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Kevin Jenkins (politician)

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Kevin Jenkins
Member of the Oakland City Council
from the 6th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 2, 2023
Preceded byLoren Taylor
Interim Mayor of Oakland
In office
January 6, 2025 – May 20, 2025
Preceded byNikki Fortunato Bas (interim)
Succeeded byBarbara Lee
Personal details
BornOakland, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children1
EducationLaney College
College of Alameda
San Francisco State University (BA)
California State University, East Bay (MPA)
WebsiteCity council website

Kevin Jenkins is an American politician who is a member of the Oakland City Council as the city council member from the 6th district. He served as the interim mayor of Oakland, California for a period in 2025, following the resignation of prior interim mayor Nikki Fortunato Bas to serve as a member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. He currently serves as the City Council president.

Biography

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Jenkins was born in Oakland to parents who worked with the Oakland Unified School District. Raised in East Oakland, he graduated from Oakland High School and would later attend Laney College and the College of Alameda. He transferred to San Francisco State University where he would graduate with a degree in Urban Studies and Planning. He went on to earn a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from California State University, East Bay (CSU East Bay).[1]

He was elected to the Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees, representing Area 2. He also served as a commissioner with the Alameda County Public Health Commission, as well as the president of the California Association of Black School Educators.[2][3] At the time of his election to city council in 2022, Jenkins was the director of housing justice initiatives with the regional branch of United Way.[1] Jenkins has one child, a son.

Political career

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Jenkins was elected to become an Oakland City Council member from the 6th district in 2022, succeeding Loren Taylor. He ran on a platform to address gun violence, combat illegal dumping, to build more affordable housing, and reduce homelessness.[1] As a city councilman, he has been a proponent of using high-tech cameras, such as automated license plate readers, in order to arrest suspects.[4]

In 2025, after the resignation of Fortunato Bas due to her becoming a member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, Jenkins was elected by members of the council to serve both as interim mayor and as council president.[4][5] He appointed LaNiece Jones and Burt Jones to serve as deputy mayors during his mayoralty.[6]

During his term as interim mayor, he fired chief of staff Leigh Hanson after she was accused of racism due to her having wrote notes during a 2024 meeting, in the midst of former mayor Sheng Thao's recall election, describing Black people as "tokens".[7] This would be followed by Jenkins firing most of the remaining staff from Thao's administration.[8] Thao has been criminally indicted by a grand jury on federal bribery charges.[9]

Jenkins declined to run for the special election that took place on April 15, 2025.[10] He endorsed former U.S. representative Barbara Lee for the mayoral race, who later won the election.[11][12] He was succeeded by Lee on May 20.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Rodas, Ricky (August 19, 2022). "Election 2022: Who's running for Oakland City Council District 6?". The Oaklandside. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  2. ^ Wrin Piper, Luke (February 22, 2022). "Kevin Jenkins: From School Trustee to the Town Stump". Peralta Citizen. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  3. ^ Wolfe, Eli (August 28, 2023). "Oakland City Council in conversation: Kevin Jenkins talks District 6". The Oaklandside. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Fernandez, Lisa; Galloway, Kayla; Katsuyama, Jana (January 6, 2025). "Oakland leaders appoint Kevin Jenkins as interim mayor ahead of special election". KTVU. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  5. ^ "Oakland City Councilmember Kevin Jenkins Voted in as Council President, Will Serve as Interim Mayor". Oakland Post. January 11, 2025. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  6. ^ "MAYOR KEVIN JENKINS APPOINTS DEPUTY MAYORS TO ADVANCE PUBLIC SAFETY AND CLEANER COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE". City of Oakland. March 12, 2025. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  7. ^ "Interim mayor fires Oakland chief of staff". KTVU. April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  8. ^ Wolfe, Eli (April 7, 2025). "Sheng Thao-era staffers fired as controversy grows about Oakland public records". The Oaklandside. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  9. ^ "Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao criminally indicted two months after recall". sfchronicle.com. January 16, 2025.
  10. ^ Brinkley, Leslie; Howard, Lena (January 6, 2025). "Kevin Jenkins selected to serve as next interim mayor of Oakland; third mayor in 3 months". KABC-TV. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  11. ^ Gans, Jared (January 8, 2025). "Lee announces candidacy for Oakland mayor". The Hill. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
  12. ^ Ravani, Sarah (April 18, 2025). "Barbara Lee wins Oakland mayoral race". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 19, 2025.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Oakland
Acting
2025 		Succeeded by
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