# Loren Taylor

Loren Taylor (born July 1977) is an American politician who served on the Oakland City Council from 2019 to 2023. A Democrat, he represented the 6th district, which includes the East Oakland neighborhoods of Maxwell Park, Millsmont, Havenscourt, and Eastmont. He was a candidate in the 2022 Oakland Mayoral Election, narrowly losing by 0.6% to fellow city councilmember Sheng Thao. On January 16, 2025, Loren announced his candidacy for the 2025 Oakland Mayoral Special Election.

## Early life and education

Taylor was born in Oakland, California, in 1977. A third-generation resident of Oakland, he spent his childhood there. Taylor attended Joaquin Miller Elementary, Montera Junior High School and The College Preparatory School, graduating in 1995.
He earned a bachelor of arts from Case Western Reserve University, a master of science in biomedical engineering from the University of Connecticut, and a master of business administration from the University of California, Berkeley.

## Engineering and business career

Taylor worked as a biomedical engineer and management consultant for businesses and nonprofit organizations. His community involvement included serving as a board member of the 100 Black Men of the Bay Area and the West Oakland Health Center.

## Political career

Taylor first ran for public office in 2018, defeating 16-year incumbent Desley Brooks with 64.3% of the vote after 5 rounds of ranked choice voting.
Following his term in Oakland City Council, Loren founded Empower Oakland, an advocacy organization focused on educating and engage Oakland residents on city issues.

## Oakland City Council Experience
### Homelessness

* In response to the 68% increase in Oakland's unhoused population, and the explosion of encampments in the city, Taylor partnered with other Councilmembers to enact the Permanent Access to Housing (PATH) plan that seeks to close the racial disparities of homelessness with a multipronged approach around (1) prevention, (2) crisis response, (3) transitional housing, and (4) long-term supportive & affordable housing.
* Taylor voted for the creation of a new homeless encampment management policy that would designate high and low sensitivity areas. The homeless would be allowed to camp in low sensitivity areas. The measure was approved in October 2020 by unanimous consent of the city council.
* Taylor worked with the Black Cultural Zone, a community development corporation consisting of 20 Oakland nonprofits, to establish the Akoma Outdoor Market one of several programs it runs on a city owned lot in East Oakland.

### Public safety

* Taylor coauthored a resolution creating a Reimagining Public Safety Task Force charged with evaluating community calls to defund the Oakland Police Department and reallocate those funds to alternative public safety and crime prevention services. As chair, he advocated for more police hiring and rejected the notion that violence prevention programs should be pitted against funding for cops on the streets.
* Taylor coauthored a resolution that placed a measure on Oakland's November 2020 ballot to strengthen the Police Commission by retaining its autonomy and independence including during public safety emergencies.

### Economic and Small Business Development

* Taylor founded ESO Ventures, a small business incubator in East Oakland, with a coalition of partners. Through the support of State Senator Nancy Skinner, ESO secured a state grant for $8 million dollars.
* Taylor helped secure funding from Google in a public-private partnership to build out a new commercial kitchen for aspiring restauranteurs at the Arroyo Viejo recreation center in East Oakland.
* Taylor recruited UC Berkeley Haas School of Business students to advise and partner with Oakland entrepreneurs

## 2025 Oakland Mayoral Campaign

On January 16, 2025, Loren announced his candidacy for the 2025 Oakland Mayoral Special Election. Taylor is the only candidate in the crowded field who’s already held elected office in the city. But relative to the most high-profile candidate — 26-year Congresswoman and former State Senator and Assemblymember Barbara Lee — he’s less steeped in politics.

### Public Safety

* Taylor has made public safety a key component of his campaign, calling for funding three academies a year to bring the police department up to 800 officers within three years and investing in more technology, including license plate readers, drones and voice recognition.

### City Budget

* Taylor said there isn’t a silver bullet to fix Oakland’s budget crisis and that the city must make “tough, hard, necessary choices” to balance revenue with expenses. He believes the city needs to refinance its debt and reevaluate its pension liabilities. Oakland’s current total pension liabilities were around $2 billion in 2024. In the budget adopted by the council last July, Oakland’s debt payments totaled $190 million.

### City Accountability / Anti-corruption

* As mayor, Taylor would propose a system where every office, including the mayor, has stated annual goals. Regular updates would be published so residents can track their progress.

### Housing / Homelessness

* Taylor said he believes solving homelessness means getting people housed. That means building more housing of all types in all Oakland neighborhoods. One of his proposals to expedite development is a “shot clock” for the city when it comes to the planning and permitting for projects. This would require city staff to hand out permits much faster. Taylor also said he will prioritize fully implementing Oakland’s encampment management policy.

## Personal life

Taylor lives in East Oakland with his wife, Dr. Erica Taylor, with whom he has two children.