No, not that one. Try Willie Brown for mayor of Oakland. That is the latest scuttlebutt in the Oakland mayor’s race that is heating up.

That’s right, former San Francisco mayor and the highly-visible Willie Brown is looking into the mayor’s race - in Oakland. Many of his strong supporters are now doing business here. Mr. Brown has bought a residence in Oakland and is spending more time here. Many of his supporters are sending out feelers for the Brown for Mayor campaign. So far, the response has been positive. 

If Willie Brown does enter the race, it dramatically changes the calculus. The first casualty would probably be Councilwoman Jean Quan. She does not have the standing to potentially battle three political heavyweights in the race. At this time, to counter this low recognition, she has made her campaign more visible and put her respected ground game into place. Ms Quan will walk and try to touch every voter in Oakland. 

The hard choice will have to be made by former State Senator Don Perata. While he is  Mr. Brown’s equal in name recognition, many of his supporters are also Brown supporters. They would swallow long and hard to watch a Perata - Brown fight. 

Mr. Perata’s initial appeal, despite any baggage he may have, is that he has a proven track record of getting things done. Well, who has a bigger track record in the Bay Area of getting things done than Willie Brown? If he enters the race, it will make Oakland the news capital throughout the election cycle. 

However, Mr. Perata is known as a tough, dedicated campaigner as well, with deeper roots in Oakland than Mr. Brown, and will relish the challenge. This would shape up as a battle of the political titans in Oakland. 

That leaves our incumbent Mayor Dellums. He has always considered the East Bay his territory and is the largest icon in the area. He would have to look hard at staying in this race. Even with his more recent visible activities, it is not clear he could erase the bitter memory and disappointment from his first two years in office. His record is pale against these two confirmed get-things-done types.

The Oakland voters are looking for a mayor who is deeply committed to Oakland and will work hard to solve our basic problems such as crime and lack of economic development and who will rebuild our city and neighborhoods. 

But until any announcements are made, it’s still a Perata-Quan fight. Ms. Quan has sort of hesitated to jump full force into the mayor’s race until now because it would mean giving up her District 4 Council seat. She floated the idea of running for both offices, but that was shot down by both the City Attorney and the Attorney General’s opinions. She seems to have found a solution to her dilemma. She is now floating the idea that her husband should run for her Council seat. That does not appear to be a clean option. It will open the gates for potential candidates to run for an open seat, despite one being connected to the incumbent. If she runs for Mayor, we will have an Oakland rarity: an open seat with a highly contested race.

As if all of that was not enough, the California Governor’s race is heating up as well.  Our former mayor, Jerry Brown, has established a strong, comfortable lead against San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom.  Mr. Brown is focused on the traditional Democrats and Mr. Newsom has failed to gain traction in the younger, more progressive elements. As a result, money and resources are flowing toward Mr. Brown and Mr. Newsom appears to be starved out of the race.

The Democrats are worried that a difficult primary battle will weaken the candidate for the November general election with good reason; both Mr. Brown and Mr. Newsom carry quite a bit of undesirable baggage that will alienate moderate voters throughout the state.

Mr. Brown will have to try really hard to live down his “Governor Moonbeam” moniker and the perception that he is old and out of touch with the current population. Mr. Newsom will have to tone down his progressive agenda so that he appeals to the rest of the Californians.

A potential solution here is that Mr. Newsom drops out and runs for Lt. Governor. All the Democratic regulars would line up behind him and he can position himself to run for Governor in the future. 

Finally, on November 3rd, the 10th Congressional District will have its election pitting Lt. Governor John Garamendi against Republican opponent David Hamer. If you live in the district, now is your time to vote for another open congressional seat. 

Already, the election cycle is heating up and it’s proving to be an exciting race. It was fun to be involved in ’08, now, get ready to be involved in the ’10 election.  Register, participate and vote. 

Clinton Killian is an attorney in downtown Oakland, an Oakland resident, a former Oakland Planning Commissioner. He can be reached at: (510) 625-8823 or email: clintonkillian@yahoo.com.