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General Info | Bio | Contact Information | Political Affiliation | Political Positions | 2014 Mayoral Election | Endorsements | Fundraising Controversies | Things Kaplan Supports | Other Government Positions | Related Pages | References | In the News

Rebecca Kaplan was elected to the City Council in 2008 as the At-Large Councilwoman. In 2012 she defeated challenger Ignacio de la Fuente who left District 5 in an attempt to unseat her. She is 44.

photo courtesy of wikicommonsRebecca Kaplan ran unsuccessfully for Mayor in 2014. She came in second to winner Libby Schaaf.

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BIO

Councilmember Kaplan graduated from MIT. She has a masters from Tufts in Urban & Environmental policy and a JD from Stanford Law School.  

According to Kaplan's website, she serves on the following committees:

• Vice Chair, Alameda County Transportation Commission
• Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Joint Powers Authority
• ACTC Countywide Transportation Plan and Transportation Expenditure Plan Steering Committee
• Alameda County Waste Management Authority
• Alameda County Source Reduction Recycling Board
• Executive Board, East Bay Economic Development Alliance for Business
• AC Transit Bus Rapid Transit Policy Steering Committee²

In 2010 Kaplan ran for Mayor. She and Jean Quan ran co-endorsement campaigns and it is possible that this led to Quan winning the election.³

Her priorities in City Council are safety, jobs and trust in Oakland's government. She has been very involved in getting support from Oakland City Council getting resolutions which will cause Oakland to divest in gun-related investments.

In April, 2013, Kapan was named "Best Politician" by The Bay Area Reporter.¹

Rebecca Kaplan usually wears a vest at city council meetings and often sports a hat.

Kaplan's total compensation from the city in 2011 was $110,000.⁴

In 2013, Kaplan earned both the Best AND Worst Dressed awards from East Bay Citizen for her frequent appearances in the backwards baseball hat.⁴ In May, 2014, Kaplan announced she would be marrying her girlfriend, Pamela Rosin, in July, 2014. Kaplan is the first openly gay female City Councilmember in Oakland.⁶

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CONTACT INFORMATION:

website

twitter

PHONE: (510) 238-7008

ADDRESS: Oakland City Hall

Oakland City Hall

1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza

2nd Floor

Sign up for Kaplan's newsletter.

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POLITICAL AFFILIATION

Democrat

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Political Positions

For information on political positions, see Rebecca Kaplan Positions.

Ballotpedia. SmartVoter.

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2014 Mayoral Election

Timeline:

On November 6, 2013, Zennie also reported that Rebecca Kaplan was considering running, despite saying repeatedly that she was not, and that she and Libby Schaaf might run together as a 1/2 team in ranked voting.⁷ On February 26, 2014, Robert Gammon advocated for Kaplan to enter the mayoral race and opined that she now “appears to be undecided” despite having ruled out the possibility last year.⁸ On April 11th, the Oakland Tribune was still speculating as to whether Kaplan would enter the race, based on high-profile letters she has been writing.⁹ On June 1, 2014, Matier and Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle suggested that Kaplan was telling political insiders that she was seriously considering running.¹⁰ On June 4, 2014, theChronicle reported that Kaplan would officially announce her candidacy on June 5th.¹¹

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Endorsements:

• SEIU Local 1021 (2nd Choice after Dan Siegel)

• District 1 CM Dan Kalb (2nd Choice after Jean Quan) (source)

• Oakland Tribune (3rd- source)
• Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club (1st- source)

• League of Conservation Voters East Bay (2nd- source)

• East Bay Express (3rd with Siegel- source)

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Fundraising Controversies

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OTHER POSITIONS IN GOVERNMENT

 2002-2009: At-Large Director on the AC Transit Board of Directors 

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More Info

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REFERENCES

1. "Best Politician: Rebecca Kaplan." East Bay Reporter: April 4, 2013.
2. Rebecca Kaplan.
3. "The Winning Strategy in Oakland: Concentrate on Being 2nd or 3rd Choice." New York Times: Nov 11, 2010.
4. BondGraham, Darwin. "Oakland’s Politicians Are in the Top 5 Percent of Income Earners."
5. Tavares, Steven. "2013 Year In Lists: Best/Worst Dressed East Bay Politicians." East Bay Citizen: Dec 27, 2013.
6. Tavares, Steven. "Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan Is Getting Married." East Bay Express: May 23, 2014.
7. Abraham, Zennie. “Oakland News: Schaaf, Kaplan For Mayor Of Oakland? Tagami Wants Oakland Trib.”Zennie62.com: Nov 6, 2013.
8. Gammon, Robert, “Why Rebecca Kaplan Would Help the Oakland Mayor’s Race.” East Bay Express, February 26, 2014.
9. Artz, Matthew and Matt O'Brien. "Citywise: Kaplan mum on Oakland mayoral bid." Oakland Tribune: April 11, 2014.

10. Matier, Phillip and Andrew Ross. "East Bay Assembly race draws big special interest funds." SFGate.com: June 1, 2014.

11. Kane, Will. "Rebecca Kaplan joins Oakland mayoral race." SFGate.com: June 4, 2014.

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In the News

• Kane, Will. "Oakand’s Rebecca Kaplan leaves a political – and stinky – mess." SFGate.com: June 10, 2014.
• Johnson, Chip. "Rebecca Kaplan's popularity contest a mayoral fail." SFGate.com: June 9, 2014.

• 2014-08-04 Oakland: Dan Siegel is union's top choice for mayor- Oakland Tribune

External Links

Rebecca Kaplan candidate information page on oakmayor2014.com

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