OAKLAND — The most revealing part of Thursday night's mayoral debate may have come when the candidates were asked about Oakland's new ranked-choice voting system.

 

The system allows voters to pick their first, second and third choices in city elections, precluding the need for runoffs when one candidate does not receive more than 50 percent of the first-place votes that are cast.

 

When asked who she would pick as her second and third choices, Councilmember Jean Quan took the opportunity to rip former state Sen. Don Perata, the only announced candidate who did not participate.

 

"It makes a real difference who the next mayor of Oakland is," Quan said. "I think there are fundamental differences between some of the people on this stage and the candidate who's not here. We want an Oakland that's not for sale."

 

Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan — a first-term council member who has not officially announced she is running but figures to score a number of second-choice votes from Quan's and Perata's supporters — was more circumspect.

 

"I would certainly love to have the honor of having your first-choice vote," she said. "I would. But I also want to say, I'm not ashamed of second-choice votes either."

 

She later added: "There is no voter that I don't intend to seek, that I wouldn't want to reach. And I of course am making the effort to get the first-choice votes of as many people as possible."

 

Perata's absence Thursday left Quan and Kaplan as the two leading mayoral aspirants at an event that also featured candidates Don Macleay, a Green Party activist and businessman; Orlando Johnson, a member of the Oakland Community Action Network; Greg Harland, a retired businessman; and Terence Candell, director of Candell's College Preparatory Academy.

 

Perata, viewed by many as the favorite, backed out of Thursday's debate, saying he won't participate in such events until Mayor Ron Dellums decides whether he's running for re-election and the field is completely settled. Perata fought against the implementation of ranked-choice voting this year but told the Tribune last month he did not expect it to hurt him in the Nov. 2 election.

 

"We don't believe there's a way to game it," he said. "It's not easy as some people might think it might be. You can't play for second place in District 3 and third place in District 1."

 

The debate was held at the First Unitarian Church, 685 14th St., and was organized by 100 Black Men, 100 Black Women, OaklandSeen and Black Women Organized for Political Action.

 

With some exceptions, it was cordial and lively. The candidates fielded questions on Oakland's jobs, the city's fiscal crisis, public safety and education. They focused on Oakland's potential — and the problems standing in the way.

 

"I think we're all standing here because we give a damn," Macleay said.

 

Johnson made a pitch for developing a local currency to shore up the city's economic difficulties. Harland said the city has failed to adequately use enterprise zones to attract jobs. Candell's supporters turned up in numbers, and their candidate answered questions in a booming tone.

He voiced strong opposition to the recently approved North Oakland gang injunction.

 

"Why? Because, ladies and gentlemen, it opens the doors for racial profiling once again," he said. "We don't want this to occur."

 

City Attorney John Russo has said the injunction is narrowly tailored to prevent abuse of power. Kaplan said Thursday that in certain cases, she could support using the tactic again, drawing a smattering of boos.

 

"We are asking our law enforcement personnel to do things differently from how they've done things historically and to bring new tools to bear," she said. "However, I would not ever support an injunction that allowed any action against unnamed people or without due process."