Some clever thief actually managed to steal Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee’s city-issued SUV on Monday, and took it for some degree of joy-riding, though the vehicle was reportedly recovered Tuesday in (where else?) Vallejo.
Just last month, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee was touting that crime was down in Oakland across the board in 2025. She will probably not be touting that statistic anytime within the next few days, though, or at least until the story blows over that someone stole Barbara Lee’s city-issued SUV straight out of the Oakland City Hall parking lot on Monday, as KRON4 reports.
Most media reports on the theft, like KRON4’s, only go by the statements put out on the matter by local PR guy Sam Singer, who’s speaking on behalf of the Oakland Police Officers Association. But the Chronicle independently confirmed several elements of the story, to say that yes, the city-owned Ford Expedition that totes Mayor Lee around on official business was stolen Monday and recovered in Vallejo on Tuesday.
Per the Chronicle, the high-jinks started when a suspect managed to break into Lee’s City Hall office when City Hall was closed on Monday for Presidents' Day. "The door to Lee’s office appeared to have been tampered with,” the Chronicle reports, and “investigators believe the keys were taken on Monday, the Presidents Day holiday.”
That individual apparently just plain drove the vehicle out of the City Hall parking garage.
The Chronicle says City Hall security footage helped identify a suspect, who has not yet been apprehended or arrested. The Sam Singer statement also acknowledges that there is a specific suspect, and confirms that the individual is apparently still at large.
Lee’s office put out a statement on Wednesday that seems to pretty much acknowledge that yes, someone managed to swipe Mayor Lee’s car straight out of Oakland City Hall.
“As with criminal cases such as this, the Oakland Police Department is actively investigating, and we cannot comment further at this time,” the statement from Lee’s office said. “No one in Oakland should have to worry about their car being stolen, whether they’re a resident, a city worker, or the Mayor. Public safety is a priority across our entire city.”
Related: Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao Is Reportedly Using an SUV the City Hasn't Paid For [SFist]
Image: WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) arrives for a Congressional Progressive Caucus news conference at the U.S. Capitol on May 16, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Congressional Progressive Caucus unveiled their agenda for policies they plan to push next year if Democrats win the 2024 election including a higher minimum wage, strengthened antitrust laws and new federal benefits for seniors on Social Security and parents raising kids. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
