Oakland mayoral candidate Loren Taylor, shown during a meet-and-greet with Rockridge residents in March, has earned the Chronicle’s special election endorsement to replace recalled Sheng Thao.

Whoever wins the April 15 special election for Oakland mayor has an unenviable prize ahead: The winner will immediately have to find a way to keep basic city services afloat while bridging a $140 million annual structural budget deficit — all while navigating the pitfalls of a broader economy that President Donald Trump seems determined to tank.

Political icon and longtime Rep. Barbara Lee is the presumptive favorite. Yet despite her candidacy threatening to “clear the field” back in January, Lee now finds herself in a tight race with former Oakland City Council member and business consultant Loren Taylor. Eight other candidates are also in the running to serve out the remaining two years of former Mayor Sheng Thao’s term after 61% of voters chose to recall her last November.

Lee has soaked up most of the prominent local endorsements — earning the support of not just the entire City Council and of organized labor, but also key members of the business community, including the Chamber of Commerce.

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Yet it remains to be seen whether this breadth of support represents a universal consensus on the superiority of her candidacy, or merely a sense of fait accompli. Ask around, and........

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