Deputy editor Esther Kaplan and news editor Darwin BondGraham join host Tasneem Raja to preview the biggest stories The Oaklandside will be covering in 2026—from OUSD's superintendent search and brutal budget cuts, to the mayoral and DA races, the FBI corruption trial, Oakland's budget crisis, and whether the city's historic drop in crime will continue.

Stories we cover in this episode:

OUSD superintendent search and budget crisis

• Who will be OUSD's next superintendent? The search starts soon — The district is hoping to hire a permanent superintendent by mid-April.
• Oakland school board chooses superintendent search firm — Hazard, Young will lead a national search with candidates presented in January and February.
• OUSD has $100M in cuts to make. School sites won't be exempt — School site budgets will be reduced by up to 10% as part of a broader $100 million deficit reduction plan.
• Oakland school board approves plan to cut $102M — Schools could see their budgets reduced by up to 10% alongside deep cuts to district headquarters.

2026 elections: mayor and district attorney

• Barbara Lee declares victory in Oakland mayor's race — Lee takes the helm of Oakland for a short term with a tall list of problems to tackle. Her term lasts through the end of 2026.
• Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee on ICE agents, illegal dumping, and her first 100 days — Lee has created a committee to raise money for a 2026 reelection campaign.
• Pamela Price, recalled by voters in 2024, says she'll run again for DA — At a campaign launch event, Price said she wants to take a stand against billionaires, corporations, and Trump.

FBI corruption case

• What's next in the Oakland FBI corruption case? And more questions answered — Trial is set for October 2026, over two years after the June 2024 raids.
• Who is Mario Juarez, the man the FBI relies on in Oakland corruption case? — Mario Juarez appears to be "Co-conspirator 1," a key informant in the case. For decades he's been at the center of bitter legal disputes.
• Sheng Thao joins motion to toss evidence from Oakland FBI raids — Former Mayor Thao and two others seek to suppress evidence, accusing the FBI of ignoring a key informant's "lifelong history of criminal arrests, fraud and deceit."

Oakland's budget and federal funding cuts

• 'Nobody's Happy Budget': Oakland adopts $4.2 billion spending plan — The budget closes a $265 million deficit and keeps all 25 firehouses open while funding 678 police officers.
• Looming in 2026: Cuts in federal funds deal blow to Oakland's deficit-laden budget — Oakland is bracin