by Eli Wolfe March 20, 2025 VIA The Oaklandside

With just a few weeks left serving as interim Mayor, Kevin Jenkins has appointed two deputy mayors.

Jenkins announced last Wednesday that he is bringing on LaNiece Jones and Burt Jones (no relation) as deputy mayors to help with short-term projects “focused on cleaner and safer communities.”

“With the upcoming budget process requiring my full attention, I am grateful to have LaNiece and Burt step into these key roles,” Jenkins wrote in a press statement. The interim mayor did not respond to an interview request. “Their leadership will help advance critical initiatives that make our neighborhood safer and cleaner.”

Oakland is currently without a permanent mayor because voters recalled Sheng Thao last November. In January, the City Council appointed Jenkins interim mayor — a position he will hold until residents elect a new mayor to finish out what would have been Thao’s term, through 2026, at which point Jenkins will return to the City Council. The special election is scheduled for April 15.

As interim mayor, Jenkins is crafting a budget for the next two-year cycle that starts on July 1. He is expected to make the draft budget public on May 1. 

The upcoming budget is widely expected to introduce painful cuts across departments to balance a $265 million deficit projected for the next two fiscal years. The city has already taken cost-cutting measures to address a shortfall in the current fiscal year. This included dozens of layoffs to city workers.

According to the mayor’s office, LaNiece Jones has been hired as a full-time temporary employee. A spokesperson said she will provide general staff assistance to the mayor, including, “Supporting the Mayor’s presence and in his absence in community engagement activities” and “attending meetings and events as his designated representative and providing constituent communications and support.”

The mayor’s office did not provide information about Burt Jones’ job or his specific duties.

LaNiece Jones is the founder of an Oakland-based marketing and public relations firm called LA Jones & Associates. Jones previously served as a consultant to the chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, and before that was the executive director of the Peralta Colleges Foundation. She recently co-chaired former Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s political advisory committee, and in 2020, Lee appointed her as one of California’s electors who cast votes in the Electoral College. In 2021, then-Assemblymember Rob Bonta appointed her as a delegate for an assembly district.

Jones is also a member of the African American Sports & Entertainment Group. This private developer has an agreement with the city to purchase Oakland’s stake in the Coliseum for $125 million. This deal was inked last year but has been delayed multiple times, most recently because the Alameda County Board of Supervisors has failed to approve the transfer of the county’s interest in the property.

Oakland’s budget is no longer coupled to this transaction. But city officials are still anxious to see the deal go through so Oakland can reap the windfall. Jenkins recently raised concerns that AASEG’s investors might pull out of the project if the sale isn’t completed soon.

A spokesperson for the mayor said LaNiece Jones has no financial stake in the city or the county’s Coliseum land acquisition, and that she is not involved in any negotiations or meetings related to government dealings with AASEG.