On June 22, 2021, following a troubled second term, Warren lost the Democratic primary to Rochester city councilman Malik Evans, conceding the race to Evans later that night. As part of a plea deal to resolve her charges of breaking campaign finance rules in the 2017 election, Warren formally stepped down as mayor on December 1, with deputy mayor James Smith serving as acting mayor until Evans was inaugurated on January 1, 2022. Her final act in office was to submit a proposal for a guaranteed basic income pilot program for impoverished families in the city.
