee joins us live from Oakland after speaking with the mayor and voters about what this means going forward. Amber? Claudine and Mike, everyone we spoke with say the victories for Mayor Barbara Lee and the Strong Mayor Initiative come as no surprise. Both opponents and supporters say change is needed. Oaklanders voted overwhelmingly to re-elect Mayor Barbara Lee to a full term and passed a charter reform proposal that gives her more power as the city's chief executive. The way that the current system is set up, it doesn't hold anybody accountable and there's a lot of There's less cooperation and willingness to really do what's right for Oakland. This is a structural change. Measure EE, the strong mayor charter amendment, gives the mayor greater control over the city's operations, which includes veto power over city council legislation and some budget decisions. It also gives the mayor the authority to appoint most department heads instead of the city administrator. I'm deeply grateful that voters really- Understood what Measure EE was about. It wasn't a power and it's not a power graph. Mayor Barbara Lee says this reform will make Oakland more efficient in delivering services to its residents. She says her priorities moving forward now that she's re-elected remain the same. They include public safety, hiring more police officers, attract businesses that bring jobs, provide opportunities for young people, and work on illegal dumping, housing, and homelessness. And I want it to be. Friendly for residents as well as for city workers. I want this to be a good place for people to want to work, to want to be public servants, and our residents feel and see that about their city. When it came to council a couple of months ago to decide whether or not I wanted a ballot, I voted against it. Janani Ramachandran is among the four city council members who oppose putting Measure EE on the ballot. She's concerned the measure gives one elected official too much authority. Still, she says change is needed. Now that the voters have made their voice heard, even though I voted no before, you know, I am willing to give this new system my all, certainly, to try to figure out, will this help us improve our system of governance? You're getting clearer definition of the roles of each of the mayor, of the city council, and the city managers, so I think it will make Oakland run more efficiently. Supporters tell me a strong mayor system will attract more qualified candidates to run for the position because that person will be able to get things done. Both opponents and supporters say if this measure doesn't work, they can always vote to change the system again. Mike? We like qualified candidates. All right, Amber Lee, live tonight in Oakland. Amber, thank you.