Oakland's new Mayor, Ron Dellums, has been holding a week of inaugural events from January 8th through 14th. Dellums, who was born in Oakland, is a former Berkeley City Council member and a former Congressperson. Following his election, he set up a number of task forces to examine important community issues. Critics have pointed out that tickets for some inaugural events have had high price tags, and that some of the ceremonies were sponsored by large corporations such as AT&T, Kaiser Permanente, Comcast, Safeway, Clorox, and Chevron-Texaco.

On Saturday morning January 13th, people gathered for a "Hands Around the Lake" unity event to celebrate Oakland's multicultural diversity. People gathered near the entrance to Fairyland at Lake Merritt (on Grand Ave.), wearing white t-shirts and bright colored gloves. Mayor Dellums was scheduled to speak at 9am as the walk around the lake started, and participants planned to link hands around the lake at 10:30.

At 12pm, the Asian & Pacific Islander community held an inaugural event with performances and refreshments at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center, at 388 9th St. Suite #290. A Fruitvale--San Antonio Community Celebration welcoming Mayor Dellums was held on Saturday from 3:00 to 5:00pm at the Cesar E. Chavez Education Center Gymnasium, at 2825 International Blvd. The event included music, cultural performances, and food. Read more about these events An LGBT Oakland Inaugural Gala took place Saturday evening.

Mayor Ron Dellums website | "Progressives Anxious- But Hopeful," from Beyond Chron | UC Berkeley's history of Ron Dellums