ABOUT LOREN

Loren Taylor and his wife, Dr. Erica Taylor, are proud to raise their two children, Camryn and Manny, in Oakland. 

An engineer and a public servant, Loren has worked for years to alleviate poverty and expand opportunity through leadership positions in nonprofits, social justice organizations, and while serving on the Oakland City Council.

Inspired by a family with a history of public and community service, Loren ran for Oakland City Council in 2018 as an outsider against a 16-year incumbent and won.

During his term on City Council, Loren brought a thoughtful, pragmatic approach that relied on data and evidence to find new solutions to old problems and focused on implementation and measuring results. He led efforts to address Oakland’s most difficult challenges, from public safety to homelessness to economic growth. 

Loren holds a master’s in biomedical engineering from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. 

5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT LOREN:

  1. Loren authored more than 60 pieces of legislation while on Oakland City Council
  2. Loren was youth soccer coach and PTA President at his kids’ school Joaquin Miller Elementary
  3. Loren established performance management systems while working in the private-sector for Fortune 500 organizations in healthcare, utilities, technology and nonprofit.
  4. Loren is a third-generation Oaklander. His grandparents moved to Oakland from the South in the 1940s.
  5. Loren ran for Oakland mayor in 2022 and narrowly lost to recalled Mayor Sheng Thao, who is also now-indicted on a pay-to-play scheme that includes racist anti-Loren mailers.

LOREN AS A COUNCIL MEMBER

Loren made a real impact in the lives of his constituents and the entire city during his tenure on the City Council. He authored more than 60 pieces of legislation.

He focused on protecting working families, making streets safer, improving educational outcomes for Oakland children, investing millions of dollars into Oakland parks, and growing small businesses. His most notable accomplishments include: 

  • Standing firmly against “defunding” public safety services when there was no plan for keeping residents safe
  • Launching a workforce development program in order to bring small-business investment to East Oakland
  • Authoring Oakland’s first “Encampment Management Policy” which provided 

LOREN IN THE COMMUNITY

Loren’s service and leadership positions with nonprofits and social justice organizations has worked towards alleviating poverty, creating economic opportunity in Oakland, and creating a more vibrant Oakland.

  • As a current board member of 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Loren partners with other African-American leaders to provide scholarships and mentorships to African-American youth and promote health, entrepreneurship, and economic development. 
  • As an advisory council member for the Center for Youth Wellness, Loren advanced efforts to support children exposed to violence, neglect, and abuse, and provide them with the tools they need to heal and succeed.As an advisory council member for the Center for Youth Wellness, Loren advanced efforts to support children exposed to violence, neglect, and abuse, and provide them with the tools they need to heal and succeed.
  • Loren served on the board of directors for the West Oakland Health Council, working to provide primary care, mental health, and substance abuse recovery services to residents of East, West, and North Oakland. 
  • Loren was a youth soccer coach and PTA President at his children’s public school, Joaquin Miller Elementary.
  • Loren founded Empower Oakland to engage everyday Oaklanders and educate voters about local issues and their work continues today.
Loren Taylor with the Boy Scouts

LOREN IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

Loren’s private-sector experience prior to government is directly relevant to the challenges Oakland faces: 

  • Loren led the creation of a global procurement and contracting organization for a multi-billion dollar multinational corporation to increase the quality of product and services acquired and reduce the contracting spend by 15%.
  • Loren established performance management and dashboard reporting systems for more than a half-dozen Fortune 500 organizations to improve performance against prioritized sets of goals. He did this in the healthcare, utilities, high tech and nonprofit industries.
  • Loren led the human resources workstream for the reorganization of a 400-person department of a Fortune 50 company, including development of the new organizational structure, training and change management for staff transitions to new roles, and facilitating the pilot of new operating procedures.