Oakland voters elected Rebecca Kaplan, a self-described bi dyke, to their city council's at-large seat Tuesday, November 4. Kaplan becomes the Bay Area's highest-ranking lesbian lawmaker and returns queer leadership to the East Bay city.

Kaplan, 38, secured her election win with 62 percent of the vote in unofficial returns Wednesday, November 5 against opponent Kerry Hamill, who came in second place with 37 percent of the vote. Having taken first place in the June election with 40 percent of the vote compared to Hamill's 21 percent, Kaplan had been expected to easily capture the seat being vacated by longtime Councilman Henry Chang.

Part of Kaplan's motivation for seeking the seat was to ensure that Oakland's growing LGBT population has a voice at City Hall. According to The Gay & Lesbian Atlas, published in 2004, Oakland ranked number one for its lesbian population among the nation's top 50 cities, based on 2000 census figures, and its 94602 Zip code ranked in the top 10 in lesbian households in the country.

The city ranked third for its combined gay and lesbian population among the nation's top 50 cities.

"This is a beautiful, amazing and inspiring night. I heard Obama was winning, then, eight minutes later I learned I was winning. And the city with

Berkeley City Council member Darryl Moore. Photo: Rick Gerharter

Her lesbian supporters cheered the fact of seeing one of their own elected to the council.

"I think she has a really great vision for Oakland. She's a really good communicator," said Quin Hussey, who with her partner, Julia Caplan, threw a house party for Kaplan during the campaign. "She's good at bridging the gap of those who don't communicate well together."

Next door in Berkeley, openly gay Councilman Darryl Moore easily held on to his District 2 council seat in the city's flatlands. One of the few out African American lawmakers in the state, Moore won 82 percent of the vote against challenger Jon Crowder, a property manager who also ran for the seat in 2000. Crowder netted 17 percent of the vote.

Bi candidate Phoebe Anne Sorgen lost her bid to capture the council's District 6 seat in the hills. The Peace and Justice Commissioner only received 23 percent of the vote, losing to Susan Wengraf, who captured 77 percent of the vote to replace her boss, outgoing Councilwoman Betty Olds.

For Kaplan, it was her second stab at the Oakland council seat. Chang easily defeated Kaplan, who holds dual Canadian and American citizenship, during their 2000 race. Undeterred in seeking political office, Kaplan ran unopposed for the AC Transit board's at-large seat in 2002, and won re-election to the seat four years later.

Oakland has been without an out gay elected official since 2005, when then-Councilman Danny Wan resigned his seat to care for his elderly parents. Kaplan was one of two local lesbian candidates claiming victory Tuesday night, as Jamie McLeod held on to her City Council seat in Santa Clara [see story, page 9].

Kaplan switched parties during her race, leaving the Greens to become a Democrat. The move opened up access to endorsements from numerous political and special interest groups, including the Democratic Party of Alameda County, the California Nurses Association; the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club; and OakPac, the city's downtown business political group.

A civil rights attorney, Kaplan also picked up backing from the Oakland Tribune, the Bay Area Reporter, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Political pundits have already named Kaplan as a potential mayoral contender in Oakland.

Lydia Gonzales contributed to this report.